Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: December, 2006 (74) Currently Viewing: 31 - 40 of 74

December 16, 2006 at 9:11am

Day of the Cookie: Metropolitan Market

11 Days of Cookies: Day Two

My true love would be a trifle misguided if he gave me a snickerdoodle like the one I ordered from Metropolitan Market. The thing would have had a great flavor, had it not been three-days-past-sell-by-date stale. 

I substituted these instead. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

December 16, 2006 at 11:10am

South Sound Garage review

It looks like we might have ourselves a show, people.

 Hanging at the opening of the Sound Sound Garage, where the crowd outnumbered the security until 10 p.m., I was pleasantly surprised to find the lounge free of senior citizens and schoolchildren.  Everyone dressed for comfort over jeans drank in the massive space while Ozzy, Motley Crue, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Lynyrd Skynyrd competed with "Groove Is in The Heart" and other club hits of the '80s and '90s.

 It's huge.  It's a garage, or was, with 9,000-square feet of metal, huge raised stage in the corner with good site lines, lights everywhere, tables, eight small half-moon booths with a large VIP booth next to the bar.  The servers might have to wear Camelbaks to keep hydrated during their stroll from the long bar to the last booth next to Market Street.

It's loud. A 18,000-watt sound system loud.  It's I can hear it down the street loud.  NIN's "Closer" brought the first ladies to the dance floor around 10:15 p.m.  I swear the song almost knocked my drink off the table.  I'm talkin' loud folks, but in an adrenaline rush sort of way.      

I bolted around 11 p.m. so I never witnessed a rush to the dance floor.  The crowd was in their late 20s and 30s in groups. The meet market didn't exist.

The steakhouse aspect of the joint isn't on line yet.  Baskets of fried food are your option.

Verdict.  It's my kind of joint.  I love it.  I will kick back in a booth, get my drink on, listen to loud music I grew up with and watch the pretty girls dance away.

However, they need to drop the $5 cover until the place packs out.  They need the bodies to fill the space.

[South Sound Garage Steakhouse and Grill, 933 Market St. (no sign, just "Now Open" banners), downtown Tacoma]

Filed under: Tacoma,

December 16, 2006 at 11:42am

Downtown Tacoma's Theater District is open this weekend

Freezing in your dark house?  The Weekly Volcano has received word from Tacoma's Broadway Center that the shows are on this weekend.

All performances in downtown Tacoma's Theater District are in full operation with heat.  Don't be fooled with their down phone lines.  They are ready to entertain you tonight.

Tickets available at the Broadway Center Box Office, 901 Broadway in downtown Tacoma, right now. Tickets are also available online.

I'm talking:
Tacoma City Ballet's "The Nutcracker" in the Pantages today and tomorrow at 1 and 5 p.m.

The Christmas Revels in the Rialto Theater today at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 1 and 5 p.m.

Tacoma Actor's Guild's "The Trial of Ebeneezer Scrooge" in Theatre on the Square tonight at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m.

The only dark you should be in is right before curtain time. â€" Michael Swan

Filed under: Culture, Tacoma,

December 17, 2006 at 12:25pm

Winter ales spirit and Swiss party

The Christmas Spirit blog posted a story on Winter Beer Tasting including interviews with Jenn Gridley, brewer at Fish Brewing in Olympia, Doug Teide, a brewer at Engine House No. 9, and Jack McQuade, an owner of the Swiss Pub.  The Swiss Pub hosts their Christmas party today, which usually ends up hitting the road and invading another pub. â€" Jake de Paul

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

December 17, 2006 at 1:20pm

Tacoma Christmas Revels review

This year, I vowed that I’d not be a cultural lame-o poophead, and experience the Nordic side of the season at the Pacific Lutheran University’s Scandinavian Cultural Center’s Julefest because nothing says “holidays” quite like Glogg and lutefisk.

Nordicchristmasone_1 Upon arriving to the PLU campus, I discovered the sort of peaceful silence that generally doesn’t bode well in my line of work.  The sign on the door proclaimed “due to the weather forecast, the Annual Nordic Christmas Fest has been cancelled.”  Ironic as the Norwegians brought us Arctic exploration, cross-country skiing, and that nifty cozy sweater. 

I did see a crowd of interesting looking people heading into the Lutheran Church, and nearly crashed their party thinking they were my missing Swedes and Norwegians, only to discover the Tacoma Astronomical Society, who didn’t appear to want me hanging around them. Smart people, they are.

Nordicchristmastwo Feeling a bit like the family in "A Christmas Story," stymied in their pursuit of holiday happiness, I thought I’d take my cultural experience and expand it.  I, like the protagonists in the aforementioned movie, went to a Chinese restaurant. The Tea Leaf is the setting of some warm memories involving my deceased uncle, so it was natural that I’d head in there.  Waiting for my food, I called the Rialto Theatre to see if I could sneak in the night’s "The Christmas Revels" show. Score!

Hastily stuffing my to-go snow white chicken and hot and sour soup into my trunk, I high-tailed it to pick up my last-minute date, my co-Smartest Person in the Universe (we won King’s Books spelling bee together months back) who also happened, conveniently, to be half-Norwegian. Score!

Together, we enjoyed a French-Canadian holiday moment.  A Puget Sound Revels cast hit the stage, followed by a procession of singers from the sides of the Rialto.  Soon, bodies filled the stage. Listening to the children singing “Angels We Have Heard on High” tears hopped into my eyes (when did I start crying at displays of kiddie talent?) and a sort of wonder struck me that talent of this magnitude existed in Tacoma. 

The rest of the evening progressed quickly, with singing, dancing, and storytelling weaving a loose narrative about how the shortest day, and the consequent turning of the New Year, was celebrated in the town of Three Rivers, in 18th century Quebec.

There were happy points, like the lively polka number (with percussion tapped out by Ann Trail) and the children’s songs.  There were sad points, like the mournful moment when “les Voyageurs” left their families.  There were the humorous points, like the guy who needed to “go,” interrupting the flying canoe ride, and the story 'Ti â€"Jean and the Loup Garou.

All these points were held together in the ultimate, basic joy of the season, and the ultimate, basic wish for Peace on Earth.  For me it was exactly the moment that I needed, the celebration of the moment of the earth that is, at once, the darkest and the most hopeful.

Probably the highest point of my evening was meeting the couple sitting behind us in Norwegian sweaters. 

Who knew, I could have my Nordic moment enjoying French songs sung by a talented cast of local Revelers?

Next year: Glogg.  Next year: more revelers. Next year: Peace. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Culture, Tacoma,

December 17, 2006 at 1:40pm

Day of the Cookie: Cavanaugh's

11 Days of Cookies: Day Three

The third day had me eating a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie from Cavanaugh's Coffee House.  I don't think it was made on-premises, and it lacked in fresh gooeyness, but it was tasty.

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

December 18, 2006 at 7:58am

Day of the Cookie: Mocha Moo

11 Days of Cookies: Day Four

The Mocha Moo in Lakewood double chocolate chip cookie came close to perfection on the fourth day; it had a pleasing cookie crunch at the edges with a brownie-soft texture toward the middle.  â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Food & Drink, Lakewood,

December 18, 2006 at 9:59am

Kulture Lab photos

Hhkulturelab John Waters became obsessed with Christmas after the family tree fell on his grandmother. She wasn't injured, but the experience left Waters with a heightened awareness of the holiday's emotional extremes. If you've ever wondered what Christmas with John Waters would be like, it's like Saturday night's Holiday Hell Party at Kulture Lab.

Another fun event from the Dead Artists folks.  Here are a few moments from Saturday's festivities.Hhwindow
Hhgaryjohn Hhart Hhangie Hhmanequin Hhfood Hhtwoscoops Hhsign Hhtoiletcam Hhdealornodeal Hhdeal2 Hhsweatpea

Filed under: Culture, Tacoma,

December 18, 2006 at 12:00pm

Swiss Christmas Party and Army invasion

The Weekly Volcano would like to thank the Swiss Pub for inviting us to their annual holiday shindig.  The downtown Tacoma bar was packed with family and friends last night.  Some of the highlights included Santa Scooter passing out gifts to the employees, a delicious food spread, karaoke and tons of beer.

Afterward, the Swiss Army hit the road and invaded Doyle's Public House in the Stadium District.  Gifts in the form of shots were passed around and folks danced before the Celtic band Ockham's Razor.  Swiss bartender Monkey sent the Weekly Volcano a message from across the room.

Swissarmy_1 The Swiss Army ended the night at Hank's in what can only be described as a packed house of really drunk people.

We can't wait for next year. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Club Hopping, Tacoma,

December 18, 2006 at 3:49pm

Sci-fi Tacoma

Every once in a while, an event comes along that makes me giddy to even write about. Unfortunately, the Business Examiner beat me to the punch. â€" Suzy Stump

Business Examiner's Daily Business E-mail: Tacoma-area film maker Juillei Jonz, a.k.a. Hollywillis, today released his first full-length feature film, entitled "Rantoon," a story that Jonz describes as a futuristic story of friendship and courage in the face of evil. The film won't be in theaters, but is available on DVD on his Web site.

Jonz, former soldier in the United States Army and the Washington National Guard, put together the two-hour movie all on his own.

Filed under: Screens, Tacoma,

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