Welcome to the weekend! From our new guide to Seattle’s Vietnamese cuisine to where to admire spring flowers during May, here’s our latest on local things to do.
Eats and drinks
- Explore Seattle’s vibrant Vietnamese food scene with these Top 10 dishes picked by our food team. You can also check out the city’s buzziest Vietnamese restaurant debut in recent memory or this tried-and-true 25-year-old gem. (For something you may not tasted before, our critic recommends a secret menu item.)
- Head to Bellevue for a delicious (and entertaining) meal. From a blowtorched cheesy beef stew that’s drawing long lines to a freshly griddled Turkish pide, these Eastside spots both play on an open-kitchen concept.
- Be the star of your next picnic or barbecue with this bright, flavorful and quick-to-make corn salad from our recipe writer.
Outdoors and travel
- Try one of these five Seattle-area outings to admire late spring flowers, from rhododendrons to peonies.
- Go on an adventure to find some of the best big trees in Western Washington. Not all of them stand at the end of hiking trails, but these areas are worthy of pilgrimages to see the cedar, spruce, firs and more.
Movies and TV
- Heading to the theaters? Check out what our reviewers thought of Bill Skarsgård’s “Boy Kills World,” the steamy love triangle “Challengers” featuring Zendaya, the bloody horror movie “Abigail” and other recent releases.
Performance arts
- “Fat Ham” at Seattle Rep, running through May 12, is a must-see, our reviewer says. The tragicomic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play isn’t a typical re-imagining of Shakespeare. It’s witty, raunchy — and also opens up some raw, honest truths.
- Two concerts inspired by nature play at Benaroya Hall this week. Northwest Symphony Orchestra teams up with Washington Trails Association to celebrate the state’s landscapes on Friday, while Seattle Symphony performs “Antarctic Symphony” tonight, Saturday and Sunday.
Books
- The new book “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Alexandria Bellefleur is an enemies-to-lovers story that takes place in Seattle.
- Here are four new cozy mysteries and eerie thrillers to get lost in. They’ll take you trudging around a peculiar forest or second-guessing a trip to an isolated, historic castle.
- Seattle author and illustrator Haley Weaver’s new memoir explores her unlikely friendship with her own anxiety.
- If you haven’t yet explored our guide to Seattle’s books scene, check out local, independent bookstores, book groups and more here.
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.