Let's Definitely Talk About Hogstone's Pizza Club

The pizza that’s worth a trip to Orcas Island is now making its way to Seattle. Tuesday at noon, chef Jay Blackinton will launch the Hogstone Pizza and Wine Club. He’s done some R&D to finagle a frozen version of his pies that meets his standards, and will deliver them, along with a corresponding bottle of natural wine, once a month to customers from Bellingham down through Seattle (provided you’re within five miles of I-5). Hogstone will announce full details on its website and social on Tuesday, but this club has two tiers and just 100 spots, so I plan to hover hard to snag that pizza.

Semi Secret Congee

The folks behind this new congee counter inside the Juisala juice shop in Wallingford keep a deliberately low profile (the kind with an Instagram handle), but buzz is building around Secret Congee’s soft open this Wednesday, October 21. The ownership is centered on the same team that brought us Congeez, the underrated counter inside Uwajimaya’s food court, plus some additional chefs who previously cooked at Pestle Rock, Agrodolce, and Tilth. The opening menu amplifies the rice porridge’s canvas-like nature, augmenting it with braised pork belly, garlic blue crab, and miso roasted kabocha squash.

Ramen Rolls into Hillman City

Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max opens a new food truck–based popup this Friday called Ramen Ramen. It will serve artisanal tacos. Sorry, no—ramen is definitely the order of the day at this short-term project, which will set up shop in the ample parking lot at Poke to the Max’s brick-and-mortar location in Hillman City. On the forthcoming menu: truffle crab ramen, smoked brisket ramen, and a special salmon ramen. Hours will be 11–7; next month the company will press another one of its underutilized food trucks into service with a popups called Hapa Dawg and Donuts.

All In on Half and Half Doughnuts

No news peg here, just me chagrined that it took me this long to visit Half and Half Doughnut Co., the post–Top Pot project from Michael Klebeck, who cofounded Seattle’s ur-doughnut chain. Half and Half, on Pike, does fritters, biscuits, a variety of old fashioneds (not the cocktail), cream filled doughnut hole “bombs” and a pretty self-respecting cronut. The variety of doughs that emanate from that little kitchen is impressive; a churro old-fashioned has cinnamon in both dough and glaze; a blueberry fritter tastes of actual blueberry.

End of an Era at Boat Street

Twenty-five years. Twenty-five years. When Boat Street Kitchen and Bistro closes in November, Seattle will lose a significant thread of dining history. Boat Street's final day is November 15; its last act of gracious hospitality is giving us an entire month to get in for a final lunch, brunch, or dinner on the patio.