A couple of sunny Saturdays ago, Spencer and I took the entire day off (lately, a rarity for us) and played tourists in our own downtown Seattle. One of our favorite special treats of the day was savoring something as simple as a Top Pot Doughnut while sitting outside the stylish store in Belltown.

Here’s my sweet treat, all pretty in pink (icing) and topped with fluffy coconut. The cake part reminded me of “crullers”–handmade German-style doughnuts–we used to get from the Amish farmers of Lancaster County at our local farmers’ market in suburban Philadelphia when I was a girl.

Poof–and it was gone!

We’ve been enjoying new executive chef Craig Hetherington’s playful, yet sophisticated menu items at the newly revamped TASTE Restaurant and Lounge. Here’s his take on the classic ice cream soda, which he makes with sassafras ice cream and vanilla soda (!), and serves with a pair of warm vanilla cookies. Mmmmm. . .

And just for more fun, here’s the chef’s St. Jude Albacore Tuna, beautifully deconstructed into its three main elements. . .tuna on a bed of green-olive pesto, Israeli couscous, and baby greens. Healthful, yet hearty. 

Steven Han and executive chef and partner Billy Beach welcomed media members to the opening of their newest Japanese restaurant, Kushibar, on August 27. The new Belltown restaurant, located at 2319 Second Avenue, features grilled foods, noodle dishes, beer, sake, and cocktails. Lovers of the less-well-known cuts of meat will appreciate offerings such as beef tongue and heart, chicken cartilage and gizzards, and pigs’ feet. More conventional offerings include fried squid and tofu, edamame, yaki soba, and ramen. 

A large outdoor patio, complete with overhead heaters, promises streetside dining year-round. 

One of our favorite restaurants in Seattle, Marjorie, will offer its last two dinners at 5:30 and 8:00 on Saturday, September 6. Donna Moodie, our friend and owner of the restaurant, has been forced out of her beautiful space (former Café Septième and Lush Life) by cancellation of her lease, and is in search of a new venue. She will most likely relocate on Capitol Hill. 

Here’s the lovely Market Select Fish I enjoyed just a couple of weeks before the scheduled closing–Albacore Tuna with Soba Noodles, Snap Peas, and Avocado Cream. Spencer devoured his Grilled Kurobuta Pork Chop with Bacon Corn Cake (yum!), Braised Chard, and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. 

A bottle of Dobbes Estate 2006 Assemblage Pinot Noir paired well with both our selections. 

Fare thee well, Donna, and hope to see you back in business soon! 

We were honored to be included among the guests to celebrate icon Grill’s 10th anniversary along with founding chef Nick Musser, local media, family, friends, and present and past crew members. The appetizer spread included some of Chef Nick’s all-time best bites, including mini crabcakes, meatballs with Northwest cherry sauce, and spicy barbecued shrimp.

A marzipan birthday cake and a stack of chocolate cupcakes brought the celebration to an appropriately festive, and sweet ending. The consummate host, Chef Nick sent his guests home with a package of Barilla pasta and his recipe for the Ultimate Mac & Cheese. 

icon Grill is known for its pretty pink interior, afloat in lacy glass art and tchtchkes, as well as the witty sayings on its ever-changing marquee. Most popular posting occurred after the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization (WTO) summit.

“Thanks, WTO. It’s been a riot.” appeared in newspapers as far away as Pakistan. 

TASTE Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum recently underwent a remodel that will entice even more people to enter its doors. The once cool, MOMA-like setting has been warmed thanks to plush coffee-colored banquettes; new lighting fixtures and ivory-colored lighting strips; glass panels erected in front of the cook’s line; and a new accent color for the Glassy Baby votives (still TBD, according to general manager and fellow Seattle Dame Danielle Custer).

Here’s the classy “Tuna Melt” we enjoyed at one of Chef Craig Heatherington’s Sunday Suppers. Check out the Lummi Island Wild Salmon Sunday Supper on August 3, which promises to be a good one.

The new Arctic Club Hotel at Third Avenue and Cherry Street, is a stylish paean to the good life, circa 1908. And although the Juno restaurant isn’t quite open yet, the Polar Bar makes a stylish setting for a glass of wine or a specialty cocktail. The evening we visited, a wedding reception was in full swing in the hotel, and the Polar Bar was up and running. Here’s the gorgeous Frozen Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail with Olive and Asparagus we shared along with a glass of California sparkling wine for me a glass of California Pinot Noir for Spencer. We loved the way the sorbet-like salsa cooled the spices in the Bloody Mary mix.  

As downtown dwellers these past 18 years, we’ve seen the incredible growth and change in our own neighborhood (dubbed the West Edge) and Belltown. Part of the “progress” of new building construction has led to the destruction of the old Mom-and-Pop corner stores we had grown to know and love. Now, with the opening of Kress IGA Supermarket at Third and Pike, we don’t have to get in our cars to purchase a box of high-efficiency laundry detergent or even something as simple as a rotisserie chicken. The new full-size market feels like one you’d discover in New York City, from its dramatic underground location (with entry down a lengthy escalator) to the bright displays of produce that greet you, the antipasti bar, cheese display, and all sorts of prepared and frozen foods. As much as we love the Market (and you know we do!), it’s comforting to know you can now pick up a quart of milk any day of the week from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.