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Saturday, May 31st, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:31:49 pm
 Asparagus rellenos, on my deck. After scouring South Sound farmers markets for marvelous munchies, I'm looking for farm-fresh foods to cook with. I stopped briefly at both the Puyallup and Proctor farmers markets this morning. I picked up asparagus, leeks, Walla Wallas, chives, sorrel, goat cheese, eggs, chorizo, grass-fed ground beef and a day-old cinnamon roll. (The latter's going to be French toast tomorrow, with either apple-cider syrup or blackberry rhubarb jam, both purchased from farmers at markets.) Pictured above is the lunch I cooked today: asparagus rellenos. Here's the recipe: Blanche one bunch of asparagus. Blanche some chives. Arrange five asparagus spears side by side across a blachched chive strip. Spread about 2 tablespoons of goat cheese atop the spears. Place five more spears on top of the goat cheese. Tie the the asparagus into a bundle with the chives. Repeat with all of the asparagus spears. (Note: one bunch made four servings.) Set aside. Separate two eggs. Beat the whites to soft peak. Then beat in the yolks, followed by 2 teaspoons flour and a pinch of salt. Dredge the asparagus bundles in flour. Then dip the asparagus spears, bottoms down, in the whipped eggs, one at a time. Fry in oil, heated to 375 degrees, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve. Eat. Go, "Mmmmm." Cost of the asparagus: $1.50. Cost of the goat cheese: $6 (but I had enough left over for one more serving). Cost of eggs: about 20 cents each ($2.50 per dozen). Approximate cost for four servings: less than $2 per serving. Never mind gas. Speaking of yummy asparagus creations, Tacoma's mighty mite soup restaurant, Infinite Soups, met my Farmer-Friendly Food Challenge. Today at the Proctor Market, Infinite Soups served asparagus-prosciutto-tortellini soup made with asparagus purchased from a vendor at Thursday's farmers market in downtown Tacoma. If you came across any other food vendors at farmers markets who are cooking with ingredients purchased from farmers, I'd like to hear about it. I'm also interested in what you're buying at farmers markets. What's cooking, people? Friday, May 30th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:49:57 pm
 Ranch House BBQ pitmaster Amy Anderson is feeling the heat in her new location. It sounded a bit like a fairy tale ending to a bad dream: Ranch House BBQ was demolished by mudslide in December. Then Olympia's Governor Hotel gave the restaurant's owners six months free rent and three months free utilities. Now the fairy tale is fracturing. The News Tribune's sister paper The Olympian reports:
Ranch House's free rent runs out in July. "I'm open to negotiating (rent) and supporting them as best we can, but I just can't continue to operate it for free," Governor Hotel general manager Sandra Miller said. One customer told The Olympian that customers might miss the down-home feeling of the old location.
Categories: Industry stuff
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 09:55:13 am
 Renton's Dave Maulding makes his own biodiesel. He's been the victim of biodiesel bandits who've sucked his grease drum dry. Today’s New York Times reports that an Arlington pizza parlor is considering putting its used grease under video surveillance. Call it deterrence against biodiesel bandits. “Fryer grease has become gold,” said a co-owner of Olympia Pizza and Pasta Restaurant, whose 50-gallon grease barrels have been sucked by siphoners at least a half dozen times since last summer. Here’s the kicker to our food-crazed, oil-crazed times, in which it's hip to make fuel from used french fry grease: “And just over a year ago, I had to pay someone to take it away," the Arlington pizzaman said. Restaurants' processed fryer grease is big business. As the Times notes, so-called yellow grease is traded on the booming commodities market.
Dave Maulding of Renton home-brews his own biodiesel. He pays restaurants for their used grease. He’s been the victim of biodiesel bandits. “I recently ran short because somebody broke into my drum and sucked my drum dry,” Maudling told me in April. So I’ve got some greasy questions for South Sound restaurant people: Have you been the victim of biodiesel bandits? Who picks up your used grease? Do they pay you? How much? Also: What safeguards do you have against biodiesel bandits? Is your used grease safe from theft? For those of you who obtain used grease legally, here’s a cool thing that’s going on next week: learn to home-brew your own biodiesel. The cost is $60 per person or $100 for couples. Here’s the PR:
If you can’t make it to the workshop, a bunch of biodiesel groupies will meet at Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub about 4 p.m. on June 8 to talk about biodiesel issues.
Categories: Industry stuff
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 03:07:24 pm
 An abstract painting by Ivan the Gorilla. The artwork of former Lakewood resident Ivan the Gorilla – he spent 31 years of his life at the B&I shopping center on South Tacoma Way before moving to Atlanta in 1994 -- is on display and up for auction at an Atlanta restaurant. Diners at Stella Neighborhood Trattoria can purchase $2 raffle tickets for a chance to win abstract paintings by Ivan and his fellow Zoo Atlanta gorilla Willie B. Jr. All proceeds will be donated to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, which is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitat in Africa. Ivan paints with a brush and his tongue. His palette runs toward bright colors. He finishes each original with his signature fingerprint. Five paintings by Ivan and Willie B. Jr. will be on display for six months.  The artist, in contemplation.
Categories: Cool Things
• 6 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 01:59:38 pm
In the comments to my post about Bella Vita morphing into a sports bar, Ed's Diner patron ABH writes:
Wings, Pizza N Things Sports and Grill opened three weeks ago in the waterfront spot that formerly housed Pearl’s by the Sea, The Beach House and Margarita Beach Café. Wings, Pizza N Things currently lives up to just the wings and things parts of its menu. (“Things,” include sandwiches, salads, burgers, fish and chips, pastas, seafood and steaks, $7.95-$18.99) I dropped in for lunch last week. I ordered buffalo wings and an Angus burger. Both were nicely fried and meaty. In addition to the eponymous buffalo sauce (regular, medium or hot), wings come with your choice of barbecue, garlic-parmesean, lemon-pepper and others. The burger was served with the works, including one of the softest buns a man with a toothache could ask for. What about pizza? Not yet. Blame it on the axiom that “things” happen – specifically, the ventilation hood for the conveyor pizza oven. Co-owner Patrick Ward said the county requires a bigger hood than the type he originally purchased. He said he purchased an upgraded hood, only to find out it’s too tall for his kitchen. He said it’ll be about a month before Wings, Pizza N Things works out the hood kinks and serves pizza. As for the “sports” part of the restaurant, Ward said he plans to increase the number of television sets from three to eight. He said the wants the sports vibe to be “not so loud.” Also coming, Ward said, is outdoor seating. Remember that man-made beach on the bulkhead over Henderson Bay? That covered deck? Gone. Ward, who called the restaurant's view “one of the best views in the Puget Sound," said he's having fabricated paving stones installed. Tables and chairs will follow. While the outward view is fantastic, the inward view needs jazzing up. Interior walls are painted a sedate tone of mocha and a handful of small prints try to fill the void. I’ll be back when pizza bakes. Wings, Pizza N Things Sports and Grill: 13802 Purdy Drive NW, Gig Harbor; 253-851-0103. Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:54:46 am
 Mmmmmm, seafood. I'm researching a GOEAT cover story about great seafood meals in the South Sound. I'm curious to know: Who makes your favorite salmon entree? How about halibut? Or any other seafood dish. Oysters. Clams. Mussels. Chowder. Cioppino. You name it.
Categories: Help Wanted
• 38 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 07:21:35 am
The cosmetic remodel of iconic Tacoma restaurant Southern Kitchen looks complete. About a year ago, the inside got a bright new coat of paint. Recently, the exterior was spiffed up with new siding, new windows and new paint. That old plastic sign that promoted Pepsi as much as it did Southern Kitchen is gone, replaced with a painted wood sign that evokes the restaurant's down-home roots. Some tables and chairs on the sidewalk add extra curb appeal. Idling in my car at the intersection of Sixth-Sprague-Division last night, I stared at Southern Kitchen. I remembered that time I was a guest on Tom Douglas' radio show. Back in November, Douglas wanted to talk about Tacoma restaurants. I didn't. I watched his mental wheels spin as he thought of Tacoma restaurants. "Southern Kitchen," he finally said. As he said it, I visualized slumping siding and sweaty windows -- the impression Southern Kitchen instilled when I encountered the four-decade-old restaurant in 2004. I did what a person shouldn't do on radio. I said nothing. What I'm saying now is this: Bravo to restaurants that make the efforts to dress up their acts. Appearances matter. I'm looking forward to my next fix of fried chicken and greens. Southern Kitchen: 1716 Sixth Ave., Tacoma; 253-627-4282 Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 05:15:32 pm
I got my first look at Primo Grill's new paint job today. (Sorry, no photo; a camera is not among the tools of my trade on some assignments.) The change is not huge, but it's noticeable. Gone is the mustard yellow that shouted from the dining room walls. It's been replaced with a metallic copper and mahagony overglaze that mellows the room. Between slices of proscuitto-fig-goat cheese pizza at my perch at the chef's counter, I looked the restaurant up and down and thought: As long as they've repainted some walls, I wish they'd clean the grime off the tops of those eggplant-purple ducts above the dining room. As I left the men's room, I drifted back to the Seattle scribe who prompted Primo Grill's new paint job ("Primo Grill is the epitome of ’90s urban-chic decor," she wrote in November). I wondered what she'd think of the movie poster that adorns the men's room: Run Lola Run. It's so 1998.
Categories: Changes and sales
• 15 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:28:39 am
Four hundred and sixty-four comments (since Jan. 9, 2007, thankyouverymuch) are making The You Plate Special run a little slow. So here's a new thread. This is the place for you to say what's on your mind, on any food- or restaurant-related topic.
Categories: The You Plate Special
• 76 comments
Monday, May 26th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:51:55 am
 Mmmmm, bacon. Don't like Mondays? Please don't shoot the whole day down. Instead, point your mouth toward Doyle's Public House, which is testing the theory that everything goes better with bacon. Starting tonight (and every Monday from 8 p.m.-midnight until further notice) Doyle's will cook and sell three slices of Boarshead naturally smoked bacon for $1. Doyle's Public House: 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-7468
Categories: Pubs
• 28 comments
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:53:07 am
 Bella Vita redecorated a former mini casino. Now it's a sports bar. Ed's Diner regular monkeybob notes in The You Plate Special:
The sports bar has the same telephone number as the failed fine-dining restaurant. A recording gives info on the sports bar's hours, and notes the place has pool tables and a 12-foot projection screen. According to the state Liquor Control Board records, the owners of the former Bella Vita received approval on Thursday to sell alcohol under the new name. 6th Ave. Sports Bar and Grill: 6108 6th Ave., Tacoma; 253-565-1070. Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 07:03:30 am
Three-year-old Elliott Amann has type 1 diabetes. He likes Farrelli’s pizza. But pizza and diabetes are generally a bad pairing: Refined flours and carbohydrates in the crust and high fat in cheese and meat toppings raise blood-sugar levels. So what’s up with Farrelli’s Elliott’s Pizza, a pie that the South Sound restaurants developed for the Tacoma kid? The crust is made with 100 percent whole-wheat flour and adorned with low-fat toppings. Voila! Diabetic pizza. On Saturday, all five South Sound Farrelli’s (Tacoma, DuPont, Lacey, Sumner and Parkland) will help raise money for the 12th Annual South Sound Walk To Cure Diabetes. Farrelli’s will donate 50 percent of the proceeds from every Elliott’s Pizza it sells that day. (A 12-inch pie is $15.69). Said Katie Farrell, a registered dietician and diabetes educator who developed Elliott’s Pizza: “The pizza was created after my dad (John Farrell, founder and co-owner) talked with Elliott, who was eating in the Tacoma Farrelli's. Elliott asked, "What can I have here? I have type 1 diabetes." Katie Farrell said the whole-wheat crust contains 38 percent more fiber than Farrelli’s white-flour crust. “For those who live with diabetes (type 1 or type 2), they tend to find high blood sugars after eating pizza, due to the refined flours used in the crust as well as the high fat content of the toppings,” she said. “The crust tends to be the cause of the rise in blood sugar and the high fat hold the blood sugar high.” Toppings on Elliott's Pizza, she said, are lower in fat. There’s no mozzarella, just an olive oil base, a small amount of feta cheese, roasted chicken breast, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, red onions and basil. Unlike some finicky kids who prefer refined white flours, Elliott took to the whole-wheat pie immediately. “He didn’t even notice the difference,” said his mother, Pam, a registered dietician, who noted that Elliott’s favorite Farrelli’s pizza is the Hawaiian. “It might not sound like a kid’s first choice, but they do like it,” Farrell said of Elliott’s Pizza. “My 14-year-old daughter and her girlfriend order this pizza every time.” Speaking of whole-wheat pizza crust, national chain Papa John’s will debuts its whole-wheat pies on Monday. Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 01:15:50 pm
Min Xie, Mingin Xie, Minjie Xie, owners of Tacoma Szechuan, are from China’s Szechuan province, which is grappling with the aftermath of a massive earthquake this month. The sisters are raising money to help people back home.
Categories: Cool Things
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:49:45 am
Pizzeria Fondi will open in Gig Harbor's Uptown Center on May 30. I enjoyed Fondi's hearth-baked thin-crust pies when I dined at its Kent Station restaurant last year. Here's what I wrote:
4621 Point Fosdick Drive, Building 10, Suite 200, Gig Harbor; 253-851-6666
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 1 comment
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:20:08 am
Sonic Northwest Inc., a local franchise of the Midwest Sonic burger chain, says it plans to open the first of at least six drive-ins in Pierce County later this year. "We are looking [for locations] in Tacoma, Puyallup, Bonney Lake areas now," said David Orem, a principal of Sonic Northwest. Orem said Sonic Northwest will announce its first Pierce County Sonic location this summer.
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 15 comments
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:01:57 am
 Columbia River king salmon (left, $27.50 per pound). Copper River salmon (right, $38.99 per pound). It was a perfect storm: A gloomy opening to Copper River salmon season collided with my growing resentment toward purchasing anything more expensive than a gallon of gas. Tacoma-area restaurants and markets report limited or zero supplies of the prized catch from Alaska. Some said Monday that they don’t expect any until Wednesday. I bought an 8-ounce Copper River king filet from Metropolitan Market in Tacoma on Monday. At $38.99 a pound, it wasn’t exactly a bargain, but it was cheaper than what some South Sound fishmongers were charging: $47.69 at Northern Fish Co. on Ruston Way and $49.99 at Johnny’s in Lakewood and Tacoma. I broiled the fish for mere minutes and served it with caper-butter-white-wine sauce. How was it? Delicious, of course. Copper River’s ruby flesh glowed like Dorothy’s slippers. When the first tine of my fork hit the fish, the filet didn’t so much as flake apart as glide apart. The flavor and texture – like the oceans and the rivers churned into buttery flesh – made me proud to be atop the food chain. But at today’s prices, I think last night’s supper might have been my one and only taste of Copper River salmon this season. Some Ed’s Diner regulars seem to feel the same way. Monday, May 19th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:53:06 am
 Have you had any Copper River salmon yet? Looking for Copper River salmon at South Sound restaurants? Don’t strain your eyes. Anthony’s at Point Defiance and Anthony’s in Gig Harbor, along with CI Shenanigans and the Lobster Shop on Tacoma’s waterfront don’t have any of the coveted fish. Amid bad weather, Friday’s opening yield was about one-seventh of the anticipated harvest, according the Alaska Department of Fish and Game "We got some on Saturday but we sold out by Sunday,” said Paul Schmitt, manager of Anthony’s at Point Defiance. Schmitt’s forecast echoed other South Sound restaurants: No Copper River king or sockeye salmon today and maybe not tomorrow. “We’re hoping to get some at the very latest by Wednesday,” Schmitt said. Referring to the limited catch the fleet of Anthony's restaurants received, Schmitt said, “We have to spread it out. The Seattle stores need some.” Two Seattle Anthony’s locations, one at Pier 66 and one in Shilshole, said they have Copper River king on the menu today. Meanwhile, Anthony’s in Gig Harbor is in the same boat as its Tacoma kin. CI Shenanigans reports that it’s also waiting. The chipper hostess who answered the telephone at the Tacoma waterfront restaurant this morning offered this uplifting concession: “We do have Washington wild salmon.” Some supermarkets are fishless. Metropolitan Markets in Tacoma’s Proctor neighborhood and in Dash Point report “limited” shipments on Saturday. This morning, fishmongers at both stores were waiting. QFCs in Parkland and Lakewood haven’t seen any Copper River fish. “The opening was kind of a bummer,” said Mike Carver, the seafood manager at Metropolitan Market in Tacoma. Carver said he got two of the 800 kings caught Friday. This morning, Carver was waiting for more. Which sets the hook for a simmering question: With retail Copper River prices ranging from $28-$39 per pound and restaurant dinner prices ranging from the $28-$50, is Copper River salmon worth the wait and worth the price?
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:40:57 am
 The food served at local farmers markets -- hot dogs, barbecue, teriyaki, kettle corn -- isn't much different from what's served at carnivals. Why is that? I ate at three South Sound farmers markets between Thursday and Saturday. I really liked those My Newt mini doughnuts, but let's skip dessert. In fact, let's skip past the carnival fare that dominates food booths at farmers markets. Vendors of soups, tamales, gyros, buritos, fried oysters, full breakfasts, pulled pork, barbecued brisket, teriyaki sandwiches, salmon caesar salads and even elephant ears, listen up: I challenge you to put at least one item on each of your menus that uses ingredients grown by and purchased from farmers at your markets. In between bites of a $5 hot dog, a $9 grilled-chicken-skewer-and-tamal combo, and $3 dozens of My Newt mini doughnuts -- like little bites of air that don't need biting -- I also spotted locally grown eggs, chicken, pork, beef, and sausage; local milk and cheese; local oysters; local bread; local jams and jellies; local salsa; and, of course, local vegetables. Looking behind the vendors' food stands, I spotted a lot of products purchased from local Cash & Carry and Costco stores. Here's a loco local idea: How about a local burrito made with local chorizo? Burrito Boy (operated by Tacoma Mexican restaurant Josephina's) and Cheryl the Pig Lady, the Summit farmer, are both at farmers markets in Tacoma and Puyallup. They should talk. Studs and Spuds, which does full egg-meat-and-taters breakfasts in Puyallup, might want to make a short walk across the park and buy a few loaves of Taste of Eden sweet breads. They make great French toast. Wouldn't that toast of Tacoma -- the teriyaki sandwich at Thursday's downtown farmers market -- taste better on slices of Stone Ground bread? Anyone got a portable deep-fryer? I spotted loads of asparagus waiting to be dipped. Grilled Walla Wallas go good with anything. You get what I'm driving at. Food vendors at farmers markets in Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor and Olympia may post their Farmer-Friendly Food menus in the comments section, or they can e-mail them to me at ed.murrieta@thenewstribune.com. The best entries may be featured in my GOEAT review of farmers market food on May 30.
Categories: Farming and growing
• 7 comments
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 02:22:01 pm
Food prices are rising around the world and across the board. Farmers’ markets in our back yard are not immune. At Isela Bautista’s vegetable stand at the downtown Tacoma Farmers market this morning, the Yakima farmer priced bunches of asparagus at $2.95. Her asparagus didn’t sell. A few hours later, she lowered her price to $2.59. Sales were still slow. “Last year I was selling for $1.99,” she said. “All of my costs are 20 percent higher this year. More gas for the tractors, more diesel for the machinery and the drive from Yakima.” Cheryl Ouelette farms in Pierce County. She doesn’t have to drive as far, but reports that the doubling of feed prices has forced her to raise the prices of her free-range chickens from $10 to $12 each and to stop offering discounts for large purchases of pork and ground beef. “I did not raise most of my prices,” Ouelette said. “But I stopped doing [discounted] sales and we’re not selling pork by the quarter. We can make up the prices by the piece. We’ve held on trying not to raise the prices, but at some point we may have to.” She’s keeping the price of her boutique pork and beef at $6 per pound -- on par with what supermarkets charge for conventional meat. “They’re selling the same prices are we are,” Ouelette said. “Vegetables and pork and plants. All the things that used to be cheaper than us, are right around where we are.” Ouelette tried to shed sunshine on the situation. “We hope that being small and being very local will help us,” she said. “We don’t have to pay as much for gas as other farmers who truck their product from farther away.”
Categories: Farming and growing
• 14 comments
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:12:35 am
Part of my job is to investigate rumors. I'd heard the rumor that Claim Jumper would open at Tacoma Mall. Michael Dubin, director of real estate for the California-based chain of waist-expanding casual dining, offered this debunking statement, via e-mail: "We have elected to put all of our expansion on hold thru at least 2009. That includes Tacoma."
Categories: Restaurant openings
• 3 comments
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 01:49:09 pm
 The graphic says it all. Image: gringodeloco.com After celebrating its grand opening last week, Gringo de Loco has closed its doors. According to a note from the owners on the restaurant's Web site, it sounds like a big financial and operational mess that ended with the owners exercising a clause their purchase agreement that allowed them to walk away and toss most of the money burdens back on the previous owners.
Categories: Restaurant closings
• 10 comments
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 07:44:53 am
Can't you smell that smell? I did, even before my longtime dining companion turned up her nose and said, "I don't want to be here." Last week's stinky dinner -- the food was good, the air was greasy and the owner eventually turned on the ceiling fan -- wasn't the first time that a restaurant didn't pass my longtime dining companion's sniff test. Mold. Lysol. Smoke. General funk. My longtime dining companion has been odiferiously offended by all of them. In the past, we've walked out of restaurants rather than stay. This time, I gave my longtime dining companion the vinegar-and-dagger look that said, "Hold your nose and eat. I've got a job to do." Which leads to a simmering question: What kind of restaurant smells annoy you? What do you do when something stinks? Friday, May 9th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 05:03:22 pm
California-based BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse plans to open in Tacoma Mall's new lifestyle center in September, my TNT blogging colleague John Gille reports. BJ's also will open in South Center. BJ's does pub grub and microbrews. The menu on its Web site touts baslamic-glazed chicken, barbecue-chicken pizza, halibut fish tacos and "BJ's Famous Pizookie®," which is another way of saying a cookie with two scoops of ice cream. The beer list includes pale, blonde, red, brown and wheat ales. BJ's does beer appreciation dinners too. UPDATED 5/12
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:09:14 am
 Charlie McManus and a local pig. The local foodie forces behind the drive to start a South Sound cell of Seattle's Chefs Collaborative chapter report encouraging turnout at Tuesday's meeting: about 50 people, including representatives from a dozen Tacoma-area restaurants and one from Silverale, turned out to disscuss how local chefs and farmers can work together. There was, however, one casualty: A heritage pig that Summit farmer Cheryl Ouelette (aka Cheryl The Pig Lady) donated for the evening's dinner never made it to the meeting at Primo Grill. Before the dinner-bound pig could be sent to slaughter, The Pig Lady's little piggy wandered into the wrong pig pen and "got savaged by a pregnant sow," Primo chef/owner/farm-to-table organizer Charlie McManus said. The Pig Lady sent a replacement piggy, which gave McManus the opportunity to share some farm facts. "We got a younger replacement," McManus said. "Pigs have two growth stages: bone growth and muscle growth. The replacement was at the peak of its bone-growth phase. It was a lean pig." Nonetheless, McManus roasted the pig in his apple-wood oven and served it with caper-mint salsa verde, along with a side of Puyallup farmer Terry Carkner's greens braised in apple cider vinegar and butter. Next up for the group: a meet-and-greet for chefs and farmers, possibly in August. As for McManus, whose goal for his restaurant is total sustainability by the end of the year, he's sharpening up his butchery knowledge. He plans to buy 250-pound pigs from The Pig Lady and butcher them in his restaurant, making local pork a regular menu feature. "It's been 15 years since I dealt with large hind quarters," McManus said. "This will be interesting." Who attended Tuesday night's organizing dinner? Click below. Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 05:15:13 pm
Corina Bakery has new owners. Julie Rex and her partners, Mike and Molly Ott, closed the deal last week. Rex said Corina's founders, Jessica and Walter Gaya, have moved to Georgia, where Walter Gaya took a job. Rex, a Clover Park culinary grad, said she plans to add breakfast items like quiches and explore gluten-free and vegan baked goods. Corina Bakery: 510 Sixth Ave., Tacoma; 253-627-5070
Categories: Changes and sales
• 4 comments
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 05:06:50 pm
The judges of the Best of the West journalism contest liked this blog enough to give it second place in blog judging. Here are their real kudos, in my view:
Can't do stuff like this without you. Thanks, gang. Monday, May 5th, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 01:28:14 pm
Parkway Tavern pours imported beers only once a year. Wednesday is that day. That's when the North Tacoma tavern will pit Belgian beers against American beers of similar style. The event starts at 7 p.m. As Parkway publican John O'Gara noted, "Belgians won by a landslide" last year. Among this year's highlights, according to O'Gara: "New Belgium Le Fleur Misseur is being shipped to us especially for the event, and the Ste. Feuillien will be poured from a huge 9-liter bottle." The match-ups after the jump.
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 11:30:08 am
La Costa's gone That’s a muy bueno thing Where the men danced like women there's a new song to sing Blues ... and Mexican food got a crazy new name it’s Gringo de Loco, dude Big chile relleno served like a hot omelet drowning in red sauce but not dripping wet Blues ... and Mexican food I’ve been there for lunch not just one time but two I ate chile verde with people from Russell I liked tangy green sauce but some pork chewed like muscle Blues ... and Mexican food Bean dip and salsa and a 12-bar groove Cheese, chicken and broth I dug that tortilla soup And enchilada mole? Too much cinnamon Cold corn tortillas Tender chicken within Blues ... and Mexican food I dig the clean bathrooms and the new painted mood But my margarita didn't quite please It tasted like limeade from Cash & Carry Oh, Gringo de Loco, today's your grand opening on Mayo de Cinco, well that's got a ring Gringo de Loco: 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-0300. Lunch entrees: $6.50-$8. Dinner entrees $7.75-$13.50. The Brown and Blues Band performs from 7-10 p.m. tonight. Friday, May 2nd, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 12:24:13 pm
The folks trying to organize a Tacoma chapter of the Chefs Collaborative -- a group that helps chefs and farmers network -- sent me two reminders today. The RSVP deadline is today at 5 p.m. And Kelli Estrella won't be bringing her award-winning cheeses. Read the update.
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:00:14 am
 Primo Grill, since 1999. "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know, it has to constantly move forward or it dies." That's a line spoken by Woody Allen in "Annie Hall," the cinematic epitome of '70s urban-chic love. Bitten by a Seattle food scribe's comments on their decor, the owners of Primo Grill are now moving forward on an interior makeover that will give their 8-year-old restaurant new visual life. Here's what Seattle magazine said about Primo Grill in a round-up of Tacoma restaurants in November:
Here's a paraphrase of what Primo Grill owners said: "Ouch." "Primo will be 9 years old this October,” co-owner Jacqueline Plattner said. “We feel obliged to our customers to keep the place looking fresh and we think to do so is an industry standard." Karen McClain, the Puyallup visual designer who orchestrated and executed Primo Grill's original interior, will do the facelift. "It's important to stay current," said McClain, a card-carrying member of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America. "That's what great design is all about." McClain plans to build on the bones of her earlier work. Some things will stay. "All the wavy, abstract metal pieces that George Capestany created for the ceiling, the eggplant purple on the ceiling -- it's still a hot, trendy color. When we did it in 1999, it was out there." Some will change – particularly the Tuscan yellow she used as a faux base on the walls, in keeping with the hand-painted Tuscan tiles that chef/co-owner Charlie McManus hand-picked for his open kitchen and bar. "We want to play down that mustard yellow," McClain said. "If anything, that's the dated color. We want to give textures, give glow and change the ambiance of the lighting on that color." McClain said she’ll augment her original Tuscan mustard with metallic copper and mahagony overglaze accents. Two-foot-by-two-foot panels of distressed metal will lay over the current green wainscoating. "It completely changes the color of Primo Grill," McClain said. "It will give a different dynamic to the art shows that hang inside the restaurant. But it still works wonderfully with the hand-decorated tables that the Tacoma Community College students created for the restaurant." Except for Memorial Day, Primo Grill will remain open for business during the 8-day makeover. You've heard of an open kitchen? Primo Grill is going to be an open studio for a week. Starting May 19, McClain and her crew will do their work late at night. They'll work section by section throughout the restaurant. Primo Grill's crew will move and re-set tables every evening and every morning. "Customers can watch the evolution of the fabulous rehab of Primo Grill," McClain said. McClain said she'll be finished by the time Primo Grill opens for lunch May 27. Thursday, May 1st, 2008
Posted by Ed Murrieta @ 08:28:36 am
I get calls, I get e-mail, I got a requests from a stumped Seattle food writer. Here's one, forwarded from a Seattle diner:
Dear Amy: Welcome to Tacoma. Our restaurants welcome your patronage. Given that Pacific Grill's entrees range from $24.95 to $39.95 (from clam linguine to Angus filet, with a delectable-sounding spring lamb in the middle at $28), I'll assume that by affordable you mean dinner entrees in $15-$25 range. But first I'll recommend that you consider Pacific Grill's bar menu for dinner. Yes, you'll have to dine in the bar area (where the service and decor are just as stylish and comforting as in the dining room) but understand this: Pacific Grill's bar menu is better than many dinner menus in Tacoma. A knife-and-fork pork roast sloppy Joe is $11.95. Steak and caviar are $19.95. Lamb tartare is $12. Burger sliders, Kobe hot dog sliders and For your sit-down dinner needs in the price range I assume you're looking for, I'll direct you toward Primo Grill. Try a grilled organic half chicken or Guinness-braised lamb shank for $21, veggie-goat cheese lasagna for $15, or wood-fired pizzas that stack up with the best pies in your town, $13-$15. Not far from Primo Grill is Crown Bar, launched by the owners of Primo Grill. Don't let the bar name fool you. Try juicy, tender buttermilk organic fried chicken with mashed potatoes and greens for $18. Like fried oysters? Best ones I've had in the last four years were at Crown Bar. You'll also find steaks, kebabs, falafel, and Cougar Gold mac & cheese, all in your price range. Want to try some place brand new? Maxwell's Speakeasy + Lounge opened last week in Tacoma's up-and-coming condo district. Maxwell's menu's designed around small plates and sharable entrees and side dishes, most priced $6-$21. (The pricey exception is a $32 rib steak.) On opening night, dinner for two cost $43.56 before tip. Here's what we had: three lamb porterhouse chops from Ellensburg, pink inside, chary outside; onion soup made with Walla Wallas; oysters with pomegranite mignonet; smoked pork rillettes; and a trio of Olympic mountain ice creams (be sure to get the cinnamon). (Oh, and, Amy, note this: Maxwell's already has attracted veterans of the Seattle dining scene. Tewfik Boulenouar, described by Seattle food writers as a front-of-the-house dynamo from his days at Coupage, El Gaucho and Waterfront Seafood Grill, helped open Maxwell's. He's being replaced by Rich Troiani, a recognizable name from Troiani Ristorante Italiano and other Mackay restaurants in Seattle.) Not far from Maxwell's is another new place that's equally delicious and affordable, at least when it comes to pizza. Harmon's Hub does seriously good hearth-baked pizza that aims for Tom Douglas territory. Speaking of Tom Douglas, his sister, Michele, co-owns Tempest Lounge, the tastiest bar on Tacoma's Hilltop. Try homey entrees like ham and scalloped potatoes, roast chicken with spinach, and baked-to-order cookies. If you're looking for any more tips on South Sound restaurants, Amy, you can search the News Tribune's GO & DO restaurant guide. Happy eating in the South Sound. Best, Ed Murrieta PS to everybody: Do you have any South Sound dining tips for Amy or anyone else from Seattle?
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