As the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake duke it out for supremacy, fans can snack on the Galaxy Dog which features two strips of applewood smoked bacon, nacho cheese sauce, red onion and diced tomatoes and is available, naturally, at Seattle Dogs. Ciao Down will offer the Galaxy Pizza, topped with ground buffalo, caramelized red onions, thick cut bacon, and pepper-jack cheese. Real Salt Lake is represented by Grill 12’s Salt Lake Burger topped with caramelized red onion jam, apple wood smoked bacon, blue cheese, and black cherry barbeque sauce.

The FSN Lounge will be honoring the world’s love for the beautiful game with an assortment of internationally-inspired dishes like Dungeness crab macaroni and Cheese (England), Pissaladiere baked puff pastry with olives, grape tomatoes, caramelized onions and triple cream brie (Spain), Mama’s meatballs (Italy), Bossa Nova chicken sandwich (Brazil) and more.

Everybody loves pretzels, or nearly everyone enough to ensure that pretzels have long been a staple item at sporting events. Since the MLS Cup is a big event, it makes sense that this game has available a big pretzel–the Victory Knot is a two-pound pretzel topped with sea salt and served with three dipping sauces (spicy mustard, beer cheese and sweet vanilla cream). This pretzel is so big that it is served in a full-size pizza box.

Finally, no matter who wins the game, everyone can celebrate the day with MLS cupcakes – cupcakes decorated with the MLS and team logos.

Kick off for the MLS cup is at 5:30 pm on Sunday, November 22, but there are plenty of events to occupy you until game time. On Friday, November 20, MLS players will go toss a fish at the Pike Place Market at 3pm. Fado Irish Pub hosts a Meet and Greet and Silent Auction from 6 – 8 pm with happy hour drink specials all night long, appearances by Sounders FC players Sébastien Le Toux and Taylor Graham, and a silent auction to raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

The 2009 Supporters Summit happens at Qwest Field on Saturday, November 21, featuring a State of the League speech by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Supporters Shield history and presentation by Sam Perron, Kansas City Wizards, a raffle and an officiating and technical discussion panel with Joe Machnick and Alfonso Mondelo.

Saturday night features the Sounders End of Season party at The Baltic Room and a Pioneer Square Supporters Social at Elysian Fields.

On Sunday, get psyched for the game in the morning at the FIFA 2010 Tournament at Fado, sponsored by Gorilla FC, in which teams of players compete to find out who is the best FIFA10 XBOX player, winning great Sounders prizes and raising money for the victims of Black October in Bolivia.

Sunday afternoon there’s a Pre-Game Spaghetti Feed at Fuel and then at 3:45 soccer fans meet up at Occidental Square for the traditional March to the Match, accompanied by Sounders FC owners, players, coaches and MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

I’m sure most of you out there are already know this, but you can make it from Seattle out to wine country in the same amount of time it takes a bottle of red to properly breathe.

However, I’m not here to talk to you about wine.  Which I can assure you is to our mutual benefit, as all I have to offer on the subject involves the painfully embarrassing consequences that befall me those times I muster the bravery to take another shot at drinking it.  What I’d like to touch on today is an oft-misunderstood spirit favored by my curly-headed 70’s hero, Ron Burgundy:

I love Scotch. Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…

And down into my belly it has gone on many a fair occasion.  Sadly, my lack of respect for the true potential of this Scottish delight has led it to make almost as many return trips from my belly as well.  Cutty Sark, J & B, Chivas Regal — these are the names I had associated with Scotch throughout the years.  It’s not that I particularly enjoy slumming it on the bottom shelf, I had simply been under the impression that it was all going to go down like battery acid anyway.  It’s almost comical that it took a certified “master of whisky” to set me straight on the subject.

Recently I was offered the chance to stay at Willows Lodge in Woodinville, a five-acre spread bordering the Sammamish River in the heart of Western Washington’s wine country.  Under normal circumstances I might be apprehensive about such a vinocentric destination, but I made the trip in order to attend something far beyond your everyday swish and spit wine tasting.  Hosted by renowned master of whisky Ari Shapiro (pictured left), and with a four course menu prepared by Barking Frog Executive Chef Bobby Moore, the celebration comically dubbed “Scotch-tober” was nothing short of an amazing amalgamation of whisky knowledge and culinary craftsmanship.

It’s not likely anyone would argue whether or not Shapiro knows his Scotch.  Even those not immediately enamored with his PowerPoint skills (fun fact: this is the first alcohol-related PowerPoint presentation I’ve experienced) would find his expertise on both the spirits and the land they originate from to be truly impressive.  Over the course of the evening he regaled the crowd with old world toasts, and spared no detail in explaining the production methods and regional flavors leveraged to produce each distillery’s unique flavor.  As a wannabe connoisseur, I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that the 15-yer-old single malt Dalwhinnie was my favorite Scotch of the evening, due largely to its floral nose, sweet taste, and clean, subtle finish.  This stems from its origins in the highland region of Scotland, where it is crafted out of fragrantly sweet mountain water.  After that I’m pretty certain I’ll never be able to even look at a bottle Cutty Sark seriously again.

Well before the event ever took place, Shapiro and Chef Moore had been putting their heads together to come up with a menu that balanced the signature flavors of each Scotch with that of the evening’s cuisine.  The result featured such mouth-watering dishes as breast of squab with a celeriac, endive, and Walla Walla onion salad, chilled Virginica oysters, and my personal favorite, the smoked ribs with fennel and yukon gold potato gratin.  There was just something about how the smokiness of the ribs played off of the dry, equally smoky 16-year-old Lagavulin that made me want to paint my face blue and white and start quoting William Wallace.

As if I didn’t have it good enough already, after my hunger and thirst had been quelled around the Barking Frog’s open fireplace, I made my way back to the room waiting for me at Willows Lodge.  Just your standard accommodation, complete with 40″ flat screen TV, stone fireplace, private patio, and a soaking tub deep enough to drown your sorrows and/or Manuel Uribe if you really felt like it.  Seriously though, the one thing I couldn’t get enough of was the bed.  So soft, so comfortable.  The sensation that I would later describe as “sleeping on a cloud of smiling puppies” was in fact courtesy of the Australian lambs wool mattress pad that can be found adorning the beds in any of the lodge’s 84 rooms.  Probably the highest compliment I could pay to the lodge, its staff, and their attention to detail is that in all my years traveling I’ve yet to stay anywhere so comfortable and relaxed, yet so serious about the care of their guests.

Another great thing is that there’s always something going on at Willows, so you never have to be without an excuse to treat yourself to a mini-vacation or romantic getaway in Seattle’s back 40.  For example, in December Willows Lodge is featuring a weekly series of complimentary classes called “Holiday Boot Camp”.  The classes are free and take place the first three Wednesdays of the month, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. during Fireside Cellar’s Happier Hour. The program is aimed to help novices navigate the challenges of holiday entertaining:

• Wednesday, December 2: Brian Matthews of Barking Frog will share drink recipes and tips for creating the perfect holiday cocktails.  Guests will learn techniques for creating a hot apple pie, oatmeal cookie and a white chocolate mint-tini.
• Wednesday, December 9: Executive Chef of Barking Frog Bobby Moore and award-winning Wine Director of Willows Lodge Jeffrey Dorgan will share tips and recipes for holiday appetizers and discuss how to pair the perfect wine with traditional holiday meals.
• Wednesday, December 16: Trena Costello, pastry chef of Barking Frog, will share pastry recipes and tips for creating the perfect homemade holiday desserts.

No matter how long you’ve lived in the area, I implore you to consider adding a night at Willows Lodge and a meal at Barking Frog to your Seattle bucket list.  Both are comfortably far enough away from the city — but not too far — perfect for those who wish to spend less of their time traveling and more of it relaxing in the arms of the one they love; or as it was in my case, a foursome of strategically-placed goose down pillows.

Hey! Guess what’s happening tomorrow? OK, time’s up. It’s BLOGSGIVING. Bloggists meeting bloggers, meeting readers, having a real time. Get yourself over to Central Cinema tomorrow from 6 to 9 with a donation in hand and warmth in your heart. Arrive early for your best shot of scoring some free tasty vittles — caramel apples and pizzas — and getting a sip of a mulled beverage. We’ll be playing all of your favorite videos (have a suggestion, drop us a note or leave a URL in le comments. But first, click over to blogsgiving.org and let us know that we’ll see you there.

Even though the Seattle Sounders got knocked out of the running, the MLS Cup still takes place here in Seattle on Sunday, November 22, at Qwest Field. Real Salt Lake will battle the LA Galaxy and at the end up the day one of the teams will be declared champion.

To celebrate the upcoming game, MLS stars will join with Home Depot associates (Home Depot is an MLS sponsor), MLS W.O.R.K.S, the league’s community outreach arm, the Seattle Public Schools, and local volunteers join with KaBOOM, an organization whose goals is to bring playgrounds to kids, in building a brand new playground in one day.

From 9 am to 2:30 pm, volunteers will work hard to build a playground on the grounds of Van Asselt Elementary School at 8311 Beacon Ave. As soon as the playground’s built, they’re having an opening ceremony which is currently planned for 2pm. (Subject to change).

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has given the go-ahead for some razor clam digging in November. Their season update approves digging at Twin Harbors November 14 – 17; Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks for November 14 – 15; and Kalaloch Beach for Monday, November 16 only. Additional dates have been tentatively scheduled through January. It is important to always verify the approved dates for clamming before you go out.

If you do decide to go clamming–and really, you should, it really is quite fun–you might want to take advantage of the special deal being offered by the Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympic National Park. Their Clam Digger Lodging Package offers clam diggers at all levels from first-timers to old hands a night of lodging in their beautiful facility conveniently located near to the beach plus breakfast in the morning. It’s available Monday, November 16, and is tentatively scheduled for Friday, December 4, Saturday, December 5, Thursday, December 31 and Friday, January 1, subject to approval from the Washington and National Park Services. Newbie clammers can book a room using the code CLAMDIGNEW for a package that starts at $169 and includes a night at the lodge, a bucket, shovel and net and breakfast for two the next morning. Clam diggers who already have their own tools can use the code CLAMDIGPRO for a package that starts at $129 and includes the room and breakfast. Guests can stay additional nights for just $99 a night, an excellent deal. Besides clamming there are all kinds of things to do and see in the Olympic NP which contains beaches, rain forest valleys, mountain peaks and far, far more different types of plants and animals than you can name. It’s one of the most beautiful places in our state, and, honestly, maybe in the whole world.

To learn more about the Kalaloch Lodge or to book your clamming experience, visit their website. (Even if you’ve decided that clamming is just not for you, it’s an excellent vacation spot and the lodge offers a bunch of great package deals aimed at a variety of interests.) To learn more about the Olympic National Park, visit theirs.

All the information you need to know about clamming in Washington (including how to clean and cook the tasty things) can be found in the Razor Clam section of their website.

Some basics: a license is required for any digger 15 years or older. Any 2009 annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination fishing license is still valid or you can get a razor-clam only license available in annual or three-day only versions. Buy a license online, by phone at 866.246.9453 or in person at any of the more than 600 authorized license vendors. ALWAYS check the weather and surf conditions before heading down to the beach so that you know what you’re facing and, seriously, don’t be stupid about the ocean. It may be a beautiful source of bounty but “killer waves” is a literal expression sometimes.

Judges for the event are Paul Constant (of The Stranger), Maria Semple (This One Is Mine), and Jonathan Evison (All About Lulu), the host is Todd Zuniga of Opium Magazine.

The Literary Death March takes place Wednesday, November 11; doors at 8:00, show at 9:00. $10 at the door, but $8 in advance at Brown Paper Tickets.

Where: Re-bar, 1114 Howell St. (map)

Cost: $10 at the door; $8 pre-sale at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/87563.

Hey! Remember last year when all of Seattle’s most wonderful bloggers and most adorable reader got together for drinks, amazing hand turkey art making, socializing, and raised a bunch of money for Northwest Harvest, convincing many an attendee from the mixer upstairs that we were more interesting and eligible than the techy singles? Well it’s time to do it all over again. Mark you calendars for the 18th of November and plan to be at Central Cinema from 6 to 9 with a donation in hand and warmth in your heart. It should be a super fun time — please pay a visit to blogsgiving.org and let us know that we’ll see you there.

Back in June family owned and operated O’Loughlin Trade Shows purchased the NWF&GS from Mr. Kelly and they’re bringing the show back, marking a new beginning for this established tradition. “Beauty and Functionality” is the theme of the 2010 show, to be held at the Convention Center the first weekend in February with display gardens, internationally-known speakers, over 350 exhibitors and activities for the entire family.

More details will be coming as the event gets closer, but even though it’s three and a half months away, this is an event that’s truly worth marking your calendar now.

This year the Sorrento is celebrating 100 years. Part of the festivities is a Midnight Symposium series which has its second installment on November 11 with author Lesley Hazleton. Hazleton, who has written four books about the Middle East and Jerusalem, will be presenting “The Ugly American, or the Roots of Arrogance in Ignorance”.

For a mere $50 each, 40 guests will gather in the Sorrento’s 7th floor penthouse at 8pm for an evening of dialogue and discussion led by Hazleton, a hearty stew, wine and a large bottle of whisky to be shared by all. Guests who think they may require additional fortification are encourage to bring a bottle or two to share with the class.

If you’re interested, e-mail nightschool@hotelsorrento.com. for reservations or more details.

You’ll want an escape to somewhere warm and bright but we’re not all lucky enough to be able to shuffle off to the tropics whenever we want. That’s why you’re going to save airfare and do good by attending “Sip for SIFF: A Night in the Caribbean”.

Marvel as Pravda Studios becomes a tropical paradise right here in the dreary winter Northwest on lucky Friday, November 13 at 8:00 pm. Enjoy tasty Caribbean themed food and specialty rum cocktails all night long, a live steel drum band and even a late night DJ spinning Caribbean and Island dance music.

As if all that weren’t enough, the night features a raffle with prizes like an Ipod, a luxury shopping spree, tickets and passes to the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival, wine, and, oh, a trip to Cancun. (Okay, not QUITE the islands, but, really, are you going to complain? If you are going to complain just go ahead and give me your tickets because I’m not going to complain one bit.)

The best part about this fun filled festivity is that you’ll be having a good time while you are simultaneously helping SIFF raise funds for their many fine programs. (They’re not just a film festival.) Tickets are a mere $50 each, a bargain for what you’re getting. SIFF supporters get a discount and so do groups: get together a bunch of vos amis and get a ten percent discount for 10 – 24 of you, a fifteen percent discount for a group of 25 – 49 and an amazing 20 percent discount for groups of 50 or more.

For more information or to buy your tickets, check out the event page on the SIFF website