Seattle Met's best and brightest have been busy brainstorming bovine-related puns, which can only mean one thing: Cowabunga is back. Our three-day bacchanalia of beef and other Northwest delights takes South Lake Union by storm October 5–7 with a lineup of excellent Seattle chefs, live entertainment, cool demos, copious amounts of beverages, and a million other great things aimed directly at our food scene's most dedicated fans (aka you).

Tickets just went on sale, and if you purchase by the end of Labor Day, you get $10 off the price of any ticket (including VIP).  

Some of the folks already in the mix include: Asadero Prime, Cépaé, Cubes Baking Co., Emma’s BBQ, Frank's Oyster House & Champagne Parlor, Jack’s BBQ, Lagunitas Brewing Company, La Parisienne, Manu’s Bodega, Miller’s Guild, Pelican Brewing Co., Taylor Shellfish, Wood Shop BBQ, and Pioneer Square's Zocalo. We'll be sharing more details about the events and participants in the coming weeks. But allow me to offer an overview.

How fitting that this celebration of all things Washington begins with a Friday night of oysters. Boysterous centers on an almost obscene amount of bivalves, both freshly shucked and transformed into briny-good dishes by local seafood notables. Festivities take a turn for the meaty the next afternoon; Beer ‘N BBQ lets some of the town's best pitmasters get all low and slow, in the company of superlative craft brews. Saturday night's Seared fancies things up a bit, drawing edible inspiration from the classic American steak house (including glorious, towering layer cakes). We're back at it Sunday morning for Country Brunch, where still more amazing local chefs will dispense bites both sweet and savory. Duh, there will be a ton of bloody marys. Point of clarification, though: Country Brunch is actually crazy family friendly, with ice cream, lawn games, and cool entertainment. My four-year-old probably wouldn't put the "Give 'Em Hell" deviled egg competition in that category, but I'm certainly excited for it.

Stay tuned for more specifics on our biggest food and drink event of the year.