Seeking: June events, a $7 burger, and a dragon boat club

+ a new yakitori spot with a secret garden patio

It feels good to be back to our usual format this week. I’ve had so much stuff saved up that it was hard to choose what to feature! But I’ve got a good stockpile for the coming weeks.

Summer is just around the corner, so our local event calendar is starting to get busy. I’ve highlighted some of this month’s best events and festivals below so you won’t miss them.

Next week we’ll hear from Zoe Kahn about her local gems + what’s on her radar in our 2nd Seattle Snapshot. She has been building The Nudge for the past 5 years as the Seattle and West Coast Director and is now freelancing with local brands, so she is very in the know about things to do in the city. I’m thrilled to share her insights with you!

Enjoy this week and let me know what you’re excited about in June in the comments 😎

*This post is a little long, so don’t forget to expand if it gets cut off in your email!

💎 Local gems

Concerts @ Remlinger Farms | Carnation

I got free tickets to Bomba Estéreo + Portugal. The Man at Remlinger Farms for Memorial Day weekend via DoMore, so a friend and I braved the potential rain forecast and went to check it out! The farm just started hosting concerts last year, so I’ve been curious about this new outdoor venue.

Without traffic, the drive is about ~45 minutes from the city and very picturesque (also nostalgic for me since I grew up in North Bend!). Parking is free at the farm, which is not the case at other outdoor venues like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marymoor. If you don’t want to drive, there is also a RT shuttle service that leaves from both downtown and Redmond for $50 + taxes.

For our show, doors opened at 4:30 pm and the first opener started at 6 pm. It seems like all the summer concerts start around this time with the main acts coming on around 8 pm and wrapping up by 10 pm (we love an early concert). We got there just before 6 and were easily able to find a spot to put our blanket down.

Outside food is unfortunately not allowed, but Remlinger does have food on-site (which was very average). I hope they outsource it and get food trucks eventually! Drinks were reasonable for a concert (~$8/beer).

In conclusion, the venue was beautiful, smoothly run, and a great addition to our list of outdoor venues. I’m now more inclined to check out the THING festival which is going to be hosted here in August.

Woodland Park Rose Garden | Phinney Ridge

Somehow I’d never been to this garden before, but I had the opportunity to visit as one of the Real Roots experiences. Two weeks ago there were just a few blooms scattered around the garden, but summer is prime time and more should be popping up in the coming weeks (although the garden is lovely regardless!).

I saw a group of girls with a full picnic set up of low-back chairs, a small table, and a charcuterie board which seemed like the right move to me.

The park is free to access and you can park in the adjacent lot for free as well after 4 pm when the zoo closes.

L photo = me | R photo = The Infatuation

Loretta’s Northwesterner | South Park

Now that Burb’s is gone, the Tavern Burger at Loretta’s is one of the best burger deals you can get in town (that isn’t Dick’s). The burger will cost you $7 and a generous basket of fries is $5, which can easily be split between two people. It also made it onto a list of J. Kenji López-Alt’s favorite lunches under $10, which if you include tax, tip, and fries it’s more like $15 lol. Sorry, Kenji.

The inside of Loretta’s is cozy, but the outdoor patio is my favorite — it’s covered and has a fireplace. If you want a second stop, I recommend stopping by Left Bank, a very cute natural wine bar across the street.

the vibes & the food in clockwise order from top left: Rusuk Kedai, Roti Jala, and Nasi Lemak

Kedai Makan | Capitol Hill

I’d only been to the original Kedai Makan once before it changed ownership and locations in 2022, but that celebratory new-job dinner is one I’ll always remember. We’d been meaning to check out the newest iteration and finally gave it a try last weekend. One perk: we were able to walk right in at 6 pm on a Friday without a reservation and get seated immediately (hard to do at the original!).

The space is much bigger and is festively decorated. It’s missing a little of the original’s charm, but being able to accommodate more people feels like a win.

We got the signature Roti Jala (net bread, $11), the Kerabu Timun Nanas (pineapple salad, $8), the Nasi Lemak (chicken curry + coconut rice, $19), and the Rusuk Kedai (spice-rubbed baby back ribs, $19). Everything was mouth-wateringly flavorful and we had plenty of leftovers. The Roti Jala seemed a little different from last time (eggier taste and part of it stuck to the plate), but overall it lived up to expectations!

They just opened a second location in Belltown and at the Capitol Hill location, I spied a private back room for larger groups.

Bloom Bistro & Grocery + Oxbow Park | Georgetown

Here’s a cute weekend morning plan: get a bagel sandwich at Bloom Bistro and eat it next to the giant cowboy hat and boots in Oxbow Park.

It's a Shanda

did an excellent write-up on the Bloom bagel and per usual, I agree with his assessment. We especially loved the BLT! They also have breakfast sandwiches for $6-8, so this will now replace our usual Starbucks stop when we road trip south.

The shop is really cute and on a residential corner that feels reminiscent of Mt Bagel’s location, but with seating. In addition to bagels and coffee, they sell various specialty grocery items including their own hand-crafted pickles and hot sauce.

👀 On my radar

Ooshiba Yakitori & Sushi | Fremont

Y’all know that I’m always trying to find places in Seattle to relive my Japan trip, so I was excited to see that a new yakitori (grilled chicken) spot opened up inside Figurehead Brewing in Fremont. Also, yakitori + beer is a natural combo.

Initial reviews are solid and mention that the sashimi is especially good. Prices look reasonable as well ($3.50-5 per skewer) and there’s a secret garden patio that sounds ideal for this summer!

seattleflyingdragons

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Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club + Festival | South Lake Union & Kenmore

Seeking Seattle reader

Aubrie De Clerck

is part of the Flying Dragon Boat Club and shared that their festival is happening this Saturday, June 8th! The festival will run from 9 am - 4 pm and will feature racing, cultural performances, and food trucks.

She also mentioned that being part of the club is a great way to build community (will be adding to my third places list!). I looked it up and they offer three free practices to guests so you can check it out and get a feel for it before committing to membership (surprisingly affordable at $100/year). I also like that the practices run from 6-7:30 pm on weekday evenings which seems very doable. I’ve never done anything like this before, but I think I’ll have to give it a try this summer.

wearecuniform

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CUNIFORM | Capitol Hill

I’ve been following CUNIFORM, a personal stylist group, for a few years now and was excited to learn that they’re opening up a brick-and-mortar store in Capitol Hill on June 20th. If you’re not familiar with CUNIFORM, they offer a variety of personal styling services like closet reorganization and outfit creation that are pretty reasonably priced and focus on what you already have in your closet.

This store will stock items from their CUNIFORMrecycled program as well as new items from their favorite designers. I also saw that they’re hosting a summer soirée in August at the Hotel Sorrento — I love that someone is bringing style to Seattle!

☀️ June Events Round-Up

events at NAAM in honor of Juneteenth

Juneteenth

• NAAM Juneteenth | 6/15 - 6/16, 6/19 | Central District | Free (on 6/19 the museum will be open with free admission)

• REVIVAL Juneteenth Market Pop-Up | Sunday, 6/16 | Central District | Free

• Summer of Soul Juneteenth | Wednesday, 6/19 | Central District | Free

• Atlantic Street Center's 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration | Saturday, 6/22 | Rainier Beach | Free

scenes from past Queer/Pride Festivals

Pride

• Burien Pride Weekend | 6/7 - 6/9 | Burien | Free

• Bait Shop Pride Market | Saturday, 6/15 | Capitol Hill | Free

• Capitol Hill Pride March and Rally | Saturday, 6/22 | Capitol Hill | Free

• Trans Pride Seattle | Saturday, 6/28 | Capitol Hill | Free

• Cuff Complex Pride Fest | 6/28 - 6/30 | Capitol Hill | $40-125

• Queer/Pride Festival | 6/28 - 6/30 | Capitol Hill | $59-299

• Seattle Pride Parade | Sunday, 6/30 | Downtown | Free

my favorite summer festival of all: the Fremont Fair + Solstice Parade

Festivals

• Burien Strawberry Festival + Car Show | 6/15 - 6/16 | Burien | Free

• Day of Music | Saturday, 6/22 | Downtown | Free

• Fremont Fair + Solstice Parade | 6/22 - 6/23 | Fremont | Free

• Cutie Fest | 6/22 - 6/23 | Downtown | Free

• PhinneyWood Summer Arts Festival | Sunday, 6/23 | Phinney Ridge | Free

• Gobble Up | Saturday, 6/29 | SLU | Free

• Greenwood Car Show & Seafair Parade | Saturday, 6/29 | Greenwood | Free

• Midsommarfest | Sunday, 6/30 | St Edward State Park | Free

📆 This weekend’s events

• Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello | Thursday, 6/6 | Carnation | $84.50

• Annalee Newitz with Lindy West: Stories are Weapons | Thursday, 6/6 | Downton | $5-25 sliding scale

• Seattle Pride at Pioneer Square Art Walk | Thursday, 6/6 | Pioneer Square | Free

• Tomo Nakayama | Thursday, 6/6 | Downtown | $15-20 (I’ve seen Tomo at a few free concerts around the city and his music is so joyful!)

• Brewology @ PacSci | Friday, 6/7 | Uptown | $55

• Lavender Rights Project Presents The Black Trans Comedy Showcase | Saturday, 6/8 | Capitol Hill | $60

• C-ID Spring Clean | Saturday, 6/8 | C-ID | Free

• Beacon Arts Street Fair | Saturday, 6/8 | Beacon Hill | Free

• Shilshole Boatfest | Saturday, 6/8 | Ballard | Free

• Georgetown Carnival | Saturday, 6/8 | Georgetown | Free

• Seattle Dragon Boat Festival | Saturday, 6/8 | SLU | Free

• Pierogi Fest | Saturday, 6/8 | Capitol Hill | Free ($16 for plate of pierogis)

• Indigenous People Festival | Saturday, 6/8 | Uptown | Free

• Maggie Smith with Jane Wong | Saturday, 6/8 | Capitol Hill | Free

• Seattle Bakes Back!: A Bake Sale for Reproductive Rights | Sunday, 6/9 | Portage Bay | $25-75

• Furry 5K Fun Run & Walk | Sunday, 6/9 | Seward Park | $45-50

Multi-day:

• Summer Sounds at Chophouse Row | 6/6 - 6/9 | Capitol Hill | Free

• Burien Pride Weekend | 6/7 - 6/9 | Burien | Free

• Coppélia @ PNB | 6/6 - 6/9 | Uptown | $30-210

• Seattle Pride Classic | 6/7 - 6/9 | Northgate | Free

• Washington State Parks Free Days | 6/8 - 6/9 | Various locations | Free

What’s next:

• 7/10 - 8/28 | The lineup for the annual Movies @ Marymoor program has been released. I’d love to see Back to the Future, Barbie, or The Princess Bride.

• 7/19 | Seattle’s favorite chef, Kenji López-Alt, is hosting a Tasting Notes event where he’ll cook, music will be played, and other head chefs will make appearances.

🚨 ICYMI

Jollibee is opening its 3rd Washington outpost in Rainier Valley tomorrow. El Gran Taco is opening a brick-and-mortar in White Center (got a burrito from their truck over the weekend and it was so good!). Free outdoor concerts are starting at the Ballard Locks this weekend and will run through 9/2. Situ Tacos opened as a brick-and-mortar in Ballard after operating as a pop-up for years. The Seahawks released their game schedule for this fall.

🧰️ Seattle Toolkit

A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:

1. Everout - Events & things to do

2. SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter

3. The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner

4. The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses

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Your turn!

What are you seeking this week? What do you already have planned? Share it with us in the comments ⬇️