The Best Things Eater Seattle's Editor Ate in May
At Eater Seattle, we have to eat out a lot — it's right there in the website name, next to 'Seattle.' Sometimes, this research shows up in the articles and maps we publish, but sometimes, we eat something so good that we have to tell everyone about it. This running monthly column is a place for us to share especially good dishes with you. Find April's edition here . Peanut butter shoyu icebox pie at the Wayland Mill
The Wayland Mill is a new cafe and restaurant from Yasuaki Saito, who owns or co-owns Saint Bread, Post Alley Pizza, and Tivoli. So naturally, there's a lot of hype around the place, even though it's still in soft-open mode and serving just breakfast and baked goods. The peanut butter pie is already a standout — it's reminiscent of an upscale version of a Reese's-based pie you might find at Chili's. There are peanut butter and chocolate notes, but the pie filling manages to stay light and fluffy, with a sesame-chocolate crust providing a bit of heft. I'm not usually a fan of roasted nuts, but the ones that top the whipped cream are gently roasted and caramel-coated, yet not too sweet. Bicerin at Ancient Gate
There are a lot of coffee places in the University District but precious few serving good coffee. Ancient Gate, on the Ave, is the exception that proves the rule —it serves high-quality single-origin beans, and its small menu of speciality drinks is consistently interesting. Case in point is this bicerin, an Italian drink that combines hot chocolate with espresso. Richer, darker, and creamier than your garden-variety mocha, it also has an intriguing edge of bitterness from the combination of the dark chocolate and the espresso. It's a chocolate drink for adults. Pastel de nata at Nata Seattle
A while back I wrote a story about egg tarts, which can be found all over Seattle in Chinese bakeries and restaurants; the pastry originated in Portugal before spreading to Hong Kong and Macau during the colonial era. Not long after I wrote that story, a Portuguese baker named Ricardo Fernandes reached out to me to say that he had started a egg tart speciality bakery called Nata that was operating out of a commissary kitchen in West Seattle. Now he's selling them at farmers markets, and you should make a plan to get a half-dozen. These are killer egg tarts — a flaky but still chewy crust that cradles a cinnamon-scented custard. It's so light and airy you'll have eaten two before you realize what's happening. Nata does rotating special flavors (including pandan and pear blue cheese), but the 'original' is what you should get to start. Firefly squid at LTD Edition Sushi
When you eat a 20-or-so-course omakase meal often the individual dishes go by in a blur. But these tiny little fellas, from the spring menu at Capitol Hill's LTD Edition Sushi, stick in your mind. That's largely because of the texture — the tentacles are intriguing crunchy, but the head (body? whatever) is creamy and smooth, almost eggy, thanks to the squid's liver. A big draw at LTD is delicacies like firefly squid (or sea snails, or baby eels, or monkfish liver, all part of the meal when I ate here) served without pretension, though not without flair. These squids might be off the June menu, but they'll surely get swapped out for something just as intriguing.
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Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
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Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
ATLANTA (AP) — Relatives of seven people who drowned in waters off a Georgia island after a ferry dock walkway collapsed announced Wednesday they filed a lawsuit against the companies that designed and built it. Dozens of people were standing on the metal walkway over the water between a ferry boat and a dock on Sapelo Island when it snapped in the middle. Many plunged into the water and got swept away by tidal currents, while others clung desperately to the hanging, fractured structure. The tragedy Oct. 19 struck as about 700 people visited Sapelo Island for a celebration of the tiny Hogg Hummock community founded by enslaved people who were emancipated after the Civil War. Reachable only by boat, it's one of the few Gullah-Geechee communities remaining in the South, where slaves worked on isolated island plantations retained much of their African heritage. 'It was supposed to be a celebration of Black pride, but it became a day of great, great, great Black loss of humanity and life,' civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of several lawyers behind the lawsuit, told an Atlanta news conference. 'We're filing this lawsuit to speak to that tragedy.' Attorneys for the families of those killed and more than three dozen survivors say the 80-foot (24-meter) walkway was weak because of a lack of structural reinforcement, poor welding and failure by the Georgia firm that built it to follow design plans. The walkway was 'so poorly designed and constructed that any competent construction professional should have recognized the flimsy and unstable nature of the gangway,' the lawsuit says. Regina Brinson , one of the suing survivors, said she was on the crowded walkway when she heard a loud crack and saw family friend Carlotta McIntosh plunge into the water holding her walker. Brinson and her uncle, Isaiah Thomas, also fell. Brinson recalled prying her uncle's fingers from her shirt to avoid being dragged underwater. Both Thomas and McIntosh died. 'The pain doesn't get any easier whatsoever,' Brinson told the Atlanta news conference. Kimberly Wood said she tumbled from the collapsed walkway clutching her 2-year-old daughter. Her older girl, 8, clung to the dangling walkway's railing. Wood said she managed to tread water until she reached a life preserver tossed from the ferry boat. Her older daughter was rescued and treated for wounds to her hand, said Wood, who had an injured shoulder. 'I'm shaking now just taking about it,' said Wood, another plaintiff. The lawsuit targets four private contractors hired to design and rebuild the ferry dock and walkway for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The project was finished in 2021. The walkway was fabricated by McIntosh County business Crescent Equipment Co. Its attorney, Clinton Fletcher, declined to comment. The project's general contractor, Virginia-based Centennial Contractors Enterprises, said by email that it doesn't comment on pending litigation. Architecture and engineering firms also named as defendants did not immediately comment. The lawsuit doesn't target the Department of Natural Resources or any other Georgia state agency. It says the department relied on its private contractors to ensure the walkway was safely built, which was 'beyond the scope of the DNR's internal expertise and qualifications.' The agency told The Associated Press last year that the walkway should have been able to support the weight of 320 people. About 40 people were standing on it when it snapped. 'There was supposed to be a certified professional engineer that signed off on that part of the project and that was neglected,' said Chadrick Mance, a Savannah attorney representing nine of the injured. Filed in Gwinnett County State Court in metro Atlanta, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, wrongful deaths and personal injuries. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation by the state officials, said Haley Chafin, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources. State Attorney General Chris Carr also tapped a private engineering firm to perform an independent investigation. ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .