EDITOR’S COLUMN: Calendars, grazing, community blogs
Published 1:26 pm Thursday, April 2, 2009
We’re excited about a new feature at rentonreporter.com. It’s an online calendar that’s open to anyone who wants to post an event or activity or club notice, etc., etc., etc., that’s happening in Renton or close to Renton.
Of course, we’ll still have our popular Community and Out and About calendars in the Renton Reporter every Friday.
The new calendar is easy to use. First-time users will need to log in. You’ll be asked for your e-mail address; you’ll get a temporary password that you can change once you log on. You’ll receive an e-mail notification that you have successfully entered an event. Eventually, we’ll download the information (reverse publishing) to create our print calendars.
We will fine-tune the process, but, please, start using the calendar. Those without access to a computer can still fax calendar items, 425-255-3499, or mail them to our street address.
Bite of Downtown
Had to take a break for the Bite of Downtown Renton. Boy was that a good idea. I didn’t hit everywhere, but what I did hit was a hit. It felt like it was Halloween, with the emphasis on treat.
Started off at Fin N Bone. That is a beautiful place, very upscale. I started off my grazing with key lime pie. The crowd was huge, so I didn’t stick around for the tidbit appetizer. It looked good, too, as it passed by on the platter.
Next up, the venerable Armondo’s. I was a little worried about something called Bruschetta al’inferno. Not being a fan of spicy hot food, I wondered about the temp of the “inferno.” It was perfect, a wonderful appetizer. So now I had the end and beginning of my meal; now I needed something for the middle.
Across from Armondo’s is the Melrose Grill. By now, I was following the same crowd around town. Really, it would have been more fun to do this with someone. Melrose came through. There I had this succulent skewer of tenderloin steak, nicely plated on a sauce. Talk about melt in our mouth. I can’t quite remember the name of the sauce, but it was good. Go to the Melrose; I am sure they’ll tell you what it is.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to try catfish. So off to Geri’s Casual Dining. The catfish, covered in a light batter of corn, was mild and delicious. Next time, I’ll order a big plate. In between the bites of catfish, I ate the whole peach cobbler. As good as my grandma’s.
Finally, as a finale, I stopped by Yoggi Frozen Yogurt on my way back to the office. I know where I’ll go on a hot summer day. But even on this cold March afternoon, the yogurt smothered in blackberries was a treat.
The event was a fundraiser for the Renton Historical Society and is part of the current traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food,” showing at the Renton History Museum. According to museum director Elizabeth Stewart, 193 tickets were sold, netting the museum $385. The rest of the money helped defray the cost to the nine participating businesses.
“The 193 was fantastic,” Stewart said.
Back to rentonreporter.com
Anyway, back to my bread-and-butter-world, the rentonreporter.com and the Renton Reporter.
Earlier, I mentioned in a column the idea that “Renton Starts Here.” We want you to think of rentonreporter.com as your cyberspace portal to Renton. There’s a lot out there, including some very active sites and bloggers in Renton who add mightily to the community discussion. Here are a few:
• randycorman.com. Randy is a longtime member of the Renton City Council and really has a lot of fun sharing his knowledge of the city and his family’s doings.
• rentonjournal.com. Started by Randy’s son Andy.
• renton425.livejournal.com. Rich Zwicker’s site, Renton425 – Life in North Renton. He’s also a member of the Renton City Council, and, like Corman, is running for re-election.
• thepicaroon.blogspot.com. Where as it says, rumors are turned respectable.
• allaboutrenton.wordpress.com. A fun read.
• happydelusions.wordpress.com. Who wouldn’t enjoy Mary Clymer.
There are more. But this will get you started.
