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MUST HEARKnute Berger at the Space needleThursday (11/1) — Seattle magazine editor-at-large Knute Berger is presenting MOHAI’s esteemed Denny Lecture tomorrow night at the Space Needle. The topic du jour? Why, the Space Needle, of course. Learn all about the truly quirkly origins of the Needle, as recounted in Berger’s new book, Space Needle: The…

What may strike you about the restaurants we included in the November Best New Restaurants issue (on newsstands now) is just how specialized and unique each of the restaurants is. Little Uncle (pictured above), Blind Pig, and especially Crumble & Flake and Hot Cakes: these are not restaurants that are catering to a wide range…

“Something for everyone” is ideal at small-town diners. In tiny towns with few options, restaurants need to please as many people as possible. But as Seattle blooms into a world-class food town, our restaurants are boldly going in the opposite direction, getting quirkier, more specialized and increasingly more expressive of the passion of the cooks…

Seattle is home to such an array of delicious food that choosing a place to eat can be more than a little overwhelming. It’s about to become even harder to make a dining decision as we introduce a handful of new talent into our Northwest culinary club. This year’s lineup has a little bit of…

Barbecue Done RightBarbecue has long been branded as a summer food, but we think it tastes just as good on a chilly November evening, with sauce coating your fingers and steam rising from your plate to envelop you in a savory glow. This year, the Southern staple found a home in Seattle, with a quartet…

The ritual is the same, 365 days a year. Rain or shine, at 4:45 p.m., the faithful, the curious, the famous and even the jaded make their way to a sleepy side street in Vancouver’s tony South Granville neighborhood, hoping to secure a seat at a culinary icon. The doors won’t open until 5:30, but…

When you walk into Glass Distillery (SoDo, 1712 First Ave. S; glassdistillery.com), it’s easy to see that its founder, painter, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ian MacNeil, has connections in the art community; glass art, paintings and stylish recycled wood are here in abundance. But, look farther into the distilling area, and you’ll see he has a…

While it opened a little more than a year ago, in September 2011, Canon: Whiskey and Bitters Emporium is still fresh on the Seattle cocktail scene. In fact, we’ve spoken with several local cocktail devotees who admit they haven’t yet been. Which is a mistake, because if you revere cocktails made with care, precision and…

Crisp CreperieRoving; crispseattle.comJust how good can a crêpe be, you ask? Ham and cheese, Nutella and banana: Aren’t they all sort of the same? They’re not, and Crisp Creperie’s delicious, inventive crêpes are proof. Take the roasted turkey version with jalapeño-artichoke spread, roasted peppers and spinach ($10). It’s savory and creamy with a kick, and…

Food snobs will tell you that Seattle simply does not have good bagels, good Indian food (see page 116), a real Jewish deli or good barbecue. If you, like us, want to challenge these assertions, give Ballard’s newcomer Bitterroot a try. Owner Grant Carter, who owns the place with his wife, Hannah, cooks his ribs…

You’ve probably never heard of chef Charles Walpole—that is, unless you’ve worked alongside him in a restaurant kitchen. Walpole headed other people’s kitchens for a decade (most recently, Ethan Stowell’s Anchovies & Olives) before striking out with partner Rene Gutierrez to open the Blind Pig in the now-iconic original Sitka & Spruce (and later, Nettletown)…

If you haven’t made a pilgrimage to eat on Bainbridge Island in the last two years, you might not recognize the place. Last year, Hitchcock opened in downtown Winslow, bringing with it a taste of youth and urbanity. Even more noteworthy was the late-spring opening of Restaurant Marché, where former Canlis chef Greg Atkinson expertly…

We’ve been to Crumble & Flake four times, but only managed to eat anything once. OK, twice. It’s a common story; chef and owner Neil Robertson’s bakery has been besieged by pastry fiends since it opened its doors in early summer. These fanatics are willing to wait a half hour in lines that can stretch…

The first to open was Mezcaleria Oaxaca atop Queen Anne Hill, where tastings of mezcal (like tequila, but smoky) accompany the fantastic Mexican food we’ve come to expect from the people behind Ballard’s La Carta de Oaxaca. An entirely new menu accompanies the mezcal, including a terrific goat meat platter ($13), freshly pressed tortillas ($1),…

You’ll be a born-again Thai food fan after tasting the bright, fire-cracker version cooked by husband-and-wife chefs Poncharee (aka “PK”) and Wiley Frank at their takeout window on Madison Street across from Healio. Inspired by a life-changing visit to Thailand, the duo (he previously cooked at Lark) spent two years ironing the kinks out of…

It’s hardly a surprise that the high-end dining market has struggled these past few years. Not only have diners’ budgets taken a hit, their tastes have shifted ever more toward casual, neighborhood restaurants with come-as-you-are appeal and a “no reservations necessary” policy. But when the time comes to dust off the heels and skirt—when the…

Holy sweet tooth heaven! That’s not Hot Cakes’ tagline, but we think it should be. When the urge hits to skip dinner and go directly to dessert, this Ballard cutie is our first stop. Autumn Martin has serious dessert-making chops—she was pastry chef at Canlis before leading the chocolatier team at Theo in Fremont—and her…

If you ever find yourself crying at work, take Ellen Forney’s advice: “Don’t wipe your tears. Don’t change your posture. Just keep working until you get to the point where your nose is running and you’re kind of a mess—then get up, go to the bathroom, blow your nose and wipe your face. Take a…