August 2012

Chorizo Burgers with Roasted Padron Peppers

Chorizo Burgers with Roasted Padron Peppers

INGREDIENTSFor the peppers:½ lb. padron peppers3 tablespoons olive oilcoarse salt, like Maldon or fleur de sel For the burgers:1 lb. ground chuck beef1 lb. chorizo, casings removed2 cloves garlic, finely dicedKosher salt and pepper Toppings:Mayonnaise, sliced jack cheese, 4 burger buns (buttered and toasted, if desired) DIRECTIONSOn a baking sheet, toss the padron peppers with…

Best Washington Wines: 2012 Award Winners

Best Washington Wines: 2012 Award Winners

Because we don’t need other people to tell us that Washington makes great wine.

Winners listed in their respective categories: Best Winemakers Best Red Wines Best White Wines Seven hundred and thirty-nine wineries? Only four years ago, we were celebrating hitting the 500 mark. But since then, a lot has changed. The economy tanked, real estate foundered. People cut luxuries. But surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), wine lovers…

Perfect Seattle Picnic Blanket

Perfect Seattle Picnic Blanket

Eliminate wet blankets forever with this supersonic product from local company Fruitsuper Design

Newsflash: Seattle weather is fickle. Which is exactly why local company Fruitsuper design (fruitsuper.com) developed a new waterproof picnic blanket—to ensure that outdoor eating and seating this summer are both dry and delightful. The reversible, lightweight blanket ($98), made of soft, smooth 600 denier polyester, comes equipped with weighted corners and an integrated shoulder strap…

Tasting the Elusive Tempranillo

Tasting the Elusive Tempranillo

Last year’s emerging varietal winner—the savory Spanish grape Tempranillo—was put to the taste test.

With all the experimentation going on in Washington wine, some winemakers and viticulturists see the dry, hot conditions of parts of eastern Washington as the perfect climate for Spanish varieties. Washington has grown the fruity Grenache (Garnacha in Spanish) for years, and now Tempranillo, a savory grape, has found a following. When we highlighted this…

Auction of Washington Wine Insider's Guide

Auction of Washington Wine Insider’s Guide

Our insider’s guide to Woodinville’s can’t-miss wine event this month.

Despite the fact that the Auction of Washington Wines, an annual destination weekend that raises funds for Seattle Children’s, occurs in and around Woodinville over three days this month (August 16–18), many locals shuttle back and forth for each evening’s party, dinner and event. This year marks the fundraiser’s 25th anniversary, and we say, why…

New Discoveries in Willamette Valley

New Discoveries in Willamette Valley

Spend a weekend here sampling Oregon's new pours.

Oregon and the Willamette Valley AVA have established their oeuvre with Pinot Noir, but their repertoire is growing. A newfound love affair with Oregon Chardonnay has received notice in The New York Times, and several dedicated winemaker evangelists, such as Rollin Soles of Argyle Winery, are touting the joys of Oregon sparkling wine. Southern Oregon,…

Old Wine Country in Yakima/Red Mountain

Old Wine Country in Yakima/Red Mountain

Spend a weekend here sampling a variety of delicious Washington wines.

It’s the oldest and largest wine-growing region in the state—producing more than a third of the state’s wine—but Yakima Valley isn’t always at the top of the wine-getaway list. That’s because this area, so long on wine excellence, can be a little short on luxe accommodations and upscale eateries; it’s a farm town, after all….

What's New in Walla Walla

What’s New in Walla Walla

Spend a weekend here sampling a variety of delicious Washington wines.

It’s hard to find a prettier wine town than Walla Walla, the capital of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. With its restored turn-of-the-century brick buildings, well-stocked wine tasting rooms and upscale restaurants, the city of 30,000 makes an ideal base for exploring the region’s wine country, which includes some of our state’s best-known red wine…

Columbia Gorge

Columbia Gorge

Spend a weekend here sampling Washington’s exceptional diversity of wine.

Tucked away in a cranny between the Columbia and Willamette valleys, the Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a little wine-tasting paradise that looks more like Germany’s Mosel wine region than it does anyplace in the Northwest. The area is still better known as a destination for windsurfers and Lewis and Clark Trail buffs,…

Tips for a More Playful Garden

Tips for a More Playful Garden

Embrace imperfection with these delightful backyard accents and decorating ideas.

Every corner of Eric Swenson and Holly Weese’s North Seattle yard harbors a carefully orchestrated surprise. There’s an iron chandelier hanging 60 feet up in a towering fir tree, and a small bog of carnivorous plants flanking a front walk. (Swenson, an avid gardener and the sole designer and chief laborer in the yard, likes…

Meet Seattle’s Newest Invasive Plant

Meet Seattle’s Newest Invasive Plant

A garlic mustard infestation poses serious threats - and it will cost you.

When I moved into my house in leafy Ravenna back in 2008, I knew I would have my work cut out for me, literally. The backyard was large and woodsy, and would have been beautiful if it wasn’t overrun by two of Seattle’s most infamous invasives: Himalayan blackberry and English ivy. These plants, introduced here…

Swinging from the Vines

Swinging from the Vines

Editorial director Rachel Hart reflects on growth: both good bad.

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…