WE HAVE A TACO CHAMPION >>>

After more than two weeks of voting the Weekly Volcano readers have picked the most popular taco in the greater Tacoma area.

The Tournament of Tacos Championship match pitted two longtime Pierce County Mexican restaurants against each other: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant in Tacoma and Tijuana Taco in Lakewood. Moctezuma's was a narrow hole-in-the-wall joint (next to where JC Penney once stood) on South Tacoma Way in the '70s that eventually made its way to its current grand spot at 56^th and Tyler. Tijuana Taco was born in the late '60s, and battled McDonald's, Shakey's Pizza, and Herfy's for customers on the edge of the Villa Plaza. It's still in the same spot at 10005 Bristol Ave. SW just off 100^th Street.

Yesterday's championship battle saw the most active daytime online voting of the tournament, which ended at 5 p.m. Moctezuma's had a commanding lead by time the voting switched to the 6 p.m. Tournament of Tacos Party at Station 56. At the party people filled out taco voting ballots and rang up $12 tabs for three margaritas and three tacos (thanks Station 56!). The taco voting couldn't help but take a second seat to the outstanding NCAA Men's Championship game in which Duke just squeaked by the underdog Butler. But, as promised, we tallied the on-location votes during halftime of the hoop game and announced the winner: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant. The loose voting during the inexpensive margarita fest at Station 56 didn't affect the huge lead Moctezuma's had going into the party.

Congrats to both worthy competitors.

Moctezuma's will be receiving the Tournament of Tacos Championship trophy once the engraving is finished. Also, look for an upcoming feature on Arturo Garcia's Moctezuma's in the Weekly Volcano. Those who didn't vote for Moctezuma's, we suggest you stop by their Tacoma or Gig Harbor locations to try their outstanding Mexico City tacos.

Thanks to all who voted in the Tournament of Tacos. We hope you had as much fun as we did.

See you next March for ... the Tournament of Pizza!

CONGRATS ERIK! >>>

City Club of Tacoma Executive Director Erik Hanberg has released his e-book today. Here's the press release:

In 2007 I started working on a novel called The Saints Go Dying, and I'm happy to say that I am releasing it today as an e-book. The novel is a detective mystery with some fun cat-and-mouse games between a detective and a killer.

It's reached #11 (so far) on the Kindle Police Procedural mystery bestseller list, which means it's even been selling better than some books by James Patterson, John Sandford, and other well-known mystery authors! (at least, in ebook form).

At $2.99 per copy, it's not going to make me rich (especially after Amazon's cut) but getting it read and getting it out there will help me build a readership for the sequel, The Marinara Murders, which I want to publish next year, or perhaps even to get this book noticed by a traditional publishing house. 

How to Buy

The book is exclusive to the Kindle, but you don't need a Kindle to read the book! Just download the free Kindle reader for Mac, PC, Blackberry, iPhone, or iPad. Virtually every computer or mobile device has a Kindle reader for it, so not only would you be helping me out, but you'd have a really fun mystery novel to carry with you on your phone or read during a break at your desk at work.

I hope you'll consider downloading and reading!

Here's the key links:

1) download the Kindle reader (if you don't already have a Kindle or the reader)

2) purchase the book

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Inappropriate online comments: Is the solution is a "trusted " tier and an inflammatory off-topic tier?

25 are dead as an explosion rocks a West Virginia coal mine.

What? No Tacoma? Screw the Dairy Queen Blizzard Mobile.

RR Anderson heard Dale Chihuly was going to blow up the Fun Center in Seattle and build his own Museum of Glass.

Two dozen women march topless in Portland to protest societal attitudes regarding male and female nudity.

HE WAS AMAZING >>>

Last Saturday Ben Union celebrated the release of his new CD, The Light, to a packed Jazzbones' crowd. Editor Matt Driscoll previewed the show here.

I believe Union is the next Vicci Martinez in terms of garnering national attention.

Union's next show will be April 16 at The Hub in Tacoma's Stadium District.

LINK: Ben Union's MySpace page

NOSH PIT >>>

3-Course Chicken: Pacific Grill continues its popular Tuesday night chicken dinner - wedge salad, Grandma Wallsten's fried half chicken with lumpy mashed potatoes and – starting tonight – strawberry rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce - for $19.95.

The Beers Of Spring: 99 Bottles in Federal Way hosts a "Style Night" spring beer tasting today from 5-7:30 p.m. You may taste six beers for $5.

Umpqua In The House: Earl "Don't Call Me James" Jones, owner of Abacela Winery in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon, will pour complimentary tastes of the fruits of his labor tonight from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Pour At Four in Tacoma.

Future Things Are Coming: Salty's at Redondo Beach will offer a $19.99 "3-Martini Lunch" April 19-23. What's the catch? The seafood ceviche, warm seafood salad and chocolate tiramisu are served in martini glasses. Our visit, of course, will be a 4-Martini Lunch. Reserve your spot at 253.946.0636.

Food Matters: SAVEUR's first annual food blog awards

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

SHOW TACOMA WHAT YOU CAN DO >>>

Tacoma Art Place, the non-profit art center located in the Martin Luther King neighborhood of Tacoma, has launched a T-shirt design contest open to all artists and designers. The goal of the contest is to design a T-shirt inspired by the mission of Tacoma Art Place.

For a complete set of guidelines and a T-shirt template, please visit the Tacoma Art Place Web site at www.tacomaartplace.org.

The Grand Cinema's popular 72-Hour Film Competition is approaching.  If you are a filmmaker, now is the time to sign up for this year's filmmaking challenge.  For the $50 entry fee, each team will receive four tickets to the Festival Party May 7 and a DVD of all the films. Call 253.572.6062 for more information. The slots fill up every year so get on it.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010 >>>

1. No genre of music generates giggles quite like polka. But while many see polka as the soundtrack for lederhosen-wearing seniors, The Intermittent Health and Fitness Club sees it as a life-changing force. First jump on one foot twice, then hop on the other foot twice. Read a book and repeat again and again. See? It's fun! The IHAF hosts a free polka party at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. It's going to be polkadelic.

2. Preston Singletary melds the patterns, symbols and legends of his Tlingit heritage with the Studio Glass movement. Joe David, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe, joins Singletary in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Assistant Prof. Janet Marcavage of the University of Puget Sound Art Department will give a gallery talk on the current exhibition, Cross Section: Selected Prints from the Puget Sound Collection, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Kittredge Gallery. The talk is free and open to the public.

4. Tempest Lounge hosts a female singer-songwriters night from 7-9 p.m. It's free.

5. Ed, Nate, Loren, and Tom of the band Dreams Jaded will reintroduce grunge and feedback to the masses at 7 p.m. inside the Cedarwood Dome in Milton. Corson Swift, Forced Elegance and guests will also be on the bill.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC IN THE SOUTH SOUND TONIGHT >>>

Glam Metal: No, you're not just really high. You haven't just woken up after sleeping off some 96-hour meth bender and are now hallucinating that ‘80s glam metal band L.A. Guns is playing Jazzbones on a Wednesday night. It's real, dude. It's so real. With The pUrPs, High and Voxxy Vallejo, Wednesday, April 7, 9 p.m. $10, Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169. 

Garage Pop/Rock: No room has had the effect on music that the garage has. Think about it. Have you ever heard of kitchen rock? Absolutely not. But garage rock is a term that instantly makes sense - and things only branch out from there. Like Tacoma's Wheelies. While Blanco Bronco - one of the better live bands in T-town - may serve up a more traditional, fuzzy, messed up brand of straight up garage rock, Wheelies delves into the realm of "garage pop" - which as the Volcano's Rev. Adam McKinney revealed a few months ago in these pages, involves recording on Windows '95.  I guess that makes sense, too since you probably wouldn't want to put a nice computer in the garage. Anyway, garage rock, garage pop - it's all coming from the same place, and it's all usually better than anything emanating from the more proper rooms of the house. Blanco Bronco, Wheelies, Pioneers west, Tallest Tree, Wednesday, April 7, 9 p.m. $5, Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003

LINK: More live music in the Soth Sound tonight

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Teabonics Flickr Collection

Great. First the economy and now this: new species of giant man-eating lizard discovered in the Philippines.

Police in Brooklyn close six stores on the same block for selling dope.

Alien landing prank causes problems in Japan.

Charline.

CHECKING IN WITH TACOMA'S MOST SEXY >>>

The Weekly Volcano readers recently named Chelsea O'Sullivan the sexiest server in Tacoma. Read all about sexy Chelsea here.

What has the Crown Bar's sexy server been up to since winning the honor?

Painting.

Check out her mural she painted on the building that houses the Crown Bar at Sixth and Oakes. It's positioned between Clip-N-Clean and House of Tattoo.

It's beautiful Chelsea.

LINK: Tacoma's Most Sexy 2010