Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: June, 2009 (177) Currently Viewing: 31 - 40 of 177

June 4, 2009 at 8:59am

Morning Spew

June 4, 2009 at 9:26am

Ocean Records is back

JOSE S. GUTIERREZ JR.: OCEAN RECORDS RETURNS AND RE-OPENS IN THE HEART OF LAKEWOOD >>>

Real 25360 music heads know that Tacoma/Lakewood has always had a foot in the door when it comes to tastemaking and trendsetting for music in the Pacific Northwest. From the ’80s and ’90s era of Penny Lane Records on Bridgeport to the presence of Nastymix Records (former home to Sir Mix-A-Lot, Criminal Nation, Rodney O & Joe Cooley and High Performance) The 253 alone has held it down since it was The 206! Well, the return of Ocean Records and Steve O to Lakewood adds strength to this legacy. Read the full story here.

Filed under: Business, Lakewood, Music,

June 4, 2009 at 12:09pm

Our new lunch diversion

STEPH DEROSA: ASADO IS OPEN FOR LUNCH >>>

Asado Just about the only thing frowned upon here at the Weekly Volcano is drinking on deadline day, which is Monday. Having this nugget of knowledge engraved inside my brain leaves a scab so infected that all I want to do is pick at it. Feeling spring fever hit my body, and the need to rebel against deadlines, I took it upon myself to tie one on- on a Monday. Look, someone had to do it, and I often think I'm the one at the Weekly Volcano with any balls. Asado was open for lunch for the first time this past Monday, owner Johnny Xitco was hooking me up, so off I went.

In order to lower my chances of getting in trouble, I made Pappi Swarner come with me. Was it a smart idea? Absolutely. He had just as much fun as I did.

New to Asado's menu is a multitude of creative and appealing dishes that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. First thing I noticed, and first thing to be ordered, was one of their fantastic quinoa bowls. Quinoa is rapidly becoming the new super grain hosting tons of good-for-you protein and packed with yummy flavor. The quinoa esplada bowl featured perfectly grilled and beautifully tender flatiron steak atop a quinoa mixture simmered in a house-made, tomato-based Molido broth. Garnished with salsa, jalapeno, chimichurri, and onions, the quinoa bowl's savory flavor beat out the spice I was expecting, yet quickly became my new favorite dish on Asado's lunchtime menu. I can't wait to go back for the chicken, veggie, and shrimp bowl options. This paired perfectly with a cool, sweet white wine as I downed the glass with no problemo.

Next up was the smoked seafood cobb. I'm a huge fan of cobbs, so this one got me excited as well. Applewood smoked fish and prawns gave this favorite classic a nice Asado twist alongside the typical accompaniments of bacon, boiled egg, bleu cheese, and avocado. Having it all nicely tossed in a pistachio vinagarette was bonus. Again, a chilled white wine brought out the smokiness of the fish and the pungent tang of the bleu cheese. Other new items from the kitchen include a chop salad, a shrimp fettuccine with white sauce, and a fried buttermilk parmesan chicken breast.

Asado-sandwich Not stopping at just two entrees, Pappi ordered the new jamon y queso sandwich made with thinly sliced ham, Beecher's Flagship white cheddar, chimichurri and poblano aioli, all on semolina rosemary bread made by Seattle's own Macrina Bakery. Sweet potato fries tossed in Asado's chimichurri butter, along with a deep glass of malbec tied this dish together like a pig's feet at the rodeo. (Don't laugh, it was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of tying something together.)

Pappi and I agreed that the final dish should come from Asado's new "Slider Grandes" area of the menu. With irony in full effect, underneath the menu title "Slider Grandes" reads "Petite Burgers." The Cordero Slider Grande was ordered by my somewhat inebriated editor, and we moshed away on that little burger made with decadent braised lamb. Again, more sweet potato fries and a new glass of malbec made rounding out our last Asado meal of the day an epic one.

Those perfectly paired wines began knocking on our brains reminding us we still had deadlines to meet. It was Monday, after all.  It was at this moment in time when we realized just how important that Satellite Coffee window was across Sixth Avenue.

[Asado, lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2810 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.320.7984]

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

June 4, 2009 at 12:31pm

Crown Bar expands menu

JAKE DE PAUL: HOW ABOUT A SLIDER AND CARROT MARTINI TONIGHT? >>>

The Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue has expanded its menu to include burger sliders on pretzel buns with spicy mustard and roasted peppers, crispy calamari with chipotle aioli, JP's guacamole and chips, four new burger combinations and more.

They have also added nightly specials. Tonight is $8.99 fish and chips.

I'm so due to try bartender Dino's latest creations. Apparently he's mixing strawberry sidecars, basil gimlets and carrot martinis fresh from the Tacoma Farmers Market.

[The Crown Bar, 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, 2705 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4177]

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

June 4, 2009 at 2:53pm

Hey bartender! Have you heard? ...

MICHAEL SWAN: HAPPY HOUR DISCUSSION TOPIC >>>

LINK: South Sound happy hours

Filed under: Food & Drink, Music,

June 10, 2009 at 3:07pm

Weekly Volcano is not dead

MATT DRISCOLL: THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER >>>

Rumors regarding the Weekly Volcano’s demise have been greatly exaggerated â€" almost to the point of absurdity.

In the name of accurate information, here’s the scoop on what’s going with the South Sound’s premiere source for arts and entertainment coverage, which is still the Weekly Volcano:

The economy is in crummy shape. We all realize this, and I’m sure we’ve all felt it. So has the Weekly Volcano.

In an effort to cut costs and avoid layoffs, the decision has been made to stop distributing the Volcano separately of the Fort Lewis Ranger â€" another paper owned and produced by Swarner Communications, Inc.  The Weekly Volcano started as the arts and entertainment insert of the Ranger, and has always remained part of that paper, so this change really isn’t as drastic as it may sound to some. When you pick up the Ranger you’ll get the Volcano â€" it’s a package deal, and it always has been. This is the plan moving forward. It’s a cost cutting measure that will save us significant money on press runs and inserting costs. In times like these such actions are necessary. With this change our finances are extremely sound.

The decision has also been made to focus on our strength â€" which is arts and entertainment in the South Sound. The music, arts, film, dining, film and theater coverage you’ve come to expect out of the Weekly Volcano won’t be going anywhere.

We have, however, decided to cut the news section of the Weekly Volcano â€" including the Tacomic, which has obviously led to some of the misinformation that’s been floating around today. It’s a decision that pains me greatly â€" as I know it does our entire staff. We would have loved to keep the news section, and I (personally) feel like we were just picking up steam, but given the aforementioned circumstances the decision to drop news is the best course of action possible for our family-owned company.  

We appreciate this chance to clarify the situation, and look forward to continuing to serve the South Sound with top-notch arts and entertainment coverage.

LINK: Weekly Volcano online

June 11, 2009 at 3:50pm

Counting on the Mona Lisa

RON SWARNER: THE Q&A NOW >>>

The creative brains behind The Horatio Theater has something to say tonight. Well, others will say it, but he wrote it.  Erik Emery Hanberg will present a stage reading of his one-hour play, Counting on the Mona Lisa, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Tacoma Little Theatre.

It’s free.

And there will be a Q&A after.

Because we do things a little different in Spew land, I’m asking a couple questions before.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What’s the play about, Erik?

ERIK EMERY HANBERG: It's about a guy who wakes up one morning to find that his print of the Mona Lisa has a big 10 spraypainted on it in bright red letters. Understandably confused, he doesn't start to panic until the next day, when he wakes up to find there is now a 9 on it.

VOLCANO: Do you have a cast of hundreds reading it tonight?

HANBERG: No, just five talented actors directed by Aaron Jacobs.

[Tacoma Little Theatre, Counting on the Mona Lisa, a stage reading, Thursday, June 11, 7 p.m., free, 210 N. I St., Tacoma]

June 11, 2009 at 4:00pm

Props to Fresh Blends

JOSE S. GUTIERREZ: LIVE FROM I-5 â€" HIP-HOP IN THE 25360 >>>

The cats from Fresh Blends officially ended their reign in Tacoma as the premier hip-hop/rap show promoters with last nights final bang at Hell’s Kitchen.

This is a sad day for hip-hop in The 25360 as Fresh Blends and the Homeland Security (Olympia) based shows are two of the only consistently produced events that showcase the culture with quality and local and national talent. Last night’s lineup and event was a practical “who’s who” of The 25360 rap community with Island Trybe, XP, Junkyard Gang, Gran Rapids, Evergreen One, Dice and SP all taking the stage to do their thang-thang in tribute to the dope hip-hop program.

Read more about the show, plus an upcoming worthy show at The Royal and the new Blaqkout album in my column here.

Filed under: Music, Tacoma,

June 11, 2009 at 4:36pm

Friday film openings

MICHAEL SWAN: ON THE BIG SCREENS TOMORROW >>>

Anvil ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL: The comparisons to This Is Spinal Tap are obvious, but Sacha Gervasi's film about aging Canadian metal isn't interested in laughing at the band but rather painting a tender portrait of the friendship between band members. Read full review here.

Also opening tomorrow: The Brothers Bloom, Imagine That, Lemon Tree, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.

Discover what the hell these films are about and when they screen here.

Filed under: Screens,

June 12, 2009 at 12:15am

5 Things To Do: Friday

MICHAEL SWAN: THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2009 >>>

Arts-feature-article-6_11 1. SiteWorks 2009 is a highly organized, grant-funded and professionally curated dance performance staged on three outdoor plazas at the Museum of Glass at 4 p.m. and June 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. Read the full story here.

2. The Neddy Fellowships exhibit shows at the Tacoma Art Museum. The Fellowship is awarded to Northwest artists who demonstrate artistic excellence, innovation, unique vision, and a passionate commitment to their art and community.

3. Olympia Little Theatre gets a little racy with its staging of The Little Dog Laughed, which is an edgy work that looks at the life of a Hollywood movie star with a slightly more than casual issue with homosexuality at 7:55 p.m.

4. Besides art on the walls, expect a screening of the fetishes documentary Why Do We Hide?, live performance by The Little Red Studio and, oh hell, nudity, people, nudity at the Erotic Art Show at 9 p.m. inside The Robert Daniel Gallery.

5. Billy Z's Naughty School Girl Night goes down at 9 p.m. with Kalen, Rockwell Powers, Dice, Dollsquad, Jager Girls and DJ Reign on the decks inside Jazzbones. Apparently Naughty School Girls get in free.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: Wine and beer events

About this blog

News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.

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