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Restaurants: There's a lot of recent movement on the restaurant scene.  Salty's Sunday buffet has really been coming up, a new alternative to taking your Mom to Ray's.  They do a good job keeping their food quality high across their zillion food trays.  * Also, Earth and Ocean enthrones a new chef who'll be putting his own signature on this Seattle launching pad.  *  Also, Lombardi's starts its garlic festival.  Tasty stuff, but you ain't gonna be kissing afterwards.  *  Also, Joey's is gaining traction in their spot on the south end of the lake.  A great menu and bar scene are luring customers away from Daniels.  *  Also, a new restaurant, Qube, opens this weekend.  It looks like a promising contender against an always crowded restaurant scene.  *  Also, O'Asian continues its strong start with its Dim Sum-based approach to the downtown scene.

Gala: Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Gala and Benefit Auction, Nov 17^th, $150.  This gala doesn't have the visibility on the Seattle Gala scene that it really deserves.  The French-American Chamber of Commerce puts together this swanky affair celebrating Beaujolais Nouveau, France's youngest wine.  Dress up, go to buy cool stuff, have a blast of a time, and just swoon over the French accents you'll hear all night.

Performance: Hip-Hop, Back to its Roots, Nov 17-19^th, $12.  Is Hip-Hop starting to become uncool?  It's like when a clothing fashion migrates from the runway to the boutique to Sears.  When you see it on the mannequin in Sears, then it's time to move on - same sort of aging with Hip-Hop.

Lectures: Art of the Northwest Coast, Nov 8^th, free, a book reading, talking about the art the natives were up to before European colonization.  It's easy to think of totem poles, but there's a lot more than just that.  *  Also, Talk with the Doctor about Lung Cancer, Nov 15^th, free, a 90-minute Q&A session with oncologist Dr. Keith Eaton.  Boy, you gotta hope this guy comes with a couple of jokes to add a little levity to this heavy topic.

Party: Wine and Shoes, Nov 19^th, $35.  Well, it was bound to happen.  Wine and chocolate has been done a zillion times; so has wine and cheese.  So, now they're creating a new stereotype by moving onto a girl's two best friends, wine and shoes.  *  Also, Best of Seattle Magazine Party, Nov 16^th, $45.  From the folks who know the tony side of Seattle, they trot out their version of the best of this town.  This is the second year of this party, which should be better than their inaugural Best Of party, which mostly consisted of standing in a crowded lobby, waiting in a long line for a weak drink.

Career: Career Revolutions in Science, Technology, Math, Business, and Engineering, Nov 7^th, free but registration required.  The big keynote is an astronaut with more than 50 days in space.  This is a good one for the college kids and high-schoolers, and is probably more fun for them than a "take-your-kid-to-work" day.

Fundraiser: Pancake Breakfast, Nov 11^th, $10.  A fundraiser for a local man with cancer.  This is one of those mom-and-pop events; nothing fancy, just sincere people trying to help one guy out.  It's a good and easy way to make a small difference.

Business: 12 Steps to Operational Excellence for Small Businesses, Nov 9^th, $30.  These small businesses seminars are good, just in a different way than you may expect.  While the advice tends to be generic to accommodate a diverse audience, they're good at putting fire in your belly and getting you revved up about your business again.

Boating:  Waterway Cruises, This one is getting to be a regular Christmas tradition, a spin around the lake to see the lights, some Christmas caroling, and then hot chocolate or spiced cider.  Sounds pretty good.  Think of taking the kids on this one.

Movies: Alzheimer's Documentary, Nov 16^th, free, a local filmmaker documents her mother's descent into the abyss.  *  Also, Meaningful Movies, Nov 10^th, free.  These guys show a significant movie every Friday that's meant to stir a person into action.

Theater: I Thought I Heard It on Elliot Bay, starting Nov 10^th, $12.  What's noteworthy about this one is that it's playing in North Bend, showing that every little town has its theater company.  *  Also, Bye Bye Birdie, starting Nov 8^th, $30+, this one is one of the big family musicals, the sort of thing everyone should see once.  *  Also, Rough Eagles, from Richard Wright's novel, Native Son, performed by high school students.

Organization: Future Wise, an environmental group trying to make sure we have a future.  They help us use our cities more efficiently and then protect what's left of our farmland and open fields.

Meals on Wheels
If pizza won't cut it, here's how to bring food to your door:

B2B Delivery: These guys have a big delivery area and they're ultra picky about their food quality.

Sprouts Organic Baby Food Delivery: Seems like just about every other baby accoutrement is delivered to the door.  These guys go for the upper-end niche.

Il Fornaio: The downtown restaurant delivers their meals as well.  Be sure to order some of their bread.

Canapé: Instead of bring the meals to your house, they bring the food to your house and then cook the meals in your kitchen.  They even do the cleanup, so it's kinda like having a personal chef.

The Savory Gourmet: This is another personal chef service-oriented firm with a slant toward kid's meals.

Delicious Planet: The chef of this place hails from Bastyr University, so that means a lot of healthy, good-for-you food.

Lucky Plate:  These guys make slow and comfort foods.  They start making them on Monday, and deliver them on Thursday.

Dinner's Ready: This is a meal assembly business.  They slice, dice, and prepare the meal; then it's your job to throw it into the oven and cook it.

Designed Dinners: Their specialty is gourmet dinner, with an optional wine selection.

Edible Life: Chefs tend to be very conscious of what they take out of the environment, so the slant on this one is good food with an environmental approach.

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About: Seattle Spin is a weekly email newsletter highlighting the best restaurants, activities, and venues in Seattle this particular week Contact: Publisher: Gerard Wirz; Editor: Nathaniel Hollywood; Contributors:  Mike Ford and Mary Novak .