208 Garfield - Champagne taste on a beer budget!

Students at PLU should just forego the meal plan and eat at 208 Garfield!  Talk about gourmet on a budget.  This college run cafe makes you feel like you are at one the best restaurants in town without the giant bill at the end.  Large windows let in great light and lend to the casual yet upscale atmosphere.  On our first visit I had the Tuscan Chick Pea Soup with rosemary and garlic and a piadini.  Its served with a light and lovely arugala salad.  I had the cup which is only $3!! Yes, that's what's pictured below! The soup was flavorful and creamy with the wonderful complement of the spicy light arugala salad.  What an amazing bargain!

My daughter had the Pappa Pomodoro soup with San Marzano Tomatoes, Ciabatta and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Smoked Turkey panini with housemade pesto, romaine, lingonberries and parmesan reggiano on grilled bread.  The soup was an amazing light yet hearty blend of italian flavors again a huge bargain at $3.  The sandwich was also reasonable at $6. 

On our next visit we had the Caesar Salad with Pecorino Toscano and Prosciutto Chips.

Yes, that's it in the picture.  Yes, I said Prosciutto Chips.  Yes it's $5!!

208 Garfield focuses on locally sourced food, wine and beer.  They have the new local beer from Wingman Brewery and wine on tap so every glass is perfect.  We had these wonderful herbal spritzers with lavender and lemon and one with elderflower!  

This is the place you can go to several times a week and not break the bank,  in fact I've convinced myself that it's cheaper than eating at home.  I certainly know the food is better than what I cook at home.  I can't wait to try the pork belly and a glass of wine!  Think of a reason to go to Parkland.....wait this is reason enough to drive to Parkland!  

208 Garfield is at 208 Garfield in Parkland and is open Mon-Fri from 7 a.m. to 9 pm and Sat and Sun from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Cupcake Nirvana

Yummers 2 the 3rd Power
Cupcake Factory
317 Garfield St S.

Tacoma WA  98444

Strawberry Lemonade and Salted Caramel! So yummy and moist!

Talk about cupcake creativity!  The Eddie Monster is Monster Energy Dink in the frosting & cake w/poprocks!  This place is really got some inventive flavors...I mean they have an Avocado cupcake and a Sweet Potato Pie cupcake!  Super friendly people.  My daughter is lactose intolerant and they offered to frost a cupcake with a dairy free frosting.  They offer sugarfree and gluten free versions of all of their flavors. Great place!  Have dinner or lunch at 208 Garfield (blog to follow) then stroll across the street for a cupcake!

Socially Hot Stuff!!

The Social Bar and Grill

1715 Dock St.

Tacoma, WA

98402

253.301.3835

Okay I'm Norwegian so I'm not entering any jalapeno eating contests, but I still like a little spice in my food.  For the most part; however, I like to taste the food and not get a 3rd degree burn in the process.  The Social Bar and Grill is in a great setting on the Thea Foss Waterway.  Their menu has a spanish flair and is filled with interesting combinations that are all reasonably priced.  I just needed some more of the Cassava doughnuts they bring you at the beginning of the meal to temper the heat that emanated from every dish.  We tried three different dishes.  First the Smoked Pork & Pineapple Tacos ($8), which sounds like they should have a some spice with onion, cilantro, jalapeno and slaw, but look at the picture...all those green chopped up things are fresh jalapenos along with the sliced ones on the side! Whew!

  Next we had the Roasted Smoked Pork Belly Sandwich ($8) which doesn't necessarily sound like it should be super spicy but rather smoky and salty.  When you look at the menu description it does say it has a chile-garlic aioli, carmelized onion, roasted peppers, JALAPENO and slaw.  I really wanted to taste the pork belly in that sandwich, that didn't happen.  Again notice the large jalapeno in the picture!

Last we had the Grilled Octopus ($9), this doesn't sound hot at all and the menu description has no mention of the attacking jalapeno!  It says it is served with potato, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, and an "herb sauce".  So that's where the little suckers are hiding!  This dish was the hottest of all! Also if you order the Grilled Octopus, eat it quickly.  Once it gets cold it's just rubbery. 

Overall I would try The Social again.  The service was great and the food is inventive and well priced.  I would just be more careful about asking about the heat level of the food.  In looking closer at the menu it's clear the chef likes playing with fire.  Even the ribeye is served with jalapenos!  Bring a fire extinguisher and give The Social a try (or maybe I'm just a wimpy Norwegian and you won't need one)!  

Bainbridge Island Nibbles

Bainbridge Island Nibbles

Just as a quick note before my nibbles of Bainbridge.  I am going to be doing a lot more short mobile blogs.  I think it will be a lot more fun just giving you my quick impressions on the run.  Not that I won't also do longer blogs about bigger topics but there are a lot of times where I just try a great place and want to say...go here!!  So here we go!

There are lots of great places to try on Bainbridge Island and we have just begun!
First was a really great sounding place called The Harbour Public House, anything called public house peaks my interest.   We had the Classic Montreal Poutine that was described as having Mt Townsend creamery cheese curd and house made gravy.  The fries were overcooked, the gravy was bland and the cheese was cold and rubbery...so disappointed!  The Smoked Salmon Tartine (French open faced sandwich) was okay but the house smoked salmon was dry and the dressing under the greens was too heavy on the vinegar to be any help.  Overall I wasn't terribly impressed with the Harbour Public House, swarms of flies, lackluster service and blah food, which is a shame because its such a great waterfront location.  Harbour Public House, 231 Parfitt Way SW, Bainbridge Island.
Our little excursion was definitely redeemed at the next stop, Cafe Nola.  Bacon wrapped peaches with gorgonzola cheese and a lovely glass of Chardonnay absolutely appealed to my love of the sweet savory combination.  Great little neighborhood to walk around and try different places.  Cafe Nola, 101 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island.
Sent from my HTC smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint!

A Farm Reunion - Brix 25 Farm to Fork Dinner at Peace of the Earth Farms

My 30 year high school reunion and the farm to fork dinner all in one weekend made me think about how things evolve over the years.  In this case it just gets better and better!   Just as I saw the changes in my high school friends so I saw the changes on the farm.  The farm has grown to almost twice the size as last year with lots of new crops flourishing.  Funny how the aging of a farm brings more bounty and beauty, in sharp contrast to how I feel about my own aging! 

After Katy and Holly greeted us in true Brix 25 fashion with a glass of champagne, we began the evening with a tour of the farm lead by farmers Hillary and Brian Bergren who are so passionate about what they do you can’t help but feel the same way.  Walking through the farm and being pampered by the Brix 25 staff gliding by with champagne, oysters casino and oxtail rillette really made you forget for a moment, the amount of work these farmers do to provide this wonderful produce and it just feels as though it’s simply magic.

I felt the same enchantment as we moved to our tables for the farm dinner.  Elegance magically appeared in the middle of the field in between the trees and the rows of vegetables.  Waiting at our table were miniature mason jars with an almond and mushroom terroir with baby vegetables and herbs that looked as though it was a tiny garden unto itself. 

Chef Thad about to present our next course

Chef Thad then presented a bison tenderloin tartare with bright red baby beets, an olive oil poached steelhead with fresh from the farm bok choy, a cottage pie with slow cooked duck and roasted root vegetable ragout with potato puree.  The grand finale was Chef Thad’s Grandma Kennedy’s recipe of green tomato pie with lavender gelato. Every course was paired with a wonderful wine and we finished with a house-made coffee liquor and lemoncello….I’m pretty sure I let out a big sigh of contentment!



Bison tenderloin tartare

You know how you have such wonderful memories of an evening and you think they must be exaggerated?  Maybe you had a little too much wine, maybe the stars were aligned just right and that magic can’t be repeated.  Here we are sitting with great friends that we made at last year’s dinner, talking about our sense of community with the farmers who grew the fresh produce and I realize the enchantment has only grown and I can’t wait until my next reunion with Peace of the Earth Farms and Brix 25. 



Oh My Mac N Cheesy Goodness!!

Honestly as a child I don't remember having mac n cheese, certainly not from a box.  My Mom wasn't the "from a box" kind of cook.   I do remember; however, making mac n cheese for my own children out of a box and if I was feeling especially creative adding hot dogs or chili.  Hey, don't judge! It takes a lot of energy at the end of the day to make something your kids will eat!  I do love mac n cheese.  Creamy, with a sharp bite and a crusty top.  In light of my love for mac n cheese and the current trend for upscaling some of our most traditional and ordinary dishes, I decided to go on a "macabout", you know sort of like a walkabout only involving food!  My Dad's nickname was Mac and he could be pretty cheesy, my grandsons nickname is Mak and he is definitely a cheeser, but let's begin our exploration of some different macs. 

Bite at the Murano
1320 Broadway Plaza
Tacoma WA  98402

No bite at the Bite, all velvety earthy and even looks like a cloud (I mean look at that dish...it looks like you could lay your head on it).  Three cheeses, truffle oil and shaved truffles, it's $15 and worth every creamy bite. 

Crown Bar
2705 6th Ave.
Tacoma WA  98406

Made with Cougar Gold cheese, great bite.  Let me make one caveat, it has a great bite "sometimes".  It seems inconsistent, one time way too salty, one time no bite.  Most of the time great though!  A small is $7 and large is $12.  No reason to mess around with a small!

Top of Tacoma Bar
3529 McKinley Ave.
Tacoma WA  98404

Order it with prosciutto and tomato - that's all I'm gonna say, I mean really it's amazing!  $9.50 add $1.50 for the tomato and prosciutto.  It comes with salad and garlic bread, it's the best deal.

Joule
1913 N 45th St.
Seattle WA  98103

Crunchy and wonderful. Made with spaetzle and black sesame seeds, loved the contrast of the creamy inside and the crispy outside.  $10

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the great mac n cheese in the Puget Sound but rather a broad sampling and I do mean broad,  from Joule (Rachel Yang of Iron Chef Fame) to the wonderfully gritty Top of Tacoma bar...you can't say I don't get around!  There will be more mac n cheese to come, I want to try Rosewood Cafe and Stink in Tacoma and JW's in Gig Harbor.  Any other suggestions?

Gourmet Burger Shop - Worth the drive!

Roadside burger heaven! I had the braised onion burger with horseradish havarti and my partner in burger noshing had the fried oyster sandwich. All burgers come with a choice of beet chips, herb fries, cole slaw or potato salad.  Cute little place with picnic tables inside and out and stacks of time life books for perusing while you wait. The burgers are all hand made and the buns are amazingly hefty and made at a local bakery.  My burger was drip down your arm good!  I'm not a fan of the super skinny crunchy fries but their flavor was great.  Beet chips? How cool is that? They were delicously crunchy and salty. I can't wait to go back and try the cole slaw, the potato salad and all the rest of the burgers! Drive over the Purdy Bridge out 302 to the Gourmet Burger Shop and make sure you get plenty of napkins! Yum!

Sunny Shenanigans!

Love tapas! Try a little of everything! Mix and match any 3 for only $12 and they have a great wine list.  I had the lamb lollipops, lobster crostini and prawn egg rolls..fantastic! The cab franc blend was a perfect compliment...what a great way to celebrate the sun!

Billy B's

Stopped in at this really friendly neighborhood pub and were pleasantly surprised!  Great quesedillas that would rival any mexican restaurant or fancy gastro pub, not too much cheese, tons of meat, black beans and lotsa hotsa jalapenos!  If you are into the sports on the big screens..lots of that with good music playing.   Can't always be about the "cuisine"...need to satisfy my craving for regular pub food!  Most importantly what's the most popular pub wine...14 hands.  14 hands merlot...$4.25..duh winner!  Sorry for the gratuitous Charlie Sheen reference!

Agate Pass Cafe

Let's not talk about why my mother gets free rooms at the Clearwater Casino, let's just focus on the fact that she is nice enough to give them to her family!  We stayed in a lovely room and it was the perfect opportunity to go to the Agate Pass Cafe in Suquamish again.  We had heard great things from friends about this cafe and had gone there in the fall to have appetizers and salad, it was so inventive and wonderful that I couldn't wait to go back.  The first time we visited this little gem we had the deep fried olives with smoked mozzarella, panko breading with a wonderfully spicy red pepper dip and a kale and apple salad with pancetta, pecans with a maple vinaigrette that was so incredible!  We sat at the bar because I really like watching the action happen in the kitchen and I was drawn to it's gorgeous colorful tiles that I understand were done by the owner along with these whimsical whisk light fixtures hanging overhead. 

This time around I had the special which was cornmeal crusted oysters with dirty rice and a celery root apple romolade.  The oysters were extremely fresh and yummy.  A few of them had slightly too much of the cornmeal crust which made them a little too crunchy (almost hard) but the flavor was on target especially with the romolade.  My boyfriend had the braised duck with pappardelle and roasted broccoli.   The pappardelle seemed like it was house made and the duck was moist and flavorful.  I thought the pairing with roasted broccoli was a little odd, but not bad. 

The lively vibe of this little cafe is glorious and it's locale near the water makes it a perfect spot to pull in on your boat at the nearby dock and have some wonderful cuisine.  As a side note, we popped into the little bar next door (I think it's called the Troller Tavern) for a cocktail before going to dinner and it has to be one of the friendliest bars I've ever been in, we had a great time and they have wii bowling!  A good time is not ALL about the food!
If you go just be aware that they do not take reservations for parties under 5 and it's small so you might have to wait but it's worth it!  Keep it up Mom, I want to go back!

No SoBe So.... NewBe!

I couldn't make it to Miami for the South Beach Food and Wine festival so I headed to Newport for the Seafood and Wine fest....maybe not exactly the same but who needs Michael Symon and his fancy burgers anyway?!
I am a certified seafoodaphile so I was in heaven surrounded by the abundance of seafood at this event.  I did have my priorities straight however and headed to Mo's first! If you don't already know, Mo's is an institution started by the "crusty, big hearted chain smoking mother of Newport".  This is not some glammed up gourmet food stop.  This is the Pacific Northwest seafood that I grew up on without any added trendy ingredients.  Don't under estimate it's creamy pure flavor, Mo's chowder was a featured entree at the first luncheon ever held at the Smithsonian which celebrated "The Best American Regional Foods".  The chowder emphasizes the clams and comes with a big pat of butter on top!  I was horrified when one of my dining companions scooped hers off...I wanted to tell her to just give me her chowder and why didn't she just order a bowl of bean sprouts or something!  Of course I followed the chowder with fresh dungeness crab...pure heaven for this Northwest girl!
The vast array of yummy choices at the Seafood and Wine fest are too numerous to list but if you go next year don't miss the asparagus farm and their HUGE dungeness crab chile rellenos or the tamales.  Sipping wine and eating seafood makes me oh so happy; however, I don't think I would have been happy if we had gone on Saturday when I heard there were times you couldn't even get in the door but this quintessential Northwest Sunday was perfect.

Simons - Strip mall on the outside delicious surprise on the inside!

Okay am I really in Port Orchard? Wow! This tastes like some of the best Thai and Vietnamese in Seattle.  Started out with fresh spring rolls that I have a new appreciation for since I tried making them myself!  Thai basil prawns were sweet and spicy with huge chunks of crispy jalapenos.  Seafood chow fun was an absolutely bountiful ocean of squid, scallops, prawns, bok choy with big soft wide noodles...I couldn't stop eating it!  The curry eggplant was a gorgeous contrast of the purple eggplant and the bright yellow curry that was perfectly spicy.   No I didn't eat all that myself I had the help of good girlfriends!  On Piperberry off of Bethel Port Orchard, next time you are here make this a destination. Wonderful!

BITE This! The sudden death of the lobster corn dog

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the lobby bar at the Murano.  You are surrounded by stunning glass art and you always meet someone interesting.  The Murano on Broadway in Tacoma is on the Conde Nast Travelers Gold List of the 504 best hotels in the world!  Hey, I always knew I had good taste!  There is something different about a bar in a hotel, people are traveling away from home so they are more inclined to get to know the people around them.  More often than not when sitting at the lobby bar, the entire bar is having a conversation....led by the vibrant bartenders Kristy, Debra and Chris.  The other great thing is that you can just wander upstairs to BITE and there is another beautiful bar and restaurant with some good food at a decent price. 
When you open a menu what is the thing that disappoints you the most?  Mine is when there isn't anything on there that I haven't had before.  I want to be intriqued not bored.  Well, open up the menu at BITE and say, "lobster corn dog".  Now that is something you don't get just anywhere!  So imagine my sense of mourning when as I was working on this blog I learn about the sudden death of the lobster corn dog!  Nobody knows what happened...one day they seemed fine and poof they were gone!  So I have developed a twelve step program to help us all heal:

Step one:  Cocktail at the lobby bar...stimulating conversation, great laughs (great for healing the hurt).
Step two:  Up the stairs to BITE.  Start with the lobster corn dogs  the spicy prawns which really aren't as spicy as they could be but are better than the fried green tomatoes that were dry, hard and unrecognizable.  These should have been taken off the menu and saved the lobster corn dogs!
Step three:  Have the lobster pot pie as a rich homage to the dogs!
Step four:  Don't skip dessert...they have milkshakes!
Step five:  Back to the lobby...book a room.
Step six:  Have Kristy make you a decadent coffee drink so that you don't slip into a food coma.
Step seven:  Ogle at all the gorgeous art on your way to your room !
Step eight:  Breakfast...oh my god! Limoncello cured salmon on a toasted bagel with tomato, cream cheese and capers!
Step nine:  Go to Savi Day Spa right in the hotel and get a relaxing massage
Step ten:  Take your time checking out and take some pictures of the gorgeous glass art.
Step eleven:  Try the fries and mushroom zinfandel gravy with gorgonzola cheese.  The concept of fried and gravy just sounds so wonderful that you have to try it and make your own decision.  I found the gravy way too salty that was a really dark brown color that made the pile of fries look like unappetizing mud and the gorgonzola cheese was barely there.  They might be a good hangover cure though!

 
Step twelve:  If you did all that you better take a walk down to the Glass Museum and back whilst (there's a word you don't get to use much) "thanking me" and praying for the resurrection of the lobster corn dog!
This is a great place to experience, especially on a Tuesday or Thursday when it's BITE night...lots of the appetizers are only $5, but don't miss having a cocktail in the Lobby Bar where you can get appetizers as well and the vibe is much more vibrant.  Pretend like you're from out of town and experience a local luxury!

Holy Bulgogi!

Bulgogi literally means "fire meat" in Korean and the bulgogi at Cham Korean BBQ was definitely that! 

I was about to write that the best thing about this restaurant was that I felt so nourished and that I had had a really healthy meal when I left, but then I realized that a big part of the experience here (and yes it's an experience) is the friendly atmosphere and being an active participant in your food preparation.  We were greeted and "schooled" by all three members of this family owned business and they all had an uncanny way of explaining the food and it's preparation in a way that didn't make you feel like a McDonald's junkie who had never eaten anything slightly ethnic or that they had probably explained this a thousand times before.  You can tell that they are super excited about their food and really proud (rightfully so) that the Mom makes all the banchan (side dishes) from scratch along with all the sauces!  The sweet/sour sauce is called marriage proposal sauce because she has received 5 marriage proposals after men tasted this sauce!  The son took the time to show us different combinations of meat and vegetables and how he liked to wrap them and I was absolutely hooked on wrapping everything in the thinly sliced pickled daikon radish...yum!

The bulgogi was spicy and wonderfully full of flavor without being too salty which I have experienced before.  The selection of meats that you can cook on your own personal little grill is awesome with pork belly topping the list for me, pork jowl a close second and who can forget tripe?  Okay maybe I exaggerated with with the tripe thing...not really a favorite!  Maybe there is some other way to cook tripe that is good but throwing it on the grill just turns it into a tasteless rubberband.  I especially loved the dried spicy squid and of course the kimchi and was so busy trying all the banchan that I think we overcooked our first round of meat. Our clue was when it started to smoke and the owner came over and pulled it off the grill for us saying, "oh oh oh this is done"!  Our second round of meat consisted of the beef rib tips, calamari and of course more bulgogi.  Wrapping the bulgogi in lettuce with some onion salad and a generous swipe of the marriage proposal sauce is a must!

The place was pretty busy for an off time on a Saturday afternoon so I have a feeling it gets pretty packed during the prime time.  Obviously this wouldn't be the place to bring a small child who can't sit still with a hot grill involved or maybe that is how you get them to sit still...they will only touch it once!  Lessons learned the hard way last the longest!  There are no tables for a large group and that is the only thing I would hope they would add as this would be fun with a large group having several grills going.

Personally I love this type of eating, getting creative and letting your palate and taste buds go crazy!  The sort of unthought of benefit is that it is really healthy.  Mostly lean meats, fish and vegetables so unless you go nuts on white rice there is no reason to feel guilty when you leave here feeling stuffed!  Speaking of leaving, the finishing touch on this great meal was the owner walking us to the door and waving as we left, just as if we had visited him at home.  Hmmm...I wonder where he lives and if they want to adopt me?

 

Go visit them it's worth the drive just not on Mondays when they are closed!

10518 S Tacoma Way SW
#H
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253) 584-2287