50 Shades of Delicious: 2 Chewsy for the Catwalk

Close your eyes and imagine you are in a large manufacturing plant surrounded by the whir of machinery and the clatter of bottles as they rush down the production line.  You get your bearings by gazing around and seeing numerous people in coveralls intently shepherding what appears to be beer bottles going down a production line.  You notice one employee standing next to you.  She’s a tall woman and you take note, this kid is not like the others.  She has made her coveralls very unique by putting a large cursive “L” on the shoulder.  This triggers deep-seeded memories of childhood TV watching and you are  kinderstruck .  Wait a second….it’s coming back…..is that  Shotz Beer? and am I in the Shotz Brewery ?  You suddenly realize you’ve somehow time traveled back to 1970’s Milwaukee (funny how the attire is not that far off from how 2012 Seattle hipsters dress). Many of you may be too young to remember Laverne & Shirley (worth c...

If you live in the Seattle area you've probably made it to the annual Bite of Seattle at least once.  If you live outside the area, this is a fun weekend to plan to visit Seattle and check out the variety of food the city has to offer.  This year marked the 30th anniversary of the event held at the Seattle Center in the shadow of the iconic Space Needle.  Since summer is very elusive this year, we put together a different strategy and a targeted focus for our visit to the Bite. Our approach this year was dictated by two main drivers, crowd and rain drop avoidance.  We visited on the first day, Friday (the event this year was held from July 20-22nd) just as the event was opening up and a big thunder and lightening storm had passed through.  It proved to be a strategy we may follow in future years as there were no lines and we were able to maneuver to where we wanted to go without fighting the massive crowds.  We managed to stay dry as well, without even...

Imagine yourself in a vast open space in the outdoors on a farm, among fields of tall grass and towering pine trees.  In the distant is a green carpeted landscape situated ever so peacefully on the mountain hillside.  Feel the sun as it kisses your skin with a few soft pecks before it hides behind the seemingly devilish clouds.  You feel a mild chill in the air as the wind picks up and in one breath your senses are captured by the concurrent smell of burning wood, charcoal and smoking meat.  You look around and you're suddenly aware you are completely surrounded by every meat you could possibly imagine being cooked, smoked and/or barbecued. This isn't any old farm, but a smoke farm.  Call it heaven or hell, but we found ourselves in our own personal heaven.  Surrounded by the beauty of remote Washington, some of Seattle's best chefs and a super-sized BBQ otherwise known as Burning Beast. Burning Man photo courtesy Wikipedia What is Burning Be...