Il Trattoria di Merende co-owner Julia Lombardi now says she’s hoping for a mid-December opening of the downtown Tacoma restaurant. Readers on TNT Diner have been wondering why the debut —at one time, promised in September – is taking so long. The answer is: they're still working on it.

Lombardi was hard at work recently getting ready for a health department inspection and putting last-minute touches on the restaurant, which is located in the spot that once housed Vin Grotto.

Merende means snack or small bite in Italian, and that's what they'll offer, along with full entrees. You can look forward to combinations like fig and prosciutto, or pasta with meat ragout, made with a touch of nutmeg.
Lombardi said the restaurant concept is based on an Italian tradition, in which farmers share small plates of food during the midday meal.

Merende will be open for lunch and dinner, and will offer a full bar.

Il Trattoria di Merende
813 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253-722-1993
http://merenderestaurant.com

Add Italy to the international mix of restaurants on that stretch of Pacific Avenue between South Ninth and South Seventh streets in downtown Tacoma.

Il Trattoria di Merende (merende means "small bite") is planning a soft opening Sept. 21. It will join India Mahal, Irish pub Paddy Coyne's and Tex-Mex restaurant Matador in what Merende co-owner Julia Lombardi calls a pocket neighborhood with "real European flair."

"I think we've all tried to engender that," Lombardi says. "This whole area has changed dramatically."

Lombardi, husband Kenneth and son Ian are co-owners of the new venture. Local favorite Jeff Bishop, formerly of Il Fiasco, will be doing his thing in the kitchen. Ian will be managing the restaurant, though he did his own chef training in Florence, Italy.

Merende will focus on small plates, priced between $10 and $12, along with larger entrées, small pizzas and a full bar. Said bar – of deep gray slate – was curing under fans Wednesday afternoon when I poked my head in.

The old Vin Grotto space has been transformed with exposed brick walls, slate floors, recycled-glass tile and industrial-style exposed ductwork overhead. (Pictures below.)

The Lombardis are shooting for an upscale feel that's still relaxed enough for families. By staying open until 11 p.m. or later, they'll offer a spot for theatergoers and UWT students looking for a late-night bite.

Check back for updates here when Merende opens its doors at 813 Pacific Ave.

Back in May, the ownership of downtown Tacoma's sweet spot, Corina Bakery, changed hands.

Yes, it is still the Land of Cake. It is also becoming much more.

Seeing as how I'm fortunate enough to live a couple blocks away, I've popped in a few (OK, several) times to see the changes under new owners Mike and Molly Ott and baker Julie Rex.

I talked to Molly today, who ran down a list of new offerings at the bakery: a savory cheesecake with a walnut crust, olive tapenade and herbed cheese, to be spread on crackers or crostini; flaky butter croissants; rosemary sourdough loaves and French-style baguettes; and a savory bread pudding. Corina also can do special order gluten-free versions of most of its baked goods.

I can vouch for the huge muffins – my grandma would say Texas-size – with a puckery lemon glaze.

Julie says they're also working on a theme month for October showcasing the apples of the season, with a plan to feature similar seasonal ingredients a few times a year.

"We want to continue to expand the menu so it becomes more of a bistro," Molly adds. They're also hoping to acquire a beer and wine license. That way people who stop in for dessert could also have a bit of cheese and a glass of port for a change, Molly says.

But never fear, Julie says, the customer-favorite tall red velvet cake will stay. And her favorite?

"Asking if I have a favorite is like asking a parent if they favor one child over the other." she says with a laugh. "That's my diplomatic answer."

Fair enough. I, for one, am excited to see more locally made bread in Tacoma. Which brings me to a documentary freshly out on DVD that might be of interest to you all. It's about Edward Espe Brown, the Zen teacher and baker known for his groundbreaking "Tassajara Bread Book," which is nearly 40 years old.

I can't capture the charm of watching Ed hold forth on the enlightening pleasures of making a few loaves with your own hands. You'll have to rent it yourself.

Here's the trailer for a taste.

When Stadium Bistro waved good-bye in April, comments were a mixed bag. My favorite memory of the place didn't even involve real food. Virtual food, yes. The guys kicked my butt in a round of Cooking Mama for the Wii.

Unfortunately there are no wine tasting, coffee brewing or sauce simmering games for the Wii. Yet. (There should be!) When they make those games, perhaps I'll challenge some of the folks at the new businesses going into the old Bistro space.

I stopped by Monday afternoon to see what was going on in the place and chanced upon Stephen McConkey, one half of the team that started Sound Bites Sauce & Spread Co. a few months ago. Maybe you've sampled their wares at one of the 14 farmers markets they participate in. In Pierce County they do Sixth Ave., Gig Harbor, Puyallup and the Tacoma Farmers Market. And they're subletting kitchen space in the old Bistro spot. Sound Bites will prepare their sauces and spreads there and sell them in the wine bar. Stephen also confirmed that the building will retain its events room and that the small space next door will be a coffee shop.

Here's the description Sound Bites uses at its site, a bare bones page at the moment:

Sound Bites makes hand-crafted sauces and spreads from around the world, prepared with ingredients sourced from right here in the Pacific Northwest.
 
Visit us at a Puget Sound farmers market for delicious dips and sauces including hummus, pesto and chimichurri.
 
All of our products are made with varietal grapeseed oils from the Yakima Valley. Try our buttery Chardonnay Pesto, refreshing Garbanzo Hummus with Riesling Oil, and Chimichurri made with the rich flavor of Cabernet Sauvignon Oil.

 
I called Rich Hines, the other half of Sound Bites (and the president of the board for the Tacoma Farmers Market) to get his take on the neighborhood and the sauce-making biz.

"We don't know the opening timeline, but just last week they put in a door and window for the coffee shop," he said. He added that the building could be buzzing again in as little as two months.

He said he and Stephen are impressed with the hip "all-hours" activity of the neighborhood and are "excited about being part of that little food and beverage community that's forming in that building."

They're in talks with other wine bars and a Kent martini bar as well as local wholesalers, Rich said, adding that one goal is to put their sauces and spreads into local grocery stores.

"We've been getting calls from restaurants that feature hummus on their menus," he said. "They want to offer a locally made hummus, and we believe we're the only craft hummus makers in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Plus virtually every item in the container except the lemon juice is from the Northwest."

Company catch phrase: "Fiercely Local."

If you're going to open a restaurant that specializes in gospel music, who do you call to book? Crystal Aikin, of course.

So it's a good thing that Steven Ling, who plans on opening Stephanie's Gospel and Jazz in downtown Tacoma sometime in mid to late September, is close friends with Aikin. She was one of the first people he called once he got the keys to the restaurant space. He also called musician Michael Powers. "(Michael) said let me know when you open up, I’ll be there," said Steven when I talked to him on the phone a few minutes ago.

The location for Stephanie's is a familiar one for restaurants. It's the old La Costa restaurant at 928 Pacific Avenue. Another restaurant had a short life there. Gringo de loco closed in May after being open for about a week.

Steven stumbled on the location while downtown with business partners. "I was down here for a meeting with a few business associates. I was parked right outside the restaurant. I said, 'Let’s go eat.' I saw the 'for lease' sign and I thought it made sense. I called the guy (leasing it) right then and I met him down there that Sunday. I walked through the place. He was just talking, but I tuned him out. I was looking and seeing what it could be. I said, I want it," Steven said.

Ling has a background in restaurants. He worked the kitchen at Djembe Soul, a restaurant formerly on Commerce Street (near Galanga Thai). He also says he was an investor in Djembe, but it was one of those ventures that was not meant to be. Lessons learned, of course.

So how about the food at Stephanie's? It'll be eclectic, Steven said. He'll draw on his foundation of Southern food (his aunt and uncle owned a southern restaurant in Long Island and he grew up eating and cooking there). He'll also have Italian food on the menu. The restaurant will be full service with a bar.

Watch here for an update as Steven gets closer to opening.

Pat Nagle, who brought Tacoma the Harmon 10 years ago and recently opened The HUB, is the focus of today's Q&A from Business. Here are some of the highlights:

- "Business is actually right on target"

- "... I believe in Tacoma. I believe in being part of the community."

- "I’m a Cougar and I’m a Tacoman, and I’ve got this underdog attitude."

See the full interview here.

Well with buck shot eyes and a purple heart
I rolled down the national stroll
with a big fat paycheck strapped to my hip sack
and a shore leave wristwatch underneath my sleeve
in a Hong Kong drizzle on Cuban heels
I rowed down the gutter to the blood bank
I'd left all my papers on the Ticonderoga
and I was in a bad need of a shave
I slopped at the corner on cold chow mein
and shot billiards with a midget until the rain stopped

-- from “Shore Leave” by Tom Waits

Scores of sailors will disembark on Tacoma shores next week when the Tall Ships arrive.

Where’s a hungry sailor to eat and drink?

What about a sailor on a budget?

What about sailors too young to get into bars?

Logal blogger TacomaMama.com compiled a list of discounts sailors can receive by flashing their crew identification in restaurants and bars along the Foss waterway, near the Tacoma Dome and in downtown Tacoma.

(Hint: Free breakfast at Cascade Bagels and free appetizers at Paddy Coynes and Café by the Bay sound cool, and 10 percent off at places like Dock Street Sandwich and Puget Sound Pizza are attractive. But complimentary edamame at Two Koi? When other Japanese restaurants routinely offer the soybeans for free any time of year? C’mon.)

For my recommendations, including those that are a short walk to the toward Wright Park and Stadium High, click on the link below. Yo, ho, ho.

=> Read more!

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.

The Swiss: 15 years and going strong.

The Swiss Pub celebrates its 15th anniversary on Monday, and by the looks of the special menu, chef/co-owner Gayl Bertagni will be firing up her way-back machine.

“We’re going to serve some of the foods we opened with,” Bertagni said, noting that The Swiss had little more than a microwave for its first three weeks of operation in 1993.

Among Monday’s menu specials that harken to 1993: microwaved cheese pizzas and “nacho chips with that waxy cheese – you know that stuff at 7-11.”

Expect paper plates, plastic forks and the like.

Also on special will be The Swiss’ popular Today’s Sandwich, the first sandwich on the original menu, featuring turkey, ham, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, with lettuce, tomato and onion on herbed bread. Bertagni said she’ll revive New Bite, a pulled pork sandwich in “elegant barbecue sauce” that’s been an occasional special. “It’s quite messy,” Bertagni said of the sandwich, served on a Kaiser roll with slaw and red onions.

Handful of Lovin’, a Celtic-reggae band, takes the stage around 8 p.m.

The Swiss Pub & Eatery: 1904 S Jefferson St., Tacoma; 253-572-2821

It used to be La Costa. Now it's got a new owner and a new name. (Photo: Exit133.com)

Before I even forked my first chili relleno at a made-over Mexican restaurant in downtown Tacoma, this e-mail hit my in-box:

I passed the former La Costa daily, and noticed that it's opened now under a new name, Gringo de Loco with a graphic of a sleeping Mexican peasant.

Offhand there are three things that annoy me: First, it's just weird that they use the pejorative "Gringo." I guess that's OK if you assume the owners are "gringos" -- that would just make it self-deprecating.

Second, "Gringo de Loco," just doesn't make any sense.

Finally, the sleeping Mexican is a cliched, culturally-insensitive stereotype, and really uncalled for in this day and age. (At least they left out the saguaro cactus.) Not as bad as a faux-Southern restaurant featuring a
"little black Sambo" image, perhaps, but similar.

I'm not sure if the name was over-thought or under-thought, but it's a real clinker.

I spoke with Gringo de Loco owner Rod Collen, who purchased La Costa in February and, following a good scrubbing, new equipment and fresh coats of paint, re-christened the restaurant last week, keeping the Mexican menu but adding live blues music.

"It's a little bit like explaining the punchline of a joke," Collen said. "Some people said I was crazy to buy La Costa. Buying La Costa was kinda like buying the Titanic after it hit the ice berg."

As for the gringo grammar that translates as "white person of crazy":

"We were already combining Mexican food with the blues, so we just butchered it," Collen said. "The majority of my staff speaks fluent Spanish. I asked them about it. The proper grammar would be 'Gringo Loco' but we all felt it sets us apart. It's a little bit uncommon, but Google it -- we're the only one out there."

Collen and his wife, Julie (who's doing the cooking), previously ran Mandolin Cafe. They're shooting for a grand opening on May 5 -- or Mayo de Cinco, if you want to butcher the day that commemorates the Mexican army's victory over French forces.

Collen said his restaurant will host Wednesday night blues jams starting next week. But don't look for La Costa's fabulous gender-bending song-and-dance shows at Gringo de Loco.

"We're going after a more professional crowd," Collen said.

My first taste of Gringo de Loco reminded me of La Costa -- middling Mexican fare served with chips, salsa and bean dip, but minus those fabulous men who dress and perform as women.

Gringo de Loco: 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-0300

Lunch is once again being served at Sea Grill, which ceased mid-day meal service in January 2007. Lunch hours are 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays.

“If we had to do it over again, we would have opened up for dinner only when we first opened three years ago and opened up for lunch at a later time,” Sea Grill general manager Mike Neumann said. “We felt that our dinner program was solid. Now is the time to focus on lunch again.”

Lunch entrees, including a Certified Angus burger, open-face Dungeness crab melt, grill sirloin and salmon, are $10-$17.

Meanwhile at Sea Grill, the restaurant is exhibiting glasswork from Tacoma Glassblowing Studio, founded in 2006 by Tacoma native Mark Sigafoos and his wife, Jeannine, who is a server at Sea Grill. Tacoma Glassblowing Studio's abstract designs echo Sea Grill's undersea swirls, whorls and colorful hues.

Sea Grill: 1498 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. 253-272-5656

Got out-of-town relatives/friends/business associates who can pay for their own sixty-dollar steaks? This blog's for you.

El Gaucho, aka, "Tacoma’s most elegant restaurant," according to a press release, is offering door-to-door valet van service for diners.

Here's how it works:

Convince your guests to stay at one of El Gaucho's "preferred hotels" -- Hotel Murano, where there's no fine dining; or maybe Courtyard by Marriott (where fine dining is mere steps away, at Pacific Grill), or Silver Cloud, which is a few waterfront blocks away from CI Shenanigans and The Lobster Shop on Ruston Way).

If your relatives/friends/business associates get the concierges at their hotels to make dinner reservations at El Gaucho, the swanky steakhouse will pick up your relatives/friends/business associates in a valet vehicle and return them to their hotels after they pay for their own sixty-dollar steaks.

"The El Gaucho experience is an unforgettable evening out on the town," general manager Tony Capra said in a press release. "This is a natural extension of our valet service and another way for us to exceed guests’ expectations.”

Stanley & Seafort's offers a similar service. Unlike El Gaucho, the woman who answered the telephone at Stanley's was more upfront and more than happy to tell me that the restaurant will pick you up from even the Best Western Tacoma Dome or freeway-adjacent La Quinta hotels. (I had to specifically inquire whether El Gaucho dispatches its van to the Best Western and La Quinta. "We service all hotels in the greater Tacoma area," a hostess told me on the telephone.)

On a related customer-service note: If you have reservations about driving away from Fife's Fabulous Firwood -- maybe you've had too much to drink, or maybe you've just had way too much mechanical bull -- the famous roadhouse will call you a cab and watch your your vehicle until you can walk and drive straight again.

"We don't guarantee that your car doesn’t get broken into, but we do guarantee that’s it on camera," a Fabulous Firwood bartender told me.