Rearview Mirror: Fresh Faces, a Peruvian Feast, and the Book I Could Not Put Down 

SPOOKY STAGES

Last week, the much-anticipated Ghost Stories opened at Pacific Northwest Ballet. The four-ballet rep included two works from Alejandro Cerrudo (Silent Ghost and PACOPEPEPLUTO), George Balanchine’s La Sonnambula (which hadn’t been performed by the company since 2007), and a world premiere, The Raven, choreographed by PNB principal dancer Kyle Davis. It was recently announced that after 19 years with the organization (he joined as an apprentice in 2008), Davis will retire at the end of the 2026-27 season. 

The Raven, inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe poem, debuted with Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan in the titular role. The brilliant set—featuring an enormous skull triptych, ornate gold trim, and oxblood red—was a moody background for the story of the Man (Christopher D’Ariano), a tortured writer, who has lost his love, Lenore (Angelica Generosa), and the raven who menaces him in his grief. 

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan in the world premiere of Kyle Davis’s The Raven. Photo © Angela Sterling.

The roles required as much acting as dancing, and three performers were convincing in their emotions—longing, sorrow, coquettish jealousy, madness. The Raven is set to an 1843 piece by composer Alexander Dreyschock, Morceau de concert, Op. 27. There is a fascinating story about Davis’ decade-long search for the score (read more here), and his passion for it—and Poe’s famous poem—come through in the work, which was danced with a mix of vigor and tenderness. 

The entire evening was a hit—La Sonnambula was such a chilling delight, and a rare narrative work by Balanchine— and the show is absolutely worth snagging tickets for this weekend (there are only a few performances left!) 

Courtesy of Ace Books

HOOKED ON A BOOK

When I was little, I used to stay up late, hiding under the covers with a flashlight, reading books. I’m pretty sure I was fooling no one, but my parents must have figured, hey, she’s reading, and never said anything. Obviously I’m an adult now and don’t have anyone monitoring when and where I read, but I spent last week in the grown-up equivalent of my childhood pastime—no flashlights required. My husband was traveling for work, and one evening I decided to start a book a good friend of mine had gifted me. Full disclosure: I would have NEVER picked up this book on my own (I know, I know, don’t judge by the cover…), as I am not the biggest sci-fi or fantasy fan, but Dungeon Crawler Carl had me absolutely riveted. We’re talking up until 1’o’clock in the morning, falling asleep while reading, sneaking in a few pages while brushing my teeth, finished it in less than 72 hours riveted. 

The first in a nine-book series by Matt Dinniman, who lives in Gig Harbor and started writing it during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dungeon Crawler Carl finds the titular Carl, a former Marine, and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, facing an impossible choice. All man-made structures have collapsed, killing most of the world’s population, and they have one hour to make a decision: try to survive in the outside wasteland (Carl is in boxer shorts, a parka, and Crocs), or enter into a warm, glowing portal that leads to an intergalactically televised gameshow that pits them against increasingly sadistic and more brutal challenges for survival. 

Okay, I know, it sounds…dark…and yes, it is, but it is also funny and touching and just so unlike anything I’ve ever read. Dinniman is one hell of a storyteller. From chapter to chapter, he keeps you emotionally hooked, fully invested in the plot, and believing that even in a universe taken over by evil alien overlords, there is always a possibility that the good guys will prevail. 

Cebiche / courtesy of Miraflores Media

SLEEPING ON CEBICHE 

So, I admit, I am late to the game on this one. As in two years late. But, you know the old saying, better late than never, and if you love seafood then this applies to you. Earlier this week, La Mar in Bellevue invited me in for dinner. The brainchild of chef Gastón Acurio, La Mar is a celebration of a celebration of Peruvian cuisine, with an emphasis on Peruvian cebiche—a citrus-cured seafood dish. Given our region’s access to the freshest seafood, this pescatarian was looking forward to the very fish-forward menu (which I scouted online a few days before the reservation). 

La Mar offers both a set, multi-course Experience Menu (one for meat-and-seafood eaters and one for vegetarians) and a la carte options. I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire a la carte vegetarian menu with dishes including a veggie cebiche, a wild mushroom saltado (a traditional Peruvian stir-fry dish), and a meloso (a dish similar to risotto) with broccolini, porcini, and shimeji mushrooms. 

Since this restaurant is known for its cebiches, my friend and I had to kick off the meal with one. We chose the clásico, with fresh halibut, leche de tigre, choclo, cancha, and habanero. I’m super picky (some would say fussy) about raw fish, but this was so clean and fresh—the flavors of each component (out waiter told us to make sure to get a little bit of everything on the plate with each spoonful) were perfectly balanced, with the fish playing star. We each ordered an entrée and shared—she, the golden chaufa (a Dungeness crab and shrimp friend rice, served piping hot in a stone dish), and me, the pescado al pilpil (halibut in a yellow pepper sauce with crispy kale and shimeji mushrooms). Both were excellent, but I will be going back again specifically for the golden chaufa, which was an elevated comfort food—chunks of sweet Dungeness and tiny shrimp rolling around in a citrusy, garlicy, crispy rice. It’s one of the best things I’ve eaten in recent memory.

Photo by Carolyn Barth

ABOUT FACE

I’ve written before about my love of all things beauty, skincare, and spa-related, so when word of LUI Skincare came across my desk, I booked an appointment right away. Opened in September in a beautiful loft space in Pioneer Square, LUI is run by Carolyn Barth, a master aesthetician who previously worked at Cake Skincare and Seattle Face & Skin. This unique background informs her philosophy when it comes to treatment. “Each facial is individually composed around the skin’s condition and needs,” she says. “My approach integrates skin physiology, thoughtfully formulated botanical skincare, and intentional touch, with an emphasis on preserving the skin’s barrier while creating meaningful, visible results.”

My facial was relaxing, targeted (I had a blemish coming in front-and-center on my right cheek, and I’m always trying to get as much moisture as possible into my skin), and informative. Barth and I chatted throughout (it turns out she grew up in West Seattle, and her daughter attends the same school as my stepson—PNW small-world connections), and she explained the various treatments she used, including a sculptural massage and manual lymphatic drainage (bye-bye puffiness), exfoliation and extractions using a BT-Ultrasonic device, meant to “refine the skin’s surface while minimizing unnecessary disruption to the surrounding tissue,” and a finishing of Monastery’s Gold Restorative Face Oil and a red LED light treatment to “support cellular processes associated with skin repair and collagen production.” 

LUI is the perfect crossover between natural, clean skincare and technological innovations, which can be difficult to find. Oftentimes a clinic or spa leans heavily one way or the other, but, just as in life, with skincare, sometimes you just need to find the perfect balance.