This week, Ballard gets a new cult-favorite brewery specializing in sour beer, a new chocolate factory and espresso bar hits Pike Place Market, and University District greets a new donut shop with donut ice cream sandwiches and croissant-donut hybrids. Plus, Rachel's Ginger Beer announces a new location a stone's throw from the Spheres, and the chef behind Eden Hill plans to open a new restaurant. Read on to learn about all that and more. For more delicious ideas, check out our list of Seattle food and drink specials to try in May, our Seattle Beer Week calendar, our list of farmers markets in Seattle, and our full food and drink calendar.

OPENINGS
Dirty Couch Brewing
The Ballard brewery Dirty Couch Brewing, which specializes in mixed-fermented sours, opens its first outpost with a taproom today. The new space is over five times as big as the original location and serves some of the brewery's most popular flavors like Donut Return (a sour fruited-style beer made with donut peaches) and Irregularity Blackberry (a sour blonde beer with blackberry), along with newcomers like a bourbon barrel-aged beer called Tayberry Gin Saison.
Magnolia

Donut Factory
Lynnwood's popular Donut Factory, which is known for its confections like donuts, cake, ice cream sandwiches, and other treats like the "crobar" (a croissant-donut bar hybrid akin to the Cronut), has officially opened its new location in the former space of Ly's Donuts in the University District. The location brings new flavors, such as an ube-flavored donut, plus ice cream floats, WiFi, seating for 15-20, and espresso from Pegasus Coffee.
University District

Joe Chocolate Co.
This chocolate factory and espresso bar run by University of Washington graduates Sam Tanner and Peter Keckemet will open in the former space of Local Color (which Tanner and Keckemet took over last spring and began transitioning to the new concept earlier this year) next to Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Pike Place Market next Friday, May 24. Customers will be able to glimpse the factory's production process and purchase Lighthouse Coffee Roasters espresso, chocolate beverages, pastries, ice cream sandwiches, and dark chocolate bark (available in 2.5 oz packages or by the pound).
Downtown

Ruby Brink
This combination butcher shop, restaurant, and cocktail bar is now officially open on Vashon Island. The establishment, which has been in the works for nearly two years, is run by Lauren Garaventa (also known as "Lauren the Butcher"), Rustle Biehn, and Jake Heil and prominently features seasonal produce, pasture-raised meat, and house-made pickles and preserves, all sourced from local farms on Vashon. Dishes include house-made bacon, braised pork sandwiches, bacon jam toast, and beef jerky. (Previously, Garaventa and Biehn ran the popular pop-up Meat and Noodle Soup Club, while Heil has experience managing the well-respected Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland.) Visitors can also purchase pasture-raised meat to take home.
Vashon Island

OTHER FOOD NEWS
Rachel's Ginger Beer opening location near the Amazon Spheres
Seattle's spicy-sweet soda shop Rachel's Ginger Beer plans to expand with a new location on Lenora and 7th Avenue near the Amazon Spheres, expected to open sometime in late summer or fall. The outpost will retain a similar ethos to the chain's other locations and will feature Ma'ono like the U Village and Capitol Hill stores, but will add new boozy options like a fizzy Cosmopolitan.

Eden Hill opening new restaurant in Queen Anne
Acclaimed chef Maximillian Petty, who has garnered raves for his modern and inventive dishes like foie gras "cake batter" and crispy pig head "candy bars" at his Queen Anne restaurant Eden Hill, is planning to open a new, more casual spinoff restaurant called Eden Hill Provisions in the former space of the recently closed Cupcake Royale by mid-to-late summer. The new space will be family-friendly and feature modernized French and American favorites sourced from the nearby Queen Anne Farmers Market, with dishes like a brioche crab and scallop lasagna and the "Big Max," Eden Hill's luxe version of a Big Mac with Wagyu beef and challah. Plus, diners can shop from a retail section with take-home bottles of wine and to-go portions of Petty's famous foie gras cake batter.

Renee Erickson's mom starting a pie pop-up at Bistro Shirlee
In late April, Renee Erickson re-launched the restaurant Saint Helens (which she acquired from restaurateur and chef Josh Henderson) as "Bistro Shirlee," a classic French bistro and wine bar named in tribute to her mother, who has helped out behind the scenes at Erickson's Sea Creatures restaurant empire by doing everything from bookkeeping to baking desserts. Now, Bistro Shirlee will host a pie pop-up with baked goods made by Shirlee herself, with seasonal treats like strawberry pie and possibly Shirlee's famous chocolate brownies. The pop-up is expected to start sometime next month.

Good Weather gets breakfast tacos
Good Weather, the bicycle shop in Capitol Hill's Chophouse Row, has introduced Texas-style breakfast tacos, available exclusively from 8-10 am on Friday mornings and made with house-made salsa and cage-free eggs. Coffee, juice, and sparkling wine will also be available, and the shop hopes to "evolve it into a bit of a Friday morning party" with music and live performances to come.

Molly Moon's opening a location in Bellevue
Molly Moon Neitzel’s local ice cream parlor is coming to the Eastside: the beloved chain will open a petite walk-up shop with just 200 square feet in downtown Bellevue this summer. The pint-sized shop will carry the company’s full range of flavors, sundaes, and pints to go.

EVENTS
FRIDAY, MAY 17
Author Talk: Ruffage with Abra Berens
Chef and farmer Abra Berens shares tips on getting the most out of your vegetables—from asparagus to zucchini—in her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Meet the author and pick up a copy of the book to get signed.

MAY 17-18
Mayfest 2019 at Queen Anne Beerhall!
In celebration of Mayfest, the spring counterpart to Oktoberfest, participate in a stein-holding competition and try a traditional Hofbräu Maibock. Lederhosen and dirndls are encouraged.

MAY 17-19
Seattle Beer Week 2019
Seattle’s craft-beer scene is always alive and bubbling with activity, but during Beer Week that geeky enthusiasm gets kicked into high gear, with a stacked lineup of beer dinners, festivals, socials, pub crawls, and releases galore. This weekend, the festivities will include a Bodacious Beverages Brewfest with exceedingly hard-to-find beers, a Battle of the Beer Bands with bands composed entirely of beer industry members, and a doughnut and beer pairing with General Porpoise Doughnuts, among others.

SATURDAY, MAY 18
Abra Berens + Queen City
Chef and farmer Abra Berens will sign copies of her new cookbook Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables, with dishes from the book like asparagus with anchovy-caper butter and fresh herbs.

Bothell Block Party & Brewfest
Partake in fare from local food trucks, sip beer from local breweries, and listen to music from Seattle bands.

Broken Bar Day
Sometimes Theo Chocolate bars get smashed to smithereens, but you can pick up the pieces at this event, where shattered shards will be on sale for $10 a pound. The first 10 purchases will also receive a ticket for the new Theo factory tour.

Celebrate Our Community!
Spend the day eating farm-fresh food, hanging out with chickens, making your own snack in a wood-fired pizza oven, and making art. 

Electric Coffin x Revel Art Social
Meet the artists behind the Electric Coffin collective (whose slogan, "Built from Death," refers to their use of salvaged materials) and eat snacks. 

Full Moon Anniversary Party
The north-end Capitol Hill bar with an extensive and adorably illustrated drink menu will fête three years of business with a party under the full moon. KEXP's Troy Nelson and DJs Explorateur and Wax Witch will be on the decks, tarot reader Michelle Bloom and palm reader Brittany Smith will be on site, and food and drink specials will abound.

Gig Harbor Beer Festival
Try a variety of craft brews. Proceeds benefit the Kiwanis Club.

Green Lake Food Walk 2019
Billing itself as the food-world analogue to an art walk, this event will allow guests to peruse the eateries of Green Lake and try different dishes from a variety of establishments. You can sample vegan doughnuts from Mighty-O Donuts, wacky shakes and behemoth burgers from Lunchbox Laboratory, food from PCC Community Markets, frozen yogurt from Zoe Yogurt, Hawaiian-style burgers from Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, and espresso, smoothies, and acai from Brazilian coffeehouse Kitanda. The event will also feature a beer garden with live music.

Mighty-O Tour de Donut 2019
The local fried dough chain and Bike Benefits are joining forces for a self-guided bike tour fueled by delicious doughnuts. Starting in Ballard (where donuts and coffee will be served at 8:45 am), participants will ride to each Mighty-O location for special treats.

New Cider Making Class
Learn how to concoct your own fermented apple drinks while enjoying snacks and sips, and go home with a growler of your very own custom cider.

Pierogi Fest 2019
To know pierogi, the absurdly comforting and starchy Polish dumplings, is to love them. This wildly popular yearly event from the Polish Cultural Center gives you an opportunity to shovel the petite pockets of dough into your face by the plateful, with fillings like potato and cheese; meat, sauerkraut, and mushrooms; and blueberries. Plus, try other Polish dishes and beer, take in performances from the Polish Vivat Musica! Choir, and peruse a marketplace with Polish art, decorations, clothing, accessories, and more.

Through the Years: A Time Travel Tasting Menu
Travel through the ages with this 20-course tasting menu, which will impart "important food stories and history" through food.

Wink Doughnuts Pop-Up Shop
Start off your Saturday with gluten-free, organic, and plant-based doughnuts from Wink and hot coffee from Slate.

SUNDAY, MAY 19
Au Naturale at Queen City
Chill out with some funky natural wines by the glass or bottle, along with some burgers, bloody Mary deviled eggs, burrata with tomato salad, and spring pea and ricotta bruschetta.

Cook Together at Captain Whidbey
Chef Jesse Barber will lead an all-day Whidbey Island cooking experience beginning with a visit to the adorable sheep at Glendale Shepherd Farm and Creamery, followed by a hands-on cooking demonstration and a meal.

Ice Cream & Collage Pop Up
Ice cream and art: a lovely pairing. Learn collage art and enjoy Milk & Leaf tasty treats.

Lamb Jam Seattle
At this competition brought to you by Tasty Creative and the American Lamb Board, 16 rising-star chefs concoct their best lamb dishes as they vie for the title of Lamb Jam Seattle Champion. Lamb belly ramen? Lamb ham Cubanos? Anything goes. The global flavor categories include Asian, Latin, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern, and the competition will encompass chefs from laudable local establishments like Lark, Spinasse, Omega Ouzeri, Lola, Heartwood Provisions, and Sawyer, to name a few. Meanwhile, bartenders, brewers, winemakers, and other culinary artisans will round out the experience. The Seattle “Best in Show” champ will advance to the finale to contend with finalists from Austin, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, with the overall winner crowned Lamb Jam Master.

Winner, Winner, Musang Dinner!
Bar del Corso chef Melissa Miranda named her Northwest-influenced Filipinx pop-up (and forthcoming Beacon Hill restaurant) "Musang" after her fun-loving dad, who helped foster her love of cooking by putting her to work cleaning squid as a child. At this event, Musang himself will prepare his signature Filipino-style crispy fried chicken recipe, along with rice and side dishes.

MONDAY, MAY 20
Author Talk: Eat Like a Fish by Bren Smith
In his new book, "farmer commercial fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer" Bren Smith demonstrates the virtues of seaweed as a nutritious, plentiful, and sustainable food, with recipes by James Beard Award-winning chef Brooks Headley. He'll discuss ocean vegetables in conversation with local food writer Sara Dickerman, with seaweed snacks for attendees to try.