CHICKEN AND WAFFLES IN OLYMPIA >>>

Waffles and beer, oh yes. Crusty, latticed, thick golden food discs, and a frothy pint o' brew - a wonderful way to start the day, end it, or pepper a particularly plodding stretch of permanence. Any excuse is a good excuse when it comes to beer and waffles.

Now add chicken to this perfect mix - pressure cooked, juicy fried chicken. Voila!

We're not just talking sugary treats here; the waffles at King Solomon's Reef in Olympia are wheaty and buttery and can be topped with two pieces of fried chicken ($10.95).

The Reef has accomplished what most have never even tried: They've outed the waffle from its breakfast closet, exposing it to the wonderful worlds of lunch and dinner.

The restaurant's hours are 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., and the lounge is open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The menu screams Midwest offering diner food, such as mac and cheese, bacon-and-egg breakfasts, grilled cheese sandwich, hamburgers, french fries, and ... a veggie burger.

King Solomon's Reef

212 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
360.357.5552

LINK: We announced the re-opening of The Reef

MONDAY, OCT. 18, 2010 >>>

1. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club presents "They're Coming To Get You! - a night of living dead films, plus trailers, educational shorts, a chapter from a serial and the notorious raffle - at 7 p.m. inside the Acme Grub Cage.

2. John Bishop from the Vancouver campus of Washington State University will lecture on "The Paradox of Enrichment and other Ecological Wonder from Mount St. Helens" at 12:30 p.m. inside SCI 309 on the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

3. Momenti Rubari Trio - Betsy Perkins on soothing vocals and spicy percussion, Richard Lopez on sultry alto flute, Tarik Bentlemsani on acoustic guitar, and Jeff Parkhurst on drum grooves - will fill The Royal Lounge with Latin jazz beginning at 7 p.m.

4. Astrum Lux Lucis, singer of the conscious rock band One World (R)evolution, will perform at 7 p.m. inside the Mandolin Café.

5. DJ Jason Diamond spins roots reggae beginning at 9 p.m. during Rebel Monday/Industry Night inside O'Malley's Irish Pub.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

The Amocat Café discusses what's behind its Observation Room door: Chinese tunnels?

The Monsoon Room is now on twitter and Facebook. When will it be on the streets?

Cutter Point Uptown in Gig Harbor sent us an email boasting that they now have eggnog lattes, which is nice.

Sad news: The Beaver's mom is dead.

A stinky old woman came back to life.

A sexy Bigfoot was photographed in China.

I WENT TO THE OFFICE THIS WEEKEND >>>

Piercing blue sky, crisp air, lower temperatures and leaves blowing about signifies a perfect fall harvest day in the Pacific Northwest. Gloves and scarves are already making their presence known. Neither comedian Kris "Save Our Sonics" Brannon nor anyone else minded standing outside downtown Tacoma Saturday as The Office Bar & Grill celebrated their official grand opening with a visit from Mayor Marilyn Strickland. In true gracious form, Mayor Strickland remarked to proud, smiling business owners Travis Scheff and Matt Henderson, "This is the most organized ribbon-cutting I've ever been to."  Just before noon, the co-owners flanked the mayor as she used cartoonishly pink large scissors to cut a cheery red ribbon and followed with a short speech "... I am always glad to see another business open in downtown Tacoma."

Back inside The Office, patrons took advantage of the $3 special "grand opening" menu items. Patron Justin Bailey grubbed on an order of Southwestern rolls with guacamole while I chatted with the mayor and sipped a virgin Bloody Mary. Since opening Aug 5, The Office's friendly co-owners have taken patrons' feedback and made changes adding more tap handles, at least four being local and regional selections including popular Men's Room Original Red, 50 percent off happy hour, and a trivia night every Thursday at 8 p.m. They'll add more dinner entrees soon.

"The Office burger with cole slaw and sautéed onions is very popular" Scheff shared. "Angus steak frites are a big hit, people just don't expect demi glace - it's not a bar food item."

He adds that the community has begun to make the casual sports and business crowd bar a regular hangout. "Comeback Sports has their post-event gathering here Wednesdays and Tacoma Runners Club met and ended here last week."

The Office Bar & Grill

11 a.m. to midnight Sundays-Thursdays
11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays
813 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma
253.572.3222

I DID MORE THAN JUST WATCH FOOTBALL >>>

Sanford and Son Antiques sells vintage pencil sharpeners for $15 each, or two for $20.

Little Caesars Pizza at 5916 N. 26th St. in Tacoma has a drive-thru window. You can order pizzas on the fly.  However, large orders backs cars out to North 26th Street. Dinnertime on Sundays is a madhouse.

Babblin' Babs Bistro pumped out 60 orders of its Babs Bodacious Biscuits the Saturday and Sunday morning after we named it one of our 50 Favorite Dishes. Wow.

Abby's on Broadway, a wine shop in downtown Tacoma, hosts a wine tasting every day.

CAN WE BUG YOU FOR A SECOND >>>

A portmanteau is a word created by the joining of two previously existing words. For instance. PARASITESICAL. A combination of the word parasite (a relatively self-explanatory concept) and whimsical, all mixed together to coin a word which so far has only one known application - what we think the title of artist Keely Willoughby's humorous parasite paintings show at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital should be.

A reception for Willoughby's work will be held at Met Vet Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 5-8 p.m.

Go so you can truly know the sensation of standing in the middle of a room with veterinary doctors with a whole bunch of fleas and tapeworms all staring. Right. At. You.

Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital

401 Fawcett Ave, Suite 100, Tacoma
253.274.0225

THE WIZARDS OF SOUTH J ARE AT IT AGAIN >>>

The 1022 South lounge may not have needed much more momentum to rise to the top of the Tacoma cocktail scene, but it's set to take another great leap forward when it unleashes its fall/winter cocktail menu this Friday, introducing 40 innovative crafted cocktails in a party environment beginning at 6 p.m.

According to a press release, the new cocktail menu "showcases 1022 South's exploration and innovation, respect for classic cocktail construction, excitement for apothecary techniques, and commitment to showcasing seasonal ingredients. Also look for the return of some of your favorite seasonal drinks."

Two examples of the new drinks include: the Beatrice, a concoction of vodka, Amaro Averna Liqueur, lemon, and fig balsamic vinegar, and the herbal Echinacea Cocktail featuring echinacea and cayenne infused gin, lavender/chamomile infused honey, orange, and kava kava.

With half my office sick this week, I rushed over to the 1022 South and begged them to let me sample the new Echinacea Cocktail. Like worshippers in an ancient ritual, the exotic ingredients swirl inside the martini glass; cayenne decorating the top. I love this drink with its complex and intense flavors, including the heat that dances on my lips and tongue - still intense 20 minutes after the last sip.

Their cocktails, with their spices, infused alcohols, and freshly blended ingredients, have complex flavor combinations. Many are almost an appetizer in themselves because of their intense play with the taste buds. Chris Langston, Corey Lund and the chemists have kept that in mind when they crafted their new food menu of small plates complete with vegetarian and vegan options. I can't wait to see what they've cooked up.

As an added bonus, all cocktails will be priced at $6 during the Friday night party.

1022 South

Fall/Winter Menu Party
Friday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., no cover
South J. Street, between South 10th and 11th Avenue, Tacoma
253.627.8588

TUESDAY, OCT. 19, 2010 >>>

1. In celebration of its 75th anniversary the Tacoma Art Museum presents a screening of the 1935 (45, 55, 65 ... hey, it's 75 years old) classic film Top Hat at 7 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema.

2. The Banned Book Club gathers at the Tempest Lounge at 7 p.m. to discuss the book, The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer, over cocktails.

3. Bowling is a game devised for drinkers. You get up, you roll a ball, you sit down. You pound some beers and watch other people do the same. Then you repeat this cycle, all while wearing stupid shoes and knocking stuff down. It's like alcoholic heaven. The Chalet Bowl sweetens the deal every Tuesday from 6-11 p.m. with $2 games, $2 shoe rentals, $2 food items and $2.25 Rolling Rocks.

4. The 4 Tissimos Saxophone Quartet perform at 7 p.m. inside the Mandolin Café.

5. DJ Omar spins at 10 p.m. inside Jazzbones.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WE'RE NUMBER EIGHT! >>>

The Hotel Murano made the Top 10 List on the Conde Nast Traveler's 2010 Readers' Choice Awards with a 93.5 oversall score. In fact, the downtown Tacoma hotel hit the number eight spot for hotels in the United States. Click here to see how the magazine scored the Murano.

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER DISAPPEARED AFTER ZOMBIE NIGHT >>>

Last night the Tacoma Cult Movie Club screened zombie movies at Tacoma's Acme Grub Cage. The local movie club loves zombie movies. Of all the filmmakers in the world, it's our guess TCMC feels the most kinship with the guys who make zombie movies - obsessive man-children who know how to guiltlessly tell a ripping good yarn and who never got over that visceral thrill of being 13-year-old boys, up past their bedtimes, scaring the crap out of themselves watching the Super Spooky Horror Theater double-bill at home on a Friday night. And of all the monsters out there - vampires, mummies, ghouls, Glenn Beck - the Tacoma Cult Movie Club probably finds that the living dead make the most satisfying stories.

Last night Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger snuck inside the Tacoma Cult Movie Club's Zombie Film Night. He snapped a few grainy shots and sent them to us in the wee hours. We haven't heard form him since. He didn't send copy with the photographs. He didn't leave us a note of any kind. We suspect foul play.

Here are a few shots he sent us. We have no idea what they mean.

The Tacoma Cult Movie club meets every second Sunday and third monday at 7 p.m. inside the Acme Grub Cage. Enter at your own risk.