February 2011

Cheap Eats: Fuji Bakery

Cheap Eats: Fuji Bakery

A sensational bakery opens in Seattle's International District.

My colleague Lorna Yee sent me an e-mail raving about Fuji Bakery in Bellevue, but before I could cross the bridge for a treat, word hit that there was a Fuji opening in the International District. Soon after, on three compulsive visits—I couldn’t stay away!—I tasted more than my share of goodies, and there wasn’t…

Nine Nerds of Note: Local Geeks Going Above and Beyond

Nine Nerds of Note: Local Geeks Going Above and Beyond

From wine, to food, to news, we call out nine of the cities nerdiest personalities.

1. Wine NerdERIC LEVINE  [ Former Microsoftie and founder of CellarTracker and GrapeStories, wine-reviewing databases (cellartracker.com; grapestories.com) ]  Nerd stats: Personal collection: 3,000 bottles. Database: tracks 21 million bottles. Has published more than 4,000 tasting notes to his website.How it began: “It just seemed natural to build a proper SQL database and host it in…

Restaurant Review: Cantinetta Bellevue

Restaurant Review: Cantinetta Bellevue

The Wallingford date spot spawns a second sexy incarnation on Bellevue’s Main Street.

Sometimes, going out to eat is all about the food. But usually, there’s more to it. At the original Cantinetta in Wallingford, there is plenty to like beyond the remarkable homemade pastas. The candlelit space has a whispered, undeniable sexiness. And, in spite of its location (on the street level of a modern condominium building),…

Restaurant Review: Lecosho

Matt Janke (late of Matt's in the Market) returns with a pork-lover's paradise on the Harbor Steps.

It’s probably not fair, but everyone is going to compare Lecosho to Matt’s in the Market. Matt Janke opened Matt’s in 1996, when there was room for about a dozen patrons in the ramshackle space, but—oh!—it was magic. Simple, honest, fresh and seasonal (but not preachy about it), the food was just good, good, so…

The Nerd Issue: Seattle's Beloved Geek Festivals

The Nerd Issue: Seattle’s Beloved Geek Festivals

Geek Fests! If there were any doubt as to Seattle’s nerd cred, one need look no farther than the eno

COMICS, SCI-FI & FANTASY Emerald City Comicon March 4–6; Washington State Convention Center, Seattle; emeraldcitycomicon.com  Who attends: Secret superheroes.Why go: Dating back to 1970 in San Diego (and 2003 in Seattle), this is a mecca for comic book enthusiasts—and with good reason. If the countless local and international comic book vendors don’t do it for…

The Nerd Issue: Seattle's Comics Craze

The Nerd Issue: Seattle’s Comics Craze

Pow! Bam! Kaboom! A growing number of comic book professionals (no, that’s not an oxymoron) are maki

PETER BAGGE Applauded for his comic series “Hate” and “Apocalypse Nerd” (among others), the iconic Seattle comic writer has a new book due out this month from Fantagraphics. It’s a collection of his 1999–2000 comic book series Yeah!, which follows the triumphs and trials of an all-girl band that blows Josie and the Pussycats out…

The Nerd Issue: Celebrating Local Geek Varietals

The Nerd Issue: Celebrating Local Geek Varietals

From nerd hangouts to, geeky fashion to a geeky blast from the past, here's our ode to Seattle's ner

NERD HANGOUTThe Nerd Cathedral Double nerd points go to the Seattle Public Library for erecting a downtown pleasure dome dedicated to the pursuit of reading, as well as upgrading neighborhood libraries to pass ecological muster. Our citizenry passed the “Libraries for All” bond measure with a whopping 72 percent approval in 1998, and that resulted…

The Nerd Issue: Game Developers, Platforms and Places to Play

The Nerd Issue: Game Developers, Platforms and Places to Play

What better way to spend a rainy day than with a game? Perhaps it′s not surprising that Seattle is

PREMIER PLATFORMS Microsoft: Only KinectSay what you will about Windows, the Zune, Bing and other much maligned Microsoft products. The Redmond-based behemoth has kicked some major butt in the gaming world. It 2001 it entered the console gaming arena with the Xbox and, in 2005, cemented its position with the Xbox 360. Aside from sharp…

The Nerd King & Nerd Hall of Fame

The Nerd King & Nerd Hall of Fame

The honorary prom king of the nerd high school that is Seattle, Paul Allen is quite the overachieve

THE NERD KING ✱ Most Likely to Space Out: Paul Allen and aerospace engineer Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites made history in 2004 with SpaceShipOne (scaled.com)—the first privately constructed manned spacecraft to successfully enter suborbital space. ✱ Class Brain: Founded in 2003, the Allen Institute for Brain Science (alleninstitute.org) is responsible for endeavors like the…

Fanny Facials! The New Twist on Spa Treatments

Fanny Facials! The New Twist on Spa Treatments

New skin treatments at SageCliffe, the Wax Bar and Salon Dewi take the term facial to a whole new le

Call us old-fashioned, but we remember a time (circa 2007 or so) when a facial treatment had something to do with, well, the face. Given the glut of “facials” that venture as far south as the cheeks (yes, those cheeks), we’ll ditch the technicalities in favor of booking a few this-is-so-amazing-who-cares-what-they-call-it sessions. Baby Bump Facial:…

UV Treatments Make a Comeback in Local Spas

UV Treatments Make a Comeback in Local Spas

During the dungeon days of winter, who couldn't use a sunny burst of Vitamin D?

After years of living in disgrace (we’ve sworn off tanning beds for good), UV is making a comeback as spas heap on extra doses of safe rays with therapeutic and innovative uses of light. Thank goodness. During the dungeon days of winter, we could use a sunny burst of Vitamin D without the guilt trip….

Only in Seattle Beauty Treatments with Coffee

Only in Seattle Beauty Treatments with Coffee

Oh-so-Seattle aromas have taken center stage in creative new wraps, scrubs and massages.

The Northwest exudes its own vibe and scent—a distinct mix of ground coffee, fresh rainfall and spicy pine trees—and from Ballard to Bellevue, these familiar, oh-so-Seattle aromas have taken center stage in creative new wraps, scrubs and massages. Body a Latte treatment: Napolitano SpaIn the category of “Things That Remind Us of Seattle,” Napolitano Spa…