It's been three years since Donna Moodie opened Marjorie (2331 2nd Ave.; 206-441-9842), and the place is growing up nicely. There's a new chef in the kitchen, Matt Fortner, replacing Tyler Boring, and he's steering the flavors toward a comforting fusion of southern, Asian, mainstream European flavors.

At the bar, you pull on a Red Stripe and savor a pulled pork sandwich that rivals a brace of Cascadia's mini-burgers as the best two-buck deal in the nabe. Order the olives and almonds, and you get the huge, crisp, bright green Bella di Cerignolas, the delectable Petite Nicoise, and a generous helping of tasty marconas.

The short ribs might be the ultimate comfort food, a giant slab of beef braised whole. Approach it with a fork and the meat falls away from the riblets into a bed of handmade spaetzle noodles.

The wine list is impressive. The new pastry chef, Manda Mangrai, is a media darling. When fine weather returns, the patio will once again become the most coveted real estate in Belltown.

Gift horse? Was Starbucks out to sabotage the American work ethic? So it seemed: on the Ides of March, at more than 7,500 of their stores, they gave new meaning to the coffee break, giving away half a million 12-ounce Talls. It would be churlish to point out that a Starbucks Tall is what others call a regular, or even a small. And it was just the brewed coffee. Those lattes, cappuccinos, Tazos and their ilk weren't part of the freebie. Which is just as well. In fact, maybe it's time to make a list of things you shouldn't drink at Starbucks: - The whole line of Frappuccino drinks: Way too many calories from sugar and fat. - Chantico drinking chocolate: Icky, too sweet. Supposedly on the way out, but still on the menu at the Belltown store, and still on the web site. - Those dreadful holiday concoctions: Egg nog is a drink of its own, not a flavor! - Last month's Cinnamon Dolce latte: Muddy spice flavor. - The current Marble Mocha macchiato: Ugh! Like drinking a sticky Oreo through a chain link fence. - The new Canned Iced Coffee: Thin, watery and overly sweet (23 grams of sugar). Isn't it time we recognized that Starbucks is no longer a coffee house but a candy store? An urban dessert bar called, er, Brokebucks? Sweet, seductive, even addictive, but ultimately unhealthy? Trouble is, we don't know how to quit you.

Belltown Buffet: Crustaceans are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. (Well, not if you keep kosher or have allergies, but that's another story.) Under the moniker of "Royal Order of Flying Crustaceans," Waterfront Seafood Grill did a monthlong lobster promotion back in November, followed by a crab promotion in March, higher margin alternatives to the bargain-lover's "25 for $25." That's a promotion to help keeps tables turning at places lucky enough to participate.... Actually, the 25 deal is itself a promotion dreamed up by NW Source; some restaurants are complaining that they can't get on the list... Flying Fish turns out a generous $12.50 lunch featuring a crab cake appetizer, a generous cioppino and a warm brownie ...

Shallots, closed after a mysterious fire, promises a grand reopening in "a couple of weeks"... The Art Institute of Seattle's always-imaginative Portfolio Room cooks up a meal featuring food and wine from French-speaking countries around the world: Morocco; Tahiti... The kitchen at Twist, now hidden behind a decorative waterfall-wall, turns out snappy shrimp poppers inside deep-fried jalapenos... Tavern keeper Carl Rogers made good on his promise to open Blarney Stone (site of Isabella's, shuttered over a year) in time for St. Paddy's. Harp on tap, served in a Bass to-go cup. Go figure.

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The place: Shorty's. The dog: Chicago-style, with everything. The scene: Jenna Curtis, in a leather bikini, playing a video game called Target Terror. She's posing for Ethan Jack Harrington (295-8149; www.ejakart.com), the plein-air painter and chronicler of Seattle's street scene whose alternative, indoor work features alluring, partially-dressed women using firearms. You might have seen some of the art on the wall at Whisky Bar, where Jenna works as a bartender. Or in the bar's ads in The Stranger. Or in the window of his gallery, V, at 2222 2nd Ave. "Single men and older women notice," he says. "But what sells is the cityscapes."

More tasting notes and culinary dispatches are at www.cornichon.org, Recently named one of the Internet's "Top Ten Food Blogs" by About.com..

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