Food

Mini-craft fair at Boulevard Grocery

August 12, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

The reincarnated Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) is holding their second mini-craft fair this afternoon, Sunday, August 12, from noon-3 PM, in front of the store.

A selection of vegetable portrait postcards by Chavas Garden.

Some of the vendors and their wares include:

Gemstone, wire-wrapped jewelry from Frankie Says Seattle
Beautiful abstract art and paper goods from Amy’s Artworks
Great vintage and modern jewelry from ReDeFind Vintage
Watercolor vegetable portraits from Chavas Garden (shown above)

There will also be face painting for the young (and young-at-heart).

Another great opportunity to check out the little store, too, if you haven’t already!

Filed Under: Businesses, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park Tagged With: Ravenna Kale Festival

Movie magic continues at Magnuson Park

July 26, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

It’s a Thursday summer night, which means it’s another outdoor movie night at Magnuson Park (NE 65th St and Sand Point Way).

From the Seattle Outdoor Movies facebook page:

Join us for “The Help” tonight at the PEMCO Insurance Movies at Magnuson Park! We’ll have trivia, circus acts by JustinCredible, food trucks, games, prizes and more…

There is construction starting in the park so entering from 74th is your best bet. Event parking is still north of the athletic fields.

See you tonight! Seating opens at 7 pm.

“The Help,” stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer (who won an Oscar for her role), and Emma Stone.

Check out the full schedule of movies (showing through August 30) here.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Magnuson Park, Northeast Seattle

Café Racer grand re-opening this Friday, July 20

July 18, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson 3 Comments

We receive a lot of press releases from various organizations. This one is our favorite to date:

“No one needs to be reminded of what happened at Café Racer on May 30, 2012.

Each day the grief of losing our loved ones lessens, but not our love for them or the love they brought into our lives. Drew, Joe, Kim, Don and Gloria were people who gave more of themselves than they ever received. This is why the community was so devastated by their loss. This is also why that community of which they were a part of will carry on.

The outpouring of love and support from this community was astounding to me. Not only for the loss of our loved ones, but for the love and concern for Café Racer itself. It became clear to me that the café is more than just a place to pick up a coffee, food or have a drink, but it is a part of the community. The love didn’t just come from the ones we lost, it comes from everyone.

This is the main reason that I’ve decided to keep the cafe open, to forge ahead with the vision that is Café Racer by providing a place for diverse people and groups to come together and have a loving, safe place to gather. There may be some physical changes to the cafe, the main ingredient which makes Café Racer unique will remain the same, Love.

There is no way I can express my thanks to the hundreds of people who gave me, and everyone who is involved with the café, their love and support.

YOU make Cafe Racer what it is.” – Kurt Geissel Owner, Café Racer

We’ve been told that today and Thursday are both soft opening days for the reborn cafe. You should stop by.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Restaurants, Roosevelt

Date set for Third Annual Feast in the Garden at the Picardo P-Patch

July 6, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

From Picardo gardener Milton Tam (via email; emphasis ours):

It’s official – this year’s Picardo fundraiser dinner will be on Wednesday, August 1, from 6 – 9 PM. This year’s proceeds will be used to renovate the north common area (by the statue) including the food bank locker and tool shed.

Yes, the Spanish-inspired tapas, the home-made wine, Chef Jim Kuhn’s amazing paella, and the dessert buffet of your dreams will all be there! Again!

Tickets are $30 each or $50/couple until July 15 ($35 each or $60/couple after). Purchase tickets by contacting Scott Sipes (dssipes@gmail.com).

You can read all about the first Feast in the Garden, and see lots and lots of pictures, in our previous coverage here.

And you can learn more about the work of Paella King and Meadowbrook resident Jim Kohn on his website.

Disclosure: We’ve been gardeners at Picardo for four years now. We also contribute to the Feast in the Garden dessert buffet as part of our volunteer responsibility to the p-patch. And everything we make is quite delicious.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Fundraiser, Picardo P-Patch

Plastic bag ban (and paper bag fees) headed to EVERY retailer near you

June 13, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson 6 Comments

You’ve got even more motivation to remember your own shopping bags now: Plastic bags will soon be banned, and paper ones will start to cost you, beginning Sunday July 1.

Why ban single-use plastic bags? Seattle Public Utilities has your answer (from this Bag Ban for Shoppers FAQ):

Lightweight plastic carryout bags are commonly found in litter and escape into our waterways where they remain as a pollutant forever. Fish and other marine animals commonly mistake pieces of plastic and bags for food. When plastics break down into smaller and smaller pieces, those microscopic particles may also be consumed by small animals in the oceans and enter the food chain. Because of plastic’s persistence in the environment, the City believes the use of throw-away plastic products should be minimized.

The Seattle City Council unanimously passed Ordinance ordinance number 123775, banning single-use plastic bags and imposing a 5-cent fee on large paper bags, on December 19, 2011.

The fee will not be collected from customers using vouchers or electronic benefit cards from state or federal food assistance programs such as Women, Infants and Children (WIC) or the Washington State Food Assistance Program (FAP).

A similar bill passed by the City Council in 2008 was repealed by voters in 2009. This earlier version of the bill charged a 20-cent bag fees to retailers, the proceeds of which would have gone to the city. The new 5-cent fees go instead to the retailers.

Seattle Public Utilities has a series of FAQs about the ban that should answer any question that you may have about the impending bag ban.

Just don’t forget to *WASH* your reusable bags occasionally. Nobody likes the norovirus.

Filed Under: Businesses, City Council, Food

Take a tour of the new old Boulevard Grocery (PHOTOS)

April 18, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson 9 Comments

The exterior of the building is still forest green with red trim, but the interior of Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) has undergone quite a transformation this year.

Since Seven Coffee Roasters’ Sean Lee took over the business around the close of 2011, the barely 800-square-foot neighborhood grocery store has added two more jobs to its own resume: cafe and art space. All three facets seek to tempt both long-time residents and university students alike to come in, enjoy each others’ company, and head home with food and drink for their tables.

We stopped by the 96-year-old-building in January (for the soft open) and again here in April to witness the progress and share it with you here.

From left to right: Owner Sean, Barista Patrick, and Manager Jeff (photo taken at the soft open)

Whole bean Seven Coffee Roaster coffee was first to line the shelves back in January...

...and has since been joined by other goods such as pasta, oatmeal, soup, condiments, and more.

The Four Loko is gone, happily replaced by 22 oz bottles of local beers.

Wall o' wine at the rear of the store.

During our January visit these built-in benches had just been completed. They've since been joined by a large table.

The new pastry case, rife with hand pies from High 5 Pie.

Sandwiches by Blue Saucer in Maple Leaf wait to be purchased for a picnic.

Bread by the Essential Baking Company, delivered every other day.

Free toast with coffee special advertised next to a jar of doggie treats.

Sorry, kitty: No treats for you.

A small flock of origami birds cluster together on a windowsill.

A painting of Boulevard Grocery itself, done by a local.

The Compassion Wizard even hangs out here.

A mixed media work by Narboo (note the plastic soda can rings on the left).

A limited run of handpainted bags on display -- portions of each sale go to the artist, the store, and a charity.

With the beans removed, your coffee bean bag artwork is suitable for framing.

For more on the gallery side of Boulevard Grocery, check out this piece by Lauren Kronebusch of The Daily at the University of Washington: “Boulevard Gallery: View From A Coffee Cup.”

Boulevard Grocery is also holding an artwalk this Friday, April 21st, from 6-9 PM. Works by Greenwood’s Narboo and Starheadboy will be showcased, with live acoustic music.

Filed Under: Businesses, Families, Food, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park

Ravenna Blog – Sunday Edition

January 29, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Filed Under: 911, Businesses, City Council, Food, Lost/Found, Sunday Edition, Traffic, University District, University of Washington, University Village, Video

DIY-apolooza: Sustainable NE Seattle’s Hands On skills fair returns

January 27, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Sustainable NE Seattle’s second annual Hands On Community Skills Fair takes place on Saturday, February 11.

From the Hands On homepage:

People are recognizing the joy, satisfaction and security of being able to provide for our own needs, shifting from dependence on giant corporations to a healthy interdependence with our local community. Let’s re-learn the skills our grandparents knew!

Over twenty folks from our neighborhoods have stepped up to share skills such as food preservation, grafting, tool repair, and making clothes.

Skill workshops will be held from 11 AM-5 PM at both the Ravenna-Eckstein and Meadowbrook community centers (with vanpool available). A community potluck at Meadowbrook from 5:30-7:30 PM follows (bring a dish to share and your own utensils).

Workshop offerings include:

Simple Bike Repair
Basic Plumbing Repair
Fermentation
Basic Sushi Making
Basic Trauma Assessment and Splinting
Making Cheese I and II
Kid’s Realm (variety of quick, easy to learn skills appropriate for kids and teens)
and lots, lots more

A few of the workshops (such as Simple Bike Repair and the Kid’s Realm) are ongoing throughout the day, but most have a set time and registrant limit.

Hands On costs $15 in advance ($20 at the door) for as many workshops as you can fit into your schedule.

To register (through the Seattle Parks and Recreation Connection [SPARC] system), follow the instructions on the Hands On homepage.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Meadowbrook Community Center, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center Tagged With: DIY, Seattle Parks and Recreation, skills fair, Sustainable NE Seattle, workshops

Shop local, and help out your local food bank at the same time

November 30, 2011 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

The University District Food Bank (4731 15th Avenue NE) has a few opportunities for us to help out their cause here in December, while supporting a few local businesses.

Via email (emphasis mine):

Ten Thousand Villages Shopping Event

Where: Ten Thousand Villages (6417 Roosevelt Ave NE)
What: Buy Fair Trade Holiday Gifts
Why: Ten Thousand Villages will donate 15% of their net sales to the Food Bank
When: 6 PM to 9 PM, Thursday, December 1st

Shultzy’s Sausage Fundraiser

Where: Shultzy’s Sausage (4114 University Way NE)
What: Buy a liter of beer at Shultzy’s Sausage
Why: Shutzy’s will donate $1 to the University District Food Bank for every liter of beer sold
When: December 1st through December 31st

The University District Food Bank may be located in the U-District, but they assist individuals and families living in rest of Northeast Seattle as well. Every week over 1,100 families receive groceries, toiletries and other supplies from the UDFB, and over 80 percent of the food they distribute is donated.

Filed Under: Businesses, Food, Fundraiser, Holiday, Roosevelt, University District Tagged With: giving, Shultzy's, Ten Thousand Villages, University District Food Bank