Last night, I dropped by Hilltop Kitchen for a birthday treat on the way home. I dumb-lucked into its new food and drink menu, which was released hours before. If the pancakes & quail with blueberry compote and sage honey ($12), and its version of the Duncan Idaho Ghola cocktail are any indication of the quality with the other creations on the complete menu turnover, then wow!
WOW!
The kitchen is open to 11 p.m. weekdays and midnight Friday and Saturday. The cocktails continue to close. Find it at 913 MLK Way on Hilltop Tacoma.
Shake Shake Shake co-owner Steve Naccarato served beers to his appropriate-aged customers today, including the Sonics Guy who snapped this photo for his Facebook page.
Tacoma Stadium District burger joint Shake Shake Shake has added beer beer beer. That's right, friends, we've all heard the rumor that this top-notch burger/fries/shakes hangout was going to add amber to its orange and light blue color scheme. A year and a couple months after it opened, the popular joint now serves beer and wine.
"We brought in beer and wine first," says co-owner Steve Naccarato. "We'll add boozy shakes next week, then specialty cocktails down the road."
Team Shake Shake Shake is still fine-tuning its bar. A former Weekly Volcano scribe is said to be one of the bartenders.
Beers on tap include Tacoma Brewing Company's Broken Window IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Coors Light. Rainier is available in can. Gig Harbor's 7 Seas Brewing's brews will be available soon. Angry Orchard Cider is available to pair with a hickory burger or bacon dog.
"We also have a nice Bellini made from estate grown white peaches and raspberries with Prosecco," says Naccarato. "It's quite good."
Boozy shakes will include an Absinthe shake called The Van Gogh and a Tiger Tini with Almond Roca infused vodka.
Hours will stay the same for now. If there's demand to stay open later, especially in its backyard picnic area during the summer, then Nacarrato says they'll adjust the hours. Music isn't out of the question.
Music, music, music!
SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 124 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253.507.4060
In case you missed SyFy's so-bad-it's-awesome made-for-TV movie Sharknado, Café Brosseau is the first to bring a screening of the movie to Tacoma. As you may have guessed, the movie is about a freak disaster in which man-eating sharks swim through the streets and fall from the air in Los Angeles.
Ah, crap. We apologize. We read the press release wrong.
Cafe Brosseau, a Tacoma Coffee House featuring Tacoma's own Madrona Coffee Co., is bringing SHAKERATO, not Sharknado, to Tacoma.
According to Café Brosseau, "The Shakerato, is a foamy, frosty, cold mix of premium roasted Madrona Coffee Co espresso beans, extracted by a caring Barista, from an Italian race car of an espresso machine, La Marzocco. The resulting espresso shots are hand-shaken, cocktail-style, with a simple sweetness, and ice."
Oh, man. That's much better than Tara Reid, John Heard, a chainsaw wielding Ian Ziering battling an inexplicable series of tornadoes loaded with sharks.
Apparently Cafe Brosseau is happy to add a touch of creaminess to its Shakerato, such as almond milk, hemp milk or dairy cream.
CAFÉ BROSSEAU, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 2716 N. 21st St., Tacoma, 253.327.1306
I caught wind of the opening of Windward Pizza from the boss and ventured to northeast Tacoma to check it out. Located in the strip mall just a hop away from Browns Point, Windward Pizza is a welcome addition to the somewhat sleepy neighborhood, mostly populated by affluent homeowners and windy roads. There's a few dining options though not many.
Approaching their third month in business, Windward Pizza is a family-friendly dining joint, featuring a handful of arcade games to entertain the young'uns while you wait for your meal. The interior is clean and open with a tasteful mishmash of seaside and Italian imagery including an Italian film poster in the arcade room, though strangely enough the other movie posters are boring American versions.
The menu is comprised of hearty pastas, salads and sandwiches including the seafood melt ($13.99) featuring a rustic roll jam packed with baby shrimp, and real crab topped with gooey mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, red onion, lettuce and tomatoes - all united in beautiful matrimony with Thousand Island dressing. Served up with a side of round fried taters the sammie hits the spot and represents a real near-waterside-dining establishment with the fillings.
Windward's pizzas consist of traditional picks to more adventurous fun finds such as Taco Pizza, Cheese Burger Pizza using a compelling ketchup and mustard sauce and the Loaded Baked Potato Pizza with a damn tasty, zesty garlic white sauce, actual slices of potato topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, loads of smoky, crisp bacon bits and green onions.
The beverage selection includes self-serve soda machine with a select but decent tap and bottle list that includes local faves such as 7 Seas Brewing.
When asked about how business was, I was told it's been good, though upon my visit (not during peak hours) it was pretty quiet.
In all I'd say Windward Pizza is family fun and yum and worth the journey to Browns Point for a play day fueled by pizza pies.
WINDWARD PIZZA, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., 1000 Town Center NE, Suite 140, Tacoma 253.252.2798
A summer sunset stroll along Tacoma's Ruston Way waterfront is a must. Dusk time walks are among my favorite excuses to indulge in a seaside cocktail or sweet treat. RAM Restaurant and Brewery satisfies both. I suggest you eat the RAM's Colossal Sizzling Bread Pudding ($7.49) right now.
The behemoth dessert is a traditional bread pudding highlighting flavors of custard, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla soaked throughout the bready treat. The sweetness is understated - not too rich and pairs well with coffee. And the size ... it's no joke. The RAM's Colossal Sizzling Bread Pudding arrives in a, yup, sizzling skillet topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a generous portion of caramel on the side.
To say it's sharable is an understatement. The caloric intake exceeds the needs of an adult woman ... FOR THE DAY. I'm not saying this is a con. Just be warned and bring a partner in crime with a sweet tooth.
RAM'S COLOSSAL SIZZLING BREAD PUDDING, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, RAM Restaurant and Brewery, 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma, 253.756.7886.
Last Wednesday during the Narrows Brewing brewer's night at Puyallup River Alehouse, Narrows head brewer Joe Walts told me he was excited to celebrate the brewery's first year, how much he's enjoyed living in our region and Stephanie Anne Johnson was scheduled to perform at his one-year anniversary party Saturday, July 19. The press release for the anniversary party dropped today. ...
This July marks the one year anniversary for one of Tacoma's newest craft beer breweries, Narrows Brewing Company. Located in the restored Mill Building in Narrows Marina at the bottom of 19th Street, it enjoys a waterfront setting that takes full advantage of the view of its name sake waters, the Narrows Bridge, and local boating activity.
The one year anniversary will be celebrated with a craft beer style party Saturday, July 19th from 6:00 - 11:00 and will be held not only in the taproom, but also the brew house, a portion of the adjoining warehouse, and an outdoor deck. Tickets are $10 and a limited number are being sold in the taproom. The party is being dubbed "Breakers Ball", a fishing community reference to a favorite location off Pt. Richmond, where local fishermen have great success fishing in the breakers created by prevailing winds.
Every week we swap out the Served banner art above, introducing you to the people who serve food and drinks in the South Sound. This week, meet Morgan Alexander.
Server Banner boy, June 30-July 6, 2014
Morgan Alexander
Morgan Alexander began brewing beer in high school. He used Baker's yeast and apple juice, which was according to Alexander, "horrible stuff, but it was alcohol." In October of 2013, he converted his beloved Amocat Cafe into the Tacoma Brewing Company. "It was a sad day for me," says Alexander. "The previous three years had been filled with so many good memories. But now there's beer, so it's not so bad." Tacoma Brewing Company is at 625 St. Helens Ave. in Tacoma's Triangle District.
Why do you serve?
"I'm social and I like people. If you're in the service industry and people annoy you, then you are in the wrong industry."
Who is your favorite server in the South Sound?
"I would say it's a tie between Jason at Tacoma Cabana and Sean at the Parkway. They are both always friendly, professional and happy to serve."
What are you most proud to serve?
"I try not to serve stuff I'm not proud of. Lately, I am most proud of my Broken Window IPA. It's a very unconventional beer that appeals to people."
What's your current drink of choice?
"I've been getting more into sour beers. My latest favorite Rodenbach Grand Cru.
Favorite movie?
"I don't really have time to watch movies. I've been watching Louie on Netflix lately though and love it!"
Every Friday after 2:45 p.m., when workday decorum is thrown out, Weekly Volcano publisher Pappi Swarner pops open a local brew, tilts back in his rickety office chair and cranks his Frazier Model Seven speakers. And as interns inappropriately learn from Pappi during their orientation, nothing tastes better than pairing local music with local beer. Pappi picks one song and repeats it until he can see the bottom of his glass. When the music stops, we know he has left the building.
Today, Pappi has paired China Davis' "Anjilla" off their new Arctic Days album with Harmon Brewing's drINK THIS White IPA.
Singer and principal songwriter Ben Fuller and his musical mate and brother, guitarist Ted Fuller, have been making music since their junior high days in Gig Harbor. They're both music freaks, but Ben takes it one step higher. He'll chat music for hours on end, and he can pull it off. He hears every note, and remembers every note he hears. The Fullers' band, China Davis, is firmly rooted in the foundation of Americana and singer/songwriter tropes with the ability to bring the rock. They recently released Arctic Days, their Dark Side of the Moon, but haven't officially released it to the public. How about that release show, guys?!
"I think ‘Anjilla' sums up the feeling and the theme of the Arctic Days album," explains Ben. "That's the reason it's the first song because it sets the tone of the whole thing. I'm a huge music fan and I love most of the music that has come out of our region that has become really big, I'm just not sure that I look at any of it and say, ‘that feels like Washington to me.' That was a real goal of mine in making this album. What does it sound like here? I can hear England in The Beatles and The Who. I can hear California in the Beach Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jamaica in Bob Marley, Minnesota in Bob Dylan, New York in Lou Reed and Oklahoma in Woody Guthrie. What sounds like the Northwest? I wanted the land and the water in these songs - my grandparents' struggles as commercial fishermen. The connectedness of family and being connected with our past in the present. I've been working at this idea for a long time, but it's quite the task because this group of songs is a lot more revealing than anything we've ever done as a band.
"When we put out ShadowdancingI was in a really tough place in my life, mostly in the relationship sense. It's kinda hard to get into but my personal life was feeling like a ship that was going down slowly. I kept on patching the leaks and finally the bottom of the boat broke open. I decided to just let the damn thing go down and let go for a while. I actually didn't date for a couple years and got myself on track. Then I met Faye out of nowhere. 'Anjilla' is a song about that I suppose — I needed to look at things differently and see things about life that were always there but were being ignored. I named the song 'Anjilla' after my grandfather's fishing boat. The real boat was called Angilla after my sister Jill and cousin Angela. I thought if I made it 'Anjilla' it would be pronounced more like it is intended to sound and maybe even make my sister a little bit uncomfortable, which I think would be funny.
"('Anjilla') is really about a dream of a shipwreck rescue, about hitting the restart button and pulling yourself out of the muddy shore. I think the line 'All the singers you used to love, all dead men' says it all — just being OK with yourself to move on and start over. Our band has been around for quite a while right now and we needed to really look at what is important for us artistically as opposed to trying to make it. So, this song leads us as a band into the first chapter of our Great American Novel, the one about the Northwest. Each song is a small piece of a bigger story; 'Anjilla' is the welcoming to that world."
"I am not only a singer-songwriter but I am also a guy who drives a beer truck for a living," says Ben. "Laugh all you want but Elvis Presley was also a trucker! Lately, I would say that I have to go with IPA as my ‘go to' beer."
drINK THIS is a medium-bodied IPA brewed with three different malted barleys that make up 60 percent of the grain bill. White wheat makes up the other 40, with five different hop varieties - Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo and Citra - used in the kettle. It rings in at 7.6 percent ABV and 65 IBUs.
"The Harmon also makes a pretty good Vanilla Porter," says Ben.
Listen. Do you hear it? It's a subtle sound, but getting louder every minute. It's the velvety whirr of bicycle tires gliding over Northern Tacoma's roads, punctuated by the clicking of changing gears, with the occasional thud of a pothole, pedaled by people you know. If you follow the sound, you'll probably end up at the Rosewood Cafe, the neighborhood hangout between the Proctor District and Old Town Tacoma. During warm weather, cyclists often end their rides at the Rosewood. Sandwiches, salads, beer and wine don't get in the way, but offer rewards for time in the saddle. And it's all quite good, especially the mac and cheese.
Rosewood's mac and cheese arrives bubbling with cheddar, Havarti, Swiss and blue cheeses. The dish is elevated with nutmeg and ground mustard — topped with golden panko and grated Parmesan. Penne pasta provides a tender chew; the wide ends of the noodles slicked with cheese, which will have at least one string dangling from the fork. The shotgun-riding bread slices should be used to dig out the leftover cheese.
If ever there were a macaroni and cheese that could unite bicyclists and car drivers, it's this one.
ROSEWOOD CAFÉ, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, 3323 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.752.7999
Americans are drinking more craft beer, but they're also making more of their own at home. This is a friendly reminder the Aroma of Tacoma HomeBrew Championship competition is on, with an entry deadline of July 17.
OK, a few beer events happening over the next couple of days. ...
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
Northwest Brewing Company (1091 Valentine Ave. SE, Pacific) celebrates its second anniversary with an all-day party beginning at noon. A $5 cover lets you see a bunch of bands.
Fremont Brewing beer will flow at Morso (9014 Peacock Hill Ave., Gig Harbor) beginning at noon. Casey Gish from Fremont will be onsite from 1-4 p.m. to discuss and pour Wandering Wheat, Seasonal Summer Solstice Ale, Universale Pale Ale, Interurban IPA and Brother Imperial IPA. There is a $5 fee per person for this event, which will be refunded with a growler fill.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Brett Porter, brewmaster at Goose Island Brewery joins Jere Scott, executive chef at Stanley & Seafort's, for a five-course beer dinner at the fine-dining restaurant on the cliff above Tacoma. The cost is $69.95 per person. Reserve your spot for the 6 p.m. dinner at 253.473.7300.
Let's take a look at people drinking beer in the South Sound this past week. ...
Pint Defiance on the edge of Fircrest hosted Deschutes Brewery Wednesday, June 18. >>>
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub hosted Double Mountain Brewery Wednesday, June 18 >>>
Puyallup River Alehouse hosted Narrows Brewing Co. Wednesday, June 25 >>>
Served, a blog by the Weekly Volcano, is the region’s feedbag of fresh chow daily, local restaurant news, New Beer Column, bar and restaurant openings and closings, breaking culinary news and breaking culinary ground - all brought to the table with a dollop of Internet frivolity on top.
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Budi Sdk said:
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Ted Smith said:
Thank you for the list of restaurants to try out. I will have to try their Mac and Cheese....
The menu is comprised of hearty pastas, salads and sandwiches including the seafood melt ($13.99) featuring a rustic roll jam packed with baby shrimp, and real crab topped with gooey mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, red onion, lettuce and tomatoes - all united in beautiful matrimony with Thousand Island dressing. Served up with a side of round fried taters the sammie hits the spot and represents a real near-waterside-dining establishment with the fillings.
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub hosted Double Mountain Brewery Wednesday, June 18 >>>
Puyallup River Alehouse hosted Narrows Brewing Co. Wednesday, June 25 >>>
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