BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

tokonoma \'to-ke-"no-me\ noun [Jp] (1871)
A niche or alcove in the wall of a Japanese house for the display of a decorative object

USAGE EXAMPLE: "In my family's tokonoma is a display of a lovely commemorative toenail clipper from the Niagara Falls gift shop circa 1978, which is the last time we took a real vacation," says Nanashi No Gombe, janitor at an unnamed Japanese bank. “I need a new job.”

THE MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Shitty time on McNeil 

OLYMPIA: Thurston County Democrats are headed to Denver

SEATTLE: Boeing offers Machinists 3 "deal-breakers"

UNITED STATES: Obama  chooses Biden as running mate

ENVIRONMENT: Vote in Alaska puts question: gold or fish?

JUST BIZARRE: Four-earned feline finds fame

MORE STRANGE NEWS: University fires debate coach who mooned rival

THINGS TO DO TODAY

FILM LISTINGS: Look here

MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening tonight

SHOOT THE SHIT: Let's talk Biden

GINGER KNOXX: GARI OF SUSHI GRAND OPENING >>>

After closing late last year after an electrical fire damaged the kitchen and lounge, Gari of Sushi made its comeback last night in its same location at 1209 S. 38th St. in Tacoma. Pappi Swarner, Kake, The Frenchman, Magnum and I stopped by, and as is the case with most restaurant openings, it was tasty but chaotic. Here, then, are a few observations:

At 7 p.m. our large party was seated in the back room. This area held five, six-seat tables and was essentially behind the sushi bar in a room all its own. Once seated, we didn’t see a server for almost 20 minutes (“Please, bring me a beverage, I beg of thee!). The woman asked if we were still waiting for others (The Frenchman and date Magnum were on their way). After saying yes, we were still waiting; she left swiftly before we could order anything. The rest of our group arrived and then we waited, waited, waited (a theme was forming, though we did not yet know it). I finally went to the front, and waited, and then informed the one of two women who seemed to serving the entire restaurant, that the rest of our party had arrived and might we please have three more menus. And we waited. Finally, menus were brought over. We ordered large Sapporo beers all-around, in anticipation of a lengthy wait to get to re-order. They were wheeled out on a utility cart, an efficient way to deliver four beers, but not very pleasant to the eye.

We shared some ohhhs and ahhhs over the new décor, the large stained glass window insert in the wall dividing the room from the sushi bar and finally were able to order when over server returned. It was 7:40 p.m.

Edamame appetizers arrived within 15 minutes. We sipped good cloudy miso soup, also delivered via the utility cart with bus tub on the second level. We smiled, we chatted, and we caught up. We fidgeted. Other diners were seated in the room with us. They ordered and had their food delivered. They ate. We waited. They ate. The Frenchmen became concerned when 8:30 p.m. came and went. Hypoglycemia sent in. We waited, our smiles got tighter. We checked out the restrooms â€" nice job. They were clean, nicely lit, well tiled and had funky cool art.

Pappi Swarner mused about opening night at restaurants. We all concurred that 98 percent of restaurants open under staffed, under stocked, not familiar with the new set-up, layout and menu. We are still not sure why restaurants or any business would do this â€" they know they will be busy and that people will have high expectations. We talked about patience, about the wait being worth it if the food is worth it. We nodded, smiled, waited.

We examined the sake menu and were puzzled by the limited selection.

And lo and behold, The Frenchman’s sashimi platter and California roll were placed in front of him. The rest of us drooled. Pappi Swarner insisted he dig in. The colorful selection of slices of raw fish: tuna, salmon, hamachi, albacore, tako, surf clam, ebi, saba, and white fish â€" two pieces each $21.75, were presented on a round, thick red ceramic plate laid out carefully on leaves, grated root and ice cubes. The ice cubes were a stellar idea since the air conditioning was not working and it was uncomfortably hot. The Frenchmen’s fare was “alright,” but just that.

Magnum’s three pieces of sushi arrived 10 minutes later with the promise that more was coming “soon.” Another 20 minutes passed and Kake’s Spicy Buster DNA roll ($13.95) appeared. This is one hot mother. No, not Kake (though she is), but the roll! The red tobiko on top was the core of the sun.

The rest of still had no food. Pappi Swarner’s Geisha Girl, Volcano Roll and hamachi sushi showed up another 15 minutes later. Yawn. Geisha Girl roll was uninspired in appearance, texture and flavor with an over abundance of rice. The Volcano roll seemed to have bacon bits on top of it. I am not kidding. We did a table taste (everyone tried it). Definitely a smoky pork flavor there. I instantly thought “salad bar” when I took a bite. Odd, but not distasteful. The hamachi was wonderful, smooth and mildly creamy.

Twenty minutes inched past. By this time we were curious as to the state of the rest of main dining area. There were four other customers.

Part of my order was set in front of me. Leaky Steamboat, sushi with shrimp, lobster, and quail egg (raw) topped with tobiko ($3.45) was the tastiest thing to hit the table even if the shrimp was overdone and a bit tough. I gouged it in half with a chopstick and shared with Pappi. The rich tastes mingled well and the quail egg was an unusual treat. This is something I will eat repeatedly in the future. The Yellow Tail sushi ($3.50) was supposed to have teriyaki deep fried jalapeno and citrus tobiko on it. It had neither, but the flavor was nice. Amberjack ($3.50) was kanpachi and had a nice seared smoked flavor with sake jelly (wow) and shredded ginger. We traded bites across the table so all could enjoy a sample and reveled in the new taste of the shiso leaf, a common denominator in many items.

We were still missing food. Patience wearing thin, we asked the young girl who was acting as busser/go-for person if the rest of our order was coming soon. She promised to check. Another 20 minutes elapsed and the final parts of our order were delivered. Total time from ordering to receiving the last items: two entire hours.

The J. Cool roll ($12.95) was all it was cracked up to be with cream cheese made super soft and gooey by freshly cooked shrimp tempura and sweet barbeque eel wrapped in a medium amount of rice, thin sliced avocado, topped with black tobiko and drizzled with more sweet barbeque eel sauce. The presentation was perfect. It was delicious.

After such great joyful anticipation and then such a dragging, seemingly never-ending wait, we were simply too tired and frustrated to enjoy it. Check, please.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

DANIEL BLUE: MEET CHILTON AGRESON >>>

Chilton Agreson stands at attention.

Chilton is an art collector, by day and a black market art distributor by night.  Some people call that stealing. Chilton calls it the redistribution of public treasure. Art is magic, you know, pure magic.  Rich people don't pay gobs of money for spectacular works of art because they are stupid.  They pay so much money for it because they feed off of the magic that the artist put into it.  This magic helps them to be spiritually and emotionally healthy and in turn helps them make more money.  Chilton knows this, and without art, he knows that the common man is suffering.  He weeps as the masses gather in front of their televisions to get a dose of what they know they need. He sobs at the idea that "entertainment" is more attractive than "enlightenment." Chilton knows that the longer you sit and contemplate a great work of art, the more time it has to effect your psyche and bring you to a place of understanding about life and your role in the fabric of it.  He believes that the happiness of that person depends on their ability to find their place in the great weaving of souls that has become our everyday lives. 

"True art rends us under the veil between the physical and the emotional (or spiritual) planes of existence.  It is a physical object, that has the power to effect spiritual space," explains Chilton. 

He wants you to encounter that magic, and is "rescuing" art every day from the hidden places of the greedy elite.

LINK: The Tacoma Files archive

JAKE DE PAUL: MAC ‘N’ CHEESE AT THE TOP >>>

OK, macaroni and cheese isn't particularly healthy either. Sure, you get protein, calcium and carbs, but does that matter when there's a glistening moat of butter standing between your fork and the noodles?

But oh, the list of pros weigh heavy, like a poundful of Kraft Cheese and Macaroni at three in the morning when you're crawling into bed. Macaroni and cheese is cheap. And most importantly, macaroni and cheese is damn good. Go ahead and feel sorry for the lactose-intolerant or the vegan who can't indulge in this wonder food.

Like wine, you can tell much from mac and cheese by smell, color and presentation, and though you may balk at using connoisseur techniques for such an Americana-addled food, it helps. With that in mind, take a walk to the Top of Tacoma Bar. Within the confines of this McKinley Hill bar, I was served steamy mac and cheese in a bowl with a big soup spoon, while Black Sabbath wailed on the juke box. This large serving of comfort was a blend of pure creamy cheddar â€" likely a blend of sharp and mild â€" and macaroni. This is a traditionalist's delight, unfussed with nouveau anything.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

0822081325c.jpg, originally uploaded by Tacoma Urbanist.

R.R. Anderson's winning piece in Episode XXI of the Frost Park Chalk Off. Congrats R.R.!

SUZY STUMP: 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY >>>

10 A.M.: Sand in the City is Washington state’s largest sand sculpting event with 240 tons of sand, 12 nationally known sand sculptors, 40 different hands-on art and science activities and a live entertainment stage, all held in downtown Olympia’s Port Plaza Waterfront. Show up with a shovel, a bucket and an idea. More info here.

NOON: Change is good. The government may believe otherwise, but trust us, change brings good things. Slice is a change for Tacoma artist Mindy Barker. Her trademark layer of gritty images and bulbous veins of color will be hung in an interactive environment of layered panes suspended at the Fulcrum Gallery. It’s open until 6 p.m. today.

NOON: This year’s Glass Roots Arts Festival site stretches between South 11th and 13th Streets, along Market and Court “D.” The space will be filled with a mix of art and food booths. Sharing the space will be an assortment of live art demonstrators and performers. Chalk artists will be creating works on the festival site sidewalks, and there will be technique demonstrations by participating painters and clay artists, among others. Live music is also on the menu. Some six Tacoma and nearby area bands have been booked to perform at the festival. The performers include Library Science, Umber Sleeping, Beehive, the Kim Archer Band, Deborah Page and Can-U. Full story here.

4 P.M.: The Back to Beale Street blues competition 2009 is just around the corner and the South Sound Blues Association has a winner to send to Memphis, Tenn., in February. After beating out the Crossroads Band, Seatown Rhythm and Blues Players, the Mike Wright band, Marino Silver, the Brown and Blues Band, New Sheriff in Town, and the Randy Oxford Band, the Michal Miller Band will make their second trip to the competition and the honor is well deserved. The SSBA will be holding a fund-raiser today at The Swiss. Bring your dancing shoes as the Mary McPage Band, the Al Earick Band, the Michal Miller Band, the Brown and Blues Band and the James Howlett Band will all be on hand. The evening will also serve as a competition of two solo acts â€" Mariano Silver and Son Jack Jr. â€" who will face three judges for the chance to represent us in the solo artist category in Memphis.

7 P.M.: My Fair Lady not only includes the comically funny and clever lyrics found in the likes of “Get Me to the Church on Time,” the charmingly romantic “I Could Have Danced All Night” and the iconic “On the Street Where You Live,” the show is the full deal when it comes to music as well as storyline. Encore! Theater stages it outdoors tonight.

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment calendar
LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

DANIEL BLUE: MEET SARA ROUGEAU >>>

Sara Rougeau's first bike was a yellow tiger that we found on the side of the road. Tires were flat, the brakes were squeaky but the shifters worked and it had this badass scratching action tiger crest on the headstock.  That was a salad summer, wherein most of the day was spent rolling around with the gang looking for ingredients to the ridiculous salad/gouache that we would eat with everyone that afternoon.

She lived with her father on a golf course at the time and would crash at the warehouse four to five nights a week. Now she belongs here, has her own apartment downtown and a newer, better, faster red 10-speed.   

There is something elegant and yet very childlike about the way that Sara carries herself and the way in which she expresses that self in her explosive marker drawings.  Complex patterns swirl and cope about simple symbolic shapes.  An inordinate amount of color goes into the production, but it always blends as well as one could ask and moves the lens around the communication in question. 

Her wish is for all to be comforted and feel well loved. She is a ruby set in a topaz hand.

LINK: The Tacoma Files archive