September 6, 2008 at 8:59am
STEPH DEROSA: MERENDE SHOOTING FOR SEPT. 15 OPENING >>>
Ian Lombardi and his mother, Julia Martin-Lombardi, hope to see Merende’s doors open to the public Sept. 15. That is, “if everything goes OKâ€, says Lombardi. “Goes Okâ€? What’s he talking about?
Lombardi and his colorful cast of friends have been doing every job themselves. From roto-hammering the wall’s plaster for three days straight in order to expose beautiful brick, to tiling all 1,100 square feet of floor themselves â€" they’ve done it all. A stunning handcrafted bar reflects hours of friend Anthony Iverson’s passionate labor as bright lights and fans hover over in order to dry it’s shiny finish. As for the “everything going OK†bit Lombardi was speaking of, he means the gas lines and equipment being installed properly. Yes, they’re doing those themselves as well.
Lombardi shows me the piled up handmade four tops made from reclaimed spalted wood. They’re amazing, and they’re gorgeous. Guess what? Lombardi’s friend Jordan Mosher made them himself. I hope by now you’re not surprised that this entire Merende entity is self- sufficient and independently developed. Just the way we like it in Tacoma.
The highlight of my grand personal tour came when Lombardi showed me the bathrooms. Yes, they were very nice indeed, but it wasn’t the handcrafted miniature tile laid upon the sink’s table. It was the fact that he was so proud, and seemed to get just as excited as I did about restrooms. This guy is a man after my heart. He’s a handyman, a chef, AND loves restrooms. What more could you ask for?
I recognized an old wall unit that once housed bottles of wine in Vin Grotto, Merende’s predecessor. “Yes we’re re-using the wine cabinetsâ€, Lombardi stated. This immediately made me want to know what types of wine I could look forward to, once they were open, that is. Lombardi satisfied my curiosity be letting me know that Italian wines (40 of them) will be the restaurant’s main focus.
Merende’s menu focal point are the $6, $7, and $8 small plates, but there will be a few entrees available for the heartier appetite. Lombardi’s vision for Merende reveals that of an upscale family dining experience. He wants those who visit to have a nice, yet non-snobby place to fill their bellies and create warm, friendly conversation. “I want people to feel free to wear jeans,†he says as he re-iterates the non-snobby-ness of Merende. I wondered if this place was non-snobby enough to forgive me if I unbuttoned the top button of said jeans in case I got too full.
“So, are you ready for Tacoma? Are you ready for it all?†I asked Lombardi. “About as ready as one man can beâ€, he replied, “I’m definitely excited!â€
So are we, Mr. Lombardi, so are we.
Merende will be open for lunch Monday through Friday, and dinner Tuesday Through Sunday. Take out will eventually be available.
[Merende, 813 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma]
LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide
LINK: Weekly Volcano’s dining section
News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.
Thanks for posting! But I want say that Walkie Talkies are really required while organizing fun...
Really nice album. I have already purchased Vedder's Album. Listening to the song of this album,...
about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit
Your post contains very beneficial content. Kindly keep sharing such post.
Vedder's album is really nice. I have heard attentively
about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit
amazing information for getting the new ideas thanks for sharing a post
about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...
446th Airlift Wing, 5 Things To Do, 62nd Airlift Wing, 7th Infantry Division, Air Force, All Ages, Army, Arts, Awards, Benefits, Best of Olympia, Best of TAcoma, Bobble Tiki, Books, Business, Camp Murray, Ceremony, Chainsuck, Classical Music, Comedy, Comment The The Day, Community, Concerts, Condemn or Allow?, Contest, Day Tripper, Deals, Defense Department, Deployment, DJ/Electronica, Events, Facebook, Fashion, Federal Way, Fife, Fircrest, Food & Drink, Future Things Are Coming, Games, Gay Rights, Genius, Gig Harbor, Green Crush, Happy Hour Hug, Health, History, Holidays, Honors, I Corps, In Their Words, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Judging by the Trailer, Keeping Up With The Coffeehouses, Kids, Lacey, Lakewood, Legislature, Madigan Army Medical Center, Marines, McChord Field, Media, Memorial, Military, Milton, Morning Joe, Music, National Guard, Navy, Nerd Alert!, New Beer Column, News To Us, Night Moves, Not Cool, Olympia, Outdoor Addict, outdoors, Photo Hot Spot, Podcast, Pop Culture, Poster of the Day, Puyallup, Radio, Rangers, Retail, Rocket Science, ROTC, Ruston, Schools, Screens, Sex, Shout Out, South Sound Sidekick, Spanaway, Special Forces, Sports, Steilacoom, Strykers, Summer Tip, Sumner, Tacoma, Talking Shop, The Mouth, Theater, Tightwad, Tournament of Burgers, Tournament of Mac and Cheese, Training, Travel, Twitter, University Place, USO, Veterans, Video Hot Spot, Volunteer, Web/Tech, Word, Wounded Warrior
Read Comments