Seattle, WA

Seattle’s 10 Biggest Restaurant Stories of 2024

Published

7 hours ago

December 4, 2024

Seattle’s 10 Biggest Restaurant Stories of 2024

What a year it has been. It’s impossible to adequately summarize the highs and lows of 2024, but there’s something cathartic about re-engaging with the stories that really grabbed our readers and captured the mood of the last 12 months in Seattle. From the saddest closures to the triumphs of a solo deliveryman stickin’ it to the apps, these were the biggest moments in Seattle food news this year.

Shame on us for thinking the Barbie bump was over post-Barbenheimer Summer 2023. Seattle’s decorated restaurant institution Canlis proved that odes to the Mattel brand continue to capture attention even a year later, when in July the whole restaurant was repainted Barbie pink to transform into “Kenlis” for a a doll-themed two-day party in August. Naturally, it sold out.

There’s nothing more wholesome in the face of late-stage capitalism than watching a guy like Tony Illes rise in the delivery wars against the likes of DoorDash and Uber Eats. Illes made a name for himself by charging a flat delivery fee, competing with the high costs of competitors that hiked rates in response to Seattle standards for minimum wage workers on the app. We salute you, Tony Delivers.

This story’s outsized impact merely scrapes the surface of what Howdy Bagel co-owner Jake Carter meant to the wider community. Carter was tragically killed while traveling in New Orleans in January. The Tacoma restaurant, which is known to draw long lines, reopened in February with friends and fans of the shop paying tribute to Carter in the form of hand-written notes.

In August, Eater Seattle editor Harry Cheadle reported on the exception to Seattle’s minimum wage law that allowed small businesses to give tipped workers a lower base pay rate than non-tipped workers. Allowing the exemption to expire will likely put a squeeze on many restaurants in the city next year and perhaps lead to broader changes such as increased use of service fees. In October, elected officials confirmed that they would allow the tipped credit exemption to expire as planned. Hourly workers in all businesses, tipped or not, will be paid $20.76 come 2025.

Seattle celebrated its 2024 crop of James Beard Award semifinalists in January. Included among the ranks were Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham of Pho Bac, the Boat, and Phocific Standard Time; Aaron Verzosa of Archipelago; the Walrus and the Carpenter; Jenet Becerra of Pancita; Ben Campbell of Ben’s Bread Co.; and Eight Row. They were joined by Kristi Brown of Communion, Grayson Corrales of MariPili Tapas Bar, Evan Leichtling of Off Alley, Melissa Miranda of Musang, Avery Adams of Orcas Island’s Matia Kitchen, and Derek Bray at the Table in Tacoma — all of whom were under consideration for the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category. Ultimately, the region walked away empty-handed.

Build-your-own pizza chain Mod Pizza got its start in Seattle and has expanded to hundreds of locations since then, but lately, it’s fallen on hard times. In what’s been characterized as a move to avert bankruptcy, Mod sold to Elite Restaurant Group in July.

Cupcake Royale

The early aughts trend in cupcake shops managed to sustain in Seattle for decades under Cupcake Royale. The brand founded by Jody Hall opened in 2003 on the leading edge of the cupcake craze in the PNW. But, like so many things harmed by the pandemic, Hall announced that Cupcake Royale would be shutting down its cafes to focus on delivery and pickup service.

Seattle lost more than a few great restaurants and bars this year — we’re looking at you ʔálʔal Cafe, Two Doors Down, Coastal Kitchen, that one weird Taco Time — but some hurt more than others and for Eater Seattle readers, dry-aged burger favorite 49th Street Beast was deeply mourned. The restaurant closed on July 28 inside Fair Island Brewing.

In brighter burger news, Familyfriend absolutely captivated diners this year with its smash-hit Kewpie burger — a dish so good it earned an Eater Award. Eater Seattle’s piece on the dramatic rise of Familyfriend on TikTok revealed even more about this Guamian gamechanger, which (by the way) has way more than burgers to offer.

Word of Andrew Rubinstein’s forthcoming bagel shop delighted fans throughout the Seattle area after he sold his namesake shop Rubinstein Bagels to restaurateur Ethan Stowell. Rubinstein’s new venture, Hey Bagel, is slated to open any day now in University Village and you could cut the anticipation with a bread knife.

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Seattle, WA

New York and Seattle face off for non-conference matchup

Published

15 hours ago

December 4, 2024

Press Room

New York and Seattle face off for non-conference matchup

Associated Press

Seattle Kraken (12-13-1, in the Pacific Division) vs. New York Islanders (9-10-7, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders play the Seattle Kraken in a non-conference matchup.

New York is 9-10-7 overall and 4-5-2 in home games. The Islanders have gone 2-3-2 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.

Seattle is 12-13-1 overall and 5-7-0 in road games. The Kraken have allowed 78 goals while scoring 74 for a -4 scoring differential.

The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Kraken won 3-2 in the previous matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Palmieri has scored 10 goals with 10 assists for the Islanders. Simon Holmstrom has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Jared McCann has 10 goals and 13 assists for the Kraken. Yanni Gourde has scored four goals with four assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 3-4-3, averaging 2.5 goals, four assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Kraken: 5-5-0, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.6 assists, 1.7 penalties and 3.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.

Kraken: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Kraken snap three-game skid, beat Carolina Hurricanes 4-2

Published

22 hours ago

December 3, 2024

Press Room

Seattle Kraken snap three-game skid, beat Carolina Hurricanes 4-2

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Yanni Gourde and Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist each and the Seattle Kraken snapped a three-game skid, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Seattle Kraken 4, Carolina Hurricanes 2: Box score

Gourde’s wrist shot at 10:48 in the third period broke a 2-2 tie. Brandon Tanev and Eeli Tolvanen also scored for Seattle and Matty Beniers added two assists. Joey Daccord stopped 15 shots.

Eric Robinson and Martin Necas scored for the Hurricanes, who lost their third straight. Necas added an assist to improve his team-leading point total to 39. The Hurricanes finished with a season-low 16 shots. Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves in his first start after missing four games with a concussion.

YANNI YANNI YANNI pic.twitter.com/SzY6u9x1Da
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) December 4, 2024

Takeaways

Kraken: Typically, it’s the Hurricanes who dominate puck possession and significantly outshoot their opponent. Seattle controlled Tuesday’s game and was particularly effective in the second period with a 14-2 shot advantage. It was only the second time this season the Kraken held their opponent to fewer than 20 shots.

Hurricanes: Kochetkov’s return was supposed to stabilize the goaltending situation. After he gave up Schwartz’s goal 19 seconds into the game, he settled down. Kochetkov missed four games after he suffered a concussion on Nov. 23 in a shootout loss in Columbus. The Hurricanes went 2-2 without Kochetkov. They’ve been without top goalie Frederik Andersen with a knee injury since a 4-1 win at Seattle on Oct. 26. Andersen is expected to be out for another six to 10 weeks.

Key moment

At 10:02 in the third, Jack Drury’s goal for Carolina was overturned on a successful coach’s challenge for goaltender interference. Fifty seconds later, Gourde beat Kochetkov to give Seattle a 3-2 lead.

Key stat

The Kraken improved to 7-1-1 this season when scoring first.

Up Next

The Kraken continue a four-game road trip at the New York Islanders and the Hurricanes host Colorado, both on Thursday night.

Last game: Kraken fall to Sharks 4-2 for third straight loss

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Seattle, WA

A new analysis ranks the best and worst dating scenes based on 35 key factors—and Seattle and Atlanta singles are thriving

Published

1 day ago

December 3, 2024

Press Room

A new analysis ranks the best and worst dating scenes based on 35 key factors—and Seattle and Atlanta singles are thriving

Looking for love in all the wrong places? A new rankings list may prove you are literally in the worst spot to date.

A December analysis released by WalletHub breaks down which of the 182 most highly-populated U.S. cities are best, and worst, for singles. And Atlanta, Seattle, and Denver are among the top 10.

“The already difficult process of finding the perfect partner can be made even tougher when cities lack the conditions necessary to make dating successful,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

“The best cities for singles have large, gender-balanced single populations, along with a wide variety of indoor and outdoor, daytime and nighttime activities,” he said. “They also have reasonable prices for dating activities or high average incomes to help ease the sting of inflation.”

Don’t worry if you want to date and aren’t having much luck. Census data puts singles at roughly 46% of the entire U.S. adult population. But as WalletHub notes in its analysis, those singles are concentrated very differently throughout the country.

The new rankings are based on a set of “35 key indicators of dating-friendliness,” according to WalletHub. With inflation driving up prices, WalletHub looked at the average price of popular date activities in each area, including movie tickets and restaurant meal costs. The analysts also took into consideration the number of nightlife options available to residents in each city, rent prices, salon costs, and online dating opportunities.

Another key factor was the total percentage of singles living in an area—since you kind of need other singles around to find success dating, unless we’re officially in the AI dating era.

Here’s more on the top three cities for singles:

Atlanta

Atlanta claims the top spot for singles thanks to its dynamic social scene, which includes a wealth of nightlife, restaurants, and attractions. The city stands out with its high density of shopping centers, spas, and social clubs, providing a variety of settings for first (and hopefully second and third) dates. Additionally, Atlanta’s accessibility—ranked 22nd in the U.S. for biking, walking, and public transportation—makes getting to these destinations convenient.

Another key factor is Atlanta’s substantial population of unattached residents, with over 69% of its citizens identifying as single. This ranks the city eighth nationally for available partners. Furthermore, the median household income here approaches $79,000, making it likely you’ll meet someone with solid financial security.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas earns the second spot for singles by offering some of the most diverse entertainment and social opportunities in the country, according to WalletHub. With its array of music festivals, spas, shopping destinations, fitness facilities, and social clubs, the city caters to many different interests. Surprisingly, dating here can also be cost-effective, with low average expenses for grooming and fitness, including some of the country’s cheapest haircuts and gym memberships, the WalletHub analysis found.

The city also ranks 23rd for gender parity among unattached individuals, offering a balanced environment for those seeking companionship. For singles who find love in this vibrant city, the quick and quirky wedding options, like Elvis-themed chapels, add a touch of fun to the romance.

Seattle

WalletHub’s analysis puts Seattle on the map as a haven for singles, ranking third overall due to its variety of cultural and outdoor offerings. The city excels in providing unique date opportunities, from parks and music festivals to upscale dining and shopping centers. For those seeking meaningful connections, the city’s community-oriented atmosphere makes it a great place to build relationships, according to WalletHub.

Known for its thriving tech industry, Seattle boasts a high median household income of over $80,000, adjusted for cost of living, increasing the likelihood you’ll meet someone financially secure. The city also ranks among the best for online and app-based dating, offering ample chances to connect virtually.

How many degrees of separation are you from the globe’s most powerful business leaders? Explore who made our brand-new list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. Plus, learn about the metrics we used to make it.

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