February 2021
Restaurant Roundup: James Beard Finalists and Speedy Steak
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Drumroll please… The finalists for the James Beard Awards were announced this week, and two Seattle chefs made the cut for the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category — Atoma’s Johnny Courtney and Surrell’s Aaron Tekulve. For them, culinary glory remains on the table, but we’re still planning on giving the other restaurants and bars…
More Than a Watch Party
At the Museum of Flight, Seattle celebrated Artemis II with real ties to the mission.
A moon mission lifted off in Florida on Wednesday, but one of the most interesting places to see it was Seattle. On April 1, the Museum of Flight hosted a free public watch party for Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission around the moon in more than 50 years. The event included a live broadcast,…
Here’s Your Earth Month To-Do List
Local cleanups, trail work, and ways to get outside this April.
In the Pacific Northwest, a region deeply connected to water, forests, and ecosystems, the climate conversation has never been theoretical. It shows up as shrinking snowpack, severe flooding, and warming streams. If the planet’s future—and that of our own backyard—can feel overwhelming, this year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” puts the action back…
Woven Wonders: Textile-based Coast Salish Art Unravels Local History
Indigenous weaving, past and present, on view at the Burke Museum.
On display now at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving examines the traditional art form and its importance to Coast Salish communities. “This exhibition broadens the definition of American art by incorporating Indigenous voices and artistic practices historically marginalized due to biases…
Lifting the Fog
Beyond Mysticism at Seattle Art Museum broadens the old story of Northwest art.
For a long time, Northwest Modernism got boxed into one idea: mysticism—a way of describing the region’s art as inward-looking, spiritual, and closely tied to nature. That goes back to a 1953 Life magazine story about Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, Guy Anderson, and Morris Graves, the four artists most associated with the Northwest School. Beyond…
Born to (Run) Ski
Pro runner and University of Washington alum Anna Gibson took up ski mountaineering only eight months ago. In February, she represented Team USA in the endurance sport’s Olympic debut.
Anna Gibson is always beaming. Not a phony only-for-the-socials kind of smile, but an open-mouthed grin of exaltation that seems to radiate from her very core. Maybe it’s the lack of oxygen above 6,000 feet near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Gibson trains in the Tetons. Maybe it’s because she just really, really loves running. But…
Henry Mansfield Wins a Spot at Northwest Tune-Up
A new contest for Washington musicians wrapped earlier this month in Bellingham. Nearly 200 artists entered, and it came down to five finalists.
Earlier this month, Seattle-based queer indie artist Henry Mansfield won the final round of Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest at Wild Buffalo House of Music, earning a slot on the Northwest Tune-Up Festival main stage this July. Mansfield makes loud, anthemic pop rooted in storytelling, with songs that move between grief and joy and pull…
Industry Entrées: New Restaurants Around the Sound
Seattle’s latest spots to eat, drink, and gather with friends.
Mr. Maqluba Greenwood | instagram.com/mr.maqluba/ Since opening in the former Olive and Grape space in January, Mr. Maqluba has been bringing some delicious hope to Seattle’s formerly Palestinian-food-free landscape. The restaurant’s “authentic maqluba, made the traditional way,” according to its social media, is a heavenly pot of seasoned rice that’s loaded with roasted chicken, crisped…
Studio Sessions: Cristina Martinez
On the cusp of a new group show, Northwest artist Cristina Martinez reflects on storytelling, motherhood, and personal success.
Artistically inclined from a young age, Cristina Martinez was attending fashion school when she had a realization: Her passion wasn’t necessarily sparked by the clothes she was sketching, but by the stories behind her work. Drawing from her Black and Mexican roots, and from the lives, histories, and cultures of the community around her, Martinez…
Rearview Mirror: Cherries, Darts, and What’s Next at Seattle Rep
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
The Cherry Story This week, I talked with author Livia Blackburne and Seattle-based illustrator Julia Kuo about their beautiful new picture book, Bing’s Cherries. The story traces the origins of the Bing cherry through a young girl imagining the life of Ah Bing, the Chinese immigrant who cultivated the fruit. It moves between fact and…
Restaurant Roundup: Concourse C and Easter Brunch
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Do you notice an extra spring in your step? It couldn’t be that ferry boat full of crab nachos—or the cauliflower wings—as you watch the Mariners play baseball for the first time since October, could it? Perhaps you have a light rail adventure to the Eastside planned? Whatever it is, here are some more things…
Queen of the Hill
A 1918 landmark reworked with design cues drawn from early industry.
Seattle’s historic MarQueen Hotel has unveiled an extensive renovation that blends contemporary comforts with vintage glamour. Originally built in 1918 as the Seattle Engineering School, the brick building at the bottom of Queen Anne Avenue provided housing for students developing the Ford Model T. The refreshed design, by Cusack + Co. Interiors, features historic wood…