STEPH DEROSA: DINNER WITH DEROSA >>>

My mind is in full springtime mode.  This weekend we filled a truck up with old furniture.  Trash bags were hauled to the dump by the pounds. My allergy attacks took every last bit of energy I had left.  Yet, it was nothing but cold and hail yesterday.  This is just messed up.  It’s like being on the birth control pill: Your body is faked out to think it’s pregnant with all the side effects, when in reality you have no baby in the pouch. 

Nevertheless, I have to cook dinner.  And I need guests.

Hyon “Luv” Kil, part-owner-manager of Fabulous Firwood Roadhouse, is my first springtime dinner guest.  This guy is a big ball of everything you could ever want in a guy, in a friend, and in a business partner.  And ladies, as far as I know, he’s single.  Since Pappi Swarner vetoed my “Pimp Out Pierce County” idea, I’m going to have to play matchmaker here at Dinner with DeRosa.  He’s smart, extremely kind, and has values to the core.  Spend a few moments with him and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Denise Smith, owner of A Rhapsody in Bloom Florist and Café Latte, will bring us some of her stunning flowers to help us stay in the spring mode. Aside from the quaint feel, warm ambiance, and friendly vibe everyone receives upon entering Rhapsody, I simply admire her values.  Smith supports her community by using local bakeries, local coffee suppliers, and hosting local musicians weekly.  If you’ve never been into A Rhapsody in Bloom â€" GO.  You will love sipping on a yummy, warm coffee in their gorgeous garden room.  It feels as though you are outside, yet there’s no snow falling on you â€" in March.  (Friggen’ snow!)

Oh, sigh: It’s The Parkway Tavern people.  Can you hear my heart flutter?  BanditoBetty, McKenzie, and Nick are Parkway staples and Tacoma’s very own beer ambassadors.  And I love them.  No, not just because they bring me beer, but because they also happen to be really great people. Stop into The Parkway Tavern Thursday nights and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Along with our Parkway beer, Rhapsody coffee, and conversation with Hyon, we’re going to need some YMCA love.  These kids from the downtown Tacoma YMCA have consistently provided a smile every time I need it.  Admit it, it’s not always a big bag of fun knowing you are on your way to work out.  I’d really rather be at Satellite Coffee doing some people watching, but I traipse into the gym anyway.  It’s these people that I see when I walk in, and it’s these people I appreciate when I’m there.  They’re always happy, and always helpful. 

Since I’m talking about the YMCA and physical fitness, I’d like to personally thank everyone at Frost Park last Friday.  I’d like to thank you for not pointing and laughing at me while I braved the snow for an hour in capri yoga pants after a work-out at the Y.  I looked ridiculous, froze my ass off, yet when I left for the gym that morning I had no concept of the word “snow” on a springtime day of March 28.  Thank you, and I appreciate the ridicule kept to a minimum, or at least behind my back where I can’t hear it. 

Viva la Tacoma springtime!