While the gray skies and cooler temps may be back for a few days, this week’s heat was just a taste of the summer sizzle to come. One of our favorite ways to chill out is with an icy drink or dessert, and there are plenty of options to do so, from Mia & More’s cold-pressed sugar cane juice to the soft serve at Rain City Market.

Now, on to more of what makes the season special. 

Last call for lavender

Willows Lodge in Woodinville is wrapping up its Lavender Days (through June 30), your chance to enjoy culinary delights made with flowers grown across the street at JB Family Growers. In the hotel’s Fireside Lounge, lavender-infused cocktails/mocktails pair well with the burrata, which comes with grilled local stone fruit, farm greens, cucumber, lavender-infused honey, marcona almonds, and a pickled cherry stem vinaigrette. At Barking Frog, a lavender ricotta adds floral notes to the Duck Confit Salad, and the Apricot Lavender Sorbet brings a lightly aromatic sweetness to dessert. 

Throwback at the tippy top

Mountaineering Club, the rooftop bar on the 16th floor of Graduate Seattle, is taking it back to the ‘70s for Fourth of July with a summer camp-themed party. During the day (1-8 p.m.), you’re invited to dig into Seattle dogs and whiskey drinks, or even sign up for the pie-eating contest. There will also be tie-dyeing and bracelet-making craft stations, as well as DJs playing oldies. Starting at 9 p.m., the venue goes 21+ (tickets are required, too) in preparation for pyrotechnics over Lake Union, with a Sweet Alchemy ice cream sundae pop-up and flash tattoos to make it a night you’ll never forget.

Food and drinks for the Seoul

To find an exhilarating ambience straight out of the South Korean capital, head to Gol Mok, Capitol Hill’s market-bar that specializes in bunsik, the street food and snacks you’d find in enticing back alleys. The restaurant’s neon lights bring life to late nights filled with makgeolli and kimbap, rotisserie chicken and K-pop beats. Round up your friends—soju bombs await.

The best kind of inside baseball

You may already be in the know when it comes to the mysterious home plate-shaped hole-in-the-wall at Mariners games, but do you know what’s behind it (other than wacky cocktails)? Well-traveled M’s fans, specifically those who’ve made it to Florence, Italy, might recognize the inspiration for the wildly popular SEAcret Door as buchette di vino, wine windows that have been around for 500 years. Back at T-Mobile Park, the novelty drinks are only available for certain games, so keep your eyes peeled and your wallet ready (they’re $24.99).

Ramen soon, pizza later

Two summer openings—one imminent and the other a bit further down the road—need to go on your calendar. In Capitol Hill at the corner of 14th and Union, Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya is set to move into the space last occupied by Skillet Diner. This marks the Hawaiian-based restaurant’s second location in Washington, with the first opening in Kirkland earlier this year. And in Phinney Ridge, Sunday, Aug. 2 is the day Stevie’s Famous will open its biggest slice shop yet. We’ll take ours “Normie” style, which means adding burrata and honey on top.