Ethan Stowell ventures out to keep it cool, cheap and choice with his new Ballard pizzeria.

You guessed it. Ethan Stowell and his team of culinary experts are at it again in Ballard (with more soon to come under “The Grubb Brothers” production name), this time with hand-tossed leafy salad, house-made spaghetti or gnocchi and, of course, lavishly doughy pizza.

Go German or go home with this classy establishment’s pan-fried whole trout.

Chef Cormac Mahoney was quoted by City Arts last October stating that he found the adage “farm to table” to be a “stupid term,” in more or less obscenities. Mahoney, whose stance is that all food is “farm to table” and should be sourced from the right places at the right time, is known for his audacity and bawdiness both in print and in his kitchen.

A Seattle institution provokes classic pairings by matching red wine with seafood.

Ray’s Boathouse tried to burn down twice. Once in 1987 and again in 1997, only three days prior to the decade anniversary of the first fire, the flame and ash that brought Ray’s Boathouse to the pier could only keep it there for a few months. Each time, the restaurant team and the community helped to bring the Seattle icon back to its feet to even bigger success than it had in its first run.

Bellevue’s Bradley+Mikel take a hack at The Hyatt Regency’s base with “New American kitchen” eats.

Once a restaurant goes American, there is no going back. No way to put gnocchi on the menu unless it’s housemade, can’t get around something Japanese unless it’s credited to Hawaii and local products are deities in their own right. Koral Bar + Kitchen finds some loopholes but for the most part, it pays respect to its made-in-America roots (cue Toby Keith song).

March brings out the big guns of local wine and food to revel in Washington Wine.

The grape juice of Washington will be honored throughout the month of March by way of featured promotions and events from restaurants, retailers, hotels and wineries in the state, all for the wine consumers’ benefit. Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event, will cap the month off as a two-day event on March 31st and April 1st at Centurylink Field Event Center. Book one, book all, just make sure to come thirsty.

Bona fide northwestern chef’s take on seafood with the help of his wine right arm.

John Howie is a man of large stature. His lofty presence in the boxy, bleached chef coat exudes power, both to the food Lament and the culinary enlightened. With three restaurants pulling in stats as major players, he has two future ventures on deck and is ready to compete with the best of them. As an authority figure in Northwest restauranteering, John Howie is the real deal and could probably beat you up if you disagree. 

Loaded tater tots and pale lager in a tribute to Seattle’s old-time boozing history.

Saddling up at the bar top of Jules Mae’s Saloon in Georgetown will insure you a greeting by Johnny Cash’s middle finger. The legendary photo snapped of the Man in Black is used to explain the forms of payment accepted at the saloon (“cash” or credit) and sets a tone for the bar that there is no going back from.