"It can be easy to miss Osteria la Spiga if you're not looking for it," wrote former Stranger food writer Min Liao back in 2003. "A corner storefront on Capitol Hill right next door to a Great Clips franchise is not the most obvious location if you're looking for authentic specialties from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region—home of Parma prosciutto, Modena balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and other heavyweights in the gastronomic pantheon. But check out the sheets of fresh, eggy pasta being made on the tiled countertop in the dining room; notice the precise, deliberately uncomplicated menu heavy on good imported cheeses and cream." After three relatively stellar years in strip-mall limbo, La Spiga will close its current location (1401 Broadway) this Saturday, September 9, with a party starting at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $35, call 323-8881 for more info and reservations, and look for the glamorous new La Spiga opening at 1429 12th Avenue the first week of November.

Attention competitive gardeners: On Saturday, September 9, at 9:00 am, the $5,000 Homegrown Tomato Challenge comes to a Redmond QFC (23475 NE Novelty Hill Rd). Contestants must bring three medium/large tomatoes or 10 small tomatoes, all of the same variety. Entry forms available at local QFCs, one entry per household. Good luck.

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