Walkie Talkie Blog
The kitchen wasn't complete when The Swiss Pub opened 21 years ago this month. Once it was up and running, the first menu item was a no-brainer. "People would hound us asking when we were opening. We would always reply, ‘two weeks'," says Swiss Pub owner Jack McQuade, speaking for his
Walkie Talkie Blog
Since Doyle's Public House opened in the spring of 2006, the Tacoma bar has attracted tourists from all over the world (Esquire magazine gave it a thumbs up), as well as become a local hangout for South Sound Guinness lovers, Jameson drinkers and soccer enthusiasts who are grateful for a
Walkie Talkie Blog
Sometimes it seems like obsession with bacon know no bounds. Present company definitely included. However, in some cases the infatuation is deserved, as in the case with the Gratzilla bacon wheat beer created by Wingman Brewers and Maxwell's Restaurant, which I wrote about this week. The two Tacoma entities let
Walkie Talkie Blog
Late in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII, Lakes High School graduate Jermaine Kearse broke five tackles and danced into the end zone to give the Seattle Seahawks a 36-0 lead over the Broncos. You know the rest of the story. Saturday, April 12, Kearse returns to his hometown of Lakewood
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You love TWOKOI Japanese Cuisine, but the last time you sat in a window booth you were forced to watch a young couple make-out in the next booth. No one needs to see tongue while tossing back hokkigai. Young love is most likely not the reason why TWOKOI will operate as
Walkie Talkie Blog
It's a simple equation. Take ground beef and add heat. Then, it becomes tricky. Choices need to be made. Griddle or grill? Plain salt or complex seasoning blend? Poppy seed or potato bun? In those choices lie the path to burger greatness. Over the past three weeks we've pitted 64 of
Walkie Talkie Blog
Bacon exemplifies everything I love about food. Bacon ties me to my foodie forebears who cured and smoked pork belly to preserve it in the absence of refrigeration. Highly prized artisanal bacons keep alive rural American traditions and ensure smokehouse knowledge will be shared with future generations of proud farmers.
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<<< MONDAY, APRIL 7: GAME CLOSED >>> Update: Tournament of Burgers champion crowned. The titanic burger throwdown finale is on! Voting for the 2014 Weekly Volcano Tournament of Burgers Readers' Poll Championship game is live. After three weeks of voting, you have picked the most popular burger joints in the South Sound. What
Walkie Talkie Blog
SATURDAY, APRIL 5: SET UP FOR MONDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME >>> For more than two weeks, we challenged 64 of the South Sound's best burger joints to go patty-to-patty in a showdown of culinary combat. Some fell easily by the wayside, either due to a rogue Condiments Guy or simply because they
Walkie Talkie Blog
This afternoon when The Copper Door taproom and beer store opens in Tacoma's Stadium District you may toss back pints of 7 Seas Cascadian Dark Ale, Narrows Brewing IPA, Fremont Brewing Company bourbon barrel aged Dark Star, NoLi Empire No. 8 Session IPA and Chuckanut Brewery's Dunkel Lager. If you're the
Walkie Talkie Blog
<<< FRIDAY, APRIL 4 GAMES CLOSED >>> The South Sound loves burgers - at least according to the thousands that have voted in our Tournament of Burgers. Yesterday's burger voting action doubled the previous highest vote count for a single day. And local favorites fell. They fell hard. Every winner yesterday
Walkie Talkie Blog
<<< THURSDAY, APRIL 3 GAMES CLOSED >>> The Great Eight is fully fleshed out: Eastside Big Tom, Maxwell's Restaurant, Westside Tavern, Tatanka, Lefty's Burger Shack, Crown Bar, The Spar and Shake Shake Shake. Eight establishments that - according to our readers' poll - serve the best burgers in the South Sound. It's
Walkie Talkie Blog
The Copper Door, a new Tacoma taproom and beer bottle shop, is set to open Thursday, April 3, in the Stadium District next to Gibson's Frozen Yogurt. I think. Owner Craig Moore planned on opening yesterday, but a pesky sink wouldn't fit in the front bar delaying final inspection. He
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<<< WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2 GAMES CLOSED >>> You must admit: in a region full of dining options, you lust after your burger as a teenage girl pines for Ross Lynch (I'm forced to watch the show). Buns, meat, onions, greens and cheese - the things of dreams. Taco Bell might try
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CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis, CPT Meriwether Lewis ... This title floods the news release announcing the 2013 AUSA Sixth Region Awards. Of the 35 awards giving recognition to chapters, units and individuals, 21 were associated with or nominated by CPT Meriwether Lewis, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord
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TUESDAY, APRIL 1: SWEET PICKLE 16 BURGER ACTION >>> For the last two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: Who makes the best burgers in the South Sound? And you have responded in multitudes. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Pickle Girls and Fry Guys living
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<<< MONDAY, MARCH 31 GAMES CLOSED >>> Beginning tomorrow, we'll cut the field of 64 South Sound burger joints to the Sweet Pickle 16. No joke. April 3, it'll drop to eight. Monday, April 7, we'll announce the winner of the Tournament of Burgers - picked by you, of course -
Walkie Talkie Blog
<<< SUNDAY, MARCH 30 GAMES CLOSED >>> The subject of burgers is, like the subject of barbecue, vexed and fraught with controversy. What constitutes a great burger? Who makes the best? Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite, and everyone's an expert. Throughout the month of February we polled
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SATURDAY, MARCH 29: SECOND ROUND BURGER ACTION >>> Burger construction isn't rocket science. Take some beef, mold it into a patty, throw on some cheese, lettuce, tomato and condiments, serve and enjoy. But hidden within those folds is a complexity that defines the short ingredients list. Building a burger is child's
Walkie Talkie Blog
That big collective ache you may have heard or felt reverberating throughout Tacoma Tuesday, and obviously for years to come, was for the loss of one of the city's most beloved citizens, everyone's friend John O'Gara. The 52-year-old Parkway Tavern long-time manager passed away from health issues, although those close