There are some new faces behind the bar at what used to be Ida's Pub on St. Helens Avenue in Tacoma.

Brock Leach and Jonathan Rouse bought the space in mid-May and have been running their new bar, the Mix, for about a month and a half.

The two are teachers – Brock teaches math at community college, and Jonathan teaches French at Puyallup High School – and it's their first foray into bar ownership.

Though the two were regulars at Ida's.

"The whole idea behind the name was because we've been coming here for years and it's always been a mix of people from all walks of life: white collar/blue collar, young/old, gay/straight – and the fact we make mixed drinks," says Brock.

It's that same sort of diverse crowd that's still coming through the doors for weekend karaoke and a place to chill.
Jonathan says the pair would like to open up the space with new lighting and paint, but since they're leasing, they won't be making any structural changes.

Fair enough. The 1904 building that Mix shares with Puget Sound Pizza and the Webster Apartments, along with a handful of other small businesses, is regal indeed, which I can attest to. I lived above Ida's when I first moved to T-town, the clang of my old radiators adding a top note to the music downstairs.

The grand opening isn't till September, most likely, but you can try a Mix signature cocktail (vodka, cranberry, pineapple, OJ, grenadine and black raspberry liqueur) anytime.

The Mix
635 St. Helens Ave.
Tacoma

Like bacon, soup is not exactly food fodder for August, (although it's not really summery or hot or anything), but I bring it up anyway because it's what I plan to write about for the food section in September-ish, probably sometime after the bacon dessert story.

I stopped in at Infinite Soups last Thursday to talk soup with co-owner Wendy Clapp (full disclosure: Clapp and Infinite cohorts Laura Adams and Todd DeShazo used to run Cafe Trib here). I ordered a cup of avocado corn chowder and we chatted about the making of soup. Good, delicious soup. She'll be a great source for the story.

I'd like to branch out into soups of varying cultures and construction. Like the samlah kako soup at Mitapeap Khmer, a Cambodian restaurant off of 72nd and Portland. I lunched with Arts & Entertainment editor Craig Sailor there a few weeks ago and we started a conversation with chef and co-owner Tharath Eang about his samlah kako. He says the flavor punch in the green curry soup is roasted rice powder. Agreed. I like the chunks of pumpkin and eggplant that make this deeply flavored soup a seriously hearty fall dish. Yet still, I crave it in August. Such a good soup. In the category of stew, Eang used to have a great beef stew on the menu. It was deliciously hearty and punched with star anise, the kind of stew that commands an accompanying baguette. He says he'll bring the stew back on the menu soon, but will make it if a customer requests. Believe me, I will be requesting. So should you.

So forget that it's August. Help me get started on the soup story. Who else should I talk to? Which restaurants here have great soups? Tell me, I might be able to score you a recipe.