Things to know

Swiftwater Cellars

March 11 saw the release of Swiftwater's Petit Verdot to wine club members. It is a delicious, small production wine: with two barrels left from blending, they decided to do a 100% Petit Verdot. Only 50 cases were made. Wine club members had a week to purchase, then the wine became available to the general public. $45 per bottle. Grapes were from the Wahluke Slope near Mattawa.

Winemaker Andrew Wisniewski at release party

In addition to the Petit Verdot, be on the lookout in early summer for Swiftwater's first sparkling wine, a Blanc de Blanc using proprietary white grapes from Klipsun Vineyards.

At the Hoist House, the spring menus came out on March 23. Summer activities are planned (concerts!), along with Wine in the Pines which will be held on September 4. Check their website for details.

Sushi Chinoise

Thoa Nguyen has opened another restaurant, this one in Bothell at Beardslee Crossing. Pan Asian cuisine means nigiri, sashimi, rolls, starters like Spicy Korean Fried Tofu (so good), tempura, and jicama summer rolls. Enjoy noodle and rice dishes, plus basil green bean dishes done in the wok (yum), along with curry coconut chicken, pork & eggplants, and entrees like moshu pork, honey walnut prawns, Sichuan tofu and more. Presentation is lovely, especially those rolls. Like her other restaurants, her artistic side exposes itself in the calming, warm interiors. Interesting art, the open kitchen, lovely colors.

She currently owns Chinoise in the Issaquah Highlands,Wabi-Sabi Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Columbia City, and Sushi Chinoise in Bothell.

ZIVA Mediterranean Foods

You may know Tomer Shneor and his wife Jody Haynes for their somewhat mysterious pop-up dinners, nomad.dinners. Or maybe from their work at various Seattle food establishments (Tomer at Cantinetta and PCC, Jody at Serafina, Canon, and Westward). Now there's a new reason to know them: ZIVA Mediterranean Foods which they launched in 2015. ZIVA is Tomer's mother's name and they have been inspired by her to create healthy, handmade Mediterranean food products. Their first product is ZIVA Hummus, the only hummus made with sprouted Pacific Northwest garbanzo beans. It's also made locally, in Fremont. Local, yes, great. But why is sprouted good? It increases nutrient value, makes the hummus easier to digest, intensifies the bean flavor, has a lighter and fluffier mouthfeel, and doesn't weigh you down. Always a bonus, that last one. With just six ingredients (sprouted garbanzos, tahini, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt), it's not only naturally non-GMO, but includes more tahini than most brands. Tahini is made from sesame seeds which are a good source of zinc, protein, fiber, copper, manganese, calcium, and iron. We need these at all ages, so it's good for everyone. Not to mention really tasty.

They're planning more high-quality, authentic, healthy Mediterranean foods, so let's support them by buying the hummus so they can get on to more items! You can buy the hummus at Marketime Foods, Ken's Markets (Queen Anne, Greenwood), Central Co-op, and several PCC locations (now: Fremont, Columbia City, Kirkland, Issaquah; coming soon: Redmond, Greenlake Village). If you'd like to follow along on their adventure, go to www.facebook.com/zivaseattle or @zivaseattle

Qdoba

If you like fresh Mexican food and free guacamole on entrees, you've probably already been to a Qdoba Mexican Eats. In December, Qdoba opened in University Plaza near U Village, and in February, at The Outlet Collection Seattle in Auburn, and Smokey Point in Marysville. Normally this would be a bit of a yawn, just good to know you have more options. But these new spots are prototypes using different elements-new color schemes and furniture, plus Wi-Fi, the idea being to make them more comfortable and give people a reason to stay a little bit longer. Not your average goal for a quick-food restaurant.

As always, you can create your own meal from fresh ingredients with simple gestures and words (no drooling in line). Or you can go for the Knockout Tacos which began being offered about six months ago (Drunken Yardbird, Mad Rancher, Two Timer, Triple Threat, The Gladiator, Bohemian Veg) without having to make any decisions about ingredients. A number of years ago, a Qdoba franchisee created the Loaded Tortilla Soup (photo), a vegetable-based soup. It is now offered full-time, and you can have a say in what you want in it, i.e., no protein if you want to go vegetarian or vegan. Fresh is their big thing: there are no big walk-in freezers. Items are made on site, guacamole is "hand smashed" each day, pico de gallo and 3-cheese queso is fresh daily (they also have a diablo version of that queso), and their five salsas.

At the University Plaza location ONLY, they are offering tap beer and canned wine (you read that right). Beer is all local: Manny's Pale Ale, Dru Bru, Hilliard's. Infinite Monkey Theorem comes in red, white, rose, and moscato. It's a test to see if people want beer and wine with their Mexican food. So get out there and give them the correct answer (yes).

We'll let you find the Qdoba nearest you, but these three new ones can be found at:

The Outlet Collection: 1135 15^th St SW, Auburn, WA

Smokey Point: 2631 172^nd St NE, Marysville, WA

University Plaza: 5025 25^th Ave NE, Ste 101, Seattle, WA

Safeco Field, Centerplate, and the Mariners

Each year, Chef Ethan Stowell works with Centerplate Executive Chef Michael Johnson and team to create new and fun food items to be sold in the various concession areas of Safeco Field. They work with different food suppliers (Hempler meats), breweries and, this year, Deep Eddy Vodka (slushies). Craft beer this year comes from Georgetown, Fremont Brewing, Iron Horse Brewery, and Ghostfish Brewery (co-owner Brian Thiel pictured).

New food items: Porchetta Sandwich rubbed with salt and fennel pollen; Prime Rib sandwich with horseradish cream (photo); Porchetta or Prime Rib and chips (the chips being house-made Idaho russet kettle chips); a Beecher's Just Jack grilled cheese sandwich, and the Big Cheese (Just Jack with Hempler's cottage-style bacon and sliced tomato); Rotisserie-Style Chicken Wings with blue cheese and Frank's Red Hot Sauce; Hempler's sausage double-smoked polish, hot link and jalapeno cheddar Andouille sausage; and another new vendor, Sweet Iron Waffles, with authentic Liege Belgian waffles with powdered sugar or dipped in white or dark chocolate. You won't be hearing "There's just nothing to eat at the stadium..."

Ethan spoke briefly, praising Chef Michael and his group, saying "The whole team is on the same page. With new beers, Hempler's, and Sweet Iron Waffles, we have high expectations this year. For us and the Mariners!"

April 2016