The feasting of Fourth of July has become its own beast, known worldwide. The sheer amount of hamburgers, fruit, potato salads, hot dogs, and chocolate chip cookies eaten on this day is practically unimaginable. While this is the day to go ham on all of these foods, it’s important to make sure that you’re eating all of the leftovers that you…
While upscale dining is on the rise, The Office Tavern stands out as a casual gathering place designed for returning visitors rather than turning tables. Just off Burlington’s Fairhaven Avenue, this 21-and-over establishment captures the easygoing vibe of…
Whether you’re looking for a 2 a.m. nightcap or a 10 a.m. cup of joe, Slo Pitch Casino is truly the place to be for food, drinks, and all kinds of fun. People from all walks…
Maybe it’s something about reentering the ‘20s, but speakeasies have seen a definite resurgence over the past five to 10 years. Thankfully, history isn’t repeating itself entirely, so we aren’t flocking to these hidden bars and restaurants out of necessity—we’re doing it because they’re so much dang fun. The Speakeasy Saloon in Burlington opened in April 2025, and is the latest restaurant to come from the creators of Railroad Pub & Pizza and Train Wreck…
Last September, La Conner was the latest PNW town to welcome family business Pie Dive Bar into the community. This bar and restaurant combines two great American traditions, defined right in the name. What could make a perfectly imperfect, come-as-you-are dive bar better than…
If you came over to my house for dinner, you’d smell the menu before you ever sat down. The sizzle of garlic in olive oil, a handful of freshly chopped herbs, citrus being zested right over the cutting board…These are the flavors I grew up with and the ones I naturally reach for no matter…
I’ve got great news for local bourbon and steak lovers! There’s a new, delicious steakhouse in Mount Vernon—Cask and Cleaver! Bill Constantine, owner of Cask and Cleaver and Il Granaio Italian Restaurant, opened this bourbon-centered steakhouse on Nov. 1, 2025. Constantine found that he wanted to spice things up and take on a new challenge. At…
These days, I’ve found that hope and community are more important than ever, especially considering the current state of our world. Luckily, we’ve got access to a healthy resource in Skagit County that is more reliable and comprehensible than ever. This is Cosmic Veggies, a vegan and gluten-free eatery in downtown Anacortes founded by charismatic, passionate boss-woman Elizabeth Weaver. Around 13 years ago, Weaver was recovering from…
If you walk down cozy Commercial Street in Anacortes, also known as “restaurant row,” you’ll see the happy faces of diners entering and exiting the many cafes and restaurants of the beautiful seaside town. Trees, flowers, and outdoor eating areas surround the sidewalk at Tide & Taste, where you’re greeted with a warm smile. Run by husband and wife Nick and Kami…
After facing some challenging years, an iconic Skagit County staple is making a comeback as a go-to spot for locals and visitors. Under new ownership, Conway’s Pub and Eatery is being refreshed with a focus on revitalizing the neighborhood atmosphere while preserving the pub’s roots. Long known for its oysters,…
We show a lot of appreciation for our agriculture around here, and everyone knows fall means fresh apples and pumpkins. But there’s another fall crop thriving in the PNW that’s delicious, nutritious, and ready for your holiday recipes: hazelnuts! NUTTY NORTHWEST Hazel trees (which are more like shrubs) pollinate in winter, flower…
Is there anything more comforting than a dumpling? They’re literally little pillows of sustenance, bursting with flavor and draped in a blanket of sauce. Or, at least, the ones at Hey Dumplin are. On a recent visit, we were blessed with no fewer than five plates of tender dumplings—a variety of the three options: Classic Pelmeni with beef, pork, and veal; Potato Vareniki; and…
Twice a year, Bellingham Technical College (BTC) presents the community of Whatcom County with the opportunity to enjoy food made by their own culinary students at Café Culinaire. The cafe was started around 20 years ago by Michael Baldwin, a former chef instructor at BTC. Now, the program is taught by Nicole Carter. Carter has been working at BTC for 14 years and discovered her love of…
“I know we give people the gift of time, because we’re experts in putting together the beverage part of people’s special events,” says Boel Laxfoss, owner and operator of Beverages by Boel. Through her beverage catering company, Boel not only provides custom cocktails and mocktails, wine, beer, coffee, hydration stations, all the accouterments like ice, cups, napkins, and portable bars—she bartends, too! Beverages by Boel began in 2008 when Boel gifted her bartending services…
Farming, specifically on the La Conner land his family has owned for four generations, has always been in Kai Ottesen’s blood. But that doesn’t mean he always planned on being a farmer. “I’d just…
Confession time: I didn’t always like fish. Being born in cattle country, I didn’t consider fish to be much worth eating and couldn’t understand the residents of the PNW’s obsession with eating seafood—most…
“I’m not gonna try to revolutionize breakfast,” begins Troy Krajewski, full-time chef and co-owner of Sweet Bay Cafe. “I don’t know that you truly can.” Krajewski wrote the menu for Sweet Bay Cafe with simplicity and quality in mind. Everything on the menu is made from scratch apart from the bread, which is brought in from local Bellingham bakery Avenue Bread. Krajewski explains that when people go out to breakfast, they…
Whatcom residents have been calling on Nancy Stuart for creative celebration cakes and delicious piles of scraps and frosting—the beloved Lil’ Scrappies—since December 2016, when she started Saltadena Bakery as a cottage…
CEO & founder of Mr. Frank’s Kitchen Lisa Postl Russell has always known the value of her products. She’s proud of the legacy she’s built and the six seasoning blends that have sprung from her recreation of the Original Seasoning her father, Frank Postl, came up with—all of Mr. Frank’s…
Among the new businesses Lynden Commons has brought to town is Graze and Gather Charcuterie and Bistro, run by local mother-daughter team Lydia Faber and Kristina Wendt. Faber always enjoyed cooking, especially gravitating toward ‘graze tables’—essentially a giant charcuterie board—which she made for friends and family. Wendt encouraged her mother to turn her passion into a business, and Graze and Gather opened as a charcuterie catering company in October 2020. After continued…
Down on Railroad Avenue in Bellingham, there’s an unassuming little shop—so little you might miss it if you blink while driving by. But Sweet Art, a chocolate shop and art gallery owned by Vivian and Jerry Hruska, doesn’t rely on high visibility. “We have a good customer [base],” Vivian says. “We don’t…
Jutting out at an acute angle on the corner of Broadway and Elm Street, where Bellingham’s Columbia, Lettered Streets, and Cornwall Park neighborhoods meet, is a charming, pitch-roofed black and white building. It’s an oasis in both the geographic and figurative senses: ROAM Coffee + Beer offers all comers not only excellent coffee and a range of…
ACROSS CULTURES, BORDERS, languages, and histories, there are certain food traditions that seem universal. One such tradition—broadly that of a cooked dough wrapped around a filling—can be found everywhere from Nepal (momo)…
Beyond the grocery store aisles, discerning shoppers can find a rotating selection of fresh kimchi (a popular traditional Korean side dish made with salted and fermented vegetables) from Buu Chan— a…
One of the first things people often ask Hilda Sandoval when they find out that she is a farmer is why she, as a woman with a college degree, would choose to do such a difficult and physically demanding job. Her answer is always the same: “Because I…
