THE NOODLE BAR IS SET TO OPEN >>>

Blame the economy's downturn. Or blame creative thinking. Whatever the reason, pop-up restaurants - temporary restaurants in private homes, other restaurants, galleries, street corners, abandoned buildings and, hopefully, the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters lunchroom - seem to be all the rage, at least in the major cities. Pop-up restaurants are a great way to allow chefs to experiment with new menus without the risk of bankruptcy. And, unlike underground supper clubs, they're legal.

Beginning Thursday, a late night pop-up restaurant will, er, pop-up inside the Pacific Grill in downtown Tacoma. As promised back in January, the Noodle Bar will finally take over Pacific Grill's bar every Thursday with ramen bowls, which PG patrons have enjoyed on the bar menu since January. PG owner Gordon Naccarato has added Asian street food and small plates to his Noodle Bar pop-up, an expansion of his original concept. Chefs Naccarato and Ian Thompson know Thailand and Japan like the back of their noren. They found the sheer variety of curries, seafood, noodle and rice dishes offered at the myriad of "food courts" and open markets in these countries gives them an exciting culinary tinge. They're eager to introduce their honed Asian street food skills in the form of tonkatsu, Asian slaw, snake beans, quail eggs, fish balls and more.

Patrons will be able to customize their ramen bowls, choosing from chicken, spicy curry coconut, organic miso or classic ramen broths for chukka or udon noodles that will swim with eight different vegetables. Ramen additions, for an additional cost, include soft-boiled egg, rock shrimp, pulled pork char sui, duck, chicken, beef or all of the above.

Most Noodle Bar offerings - as well as Japanese sakes and beers - will be at happy hour prices, which translate into half off.  

Pacific Grill Noodle Bar

Thursdays, 9 p.m. to midnight
1502 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253.627.3535

LINK: Previously on Spew

CONCERT ALERT >>>

Grammy award-winning R&B artist John Legend - the man behind the singles "Ordinary People," "Used to Love U," "So High," and "Save Room" - will entertain Puyallup Fair goers Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will open so Legend can score a scone or two before he goes on.

Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $75, and will go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 26 at the Fair's ticket center and Ticketmaster.

The Weekly Volcano follows the people you're too embarrassed to >>>

Just like most good, new-age, social media applications, Twitter allows people to share and be privy to once personal, almost wholly pointless information about peoples' lives. It's seemingly endless. While Twitter is mostly full of everyday, ho-hum people - just like you and me, sharing info about what type of oatmeal we ate for breakfast and where we get our hair cut - Twitter is also a magnet for the moderately-famous.

Stars of yesterday, illiterate millionaire athletes, former cast members of Saved By the Bell - you can follow them all, intimately, on Twitter.

But, you've got standards. We get that.

That's why we'll do it for you, in a feature we like to call Weekly Volcano Twitter Stalker.

This week, checking in with...

Weird Al Yankovic

June 21: Weird Al blends in.

"Trying to be incognito." 18 hours ago, via TwitPic

June 16: Mmmm... donuts

"Okay, the diet's over" 11:54 a.m., via TwitPic

June 14: Weird Al connects with fans

"Back at LAX - if you want to chat, for the next 25 minutes I'll be at this phone booth: (310)665-9476." 10:33 a.m., via TwitPic

June 11: OK, this just sounds dirty

"Thanks again to @hansonmusic for dropping by Yankland!" 8:16 p.m., via TwitPic

Tune in tomorrow for more Twitter Stalking action from the Weekly Volcano

TACOMA ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE FINALS >>>

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a summer Saturday than on a hot date with myself tossing back beer and watching tough-as-nails roller derby chicks knock each other on their asses. Yes, my Saturday will be spent with the Dockyard Derby Dames characters like Lt. Stryk-her, Lush-Ace Harms, Knuckleberry Finn, Anita Hit Sum Won, Lola Pistola and Paula Bunion crammed at the front of the flat track, jumping around, screaming my lungs out, picking fights and hocking loogies. With a beer garden, girls in fishnets, Three Chicks Catering barbecue, Last Stand hot dogs – this will be the perfect post-Tacoma Hempfest spot for me.

After the bout everyone will head to Rock The Dock Pub & Grill for the afterparty.

<H3>Dockyard Derby Dames Championship Bout</H3>

Saturday, June 26, 5 p.m. doors, 6 p.m. bouts, $15, $12 at Brown Paper Tickets, 7 and younger are free
Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St., Tacoma
dockyardderbydames.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 >>>

1. Drawings comics all day long puts a terrible strain on your mind. That's common knowledge. When cartoonists break free of the pen and chain, they typically go nuts. Such should be the case tonight when cartoonist RR Anderson grabs the 100^th Monkey helm flanked by the members of the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians, or C.L.A.W. -  who have created tonight's treasured monkey tiles ($4 in limited quantities) for the 100^th Monkey art party at Stonegate Pizza. Anderson has wisely chosen Mr. Fusion for the entertainment. The art community party runs from 7:30-9:30 p.m. What you'll witness will play out in your mind forever.

2. Project:U - the United Way sponsored 20- and 30-somethings group that develop, support and serve the Pierce County community - is hosting a fundraising and social event at Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub from 5-10 p.m.

3. Representatives from both the City of Tacoma and Metro Parks will share the results of a recent structural survey - a basis of design for making necessary repairs and modifications required to re-open the Old Town Dock, as well as next steps - at 5:30 p.m. inside the Old Town Music Society.

4. Kevin Jones performs on A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist and Cafe Latte's indoor porch beginning at 7 p.m.

5. Glass Elevator, The Hard Way, and The Lund Bros perform at 9 p.m. inside Hell's Kitchen.

LINK: More art and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Coffee Cupping: Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. in downtown Olympia hosts a cupping session this morning at 10 a.m. for a discussion and photos of recent Peru trip their coffee buyer made.

Working Women's Wednesdays: Every Wednesday in June, Brooke and Monti from Movin 92.5 FM will be at the Varsity Grill for happy hour from 5-7 p.m. For other happy hours, click here.

Wine Tasting: Corey Braunel, owner of Dusted Valley Vintners, will pour tastes of his wine today from 4-6 p.m. at Water to Wine and 6-8 p.m. next door at Morso, both in Gig Harbor.

Two Farmers Markets Today: The Intel Farmers Market runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the City of DuPont. The Steilacoom Farmers Market operates from 3-7 p.m. at the multi-purpose tennis courts next to Steilacoom Town Hall, corner of Lafayette and Wilkes streets.

Food Matters: GQ delivers 10 rules for ethical eating.

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League

UPCYCLING FOR SUMMER FASHION >>>

I am enthralled with the term "upcycling." No, it's not a new sport, but the idea and process of creating new items out of old ones. People have been upcycling since the beginning of time, but recently the vibe surrounding the concept has shifted from weird kid in patchwork hand-me-down pants to works of art - as in Lynn Di Nino's Coats of Many Sweaters show opening tomorrow night at Madera Architectural Elements.

Material, once again, was Lynn Di Nino's muse.

"On my trips to thrift stores I might see a lime green sweater next to a rust one and think what a stunning combination and I took it from there," Di Nino shared in an email.

Gathering supplies from thrift stores, her closet, friends and yard sales yielded stellar patterns, colors and textures for her summer sweater show tomorrow.

Her process is a simple one: select four or five sweaters that go together, give them a spin in the washing machine, take scissors to them and then reassemble into summer sweater coats with handmade piping from cotton T-shirts for highlights.

Also, humorously, socks are featured as pockets.

"I try to keep these coats reasonably priced and using socks is a lot easier than sewing a pocket," she explains.

And it's downright cozy and practical.

As a full-time artist and creator, Di Nino faces the challenge all artists face - how to make a living. Producing summer coats is a bit of a solution, she relates, "They're cheap, fast, have a wide range for creativity and I have a short attention span.  Also, they're faster than concrete, by weeks, so I can actually earn a living!"

These unique garments are $155 each, and available for purchase during tomorrow's show.

Di Nino's name is not new on Puget Sound's creative fashion tongue. She's a core member of Friends of the Rag, a wearable art group dating back to 1972.

Coat of Many Sweaters

Thursday, June 24, 6-8 p.m., no cover
Madera Architectural Elements Showroom
2210 Court A, Tacoma (close to El Gaucho)

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO FOLLOWS B- AND C-LIST CELEBRITIES SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO >>>

Just like most good, new-age, social media applications, Twitter allows people to share and be privy to once personal, almost wholly pointless information about peoples' lives. It's seemingly endless. While Twitter is mostly full of everyday, ho-hum people - just like you and me, sharing info about what type of oatmeal we ate for breakfast and where we get our hair cut - Twitter is also a magnet for the moderately-famous.

Stars of yesterday, illiterate millionaire athletes, former cast members of Saved By the Bell - you can follow them all, intimately, on Twitter.

But, you've got standards. We get that.

That's why we'll do it for you, in a feature we like to call Weekly Volcano Twitter Stalker.

This week, checking in with...

Weird Al Yankovic

May 31: Weird Al gets deep

"Sometimes I sit and ponder the mathematical impossibility of my very existence, and other times I just think about Wheat Thins." 8:47 a.m., via Web

May 8: Weird Al chills

"Taking a break in the studio. Right now I'm in the special room where Michael Jackson used to hang out with Bubbles." 8:59 p.m., via Web

May 6: Weird Al arrives

"You haven’t truly made it in show biz until a restaurant names a tamale pie special after you." 10:20 a.m., via Twitpic

Tune in tomorrow for more Twitter Stalking action from the Weekly Volcano

BEING WILLIAM WALLACE >>>

We here at the Weekly Volcano think it takes a real man to wear a skirt and wear it proudly.  That's why we're piling into the Weekly Volcanomobile and heading to the 41st Annual Tacoma Highland Games to watch some manly men flash their legs and flip some fucking big logs in the Heavy Field Events and Caber Toss.  If all that testosterone gets to be too much, we'll head for the Parading of the Clans or dancing, piping and drumming competitions.

And don't forget the bagpipes. Lots and lots of bagpipes. Did I mention the bagpipes?

Tacoma Highland Games

Saturday, June 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., $8-$10
Frontier Park, 217^th and Meridian East, Graham

Hey, did I mention the bagpipes?

LINK: More Tacoma Highland Games details

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010 >>>

1. The 2010 Soul of the City Tacoma Poet Laureate Tammy Robacker will give her premiere reading since winning the title at 7 p.m. inside  the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch. The free event will also include readings by former Soul of the City Poet Laureates Antonio Edwards and William Kupinse, as well as three of this year's 2010 Poet Laureate contest candidates, Brittany Short, Deborah Renee Crespo, and Pamela McCauley.

2. Author James Clarkson explains why Roswell and UFOs in general are anything but case closed at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books in Olympia.

3. Second City Chamber Series kicks off its summer concerts at Lakewold Gardens with Russian music by Rachmanoninov and Shostakovich played by Brittany Boulding (violin), Julian Schwarz (cello) and Natalya Ageyeva (piano) during a picnic at 7:30 p.m.

4. Dreams Jaded, Rip Spacer, The Chelsea Speed Party, and The Endeavors play Hell's Kitchen at 9 p.m.

5. J-Fresh mixes hip-hop and Top 40 videos during ladies night at 10 p.m. inside The Gamers Lounge on South Hill Puyallup.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound