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then there’s Wishbeard. Producer Erik Blood saw the band at Mo Wave and is producing for them now. It opened up a lot of doors, which was really exciting for me.” Next year, Ecklund is hoping to lower ticket prices, expand the festival’s all-ages component, and hopefully snag gender-bending avant-rapper Mykki Blanco. Seattle is certainly ready for a little mo’ Mo Wave in the near future. KS mowaveseattle.com

Best Hip-Hop Night Amid the boarded tenements and half-built con-dos on the fringes of the South Lake Union and Eastlake neighborhoods, you’ll find a core group of beatheads who don’t give a damn about your urban-development plan. These are sonic decon-structionists. Every Tuesday for the past seven years, the LoFi performance gallery has hosted a rotating cast of local DJs and experimental hip-hop/electronic producers, as well as finely chosen out-of-town guests. The two-room setup offers a living-room atmosphere in the front, complete with projected movie clips on the wall stage right of the DJ table, while the back room makes use of a sizable dance floor and elevated stage until last call. These are proving grounds in one sense, but mostly they’re low-pressure environments for selectors to stretch their legs, play self-made remixes and handcrafted beats, and blend cuts from across the ages. Listen to a sampling of their original work from last year’s phenomenal Stop Biting Beatmakers Compilation Vol. 1, then see them in action next Tuesday . . . and the one after. TH 429 Eastlake Ave., 254-2824, thelofi.net, carepackage.bandcamp.com

Best Wine/Music Pairing You wouldn’t think a man who outfits his entire band in white cowboy suits would be a devoted red-wine drinker, but when Brent Amaker (of Brent Amaker and The Rodeo) met vintner Darin Williams of Proletariat Wines at the Capitol Hill Block Party, they discovered they were mutual fans. There and then they con-spired to collaborate, with some proceeds going to charity. “Then we forgot about it,” Amaker says. “But we kept running into each other and thought we should pursue this. Neither one of us were co-branding, and we liked the charity aspect of it.” So for every keg of Proletariat’s “Rodeo” wine sold (the winery markets its bulk product—aka tap wine—directly to restaurants in steel kegs), Northwest Harvest receives $30. At an average of $8 a glass, the price is right for a good cause, and Amaker promises it’s highly quaffable. “The red is a big, juicy wine, best for summer drinking. The white is slightly dry and very refreshing.” In Amaker’s ’hood, West Seat-tle, you might see him imbibing his own juice at The Cask, located across the street from his day job as an insurance agent. “Yeah, I just love going in and saying ‘I’ll have the wine with my tap on it, please.’ ” GE proletariatwines.com

Best Band Name We need more bands like Full Toilet. Screw the pastoral imagery of the current indie-folk zeit-geist, lose the unGoogleable ironic band names. Yes, if you do an image search for Don Sheets’ band, you know what’s going to happen. Yet that’s likely the point—the name’s in line with

the band’s primordial punk sound. Imagine But-thole Surfers crossed with the Minutemen. This shit is intense, epic, sludgy. In an age of wishy-washy genres, one-size-fits-all folk, and PC lyr-ics, a song like “Keys, Wallet, Phone, Gun” speaks unapologetically for itself. That “Don Sheets” is an alias for one of Seattle’s veteran guitar heroes doesn’t hurt the effort, either. GE

NIGHTLIFE

Best Comedian Being a female stand-up comic isn’t easy. But with a last name recalling one of the English language’s most blatant puns—”What’s long and hard and full of seamen?”—you’re pretty much born into the profession. Comedian Jen Seaman has embraced the calling, quipping “I can’t even wear a pearl necklace.” On being a female comic in Seattle’s male-dominated scene, she admits, “You kind of stand out here,” but the funnywoman is quick to mention the many male comics who’ve supported her along the way. “Derek Sheen, Emmett Montgomery, Paul Warmenhoven—he’s like a trim Santa in his prime.” Since appearing on America’s Got Talent and performing in clubs from New York to Seattle, Seaman continues to stand out on the national stage. Being a female comic has also sharpened her powers of observation, which render the question of gender equality into a joke. “I don’t understand men that hate women,” she says, “because if I tried to fuck what I hate, I’d be dead, because I hate sharks.” GE jenseaman.com

Best New Karaoke Joint Karaoke at the Marco Polo Lounge has always possessed the character and ambience that make sports dives like it great places to want to sing—but, it being located on the indus-trial side of Georgetown, my Greenwood ass needed a reason other than that real-life NASCAR and its ever-present smell of fried chicken to choose it over the more proven and frequented weekend options on that end of town. It just lacked the spirit and energy that distinguished memorable venues from forgettable ones. But that was before veteran KJ Rio Ventura took over as host last year. She has transformed their Saturday-night show into the event it always had the potential to be, bringing together her devoted regulars and Marco Polo’s well-established neighborhood crowd and making it the premier spot to sing on the south end. JEFF ROMAN 5613 Fourth Ave. S., 762-3964, marcopolopub.com

Best New Karaoke SongAfter surveying every prominent karaoke host in town to find out what the best new song of the year is (based on frequency of request), “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore was the near-unanimous response. I’ve yet to have the privilege of seeing it performed, but judging by its extreme difficulty level and given my near-20 years of experience witnessing performers stumble through any rap that isn’t “Ice Ice Baby,” I feel confident saying it may also be the hands-down winner of the most annoying karaoke song of the year. JR

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• BEST oƒ SEATTLE® •

of paper towels, a necessity when eating bar-becue this messy. Douse your brisket, tri-tip, or pulled pork with one of five housemade sauces to customize your barbecue just as you like it. I prefer the Rob’s Reserve sauce, which has the perfect balance of smoky, sweet, and tangy I’m looking for. Each meal comes with homemade sides, from delightfully sweet cornbread muf-fins to garlic “mash taters” and baked beans mixed with chunks of bacon. I have it on good authority from my Alabama native buddy that RoRo’s sweet tea is the real deal, too—it’s got the right amount of sugar to feel refreshing but not ridiculous. MEGAN HILL 3620 Stone Way N., 954-1100, rorobbq.webs.com

Best Brunch Stumbling into the bright, high-ceilinged interior of Oddfellows and plunking down at one of the rustic tables is a favorite Seattle brunch experi-ences. Whether your day starts at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., Oddfellows helps with a wake-up mimosa, bloody mary, or rotating brunch punch and endless refills of freshly brewed coffee, which help wash down the fantastic selection of straightforward but masterful dishes: a big fluffy brick of brioche French toast with a dollop of mascarpone and your choice of fruit compote or maple syrup; homemade oatmeal flecked with brown sugar and pecans, perfect for a rainy day; a bowl of beignets sitting under a snowy mound of powdered sugar and raspberry jam for dipping (a surprisingly revelatory combination for this native New Orleanian); and a dense home-made biscuit paired with cheesy scrambled eggs. When the weather’s good, ask to dine al fresco, preferably in the sliver of a back patio, hemmed in by enchanting brick walls that seem to speak to the history of this building; I can imagine old men with fantastic mustaches smoking cigars back there. MH 1525 10th Ave., 325-0807, oddfellowscafe.com

Best Chinese Restaurant Chinese food in Seattle is primarily Cantonese, which I find a bit boring generally and lacking in quality locally. (And don’t get me started on the dismal state of dim sum.) So I send you to the Eastside, where you can find spicy Szechuan fare. Bamboo Garden is the best of the bunch. There’s a regular menu for the timid, but I recommend taking a look at the “Walk on the Wild Side” menu. Here you’ll find adventurous dishes like swimming fire fish, pork tongue slices, and sour & spicy jellyfish. My favorite is the spicy caul-dron called “the other parts of the pig,” with pork intestines, pig-blood cubes, tofu chunks, basil, and pickled cabbage in a tangy broth. If things heat up too much spice-wise, refreshing water-melon juice is at the ready for a rescue. JAY FRIED-MAN 202 106th Pl. N.E., Bellevue, 425-688-7991, bamboogardendining.com

Best Deli OK, so, you have to drive to Shoreline, then once you get to Pannonia Smokehouse the guy behind the counter is kinda gruff—but man, oh man, I’ve tasted cured meats from the far corners of the earth, and most of them are not nearly this good. This place sells itself as an Old World smokehouse using Old World recipes, which means you won’t find any of the extras you do in your typical deli case: gluten, artificial preservatives, lactic acid, smoke flavor, 3

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fillers, MSG, and colorings. What you do find is real flavor. And value. Pannonia sells more than 70 varieties of meat—so I can’t claim to have tried them all yet. But I will. BM 1514 N.E. 177th St., 462-1227, carpatiasausage.com

Best DinerSkillet’s elevated diner fare makes me sigh a big “duh” for this category. The diner opened on Capitol Hill in 2011 after a successful start as a food truck. A highbrow approach to comfort food makes the dishes here accessible yet refined, so as you scarf down a burger with Skillet’s famous bacon jam and blue cheese and a big pile of fries, you somehow feel like a glutton and a sophisticated eater at the same time. The beef, after all, is sourced from Painted Hills, known for its ethical and sustainable approach to cow-raising, and you’ve paid a respectable $14 for the privilege. My heart broke when Skillet, as it does every now and again, changed half of its menu, doing away with a blissful steak swimming in a rich bordelaise sauce under a teepee of potato wedges with perfectly crisped skin. But I digress. There aren’t many places where I’d feel justified waxing poetic about a dripping-with-grease grilled-cheese (on brioche! With bacon jam!) or fried chicken (delicate sprinkles of fennel float through the batter), but at Skillet, anything goes. I even forgive the purposefully hip ambience, with plaid-clad waitstaff and Ball jars for beer and water. MH 1400 E .Union St., 512-2000, skilletstreetfood.com/diner.php

Best Food Truck Off the Rez combines two perfect food-truck foods: tacos and fry bread. For some reason I just can’t see myself going to a sit-down res-taurant and ordering fry bread. But I do love it. Who doesn’t? Topped with cinnamon and sugar? Nutella? Made into a smoky pork taco (topped with coleslaw)? This is where Off the Rez excels. Not only do they make soul-satisfying food, they know what food is best suited to a truck and a food-truck-food mood. BM twitter.com/OffTheRezTruck

Best French Fries Let’s be honest. Nothing’s better than a good french fry. Well, actually, yes, there is: a good french fry (or a whole plate of them) next to a perfectly cooked steak or a juicy, crisp, roasted chicken. Le Pichet’s french fries—or pommes frites—are everything good fries should be: salty, crispy, and golden-brown. Forget the hamburger, forget the ketchup. These fries don’t need it; they’ve been soaking up all those delicious juices from their steak frites or poulet roti. Or you can just order them on the side, with mayo. BM 1933 First Ave., 256-1499, lepichetseattle.com

Best Hot DogThe somewhat legendary 2 a.m. must-have, the Seattle Dog, got its start in Pioneer Square, but it has been perfected on Capitol Hill. It com-prises a grilled bun slathered with cream cheese and topped with grilled onions. In 1988, bagel man Hadley Longe tried selling bagels to club patrons in Pioneer Square. But who wants a bagel at 2 a.m.? He started putting hot dogs on cream-cheese bialys, and a new trend was born. Other vendors eventually replaced the bialy with the bun, transforming the hot dog into what it is today. My favorite vendor is the hot-dog stand

by Chop Suey. Stepping up to the grill (and under the tent, if it’s raining) feels like slipping into a pool of calm, worlds away from the hoot-ing, drunken frenzy of a late night on the Hill. Vegetarians, choose a perfectly grilled (read: not overcooked and rubbery) smoked apple sage for your Seattle Dog; the sweetness of the apples are offset by chunks of Yukon Gold potatoes and a subtle smokiness. MH 1325 E. Madison St.

Best Indian Restaurant Chili’s is not fancy. It used to be a restaurant-cum-mini-mart, and it retains a very practical vibe, but it’s comfortable and the food is really, really good. Most Indian restaurants in America serve Northern Indian or Punjabi food; Chili’s is Southern Indian, and because of this the menu is completely different—lighter, with many more vegetables and leavened rice breads than you are used to seeing. Try the itlay, little fermented rice pillows, or the upma, a mild, soul-sustaining dish of vegetables and cracked wheat. Chili’s tea is sweet and milky and the owners are warm: Every time they walk by your table, they smile and nod and say, “Eat, eat.” Who can argue with that? BM5002 University Way N.E., 526-9392, chilissouth indianrestaurant.com

Best Italian Contemporary From the outside, it’s easy to overlook Spinasse. Its minuscule signage and the lace curtains blocking any view into the interior of the Capi-tol Hill restaurant mean many would-be diners unwittingly pass it up. But oh, are they missing out. Inside, dine on Northern Italian cuisine per-

fected: unfussy dishes with very few ingredients, which means every element of the dish sings. A favorite is the delightfully delicate, finely cut egg pasta with sage and butter—and that’s it. Bits of aromatic sage cling to the moist, thin noodles, and it all goes down so effortlessly that I’m genu-inely sad when it’s over. Sitting at the bar means you get a front-row seat to the busy kitchen, where true artisans are hard at work stuffing ravioli, rolling sheets of pasta again and again through a machine before draping them in the kitchen window, or slicing disks of crusty bread. Spinasse’s kitchen also makes its own salumi and vinegars, other small gestures that lend to outstanding dining. MH 1531 14th Ave., 251-7673, spinasse.com

Best Southern-Italian RestaurantFull disclaimer: I had to go to bat for my choice against the Food & Drink Editor, who would have chosen La Medusa for this category. But my Sicilian background trumped her love of the Columbia City restaurant (which admit-tedly I haven’t been to, but will now visit tout suite!). Growing up as I did among a bunch of food-loving relatives (my grandfather’s recipes won multiple awards), I like to think I know “real” southern-Italian cuisine when I eat it. Chefs Maria Hines and Jason Brzozowy brought Sicily to Seattle last year when they opened the all-organic eatery Agrodolce. The arancini (Sicilian fried rice balls) are perfectly crisped on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, just like the ones I ate in Siracusa. Twirling my fork through the mound of pasta marinara

laced with Mama Lil’s peppers and Skagit River Ranch sugo reminded me of my grandfather. The sourcing here is impeccable (the meat from Skagit River Ranch, for example, is ethically and sustainably raised), and there’s a slew of options for vegans, vegetarians, and, most surprisingly, gluten-free eaters. MH 709 N 35th St., 547-9707, agrodolcerestaurant.net

Best Mexican RestaurantI came so close to cutting this category this year. Seattleites seem to be fairly united in their decla-ration that our city doesn’t exactly kill it when it comes to Mexican food. Fonda La Catrina doesn’t dazzle me, but it gets enough right oftener than its competitors to keep me coming back. Take the mole, for instance: It really is spot-on (and I’ve been to Oaxaca for the real deal). It’s not too sweet, and has a wonderfully bold (just a tad bitter) chocolate/ancho/cumin/anise profile and a subtly spicy finish. And the enchilada verde isn’t overly smothered in green sauce. Plus there are options for the more adventurous eater, like “lengua” (tongue) and an interesting assortment of “tortas,” Mexican grilled sandwiches featuring various meats served on “pan bolillo,” with mayo, black beans, avocado, tomato, chipotle sauce, and a side of serrano cole-slaw. Extra props for the outdoor seating with an excellent view of planes almost grazing the treetops as they come in for a landing at the nearby Boe-ing Field. NLS 5905 Airport Way S., 767-2787, fondalacatrina.com

Best Sushi Go to Tsukushinbo. Although I can’t believe I’m saying that, because really I want it all to myself. I’ve regularly sat at the sushi counter since I moved to Seattle seven years ago, and it’s no overstatement to say that the sushi is better every time (and it was great to start with). Here’s the thing: Tsukushinbo is a family business. Mom and Dad are in the kitchen making great non-sushi izakaya ( Japanese tapas) while the kids run the front. So Tsukushinbo has tons of family charm, but that’s just the setting. American-born Sho, the son behind the sushi bar, is passionate about sushi in a way we understand as a Japanese phenomenon, but don’t necessarily expect in the U.S. Sit at the counter and talk to him. He is always studying, inventing, traveling, learning, traversing the politics of American sushi-chef training, and most of all making just plain amazing sushi. It warms my soul to see the years pass and Sho’s passion continue to grow. BM 515 S. Main St., 467-4004

Best Vegetarian RestaurantI am not a vegetarian or a vegan—far from it. So if being an omnivore means I am not a fit judge, object now. I think it makes me better suited. I know what the veggies are up against. To me, the best vegetarian and vegan dishes don’t try to imitate meat, but instead focus on veggies them-selves and their incredible range of texture and flavor. This is where Sutra excels. Cherries are combined with zucchini in a way that made me rethink both; the same with cold vegan peach-and-coconut-milk soup. I like the prix fixe menu and the intimate space; all you have to do is walk in the door and you’ll be quickly taken care of, no matter your predilections. Sutra happily accommodated my gluten-free friend, and with advance notice will accommodate vegan diners and many other restrictions as well. But “restric-tions” seems like the wrong word here: Many 3

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Best Pizza I’m fully aware that as a former New Yorker, I’m something of a pizza snob. I like a thin, crispy crust, grease, and a tomato sauce that sings without blaring. I like a pizza place that can do a pepperoni pizza as well as they do their more gourmet offerings. So if it seems clichéd that the place I choose for best pizza is named after a street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, I apologize. To be fair, I went to Delancey with skepticism, thinking it was arrogant and overtly trendy to give a Seattle establishment a New York City moniker. But Molly Wizenberg, the Orangette blogger and author of A Homemade Life, manages to serve just the kind of pizza I crave, but with the seasonal, handcrafted toppings that Seattleites expect: housemade pork-fennel sausage, Padron chilis, and preserved lemon, to name just a few. Besides pizza, they do delicious cocktails: This summer, I’m enamored with their white negronis made with house-crafted Campari. The sparse interior, with angled wooden shelves holding wine bottles on the wall, is just right: modern, with clean lines and nothing else to distract from the reason to be there—pizza. NICOLE L. SPRINKLE 1415 N.W. 70th St., 838-1960, delanceyseattle.com

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Best Place to Buy VinylIn a world where records are sold alongside apartment decor (Urban Outfitters) and often grossly overpriced, the platters at Easy Street West Seattle are an audiophile’s dream in both their music-cred setting and reasonable prices. Musician Mark Pickerel curates the store’s stacks and says “LP sales are better than ever.” It can’t be an overstatement; the selection of used, new, and obscure titles are expansive, from RJD2’s Deadringer to the Byrd’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo, yet affordable. The best deals are in the used section, where prices average between $1 and $5; new releases run $17–$20. When there’s too much stock, sidewalk sales pimp albums for 50 cents (sometimes free); and if you start an LP card, your purchases will eventually earn you a free album. Come September, you’ll likely find Pickerel’s latest solo release Tess, on Fin Records, lining the shelves as well. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT 4559 California Ave. S.W., 938-3279, easystreet online.com

Best Bike Shop 20/20 Cycles over in the Central District is an adorable shop full of exceedingly helpful employ-ees. It’s also exceedingly badass. Shop owner Alex Kostelnik wasn’t content just selling bikes, so he decided to make his own damn bike. Kostelnik designed the “Sealth,” named after the Wash-ington State Ferry of the same name (which is named after Chief Seattle), to be “perfectly equipped for both your daily commute and long-distance rides throughout the Pacific Northwest.” It’s gorgeous and sleek, mixing the look of cute

vintage bikes with the functionality of a serious cycle. When 20/20 Cycles isn’t busy churning out its own flagship rides, it also hosts shows. At night, it’s been known to transform into a cozy little DIY venue that’s hosted performances from La Luz to Mount Eerie as part of a loose partnership with Hollow Earth Radio, which sits next door. If you like bikes, bands, and badassery, 20/20 Cycles is pretty much your one-stop shop. KS 2020 E. Union St., 568-3090, 2020cycle.com

Best Comic ShopSuperheroes are always looking out for the little guy. Zanadu does its best to imitate the heroes who populate the pages of its comics by doing the same. For indie comic-book artists and publish-ers, Zanadu offers some incredible deals. Accept-ing local comix with open arms, the Belltown-based shop offers consignments with a 50/50 split of the cover cost. Placed lovingly alongside regular big-hitting titles on the new-release shelf, the store also has a dedicated indie-comix sec-tion where customers can peruse panels created by local scribblers and scrawlers. It also denotes each and every small-press publisher release with special tags. But that’s not to say the place doesn’t carry your Batmans or Supermans: Pretty much each and every comic you could ever imagine resides within the “Excelsior!”-inducing store, including walls of collectibles and figurines. KS 1923 Third Ave., 443-1316, zanaducomics.com

Best Novelty Goth ShopA romantic tableau greets you in the front win-dow of Gargoyles on the Ave: one skeleton on

bended knee proposing to another. It’s always Halloween at Seattle’s prime emporium for goth decor, and the crumbled leaves scattered under-foot add to the autumnal atmosphere. Crammed like a macabre curio cabinet mostly with winged, googly-eyed stone beasts—from paperweights to four-foot-tall garden pieces—Gargoyles also offers Egyptian cats, sage wands, two-headed dolls, “Bat Boy” hoods, Jack Skellington Christ-mas ornaments, and oils, candles, and incense of all kinds. GB 4550 University Way N.E., 632-4940, gargoylestatuary.com

Best Hardware StoreRecently I went into Pacific Supply Co. to buy some giant 2x4’s with the intention of turning them into sawhorses for a project I was work-ing on. When I asked the man at the front desk a) how I should saw the wood and b) where I could find a saw, he realized I might need some help. He took the wood to the corner of the store and offered to cut it to the lengths I needed. Ten minutes later, three store employees had turned the wood-cutting into a competition, seeing who could saw through the 2x4’s the quickest. The employees lined up and hacked away, yipping and shit-talking one another’s skills the whole time. Sawdust flew in the air as a circle of customers gathered to watch. It was sort of like when you accidentally flip on the lumberjack competitions on ESPN 4. Not only are the people at Pacific Supply Co. helpful and kind, they are competitively so. And damn, can they cut wood fast! KS 1417 12th Ave., 322-1717, pacsupply.com

Best Musical Instrument StoreIt’s bewildering that it took as long as it did to put a music store in the Pike/Pine corridor. In a neighborhood where you can’t throw a happy-hour hamburger without hitting a musician, Capitol Hill is full of scuzzy long-haired shred-ders who probably break more than their fair share of strings. Enter High Voltage, swooping in to save the day with its cozy little storefront right on the corner of Pike and Broadway, an incredible musical Valhalla of strange guitars and keyboards, weird one-off sound-making doo-dads, and boutique local music pedals and tech. Local amp maker Ben Verellen is rumored to be working on a custom amp model just for the store. Every time I go in, there seems to be some new artifact available to tinker with. Recently the store got one of the largest toms I’ve ever seen; the employees sat patiently as I banged on it with a mallet for way longer than anyone should nor-mally be able to bear. The place feels like a little musical community center—the kind of place where people remember your name and don’t care if you try out every single instrument for an hour. The best part is its ridiculously efficient repair shop. A friend whose amp was on the fritz recently took it to High Voltage and was out the door with everything good as new in 10 min-utes—and with a measly $15 charge. Customer. Service. KS 910 E. Pike St., 535-8526, highvoltage musicstore.com

Best Mall“The shopping mall is dead, bricks-and-mortar retail is over, Amazon has killed the shopping 3