STEPH DEROSA: GRILLED SALMON SALAD >>>

Over the Moon Café
Grilled Salmon Salad
Price: $12.95
Rating: Three and a half out of four croutons

I beat Tacomachickadee to our lunch date destination, Over the Moon Café, by about 15 minutes. That was just enough time to grab the perfect corner chair and snuggle up to a deep, oak-flavored glass of red wine. And by “chair” I don’t mean hard piece of wood covered in something resembling a cushion. I mean a REAL chair â€" the wingback kind you find in your grandma’s living room where the seat is lovingly worn and you sink into luxury the minute your ass hits the fabric. If there is such thing as a heaven, this place was it, and I was there. After perusing the lunch menu a bit, I made the difficult salad decision (they all looked wonderful) and chose their Grilled Salmon Salad.

Description: Fresh spring greens are a perfect base to the best of salads, and Over the Moon Café pulled out no stops when it came to providing their guests with this fundamental salad foundation. Sautéed in olive oil, a wild salmon filet rested underneath rings of pickled purple onions and beside chunks of dill- seasoned celery, onions and capers. Note: No croutons!

Taste: Salmon, as with almost fish, can be tricky. Over the Moon Café provided this salad with a salmon that was perfectly juicy on the inside, yet lightly crisp on the outside â€" all while holding it’s own when it came to flavor. There was nothing overpowering about the fish, and it graciously allowed its pickled accompaniments to do their job by simply enhancing what salmon is supposed to taste like.

My favorite part, and the most deliciously refreshing salad topping I’ve had in a long time, came to me by means of onion. The flavor that those purple pickled onions put out was unbeatable. Partnered with their extremely fresh dill-seasoned celery, texture and zest married together delightfully well.

Conclusion: Over the Moon Café wraps you in comfort from the minute you walk in. Guests can feel the privacy as they dine, and end up being totally unaware there are other people in the room. Unique décor, mood lighting, and comfortable arrangements make this Opera Alley café top notch in the ambiance department. Add to that their homemade desserts and dreamy entrees, and Over the Moon Café has the perfect relaxation destination ready for you â€" right in the middle of Tacoma.

Dressing on the side
I have a short attention span problem. Take for instance: my books. I have about three books that I have begun, am currently reading, but are taking a millennia to finish. I have a thirst for stories, yet tend to get bored easily. So what do my friends do? Give me crap books. I mean it â€" one is about crap.

My top five short attention span books:

What’s Your Poo Telling You? By Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, M.D. Given to me by my friend Sadie. Names and drawings of poo help guide you to their meaning.

The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods by Mark Larson and Barney Hoskyns. Jennifer Johnson’s Christmas gift to me, along with a screw-on tap for boxed wine.

Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory. This got me through a four-hour flight to Houston in October, thanks to Mr. DeRosa.

Emily Post’s Etiquette by Peggy Post. Oh, mom.

The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich. I keep this one on my countertop and peruse it quite often. Haven’t you always wondered how to make Kim Chi? Well, I know how â€" and it’s not pretty.

[Over The Moon Cafe, 709 Court C, Tacoma, 253.284.3722]