Pot Shops
Interesting stat via this month’s Seattle Met mag: Seattle now has more marijuana dispensaries (145) than Starbucks locations (139) (“More Buds Than Beans,” November 2012). 
Lindsay Cohen @cohenkomo via Twitter

Pot Shots?
Only a matter of time before they combine forces (“More Buds Than Beans,” November 2012)? Like KenTacoHuts... Starblunts? 
Nicole Neroulias @BeliefBeat via Twitter 

 

Great Apes
I wanted to thank you for writing about the ape sanctuary in Cle Elum (“Fire at the Sanctuary of the Apes,” November 2012). I had no idea that it even existed and I am so happy the apes have a place to call home. Their story before they came to the sanctuary is so heart wrenching, but it sounds like they have a good group of people taking care of them, who will do anything to protect them.  Thank you J. B. and Diana for caring so deeply about the apes, and thank you firefighters for protecting them against the fire.
Jessica Gaab via email

Lovely. (“Readers Told Us Their Favorite Destinations,” September 14, 2012)
larsthegeek via seattlemet.com

Font of Love
Love the type that design director @andremora used in the new Seattle Met Best Restaurants section (November 2012)—Lingua by Process Type.
James Stipes @notoriousjsteez via Twitter

 

Free Rides
If the wish is to have more riders on mass transit and the fares only cover a minimal amount of the cost, then, really, what is the point of the fares (“Some Caveats on That Sounder Report,” October 16, 2012)? Drop the fares. Make mass transit free, along with user friendly, and time efficient. The mass transit system needs to cater to citizens, citizens do not need to cater to a mass transit system (the main problem with Sound Transit, and rail). Citizens are what matters, not starry-eyed ideas of how citizens should behave. 
Jhande via seattlemet.com

Someone to Watch Over SPD
It seems a little weak for the Department of Justice to require police oversight after its study showed the Seattle police had engaged in a pattern of excessive force, yet allow the malfeasant city hall to choose the overseer (“McGinn, Council, and City Attorney Spar over DOJ Monitor Selection,” PubliCola, October 18, 2012). 
Anonymous via seattlemet.com

 

A Pot to Remember
Love a good cassoulet (“Seasonal Meal Trend: Cassoulet,” October 18, 2012). One of the most memorable I had was from Scott Emerick at a One Pot/Kim Ricketts dinner for Jennifer McLagan.
proncis via seattlemet.com

 

Bean There
Voila! Bistrot in Madison Valley has some pretty great amazing, authentic cassoulet, too (“Seasonal Meal Trend: Cassoulet,” October 18, 2012). 
nicholas.r.hawley via seattlemet.com

 

Yum. We can’t wait to check out this new restaurant.  (“Cantinetta Team Opens a Tuscan-Style Pizzeria in Bellevue,” October 11, 2012)
RedLionHotels @RedLionHotels via Twitter

 

Soda Fountain Shake Up
I opened this article (“I Now Pronounce You Boozy Milkshake,” October 9, 2012) expecting to see Lunchbox Laboratory. The grown-up milkshakes made there need to be noted! 
kenfucious via seattlemet.com

 

Trip Advisers
Really? This doesn’t agree with my experience (“Study Finds the Best Time to Book Airline Tickets,” October 9, 2012). Maybe this works for midweek flights to places I never go. How about high-volume destinations around the holidays? 

From the article you linked as saying “six weeks before takeoff is the ideal time”: “Not only did the six-week period fail to stand up, but the findings indicate that the window for booking the cheapest ticket for these trips has increased over the past three years; in some cases it’s up to 24 weeks. The article presents compelling evidence that Kayak is giving us bad advice. The real question is why? 
zoe.berr.7 via seattlemet.com

 

A Tale of Two Kathryns
Two of Kathryn Robinson’s pieces in the September 2012 issue (“Instant Dinner Party” and “My College Reunion”) had resonance when viewed together. (Sort of like hearing two sounds or harmonies together is different than hearing either one alone?) She reviewed a restaurant that forces guests to eat together (favorable) but declined attending her college reunion (anti). Loved the writing, and just wanted to say that the Kathryn of the review seems like a gal who would welcome sitting at the reunion table with strange earlier versions of herself. If she could see them as “strangers.”
Sally James, Ravenna

 

A View to a Meal
As Capitol Hill residents, we have so many options to choose from when it comes down to the daily decision of what’s for dinner. Being a member of the visual population, I very much appreciate the local photography in your articles. I especially appreciate the food photography and have chosen to visit restaurants based solely on the photos you published. Yes, I read the article; however it is photo that draws me in.

A few (not all) of our experiences due solely to the draw of your photos:

Terra Plata (March 2012): the short rib. I ordered that plate and it was wonderful.

Restaurant Zoë: A photo of the restaurant interior (July 2012) triggered a trek across the hill for
a first visit. An excellent experience; we will return.

Altura: This is the photo (left; "Touched by an Angel," February 2012) that prompted us to make a reservation. We have
returned to this restaurant several times and ordered this same dish until it left the menu (and anxiously await its return). It literally tasted as good as it looked.

La Bête (December 2010): Purely our favorite restaurant in Seattle. We return week after week—it’s almost an addiction.

Cascina Spinasse: Already patrons, we were drawn back in for more by the cover photo on one of your issues (November 2011).
Susie Cook, Capitol Hill

 

Correction
In the November 2012 issue, we accidentally omitted Restaurant Zoë from the list of the 25 Best Restaurants. You will see from critic Kathryn Robinson’s review below what a glaring omission that was.

Restaurant Zoë 
With its crowded urban fizz, Pike/Pine location, smart seasonal menu, and something-for-everyone versatility, Scott Staples’s second iteration of Zoë makes Seattle’s all-around best night out right now. Wherever you wander in the menu—a nectarine prosciutto salad, a chicken breast with pancetta and medjool date puree, a grass-fed and wood-fired cheeseburger, a killer steak tartare—you will be dazzled with both the gorgeous compositions and the fact that all this modern and all this Euro still add up to food this delish. Different sections provide nice atmospheric variety: Napalike at the entry, Boho-farmhouse in the sunroom, neoindustrial stylish in the main room. Service is careful and terrific. 1318 E Union St, Capitol Hill, 206-256-2060; restaurantzoe.com