Sometimes people email me for restaurant recommendations. I always answer, and Slog commenters always have good suggestions too. Don wrote a couple weeks ago...

Can you suggest, by chance, a barbecue service? The Swedish Club is looking into hiring a barbecue truck/expert/restaurant for July 4th, when it'll be open to public. It is the perfect spot to see the fireworks. I thought maybe—maybe—you might have some suggestions. Thanks.

Regards,
Don

Dear Don,

The Swedish Club! Its beautiful midcentury building! Its amazing Lake Union view! Its incredibly nice people! GO U.S.A.!!! You deserve Seattle's best barbecue for the Swedish Club Independence Day party, and I will now tell you exactly what Seattle's best barbecue is*:

• The barbecue made by the man pictured above—he is called Pookie—at his Central District barbecue spot, the Barbecue Pit.

• The barbecue at Bitterroot in Ballard, which is more new-fashioned and upscale, but great.

• The barbecue from the Maximus Minimus truck.

All other barbecue in Seattle is bad, wrong, and beneath consideration.*

God bless America and the Swedish Club,
Bethany

* JK, everybody—JK!!! There's more great barbecue in Seattle than you can shake a proverbial stick at—well, at least there's more great barbecue than most people think, and most people have a very specific point of view on Seattle's (and the world's) barbecue situation. I expect and hope you will all yell about it in the comments. Here are all our recommended barbecue places—and I'd also like to add that my esteemed colleague Anna Minard really likes the new Bourbon & Bones in Frelard (I've only been there once when I was already too full to properly eat barbecue—sad).

I've emailed Don to see who's barbecuing at the Swedish Club for July 4th... UPDATE! Don says: "I think Smokin' Pete is our man. Thanks for all the other leads... I followed up on a few but many couldn't do it. Lushy is playing that night and of course best firework viewing... and parking!"