The Best Dishes Eater's Seattle Editor Ate in June 2025
I was at Melrose Market this month writing about the controversy surrounding the window coverings put up by incoming tenant Eggslut, so naturally I stopped in at Cafe Suliman, the perpetually charming counter run by Ahmed Suliman. The small plates format here means that you can have anything from a snack to a multi-course meal, and I opted for something snacky: halloumi with seasonal vegetables. The cheese was snappy on the outside and chewy on the inside but what really stood out was the combination of dukkah and a quince dressing, which made the dish a little sweet but also deeply savory. If I was a vegetarian I'd eat at Cafe Suliman even more than I already do.
For father's day I carted my family to surely one of the more dad-coded restaurants in Seattle. Lady Jaye has great meat, a whiskey-focused cocktail menu, Floyd on the patio speakers, and incredible ribs. These were a special and not always available, but they were simultaneously smokey and crispy and so tender the meat was falling off the bone. I was gnawing this sweet, succulent meat in between bouts of trying to get my one-year-old to not injure himself. (Maybe takeout next year.)
The pork on this plate is fantastic — crispy, fatty, and with a little bit of cumin-y spice. But honestly the sides accompanying it may outshine it. The greens cooked in coconut milk are rich and taste mostly of coconut (obviously) but have some intriguing bitter notes too, an impressive depth of flavor from an unassuming dish. If you haven't been to Lenox, correct that immediately.
The round pizza at Dino's on Capitol Hill is good but you should skip it to get the square pie instead. It's not as thick as a Detroit-style pie but it has those crispy, Maillardized edges characteristic of that style. It's chewy, it's tangy, it's the kind of pie you're constantly just having one more slice of. See More:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Eminem Wanted Mariah Carey To Play A Specific Role In ‘8 Mile' Which Sparked Their Rumored Romance
Long before Eminem and Mariah Carey dissed one another, they were rumored to have dated. Her producer, Damizza, recently revealed that their romance was sparked by Eminem's request that she play a specific role in his legendary movie 8 Mile. He recounted his initial reaction to Slim Shady's request for a meeting on the TFU Podcast: 'I'm not getting in the middle of that. I know how this ends.' He also claimed that Carey had declined a meeting with the Detroit rapper before learning about the film. Nonetheless, she eventually agreed to meet him, so Damizza facilitated the arrangement. 'The first thing out of [Eminem's] mouth is, 'I want you to play my mother,'' he recalled of the meeting. The 'We Belong Together' singer seemingly didn't take it well, as Damizza said, 'Her insecurities kicked in big time.' However, he wasn't prepared for where things would go between the two. Damizza told the TFU Podcast that the professional meeting was the catalyst for their long-rumored romantic relationship, with Mariah Carey being the one doing the courting. 'It was her chasing him, not him chasing her,' he said. 'Next thing I know, we are at Eminem's house… and they disappear. The second they went into his room, literally, I was like, 'I'm going back to LA. There is no point of me being here.' It went from business to f**king.' This is an interesting revelation, as Carey ended up not appearing in 8 Mile and has also denied the two ever being romantically involved. Eminem, however, wouldn't let her deceive the people. His 2009 track 'The Warning' was a response to her song 'Obsessed,' which many believe was targeted at him. 'Wow Mariah, didn't expect you to go balls out/ Bi**h shut the f**k up 'fore I put all them phone calls out/ You made to my house when you was Wild'n Out before Nick/ When you was on my d**k and give you something to smile about,' he rapped. In another part of the song, he added 'Listen, girly, surely you don't want me to talk about how I nutted early/ 'Cause I ejaculated prematurely/ And bust all over your belly and you almost started hurling/ And said I was gross, go get a towel, your stomach's curling.' More from Eminem Clowns Adam Sandler In 'Happy Gilmore 2' Trailer Eminem Sues Meta For $109 Million - But Why? Jamie Foxx To Be Honored As Ultimate Icon At 2025 BET Awards
USA Today
11 hours ago
- USA Today
Pioneering televangelist Jimmy Swaggart's rise and fall remembered
Swaggart embodied the transition from traveling evangelist to radio preacher and then televangelist, garnering huge audiences along the way. Before his career ended in shame, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart was a pioneering legend, a magnetic preacher and performer whose mastery of both pulpit and piano earned a groundbreaking national and global following. Along with Robert Schuller and Jerry Falwell, the Louisiana-born televangelist was among the primary trailblazers and, at his 1980s peak, one of the most familiar faces in Christian television, bringing an expressive Pentecostal-style of worship into the evangelical mainstream. 'His preaching on television was particularly powerful because of his facial expressions,' said Quentin Schultze, professor emeritus of communication at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 'He helped lead many viewers to a more charismatic style of worship.' Swaggart, who died Tuesday morning at age 90, was a riveting and dramatic preacher, said Randall Balmer, a professor of religion at Dartmouth College, a private university in Hanover, New Hampshire. 'He pulled out all the stops – the tears, the exclamations,' Balmer said. 'He understood pacing and had an innate sense of how to manipulate people.' Swaggart, he said, embodied the transition from traveling evangelist to radio preacher and then televangelist, garnering huge audiences along the way. 'He was phenomenally successful at each one of those iterations,' said Balmer, author of 'Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture of America.' Swaggart pursued full-time ministry in 1955 and in 1969 launched 'The Campmeeting Hour,' broadcasting on more than 700 radio stations around the country. Four years later, 'The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast' would pivotally put him in front of a television audience. At the time, well-financed preachers could purchase nationally syndicated, Sunday morning airtime with the potential of reaching large audiences, Schultze said. Swaggart was among the few able to significantly capitalize on that opportunity, mastering the small screen with his intensely emotional delivery. In the 1970s and 1980s, television was really 'a medium of the face,' said Schultze, author of 'Televangelism and American Culture.' 'Not so much anymore, because of big screens, but back then most visual expression came from the face, and he had a very expressive face, along with his musical voice.' Swaggart's show would eventually air in more than 100 nations weekly. At his peak, according to the publication 64 Parishes, Swaggart's TV ministry would reach more than 2 million Christians around the globe. 'There was a time when 30% of all Americans who had their televisions on, on Sunday mornings, were tuned into Swaggart,' Schultze said. Pray for the family of Rev. Jimmy Swaggart who passed away today at the age of 90. He had been hospitalized since June 15 when he suffered cardiac arrest. In life and in death, we can thank God for His great mercy and His offer of salvation if we repent and put our faith in His… By the time sex scandals sledgehammered Swaggart's career in the late 1980s and early 1990s, cable and satellite TV, and eventually the internet, would make it 'virtually impossible' to attract the volume of viewership he achieved in his heyday, Schultze said. Religious audiences had become balkanized and many stations had discontinued paid programming. 'There was a short window where if you were a great television entertainer and could hire an advertising marketing agency to promote you, you could get some tremendous audiences,' Schultze said. "That's gone now, and there won't be anyone on TV or on the internet who's as popular as these guys were.' Preacher's rise and fall 'a cautionary tale' Swaggart, Schultze said, was a gifted singer with an affected, heartfelt style. As a younger man, he'd pondered a secular music career; his cousins were rock-and-roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis and country star Mickey Gilley. Instead, he chose the ministry, infusing traditional hymns with emotionally delivered, country music arrangements, upending notions of what Christian music could be and bringing mainstream legitimacy to Pentecostal-style worship. Swaggart sold 17 million gospel albums, though his enduring 'Southern gospel version of contemporary music' continues to divide churches today, Schultze said. 'Pentecostalism was always kind of tribal and seen as outside mainstream evangelical faith,' Schultze said. 'He brought it more into the center, and what became a lot of its faith and worship music was partly of his influence.' Had his career not been felled by his own missteps, Swaggart likely could have continued on, Schultze said. In 1988, Swaggart was embroiled in a scandal involving a sex worker, leading to his legendary 'I have sinned' apology delivered on live television. The incident led to Swaggart's suspension and then defrocking by the Assemblies of God, though he would eventually continue preaching without a denomination. 'He realized that unless he got back to TV he would lose everything,' Balmer said. 'He needed that huge influx of money and made a calculated decision to defy suspension and go back on his own as an independent. It didn't work out all that well for him.' A second scandal in 1991 would set Swaggart back for good. Balmer, who visited him in Baton Rouge while researching a 1998 magazine piece about the disgraced preacher, said Swaggart struggled mightily after his fall from grace. 'The whole enterprise was a shadow of its former self,' Balmer said. 'He'd had a whole empire, a bible college and various missionary organizations. I don't know how many acres he had in Baton Rouge but it was a large complex. And it was a ghost town by then.' Ultimately, Balmer said, Swaggart's legacy may be a cautionary tale. 'Here's somebody who rose to the pinnacle of evangelical stardom and through a series of missteps utterly destroyed his reputation and ministry,' he said. 'There were a few hangers-on to be sure, but by the time I got there 10 years later, the crowds of thousands were down to dozens.' While Swaggart's rise had been concurrent with the rise of the Moral Majority, the political organization founded by Falwell that helped elect Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and made the religious right a political force, politics was never his game. 'He was all about preaching and the music,' Schultze said. 'Sitting at the piano and doing an emotional hymn. None of the other TV evangelists could do that.' Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund; Greg Hilburn, USAT Network
Eater
14 hours ago
- Eater
A Downtown Taqueria Brings Mexico City Vibes to the Loop
Located at the corner of Wabash and Monroe in the Loop, it's not exactly obvious what Momento, a new Mexican restaurant, is. One side features a causal taqueria while the other a more formal sit-down cantina. Co-owner César Fajardo says he and business partner Christopher Roldán haven't just launched a restaurant at 44 S. Wabash, but they've launched a brand that will 'reshape how people think about Mexico, its culture, and people.' The restaurant officially opened in May after giving customers a sneak preview over summer 2024 during Lollapalooza weekend. 'Besides the flavor, we think taquerias are more about the culture of getting a taco, and some of those things haven't been imported well into the United States,' Fajardo says. Forget taco platters. Momento seeks to emulate Mexico's taco stands, where customers order items one at a time. 'You're setting the pace of the rhythm of how much you want to eat,' Fajardo adds. Momento weaves in its message through cheeky language on the menu and napkins. 'If you want to talk to the manager, se habla en Español (also English 'cause we speak both)' is written on the cantina menu: 'From the beginning, we felt Momento should be a brand that is loud as in a way we are reclaiming our space,' says Fajardo. With its main entrance on Wabash, the taqueria offers an abbreviated menu of what's available in the neighboring cantina. Step up to the orange counter to get a Momento card that will be linked to a credit card. Linger a moment to watch the nixtamalized masa made from varieties of heirloom Mexican corn being pressed by hand before being placed on the tortilla-making machine. The tortillas are also available for purchase in vacuum-sealed bags. 'Because 70 percent of our dishes are based on maiz, we put a lot of effort to have good corn,' says Fajardo. To share, there are elotes, guacamole, and ridged potato chips sprinkled with lime juice and hot sauce, a popular Mexico City street snack. Tostadas come layered with grilled ribeye, spicy tuna, and Sinaloan-style fish with a kicky chile-lime sauce. The fried tortillas are sturdy, so go ahead and pick them up to eat. The tacos are available in six varieties, including ribeye topped with crispy potato strips, fried whitefish with mango pico de gallo, and birria-style mushrooms. From the trompo, a Mexico City tradition, the shaved beef is paired with vegetables. Full meals in the style of Mexico's comida corrida come in the form of stews (guisados) like slow-braised beef tongue and cochinita pipil, all served with rice, beans, and tortillas. A large window features artwork depicting six cartoon-like characters. Like at a museum, a panel next to it offers details of its significance, although here it's in English and Spanish. 'Icons of faith, reimagined for today,' it reads. Peek inside another window and you'll see a colorful floor-to-ceiling mural of a winged woman. Those in the know will recognize her as the Angel of Independence who sits atop one of Mexico City's most important monuments. Surrounding her, illustrations depict various Mexican icons. Inside the small space, orange banquettes and chairs mirror the signature color of Mexico City's buses and metro stations. On the tables, small computer screens provide access to the menu and ordering process. Over on the cantina side, an expanded menu also includes shareable molcajetes such as grilled fish and starters like shrimp quesadillas and tamales. Six additional tacos are available that offer creative taco takes (think quesabirria, charred octopus with salsa macha, and roasted sweet potato) on the traditional dish. Desserts include arroz con leche, chocolate 'abuelita' cake, and sweet corn cake. Two chefs from Mexico City oversaw the menus. Alex Preschez is executive chef at the Hotel Sofitel, while pastry chef Fernando Prado is behind Cuina, a bakery, restaurant, and culinary school, also in Mexico City. In the cantina, tech-driven experiences are combined with modern murals from Mexican artists and more traditional design motifs. At its Monroe entrance, a digital interactive screen displays various Mayan masks. On shelves next to the restrooms, there are black-and-white photos of popular Mexican screen stars from the past. Inside the women's restroom, a red-lit infinity mirror inspires selfies. An interactive beverage experience has been incorporated into the design of the 97-seat cantina to encourage guests to get up from their tables and mingle. At one, mezcals and tequilas are dispensed in tasting-size portions. Various draft Mexican beers, including some exclusive to Momento, are available at one end of the 14-seat bar. Both are accessible via a Momento card. Beverages can also be ordered from servers and bartenders. 'In Mexico, a cantina is a place where your table is the very beginning of the experience,' says Fajardo. 'Maybe you end at another one because you meet people and you dance, sing, drink, and share stories. We want people to explore the place.' For its design inspiration, the dining room references Mexico's many cathedrals. Overhead are 3D arches and spires in pink and purple, a nod to the vibrant colors of Mexico City's beloved jacaranda tree blossoms. With all this talk about branding, it's important to note that Fajardo a content creator and brand developer by trade. He's pushed buttons when it comes to his nationality when he created a three-minute video in 2018 called 'I'm Mexican' that delivers a rapid-fire message on Mexicans' strength when faced with adversity. The video went viral with 4.5 million views on YouTube. It's via that video that Roldán, who owns franchises of French multinational gelato chain Amorino in Mexico City and Chicago, first connected with his fellow Mexico City native. When Roldán found a potential space for a restaurant, he reached out to his now friend and asked how the video would translate into a restaurant. From there, the idea and message for Momento grew. 'This is a showcase for authentic Mexico,' Fajardo says. 'We want everything at Momento to be meaningful.' Momento Taqueria, 44 S. Wabash Avenue, (312) 363-3136, open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Momento Cantina, 36 E. Monroe Street; open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Reservations available via OpenTable . See More: Chicago Restaurant Openings
