Seattle's own Betty Tisdale, 89, is on a life-long mission to help children around the world: "I feel like there is nothing impossible to do. And a war isn't going to stop me!" Tisdale says, pictured sitting in the nursery she opened in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Tisdale's grassroots organization HALO (Helping and Loving Orphans) will be celebrated at Salty's on Alki's "Tuesday Tune-Up/Party for a Cause!" on Tuesday, May 21.

You read it right. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Copper River salmon extravaganza, we invite you to enjoy Copper River salmon starting today for lunch at both Salty's on Alki and at Redondo Beach — first restaurants to receive it in Seattle, we're proud to say, compliments of Pacific Seafood. We'll have Copper River salmon for you on Saturday at our Salty's in Portland on the Columbia.

You'll want to come see us at Redondo in May. It's getting wild! The salmon are wild and fresh from not only Alaska, but also Washington and Oregon. Pacific halibut is the best wild white fish on the planet earth, bar none! The highly touted Copper River kings and sockeye salmon arrive mid-month. We'll present new lunch and dinner menus to you mid-month along with a...

Wow! All you have to do is sign up for Salty's VIP E-mail List or Like one of Salty's restaurants on Facebook — and you could win Free Brunch for a Year! There's one winner every year in May and you'll be able to enjoy Salty's adventuresome, fabulous, amazing, award-winning, show-stopping extravagant Brunch at the Salty's of your choice. That's not all, you'll also receive…

The Grand Opening of Salty's Waterfront Decks! Includes Crazy Games And Fun! Thurs., June 6, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Our "Wild Ones" Fish Grill With Widmer Hefeweizen Will Be Like Rock ‘n' Roll For Fun-Loving Fish Fans! Catch our most thrilling "Wild Ones" Salmon Festival evening ever! A complete feast with wild salmon coming fresh off the boats to Salty's. Mark a big Salty's on your calendar for Thursday, June 6, because...

You're invited to our Salty's on Alki five-course dinner with Washington's premier family-owned winery L'Ecole N° 41. Enjoy the best of L'Ecole expertly paired with wonderful Northwest seafoods and a meat-lover's choice selections.

May: Pan-Roasted Sitka Sound Alaskan Halibut With Forest Mushroom Risotto Cake, Tomato-Braised Green Beans, Truffle Aioli. Available April. 26 to May 31, 2013.

Spring is finally here in the great Pacific Northwest and that means wild salmon are ready to inundate us for the next five months. I do love fresh halibut, but as I've said before, my first love will always be salmon. That being said, my most favorite salmon of all-time leads things off in our own backyard. Columbia River spring king salmon — or springers — come to us big, fat and delicious. These kings enter the Columbia River in spring, but hold off spawning until the fall when the water temperature is cooler. Salmon do not eat once they enter fresh water, so springers must build up enough fat to survive until the fall. They have the second highest fat content behind Yukon River kings.

Have you heard that Salty's at Redondo now features private dining right in the restaurant? Blogger Jim Aitkins talks all about it in his blog "When a Barrier Is Not an Obstacle." Here's an excerpt: "Obstacle Blaster readers know that I like to interview and write about successful entrepreneurs and businesses.... I found one restaurant that actually removed an obstacle by creating barriers." We're blushing with his praise: "Salty's Redondo Beach is a fabulous Epicurean eatery occupying a perfect shoreline spot on the..."

Cocktails alfresco! Indisputable evidence that summer is on the way. The beautiful outdoors in the Pacific Northwest is the inspiration for our new spring sipping sensations. Whether you prefer the sizzling sun, the cool shade or evening shining stars you must come to Salty's waterfront decks (open weather permitting) and try these three solutions to slake your thirst.

All three Salty's are offering their own variations of the ubiquitous Margarita. Columbia is dangling a Cinnamon Margarita that is wowing all who are brave enough to try, while Redondo is touting the Coronita Margarita, a tsunami of tequila, lime and beer. Alki wants you to try the Prickly Pear Margarita and tell your friends to meet you at the beach for happy hour.

You'll find the following new cocktails at all Salty's Café-Bars:

The Huckleberry Lemon Drop

With 44° North Mountain Huckleberry Vodka (from Idaho), Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, this is a twist on the classic Lemondrop.

The OMG

It's snapping fresh, guaranteed to jump start the fun with grapefruit vodka, St Germaine elderflower liqueur, Prosecco and fresh grapefruit juice. Our brunch guests are sipping these in record numbers.  

The Cucumber Basil Gimlet

With Hendricks Gin, cucumber, fresh basil and lime juice, a splash of soda, this cocktail is reinventing refreshment one sip at a time. This offering may be the coolest cocktail ever.