Skip to content

Food & Drink

Read More ›

The Anti-Straw Crusade is Sweeping Seattle

Actor Adrian Grenier wants you to join the pledge to go "Strawless in Seattle"

straw

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here’s one more thing for you to feel guilty about: that drinking straw in your morning cold brew or happy hour G&T. Hey, you’re not alone—I love a good straw. How weird would it be to drink a milkshake straight from the cup like a heathen? Well, we need to find out… and we need to be OK with it.

A growing number of local—and global—businesses are joining a movement to go strawless. The reasons are plentiful. But basically, plastic straws end up in a lot of places they shouldn’t, like in cute little sea creature bellies and on beaches and in landfills. Actor Adrian Grenier (who played Vincent Chase on HBO’s Entourage) helped launch one of the most prominent ocean-focused environmental associations, Lonely Whale Foundation, which is behind the Strawless in Seattle crusade.

This month-long pledge to give up straws has found allies in the Mariners and Seahawks, Tom Douglas RestaurantsAnthony’s Restaurants, Sea-Tac, the aquarium (duh) and more. Some of these businesses are going straw-free for the month of September, while others have promised to keep the goodwill going longer. If you dine at Douglas’ eateries, they’ve abolished all plastic straws, though guests can choose marine-friendly compostable versions. Some unofficial participants are jumping on board the strawless campaign as well: At Starbucks locations right now, they’re giving away reusable straws while supplies last.

What can you do to help? Go to these Lonely Whale events throughout the month. Eat out at one of the participating restaurants, or swing by Starbucks, and let them know you support what they’re doing. And maybe tell your bartender or waiter or barista that you’re ready to #stopsucking (their hashtag idea, not ours), too. 

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

At Cut Club, the longtime Seattle restaurateur is going old-school, with steaks made for sharing, no service charges, and a happy hour where $12 still buys dinner. 

Cut Club, the new steakhouse inside downtown’s Hotel Max, feels like a restaurant from the not-too-distant past. The menu leans comfortable rather than ambitious or world-spanning. It serves a typical lineup of steak cuts, some traditional sides like oysters, prawn cocktail, and wedge salad, and some cocktails that are between $15 and $20. There’s a…

Outside the Box: Gourmondo Founder Launches Olivina

Outside the Box: Gourmondo Founder Launches Olivina

Alissa Leinonen’s new venture brings her seasonal, Northwest approach to weddings, milestone celebrations, and elevated events.

After 30 years, Alissa Leinonen—founder of renowned catering and box-lunch company, Gourmondo—has launched a new venture. Called Olivina, the new luxury catering and events company focuses on highly personalized, elevated experiences ranging from weddings or other milestone celebrations to corporate gatherings. What started with $4,000 from a refinanced car (and a tiny café in Pike…

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

Autumn is back. Celebrate with fresh-hop beer, apple harvests, returning salmon, cranberries, and more. 

Explore 7 fun Washington fall festivals worth the drive, from Leavenworth's Autumn Leaf Festival and Issaquah Salmon Days to CrabFest and Fresh Hop Ale.

Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Hope you’re hungry for a history lesson. Oliver’s, the cocktail lounge inside downtown’s Mayflower Park Hotel, was a Bartell Drugs store during Prohibition before becoming the city’s first hotel bar in the late 1940s—the Carousel Room, named for the carousel horses hung from the ceiling. When Washington repealed the rule forbidding the service of hard…