Send comments, gossip or complaints to: tntdiner@thenewstribune.com.
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/tntdiner
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 us to post something to respond to.
Want to find the best deals around town? Here's the place to find out how to best spend your dining dollars.
Sue Kidd is the Lifestyle Editor at The News Tribune and the ringleader for the Food and Home&Garden sections. She has worked as a food journalist at Northwest newspapers since 1993, most recently as a food writer, editor and restaurant reviewer in King County before joining The News Tribune in 2004. Her food obsessions at the moment are honey, cheese and oysters.
Craig Sailor is the Arts&Entertainment editor at The News Tribune. He grew up on a garlic farm near Gilroy, Calif. and now farms oysters in his spare time at Willapa Bay. He’s traveled the world from Kyoto/Kuala Lumpur/Hong Kong to Zanzibar in search of great food.
- All
- All-Purpose Stuff (169)
- Bacon! (3)
- Beverages (134)
- Breakfast (7)
- Changes and sales (77)
- Chefs (27)
- Cool Things (80)
- Customers and kids (18)
- Dining trends (44)
- Downtown Tacoma restaurants (54)
- Drop-In Dining reports (53)
- Ewww! (24)
- Extra! Extra! (24)
- Farmers Market Fresh (6)
- Farming and growing (49)
- First Bite (44)
- From the Gut (27)
- Happy Hours (4)
- Help Wanted (43)
- Homework (14)
- I love cheese (4)
- Industry stuff (61)
- Live Blogging (50)
- Media (12)
- Multimedia Specials (6)
- Parking (6)
- Pubs (34)
- Reading Room (30)
- Restaurant closings (45)
- Restaurant openings (157)
- Reviewing (50)
- Second Bite (1)
- Send It Back (corrections) (4)
- Service (34)
- Simmering Question (28)
- Steals, Deals and Discounts (9)
- Store grazing (2)
- Swag Heap (3)
- Ten in One restaurant series (3)
- The Surveys Say ... (4)
- The You Plate Special (16)
- Tipping (9)
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| << < | Current | > >> | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
- August 2009 (16)
- July 2009 (16)
- June 2009 (13)
- May 2009 (22)
- April 2009 (22)
- March 2009 (17)
- February 2009 (18)
- January 2009 (26)
- December 2008 (21)
- November 2008 (14)
- October 2008 (27)
- September 2008 (27)
- More...

I’ve just returned to Tacoma from a few days in central California where I traveled on the cheap by mooching off relatives. Hey, times are tough.
I helped myself to Meyer lemons, persimmons (top photo), pomegranates and a few leftover wine grapes right off vines. I also picked a bunch of olives (bottom photo) to try my hand at home curing. I’ll let you know if they turn out.

I ate at some great Mexican and Ethiopian joints but the highlight of the trip was a day spent wine tasting in the growing appellation of Paso Robles. If you haven’t heard of it yet you will. There are now over 200 wineries operating in the area. Gigantic facilities were going up and vineyards were being planted wherever I looked.
Click below to read more about it and some interesting California dining trends here.
