It was a journey not of the mind, but of the heart. It was a quest for truth and goodness. It was one solid stab at fathoming the unfathomable, at rediscovering the familiar, at embracing unexpected strangeness. Above all, it was a damn good chance to drink in the afternoon.

It was downtown Tacoma, Seventh and Pacific Avenue, on a Friday afternoon.  Here it what I discovered.

Paddy Coyne’s shines with cool mill work, a two-toned dark stain that screams “Hell yeah we're a feckin' Irish pub!” and posts and wall mounts for lots of intimate lighting.  The river rock blends well with all the other components, and the kitchen, such as it is, looks impressive.  My guess they open around Jan 26.

Kris Blondin might present a cynical pre-Valentines Day wine tasting for Evil (Shiraz), Pure Evil (unoaked Chard), Bitch (a cheeky Grenache), and Heart of Darkness (a wine for mature wine drinkers only, Blondin says, "It's dirty!") at Vin Grotto Café and Wine Bar Feb. 10.  Actual plans are being firmed up. It could be a chocolate love plus love stinks kind of event for singles, or not.

Vin Grotto hosts a New Zealand wine tasting Jan. 18, and a Spanish tasting Jan. 31.  I imagine the wine names will not be as fun.

I ran into a commercial real estate friend who wants to remain anonymous but came clean that the Drake's building has been leased.  The word is it will be a fancy dance club on the ground floor, a restaurant in the mid-level, and office buildings on the top. Several merchants are skeptical, as they have seen zero progress.  I'll leave this to those who care.

I ended the day in a sea of beautiful men at the Matador.  Tequila, two plasma screens broadcasting the games and beautiful women indulging in happy hour/gossip hour have created quite the scene at the Tex-Mex restaurant.