Longtime Russian Restaurant Owner Dies

IN THE NEWS: The PI's Rebekah Denn gives three stars in reviewing Restaurant Zoe (206-256-2060, 2137 Second Ave., restaurantzoe.com), while Leslie Kelly visits Blue Dog Kitchen (5247 University Way N.E., 206-632-5132), hits mom-and-pop burger stands, including By's (east of Starbucks central on Fourth Avenue South), Ranch Drive-In (18218 Bothell Way N.E.), and Zesto's in Ballard (6416 15th Ave. N.W.). ... Levi Pulkkinen writes the obituary for Lydia Venichenko Ballard, 76, longtime owner of the former Kaleenka, a Russian restaurant that operated for 25 years near the corner of First Avenue and Virginia Street in downtown Seattle, who died in August. The restaurant closed in 2000. seattlepi.com ... The Stranger's Bethany Jean Clement has the dollar tacos at Alki Tavern (1321 Harbor Ave SW, Seattle 206-932-9970) and notes the late-fall opening of chef Matthew Dillon (Sitka & Spruce)'s new restaurant The Corson Building (5609 Corson Ave). thestranger.com ... Blogger Bay Area Bites visits Top Pot Doughnuts (2124 5th Avenue, Seattle, 206-728-1966). kqed.org/weblog/food ... Seattle Times' Providence Cicero reviews Café Presse (1117 12th Ave., Seattle, 206-709-7674, cafepresseseattle.com), while Nicole Tsong visits Boulangerie Nantaise (2507 Fourth Ave., Seattle; 206-728-1874, www.boulangerienantaise.com). seattletimes.com ... Seattlest.com visits Entre Nous (216 Stewart St., 206-905-1633), Le Petit Organic Café (2229 5th Ave. 206-441-3845), and Caffe Fiore (3125 NW 85th St). ... Seattle Weekly's Jonathan Kauffman gobbles goat at area eateries Lola (2000 Fourth Ave., 441-1430, www.tomdouglas.com/lola), Rosticeria y Cocina el Paisano (9615 15th Ave. S.W., 763-0368) and Kokiri (32703 Pacific Hwy. S., 253-838-4288). seattleweekly.com ...

Zagat Buzz reports that to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the James Beard Foundation is hosting a series of food festivals and special dinners in 20 cities nationwide. The events kick off on September 18th in New York with a lavish menu inspired by Beard at Four Seasons. The celebrations continue the next week with elaborate dinners cooked by first-rate toques in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Short Hills, NJ and Washington, DC. All of the events are unique, with different chef lineups and dining formats ranging from gala dinners to walk-around tastings, so check the individual city pages for details. Though prices for the dinners vary, all of them will be followed up on September 29th with special events at local Williams-Sonoma stores where chefs will be offering cooking demos, book signings, specialty food tastings and kids' educational activities free of charge. For more information about the event, logon to www.jbftasteamerica.com. zagat.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com