RON SWARNER: BEER AND BANTER >>>

Nothing says home to the Weekly Volcano than pints of beer and National Public Radio. We’re a fan of both.

And we’re a fan of Doyle’s Public House.

Doyle's Public House will be donating $1 for every pint of Guinness and Beamish it sells during two pledge drives this spring â€" KUOW 94.9FM and KPLU 88.5FM â€" March 23-April 2. Buy a Guinness if you support KUOW. Buy a Beamish if you support KPLU. We suggest you buy both.

[Doyle's Public House, 208 Saint Helens, Tacoma, 253.272.7468]

TONY ENGELHART: TONIGHT AT THE PANTAGES >>>

k.d. lang isn’t, and will never be, predictable â€" and that is why I totally dig her. She was too country for popular country radio, and too mainstream for independent radio, but doesn’t give a shit. In fact, about the only song you’re likely to hear from lang’s vast collected works is her hit “Constant Craving” from her 1992 pop-tinged release, Ingenue. Like Lyle Lovett, lang has carved out her own path, and people who get it love her. lang put her cowboy boots in the closet shortly after coming out of it. For the most part she flirts with jazzy adult contemporary. Her latest record, 2008’s Watershed, continues down the path that she began walking in 1992 with All You Can Eat. The mood of the new compilation is quiet, relaxed and very k.d.

[Pantages Theater, 7:30 p.m., $68, $88, $119, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890]

JASON DE PAUL: BUFFALO SOLDIER >>>

I have been re-reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Anyone who has read this book will understand when I say I don’t want to look at another mainstream burger again.  It’s shocking how much petroleum, disease and genetic engineering goes into beef.

We are blessed to have Tatanka Take-Out in our backyard.  The tiny spot in Ruston specialize in the other red meat â€" bison â€" raised on grass, not in steer lots. 

Did you know that buffalo has half the cholesterol of beef, lamb and pork and 85 percent less fat?

Tatanka has bison meat in all forms: tacos, chili, jerky, soup, burritos and burgers. 

[Tatanka Take-Out, 4915 N. Pearl, Ruston, 253.752.8778]

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: 11 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER >>>

Well, the music is over. The Charles Shaw "two-buck" Chuck Shiraz is gone and the art is coming down.

Kulture Lab is no more, but it was a fun ride through 11 shows of local art and music and overflowing plastic cups of PBR.

"Tacoma has a short attention span," Kulture Lab organizer James Hume said. "Now it is time to go off and do other things. It is time to go bye bye before this got old."

And the concept was trending that way. The first few shows drew between 400 and 600 people. The more recent ones were trending about half that, which can still be considered successful for a venue the size of a loft apartment.

"Over all, we did well," Hume said. "We had a lot of fun and sold a lot of art, so that is good. I enjoyed every  minute of this. I really did. I think everyone did, but can now concentrate on other things."

Hume, for example, now plans on heading to Europe for a spell to work on his own art instead of being an administrator for the works of others.

The last show, Penalty for Removal Redux, included work by some two dozen of the region's top graffiti artists.

More photos are available at MySpace.com/stevedunkel.

JAKE DE PAUL: MONDAY FOOD LINKS >>>

Beer for NPR begins today.

New Pacific Grill chef

Obama talks food during last night’s 60 Minutesinterview.

2009 James Beard nominees

What type of food would popular NCAA players/coaches be?

Student obesity linked to proximity to fast-food outlets.

Today’s South Sound Specials

$5 Wine Mondays, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., $5 glass of wines, Rosewood Café, 3323 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.752.7999.

Half Price Wine Night, Budd Bay Café, 525 Columbia St. N.W., Olympia, 360.357.6963.

Future Things Are Coming

Kyra and Bruce Baerlocher of Kyra Wines in Moses Lake will host a wine dinner Wednesday, April 1 at Cicada Restaurant & Lounge in Olympia. Five courses will be paired with Kyra's estate-grown Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Dolcetto, Sangiovese and cab/Merlot blend. The cost is $72.50 per person, which include stax and gratuity. For reservations, call 360.753.5700.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

MICHAEL SWAN: WANKERS OF THE DAY >>>

Our winter

Blackwater

Mexican Drug Cartel

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

The Weekly Volcano not the only volcano spewing.

Join the crowd: Police departments looking for federal funds.

North Carolina bull rider takes Tacoma Invitational.

Bailout funds will back private buyers.

Palin owes more than half a million dollars an Anchorage law firm.

Do you really want to eat a bratwurst cooked at a brothel?

Don't buy stuff you cannot afford