The margherita pizza and ham and brie sandwich at Minoela. Craig Sailor/The News Tribune

For popcorn fiends who also like to nosh, it might be a duel between The Grand Cinema's popcorn – I know people who say they go to the Grand just for popcorn – and Minoela, the new bistro wine bar that Danielle Kartes opened last week next door to the nonprofit arthouse cinema off of Sixth and Fawcett. (For background on Kartes, read this story I wrote in May).

I don’t know if the popcorn really is better at the Grand, or if it tastes better because the environment provides far more interest than a generic chain movie theater. Regardless, the Grand’s popcorn makes for great snacking. But filling, it’s not.
Enter Minoela: it seems on first perusal the perfect place to grab a substantial something before a movie at the Grand. And, based on a first taste this week, nosh lovers will like Minoela.

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I'm back from working with high school journalism students at the Seattle University Journalism Summer Workshop. I worked with four students who wrote articles you'll see published throughout the summer in The News Tribune and on the TNT Diner blog.

Here's a chef question/answer feature written by Peninsula High School's Ian Clarke with Tacoma chef Matt Stickle.

By Ian Clarke

Executive Chef Matt Stickle has worked at the Bite Restaurant at Hotel Murano for six years and has been working in the food industry for the last 10. The last two restaurants he worked at were the Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado and Mission Grill in Sister Bay, Wisconsin.
We phoned him up recently to throw a few non sequiturs his way. Here's what he had to say.

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