Chef Charlie McManus and partner Jacqueline Plattner raised the bar for Tacoma restaurants when they opened the critically acclaimed Mediterranean-ish Primo Grill in October 1999. And after more than 10 years of dining at Primo, even though there are three or four nightly specials every time I visit that would undoubtedly plant a Bill Cosby Jell-O pudding-look of ecstasy on my face, nine times out of 10 I'll order their famous Bolognese pasta dish instead.

Their classic Tuscan ragu is sweetened with carrots and onions, packed with ground beef and ladled over the perfect amount of al dente spaghetti. It's not always easy to get a lot of flavor out of a sauce as complex as the ragu; Primo nails it, especially adding chunkier garlic pieces. Not drowning the pasta and sprinkling Parmesan rather than coating the dish pays off, too. The perfect ratio of ingredients is the key to this dish's success: It's a well-balanced stunner that could grace any Tuscan's table. 

[601 S. Pine, Tacoma, 253.383.7000]