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It’s that time of year when Seattle’s gardens are in full bloom—or in my case, bloomed, spent and in desperate need of a good watering and dead foliage trimming. This was one of the lushest seasons I recall in recent memory, at least in the microcosm that is my Ballard backyard. Everything seemed to be…

Summer, in spirit if not via the weather, kicks off each year over Memorial Day weekend with the Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center. This year, it sadly provided echoes of the sound too often heard on Seattle streets these days: gunfire. A bystander was caught in the crossfire of a shooting near the Space…

High Ceilings, Happy StaffThe room is comfortably spacious, with high ceilings dotted with elegantly artsy fixtures, and tables that easily shift to accommodate larger crowds. The serving staff is charming: Amiable folks such as Finn Von Claret and Vanessa Tiemann make one feel welcome while keeping the edibles and drinkables flowing, especially during the lengthy…

Sunlight pours through south-facing windows, bouncing off spring green accents in West Seattle’s homey new lunch spot. Opened in March by Carrie Duncan (maker of Alki Girl granola) and Dana Moreland, Fiddlehead attracts a mishmash of parents and tots, and small groups of elderly friends, gathering to lunch on a fine BLT made with thick-cut…

When Branzino opened in 2008 to much acclaim, its chef, Ashley Merriman, was clearly a star on the rise; she later went on to compete on Bravo’s Top Chef before moving to New York City, where she now heads the kitchen at Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter’s Waverly Inn. Her departure put Branzino on the…

Montana may not be known for world-class barbecue, but that doesn’t mean Grant and Hannah Carter, who met in Big Sky Country in college, don’t know their ’cue. Boy, do they! Their slim restaurant—housed in Ballard’s old Acme Rubber Stamp building, its interior stripped back to expose old brick walls, with reclaimed barn wood—serves the…

Congratulations: You’ve survived the punk rock era of food. In the decade just past, we saw the demise of the entrée; instead, we’ve pieced together meals by sharing a slew of side dishes and small plates (tapas of every ilk!). We bid adieu to careful, precise service and, instead, bussed our own tables or poured…

Here in the Northwest, it’s rare to taste a perfectly ripe melon. Only during the very hottest days of summer is the fruit at its most sublime, its fragrance humid and thick in the air; tropical, seductive. For a few short weeks, farmers schlep fragile melons from their hot eastern gardens to our local farmers…

What they are: Padrón peppers are small, green peppers with a sweet, mild flavor. Occasionally, the odd rogue pepper can grow particularly hot and spicy, making eating a dish of these peppers (often fried or roasted in olive oil) almost a game of Russian roulette. The peppers that grow later in the season, in August…

Usually stuffed with zesty ingredients like crisp veggies and succulent meat and topped with zingy tzatziki sauce, gyros get a signature finish at these local restaurants. Aladdin Gyro-ceryTake a magic carpet ride to Aladdin Gyro-Cery for a lamb gyro, filled with lettuce, tomatoes and green peppers, drenched in either a fiery tahini sauce or creamy…

Since 1905, Collins Family Orchard has produced a wealth of fruit, including Rainier, lapin and Bing cherries. Now, the family-owned farm also has a science project on the side. Third-generation farmer Calvin Collins and his son, marketing manager Brian, devote three of their 63 acres in Selah to creating about 20 brand-new varieties of tree…

Ah, don’t you just love salad days? It’s summer and we cannot get enough nicely dressed greens, pickled veggies and the unexpected appearance of wild cards like fruit, not to mention exceptional salads served in unexpected places. (Yes, maybe they should rename Safeco Field…of greens.) Here are five salads that get us hot: 1. If…

Wine and chocolate? So last summer, thanks to Seattle-based Cookie Box, which is redefining the concept of “cookie” with its savory line of treats gift-boxed especially to pair with wine. Created by local baker Marcia Sisley-Berger and Anne Nisbet (who manages the judging for our annual Wine Awards), each assortment features cookies created to play…

Summertime brings to mind the frozen delights of our youth, treats hard earned by sprinting after the ice cream truck. These days, ice cream is easier to come by, thanks to the fine fleet of festive trucks cruising local streets—and the websites that help us track them down. 1. You can get creative with Street…

Bainbridge Island-based author Jonathan Evison has an uncanny knack for writing prose that roils across the page, sweeping readers up for the ride. His first novel, All About Lulu (2008), won the Washington State Book Award, and his second, West of Here (2011), earned him the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. In his new novel, The…

Nerdy Seattle loves its slide shows. Locally based and/or created series such as Pecha Kucha, Ignite and Slideluck Potshow—all of which feature presenters using a short, swift series of slides to tell stories about art, tech, food, etc.—have devoted followings, drawing people in with both the appeal of learning something new and the constraint of…