Belles of the Sound

Cascadian Edible Landscapes will help you eat your yard. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Since we’ve been having such lovely weekend weather the past few weeks (and for the weekends coming up!!), I’ve been on a HUGE farmer’s market kick. I usually try to go during the winter, but it’s so much more pleasant when I can wander around and take in the entire experience.

Therefore, I’m giving a shoutout to my local farmer’s market, the Ballard Farmers’ Market! I love you and all your flowers, fresh veggies and excellent people-watching opportunities. Whenever I get there, I always make an initial pass around the market to see who’s there. I’m keeping an eye out for the veggies I need to pick up, and what types of flowers I want for the week. The selection can change almost weekly, so I love getting a feel for what’s in season. [Take for example, there are TONS of starter veggie plants out right now. I picked up a gorgeous lettuce start just last week, and it is so, so, so happy in my garden right now. If you've ever thought about starting your own edible garden, visit your nearest farmers' market now to get going.] (more…)

Welcome to the first installment of Brewery of the Month! My husband loves to brew, and with so many little microbreweries popping up around Seattle, I thought it would be fun to start visiting them and passing along my findings to you all! If you have any suggestions for breweries we MUST visit, please email me at jeanine at belles of the sound dot com. Thanks!

Hilliard's Regimental Scottish Blonde

Hilliard’s Brewing

Let me first start by saying that I visited Hilliard’s on one of our recent AMAZING sunny Saturday afternoons. We were able to walk to the brewery and take in the sunshine along the way. This vitamin D overload certainly contributed to a wonderful first impression of Hilliard’s Brewery in Ballard.

Upon walking in, I first noticed how large and open the space is. I love when you can see the operation going on, and Hilliard’s had 1oos of 1,000s of cans along the wall. The two brewmasters were pouring beer, and were very friendly and kind. My husband has a tendency to ask a MILLION questions, and they were more than willin and gracious to indulge him. (more…)

I’ve been on a serious health kick lately. Maybe it’s the weather or just a desire to feel good, but I’ve been all about it. That said, one of my favorite things to do is offset a good night of drinking by working out beforehand! Before you stop reading, I’m not suggesting you go lift weights with the other buff dudes…

I’m suggesting you kick off your Cinco de Mayo festivities off right by running/walking in the Fiesta 5k Ole! Isn’t that fun to say? If you need a little more motivation, there is a beer garden, concert and taco truck challenge awaiting you at the end. The race takes place at Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park and begins at 9:30am. Registraton Proceeds benefit the Hope Heart Institute.

So get out, get healthy and have a margarita for me!!

Oh, and stay tuned for next week’s Brewery of the Month review of Hilliard’s in Ballard!

Some of you may be like me and are mourning your busted NCAA bracket and the end of college basketball season. Or maybe you’re like Belle Kara and are relishing your mastery of picking the teams! Either way, if you’re looking for a second chance to pick a killer bracket and win some aweome prizes, you NEED to enter KJR AM’s Bigger Dance.

Going on 16 years now, local Seattle sports radio station KJR AM has been hosting the Bigger Dance, their take on the NCAA basketball brackets. And the bracket contestants? They are compiled from sexy, celebrity women both locally and around the world. Before you smirk at that, consider the prizes. The winner wins two tickets to the sporting event of their choice anywhere in the world… surfing competition in Australia anyone?? The top 30 finishers will win a host of amazing prizes, including trips, sports tickets, free pizza and more.

Here’s how it works: Each morning during the competition, there will be four lady match-ups live on the air at 8:50am, 10:50am, 1:50pm, and 4:50pm. Listeners are invited to call in during the match-up and “vote” for their favorite. Votes will be tallied for 3.5 minutes, and the lady with the most votes at the end of the time will move on. The final four match-ups are done live, in-person at a party hosted by The Parlor.

It doesn’t cost to enter, but you only have the rest of the day to do so!! The Bigger Dance kicks off tomorrow morning at 8:50am, so get your bracket in ASAP. And, best of luck to you all!

The latest in the our ongoing series “Belles’ Man on the Street,” profiling new Seattleite Henry Fitzgerald’s adventures in getting to know our great city.

Are you new to the Seattle area and trying to meet friends? Like many college grads, Seattle may have offered the perfect career opportunity for you, but moving hours from friends and family has probably been taxing. However, just as you and your guys spent every free minute during college watching March Madness, the NFL season, and Opening Day and on in the Spring, the guys in Seattle obsess over sports as well. With the young MLB season, throwing a Mariners viewing party for co-workers and maybe some guys from the gym could be your first step to finding a group for weekly poker nights and after-work drinks.

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Congrats to the Mariners! Today the team won it’s Opening Day game versus the Oakland Athletics. And get this, the first pitch was at 3 a.m. PST! Wowza. This was due to the fact that both teams traveled to Tokyo for the game. I know some of you are hardcore and were up for the game, but I still love the M’s, even if I couldn’t get myself out of bed that early! Sorry team.

With the home opener just over two weeks away (April 13, FTW!), it’s time to change your gears and start purchasing tickets! I already have my opening day seats (I’m going with ex-Belle Cathy), and I have blocked a few weekends throughout the summer. Pick up you tix here. Don’t forget that there will be King Felix days too…

This year, the M’s are testing out a new dynamic pricing system, as outlined in this Seattle Times article. Basically, this means that tickets in the same seats may not cost the same on different game days. Tickets will be priced according to popularity of the day, opponents, and several other factors. I love this idea! It makes the tickets much more accessible to a broader group of people, and it will encourage folks to attend the mid-week games. Afterall, is it fair for people who go to a Tuesday game to pay the same as people who go to the Saturday Yankees game?

All in all, I’m excited for another season of baseball. I love this team and I can’t wait to see how we look this year! For those of you who love the Mariners’ commercials, here is my personal favorite:

Don Quichote image via Frybooks.com

Do you like to literally DEVOUR your books? If you answer is yes, the 7th Annual Edible Book Festival in Wallingford may be for you. I was unaware of this event until I read it on the Wallyhood blog, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. Creative people think of hilarious ways to combine their favorite books into a pun and then cook it up. For example, Don Quixote was turned into a lovely quiche called Don Quichote! Ha. I love it.

There are awards for: Most Pun-derful, Most Drop-dead Gorgeous, Most Delectably Appetizing, Best Young Edible Artist (K-12), and Best in Show (voted on by attendees). And, for those of you who are wondering, you do can to eat the edible art after judging at 2pm.

The event takes place on Saturday, March 31 from 12-3pm at the Good Shepherd Center. Admission is free for entrants and $10 for all other visitors.

For more information on the event, visit Wallyhood’s post here.

Most of you probably think Bingo is just for the older crowd, and to that I would say you are completely WRONG! Especially when you’re playing Bingo at the Greenwood Senior Center. Yes, the senior center. On the last Friday of each month January thru October, the Greenwood Senior Center hosts themed bingo/karaoke nights. And, they are a blast!

Karaoke Bingo starts promptly at 7:30pm, so be sure to show up a little early to get a spot, beer and dauber. It costs $10 (plus a $5 on-site WA State gambling fee paid at the door), which gets you one bingo card for each of the 10 rounds. Daubers are available if you don’t have your own. You can also purchase extra cards or buy in to the “special rounds,” such as the Blackout Round, for an extra fee (usually $1-2 per card). In between each of the rounds, attendees are invited to the stage for karaoke. Young and old alike participate in karaoke, and sing-a-longs are not uncommon.

These events are extremely popular and sell out very fast. Tickets go on sale the Monday after the previous event, and you MUST reserve your spots prior to showing up. You can also reserve a table if you are bringing a large group. If you don’t, you probably won’t all be sitting together. Karaoke Bingo is also 21+, which means they have beer (and food) for purchase. The food consists of awesome comfort foods such as tater tots, mini corndogs, soft pretzels, and fresh-baked cookies!

The next Karaoke Bingo event is on Friday, March 30. Come on down and mingle with the cool kids. You never know what new friends you may meet!

Photo Credit: Foolz by Michelle Bates

Based on my previous ramblings, I don’t think it’s any secret that I love burlesque. Land of the Sweets the Nutcracker Burlesque is my favorite holiday tradition; I love Tamara the Trapeze Lady; AND, I never miss the chance to attend Moisture Festival!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Moisture Festival, it’s an annual comedy/variete show. Each year, performers from around the country (and sometimes world) arrive to perform their particular and often peculiar acts. There are jugglers, balancing acts, stand-up comedians, aerialists, and the late night shows include burlesque. Complete list of performers here. For those of you with kids, many of the shows are kid friendly. No matter what your tastes, this show guarantees to have something to make everyone smile. It’s truly a DON’T MISS activity in Seattle.

Photo Credit: Poppy Daze by John Cornicello

Moisture Festival kicks off next week on Thursday, March 15 and runs through Sunday, April 8. There are four venues across town including the Hale’s Brewery Palladium, the Georgetown Ballroom, the SIFF Cinema (one show only), and this year’s new venue, the Broadway Performance Hall on Capital Hill. Tickets are $10-20, depending on date and time of the show, and are available through Brown Paper Tickets.

Get out there and try something new! You won’t regret it.

Seattle's SolBird

Ok, it’s quite rainy today, which has me in the snuggle-up by the fire with a good drink and good friends mood… Usually for me this includes gathering the troops and finding some good weekend music. AND, that brings me to tell you about a fabulous, up and coming R&B/Motown band in Seattle called SolBird.

Fronted by the fabulous and quirky Tazlyn Fischer Gue, whose soulful voice will melt the cold outside, SolBird’s music is guaranteed to get you up and dancing. They play a fabulous range of music from the funky 60′s to the popular songs of today (plus some of their own music). While these guys have primarily played weddings and other party functions, they are a mainstay at the Owl ‘n Thistle, Paragon and the Cypress Lounge. Look for these guys to continue growing in popularity over the coming years.

SolBird will be playing at Paragon in Queen Anne this Saturday, March 3 at 8pm and there is no cover. Which means, you can catch a sneak peak at this exciting newcomer for FREE! And, who doesn’t like free?

I’ll personally guarantee that you’ll love this show. Tazlyn and I grew up in the same town (although she’s a few years younger than me, but who’s asking?!), and I’ve been a HUGE fan of her music for more years than I can remember. Seattle is super lucky to have this young rockstar. I also did my undergraduate work (and worked in the theatre department) with SolBird’s saxophonist Peter Daniel. Let’s say if you come and don’t love them instantly, find me in the bar and I’ll buy you a drink (tip: my photo is on the “about” page).

If you want to check out more, or see their show calendar, check out the website or the Facebook page.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll get:

SolBird