Blaine Wetzel Wins a James Beard; Where to Drink During Seattle Beer Week

AWARDS SEASON — Blaine Wetzel has had a traumatic year with his partner's accident in Paraguay (fiancée Raquel Ruiz Diaz was hit by a drunk driver in early March and critically injured), but bright news came courtesy of the James Beard Foundation. Wetzel took home the JBF's Best Chef Northwest award for his work at Lummi Island's Willows Inn.

BEER HERE — Seattle Beer Week is getting to be a pretty big deal. The 10-day celebration of beer has exploded since it first launched, and the list of events seems to grow each year. Here are Eater's picks for best bets events for the "week," which runs through May 17.

GREENWOOD — RockCreek owners Eric Donnelly and Christy Given have made a name for themselves with seafood and brunch in Fremont the last two years, and now they're building their empire up the road. The team has leased the former Antika furniture space at 8421 Greenwood to open a new restaurant. According to a Seattle Department of Planning and Development permit, the 5,243-square-foot space is currently in the midst of near $75,000 in renovations. No word yet on what's on the menu or the restaurant's name. Stay tuned for more details later in May.