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Friday, February 29th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 10:54:03 am
 Alton Porter, barbecue chef/firefighter. Alton Porter, the man who puts the heat into The Man, the super-hot sauce at Porter's Place Barbecue and Professional Catering in Tacoma, Bellevue and Safeco Field, fought a fire at his place Tuesday afternoon. Kayla Krebs, Porter's catering manager, said the fire broke out among pellets stored by smoker grills on the side of Porter's Tacoma building near Interstate 5 and Portland Avenue, around 4 p.m. Tuesday. She said the grills were not in operation at the time. Krebs said a cook called 911 to report the fire. She said firefighters first went to a downtown Tacoma location before arriving at Porter's. "Porter stayed and fought it," Krebs said. "He put it out before the fire department arrived." Krebs said the cause of the fire is under investigation. Kitchen and catering operations were not affected, she said. Porter's Place Barbecue and Professional Catering, 2615 E. N St., Tacoma; 253-383-7603.
Categories: Chefs
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:51:11 am
There's no view from Top of Tacoma, but from where I dined at the 4-month-old bar and 1-month-old cafe in the transitioning McKinley neighborhood, things looked and tasted a cut above bar food. The meat and cheese platter ($8.50) did not skimp on the better cuts of prosciutto, and the baguette was fresh. Deli slices of ham, turkey and salami, and cheddar, havarti and Swiss were plentiful and fueled me up for a Saturday night on the town, but I yearned for something like chutney or some fruit to round out the plate. Other apps include ubiquitous mozzarella-basil caprese and hummus platters. Mac and cheese was homey, not gussied up. Three-cheese ravioli were the size of sand dollars, smothered in meaty red sauce. Both were served with garden or Caesar salad for 8 bucks. Salads and sandwiches (I had a bite of my buddy's sandwich, nicely made from deli meats and Essential Baking Company bread, with Tim's Chips) looked deal-size ($5.50-$7.25) and meal-size. The bar is a bar -- old-school and neighborhood style. It's also clean and comfortable. Not too dark, no embedded smell of smoke in the walls. Amusements include a pool table and arcade games. There's enough Johnny Cash and Northwest rock on the juke to make everyone feel at home. However, Top of Tacoma's speakers sounded burdened; I heard more gravel and fuzz than rock 'n' roll. The beer list is smart, with some locals: Georgetown's Chopper's Red and Nine Pound porter, Fish Tale Organic IPA, and Diamond Knot IPA. There's also PBR, Blue Moon, Snow Cap, and Sierra Nevada ESB. The wine list is pretty basic, but the Gnarly Head Zin and Aquinas cabernet look good. Owner Jaime Kay Newton, formerly a bar tender for seven years at Magoo's in Tacoma's North End, said she'll add more appetizers to the menu, plus a daily dessert like brownie sundaes and creme brulee. "It's nice to have a healthy option," Newton said of bar food. "I've struggled with this for years. It's hard to find a good cocktail and a good meal." Food enters Top of Tacoma via a hole in the wall -- literally and figuratively. The small storefront next door to the bar is where Top of Tacoma's kitchen and cafe reside. Inside the cafe, Newton said, "it's limited seating." She said because the cafe has just one restroom, the health department advised her to use the seats as a waiting area for take-out customers. Top of Tacoma: 3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-1502. Bar and cafe open at 11 a.m. daily. Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:29:05 am
Altezzo Ristorante, the 26th-floor view restaurant in Tacoma's tallest downtown hotel, will cease operation in early March, as the former Sheraton Hotel completes its makeover as Hotel Murano. Altezzo and its adjacent Vertigo lounge (whose combined views span Mount Rainier, the Tacoma Dome, the 509 bridge, the Port of Tacoma, the Foss Waterway and downtown Tacoma), will be used for private events, Murano food and beverage director Dan O'Leary said. All of Hotel Murano's public dining (and room-service) will be moved to the fourth floor, where the Sheraton formerly served casual breakfast and lunch. The new fourth-floor restaurant is called The Bite. It'll serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. O'Leary said The Bite's menu isn't finalized but described it as "comfort food with a twist." That means "bacon and eggs, plus more unique offerings," along with "an upscale burger," "nice seafood," and "artful salad entrees." Expect mid-range prices, with a few higher-end dishes. O'Leary, who was Altezzo's executive chef for seven years beginning in 1999, said the decision to close the Italian-themed restaurant was based on "streamlining operations." He said the majority of the hotel's food operations (including receiving and storage) are on the fourth-floor. He said none of his 35 employees will lose their jobs as a result of Altezzo's closure. O'Leary said The Bite will open "in the second week of March," following a $500-per-person hotel launch party March 8. O'Leary said The Bite's design mirrors the hotel's: "stripped down and upscale." A counter will serve double-duty: seating for solo diners for breakfast and lunch, and as a liquor bar in the evenings. What will downtown Tacoma diners do for a view? The Tacoma Club (on the 16th floor of the Wells Fargo Building, with views of downtown and Commencement Bay) no longer welcomes non-members. Is the balcony outside the Courtyard Mariott's bar (two floors above Pacific Avenue, with a view toward Mount Rainier) all we've got? Charlie McManus, the chef/owner of Primo Grill and Crown Bar in Tacoma, was the opening chef at Altezzo in 1993. "I loved the view from the restaurant," McManus said. "Sunsets on the mountain were quite spectacular and sometimes if there was fog in the city the restaurant would seem like an island in the sky. The railings outside the bar made a great perch for a peregrine falcon which sometimes snacked on a pigeon outside the window -- not wholly appreciated by some of the customers, but seeing the falcon swoop down on Thea Foss from Altezzo was one of the highlights of my experience there. "Diners loved the view, the high ceilings and the food and they were dedicated because going to Altezzo, downtown with parking and elevators, was tough." The view aside, McManus said, "The hotel made the right call to close Altezzo." Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 07:57:44 am
 A big bowl of greens, with tomatoes, onions and garlic. When it comes to soul food, one color stands out: green. That's the color of the leafy vegetables -- collards and or mustards, usually -- that constitute a plate of greens. Here are four places I've enjoyed greens in the South Sound (and the southern reaches of Seattle). Each version of the dish is slightly different. Two feature pork. One has beef. One has no meat at all. Unless noted, they're all available as side dishes. Uncle Thurm's Finger-Licken Ribs and Chicken (3709 S G St., Tacoma; 253-475-1881) Villa Victoria (3829 S. Edmunds St., Seattle; 206-329-1717) Southern Kitchen (1716 6th Ave., Tacoma; 253-627-4282) Porter's Place (2615 E. N St., Tacoma253-472-6595)
Categories: Extra! Extra!
• 8 comments
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 09:25:13 pm
Anthony's Restaurants' annual Oyster Games (formerly known as Anthony's Oyster Olympics and scheduled for March 25) is canceled. "We will be taking a hiatus this year," Anthony's spokeswoman Lane Hoss said. She said the big event fell too close to Easter. The shucking-slurping-fashion-show benefit was established 19 years ago. Anthony's bivalve events have raised more than $400,000 for Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a pro-oyster non-profit conservation group.
Categories: All-Purpose Stuff
• 2 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 09:06:53 pm
That guy wanted for robbing fast-food restaurants in Pierce and King counties is in custody.
Categories: Cool Things
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:08:44 pm
An Ed's Diner reader is responsible for naming the neighborhood restaurant that the owner of Tacoma's Harmon Restaurant and Brewery is building in the space formerly occupied by St. Helens Cafe.
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 15 comments
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 01:25:46 pm
A Lakewood waitress suspected of stealing customers credit information has been arrested. Here's what Sgt. Mike Zaro of the Lakewood Police told King 5 TV: "Somewhere between taking the credit card, running it to pay for the meal and returning the credit card, she would slide the card through what is called a skimmer. It's a little electronic device that can be palmed easily and hidden easily, and what that device would do would copy all the information that's on the magnetic strip on the back of the credit cards. Something like this takes seconds to swipe a card through a skimmer and steal all of your information." The waitress allegedly passed stolen card numbers on to three men who made false credit cards, which they used to make purchases at Wal-Marts in Lakewood and Spanaway. Eight victims have been identified and police are still looking for three other suspects involved in the skim scam at the Applebee's in Lakewood. The thefts apparently took place in December and January.  A credit card skimmer, left; a Bic lighter, right.
Categories: Service
• 2 comments
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 02:55:19 pm
“Did you eat here when it was Cucina Cucina?” I told the bartender I hadn’t. “It’s different. It’s been given a lot of love.” She pointed to the marble bar, the dark wood back bar, to brand-new kitchen equipment. I popped my head into the redecorated dining room, too. Nice. White tablecloths, even at the booths. An upscale, but casual vibe. Chef/owner Bill Trudnowski, a veteran of Seattle’s Consilidated Restaurants group, and partner John Howie, owner Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Bellevue and the Sport sports bar in Seattle, purchased Cucina Cucina Italian Café in June. On Saturday, they reopened as Adriatic Grill Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar. It’s a step up from mall-adjacent dining. I dropped in for a couple of mid-week meals. Except for a Margherita pizza ($11.50) that was more like flaccid flat bread with marinara, I like what I ate – particularly a thick slice of lasagna ($15) that had a nice balance of meat, cheese, noodles and sauce, and a grilled swordfish and artichokes and capers ($24). I also liked the steamed mussels, but the appetizer wasn’t served with bread to sop up the tomato-wine broth. Bread cost $6 for a loaf, served with roasted garlic and whipped butter. Ouch. Other entrees include herb-grilled King salmon ($22), shellstock stew ($21), Pacific snapper with gnocchi ($19), roasted garlic scampi ($24), chicken parmigiano ($16.50) and gussied-up filets ($29) and T-bones ($28). The bar menu features steamed clams, a hand-made meatball sandwich, Italian burger sliders and an antipasti platter. Happy hour bar food (dips, calamari, cheese pizza and garlic potato wedges) are half-price 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close. The lunch menu mirrors the dinner menu, but portions and prices are smaller. Lunch also features sandwiches, from the $8.95 hand-made meatball sandwich to the $13.50 grilled ahi and artichoke sandwich. Adriatic Grill has a good-looking wine list, featuring a good number of Italian and Washington whites and reds by the pitcher (about 1-4 glasses of wine) from $5.50 to $11. Service on two visits was efficient, friendly and peppy. The whole restaurant looked abuzz – not with start-up confusion, but with that kind of energy that pervades the mall, Adriatic Grill's neighbor. Adriatic Grill Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar: 4201 S. Steel St.; Tacoma; 253-475-6000. Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 25 comments
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:18:44 pm
 Matt Brandsey, right, with former boss Peter DeCaterina. Matt Brandsey, formerly the chef at Tacoma wine bar Pour at Four and most recently the chef at DeCaterina's Market Grill and Bar in Puyallup, is the new executive chef at Sea Grill in downtown Tacoma. He came aboard in early February.
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:03:06 pm
Click here to participate in the University of Washington-Tacoma survey.
Categories: All-Purpose Stuff
• 2 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:49:12 am
Following a chiropractic clinic and a dance studio, Herban Cafe is the newest thing blooming on the 2600 block of Tacoma's growing Sixth Avenue scene. Steve and Gretchen Nogler sold their Garden Cafe in Sumner last year and started refurbishing the corner location that was the short-lived Ezell's fried chicken outlet. They've created a casual, comfortable neighborhood cafe that seats two dozen people. Herban Cafe opened Saturday. I dropped in for two quick mid-week meals: a cup of creamy, herbaceous chowder with loads of clams and corn; crab cakes (crisp and browned outside, fluffy and moist inside) on a bed of greens with sweet corn relish and a dab of lime remoulade; an organic bison burger so lean I was glad I ordered cheese on it; the cafe's signature Herban chicken (think chicken mozzarella, not parmesan); and the roasted duck and spinach salad, featuring tender dark meat and maple-balsamic vinegar where it belonged -- on the side. Appetizers (two crab cakes, a trio of tapas) are $8.75. Salads (Caesar to Cobb) are $7.75-$11.75. Sandwiches (Reuben, prime rib dip, ham and brie) are $10.75, with fries and a side dish. Burgers and entrees (pot pie, sweet potato ravioli, white bean-and-duck cassoulet are $11.75. Desserts are made in house. I couldn't resist moist and dense carrot cake, but I had one quibble: chop the pecans smaller next time. Small but interesting lineup of red and white wines by the glass, and enough bottles under $30 so you won't get sticker shock. Herban Cafe does Sunday brunch, with quiche and eggs Benedict augmenting the regular menu. Herban Cafe: 2602 6th Ave., Tacoma; 253-572-0170. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays.
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 8 comments
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 12:39:17 pm
 Patience Estrella, left, stirs milk in her family's cheese-making operation in Montesano. Her mom, Kelli, is at right. The cheese-making Estrella children are featured on Biz Kid$, a public broadcasting program that airs at 7:30 p.m. tonight on Tacoma's KBTC and repeats at 2 p.m. March 2 on Seattle's KCTS. "I heard that the part where the baby goats were jumping on the trampolene with Faith and Ruth is not to be missed," Estrella matriarch Kelli Estrella said. (The proud mom also noted that "the show is airing in 80% of America, Israel and Korea." The Estrella kids are a unique story. Here's an excerpt from a story I wrote about the Estrella's in April:
Categories: Media
• 4 comments
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 12:06:33 pm
 Kris Blondin opened Vin Grotto in downtown Tacoma in late 2003. Vin Grotto Café and Wine Bar, a pioneer of downtown Tacoma’s revival, has been sold. Vin Grotto proprietor Kris Blondin said she’ll close out some wine Feb. 18-19 and “I am out on the 20th.” Coming soon in Vin Grott's Pacific Avenue space: Merende, a 75-80-seat Mediterranean-Italian restaurant helmed by Jeff Bishop, who was previously the chef at two acclaimed South Sound restaurants, Il Fiasco in Tacoma and Brix 25 in Gig Harbor, and at Sound Food Cafe on Vashon Island. Bishop is partnered with Ian Lombardi, whose Gig Harbor family owns the Harbornet Internet service provider. Bishop said that because the name of the restaurant means “small bites” in Italian, diners can expect the small-plates, shared dining experience of “not ordering a heavy entrée but ordering four or five different dishes.” He’ll still do full meals for those who like that style of dining. Bishop said there’s no target opening date yet. He said the kitchen will be re-rebuilt and the bar will be moved. “As soon as we get the keys we’ll know more,” Bishop said.  Jeff Bishop, with former Il Fiasco co-owner Jill Wambold, in 2004. UPDATED 2-14 Commercial real estate broker and former restaurateur Mark Wambold was the matchmaker on the deal. He was Bishop’s boss at Il Fiasco and Brix 25. Lombardi cooked at Il Fiasco. Wambold said they’re shooting for a mid-April opening. “I opened my first restaurant on April 13, “ Wambold said, referring to Marco’s, which debuted in the Gig Harbor location that’s now Brix 25 in 1993. “I’m hoping there’s a bit of luck there.” Wambold said he was approached by the Lombardi family about opening a restaurant for their son Ian, who attended Apicius Cooking School in Florence, Italy. “He spent time doing the thing that all young chefs want to do,” Wambold said. “His family’s real good to him that way.” Ian Lombardi, 25, said, "I kind of went over there on a whim when I was 19, and I got a job cooking." Of his vision for Merende, Lombardi said: “I want to have a nice, family Italian restaurant. I don’t see a whole lot of Italian restaurants in Tacoma. You have Europea Bistro and Il Fiasco. It’s kind of a tragedy.” Monday, February 11th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:09:57 am
I get calls. I get e-mail. I get letters. This is the first literate one I've received that was written in pencil. It came from a 7-year-old reader.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:12:50 am
You may work in a fast-food joint. You may frequent fast-food joints. Help my fellow TNT bloggers (and law enforcement) find the perp who's robbed a Subway, a Dairy Queen and other fast-food joints in Pierce and King counties. While we're getting all law-and-order: Do you work in the food business? Have you ever been robbed? Diners: Have you had your purse or other valuables stolen at a restaurant? Are there any cops here on an Ed's Diner donut break? What incidents and rates of crime in restaurants will I find when I crunch law-enforcement databases?
Categories: Help Wanted
• 1 comment
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 07:17:35 am
It's been about two years since The Rosewood Cafe's Rosewood Red faded away. The Seattle brewery that produced the red ale for Barry Watson's Tacoma cafe closed shop and took the recipe with it. Now, Watson has found a brewery to produce a new version of Rosewood Red. It wasn't so elementary. Said Watson: "Our tiny 10-table cafe couldn't get taken seriously." Hales Ales in Seattle agreed to brew a pilot batch of 16 kegs. Watson tapped a fresh idea: He'll share the beer with his friend Chris Miller, proprietor of The Red Hot hot dog bar on Tacoma's red-hot Sixth Avenue. The Rosewood Cafe will serve Rosewood Red. The Red Hot will serve Red Hot Red. Hales will serve the red ale on a rotating tap. Get growlers to-go at all three places. Watson said Rosewood Red and Red Hot Red will be on tap by March. For beer geeks: Rosewood Red/Red Hot Red was brewed to be a robust red ale, aromatic but not too bitter. "It's in the wheelhouse of Hale's Red Menace," Watson said. He also said it's "a la Mac and Jack's." It's about 6.5 percent alcohol content and 45-50 international bittering units. It's triple-hopped. Primary hops are Amarillo; Centennial and Cascades were added during conditioning.
Categories: Beverages
Monday, February 4th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:14:11 am
Chefs from restaurants in Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Bremerton will perform live cooking demonstrations Saturday in what Seattle public broadcasting station KCTS dubs its “13th and newest restaurant recipe special.” KCTS 9 Chefs 2008, which includes demos by 9 other Puget Sound chefs, in airs at 11 a.m. Saturday. Tom Pantley, chef/owner of Toscano’s Wine Bar and Café in Puyallup will make martini clams and orange chicken. Dan Hutchinson of Brix 25 in Gig Harbor will make chicken marsala. Grant Matsuno of Amy’s on the Bay in Port Orchard will make crème caramel with poached pears in pinot noir and lavender. Bryce Lamb of La Fermata in Bremerton will make honey-balsamic roasted duck breast. Of course, it’s pledge-drive time. "Of course, we have a brand-new cookbook and DVD to go with the show," KCTS' press release says. "The KCTS 9 Chefs 2008 Cookbook is a one-of-a-kind collection, packed with more than 200 recipes from our viewers' favorite local restaurants – everything from starters to desserts.” The program (repeats 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday) also includes highlights from past years’ shows, including Seattle culinary kingpin Tom Douglas making his signature triple coconut cream pie. Click below for the full roster of chefs. Friday, February 1st, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:45:36 am
The former St. Helens Cafe will become ... St. Harmon's? St. Helens Speakeasy? Pat Nagle said he doesn't know. Nagle, the restaurant-and-real-estate guy who owns the Harmon brewpub on Tacoma's Pacific Avenue, is the guy who's bailing out St. Helens Cafe and building out a "neighborhood restaurant" in the 6,000-square-foot former fish-and-chippery above Doyle's Public House and Stadium Bistro. From Nagle, we know this much: Nagle likes Tom Douglas' seriously good pizza at Serious Pie. He'll install a fiery pizza oven. He wants to do breakfast. He wants to do sit-down dining. He foresees doing delivery in the neighborhood. He wants to do take-out, too. He wants to "warm up" the cavernous space. He said he'll install flat-panel TVs. He said it won't be a sports bar. He said there'll be a bike rack out front. He wants to expand the bar and do 25-30 percent beer-and-liquor business. Harmon brewmaster Mike Davis' beers will be served at the new place. Nagle said he doesn't have a name in mind. That's where you come in:
Please leave your suggestions in the comments section. It's free to enter. There's nothing to win.
Categories: Downtown Tacoma restaurants, Restaurant openings, Pubs, Help Wanted, Changes and sales
• 71 comments
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Looking for a place to eat? Don't know where to go? Don't know what you're hungry for? Search our restaurant guide. Search by the restaurant's name. Search by keyword (eg: korean fried chicken, wood-fired pizza). Search by proximity. You'll find links to maps, menus and more. Listen to Ed's song "My Lady of Tamales," in MP3.  Send comments, gossip or complaints to: ed.murrieta@thenewstribune.com. Or call: 253-597-8678. Got something to say? Here's the place to comment on and discuss what's on your plate and on your mind. Don't wait for me to post something to respond to. Keep up with the conversation Check out the latest comments on Ed's Diner. Category
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