THE VIEW IS STILL AWESOME >>>
The Cliff House reopened March 14. New owner Giuseppe Nappo (who also owns Verrazano in Federal Way and Copper Falls in Auburn) offers Italian meets Northwest cuisine with global accents at The Cliff House. Fine dining is still the name of the game, though it's now presented in an environment that greatly benefits from a much-needed decorating makeover and update.
Open for lunch and dinner, menu items at the Cliff House range from $9 handmade ravioli lunch to $69 lobster and steak dinner. Average lunch price is $12; dinner is $24; happy hour ranges from $3-$7.
Service is friendly, knowledgeable and on point; hard to believe the historical Northeast Tacoma restaurant has been back on the scene for only two weeks.
My group stopped in for The Cliff House's happy hour.
Tender non-chewy ring and tentacle calamari ($5) arrived in an orange-hued breading, nicely complimented by a lemon aioli.
Dipped in a fresh pomodoro sauce, the Cliff House's fried provolone ($6) is the adult version of mozzarella sticks; square in shape they were firm at the edges and melted in the interior.
Black bean and garlic chicken wings $5) offer a welcome divergence from the usual barbeque sauce or a Frank's hot sauce.
Salmon sliders, with pickled cucumber and a small side dish of coleslaw, make a nice bite at $3 each.
The Cliff House antipasti plate ($7) features the typical variety of meats, olives, cheese, vegetables and grilled bread.
A light seasoning and butter melted on top in no way masks the pleasant grill taste of a 14-ounce rib eye, which is on its dinner menu for $29. The red potatoes as accompaniment were chosen at bartender Jennifer Douglas' suggestion. Douglas was dead-on: they are so subtly sweet and creamy. Upon a recent visit, Douglas learned our names and those of other guests immediately; small gestures like this go a long way. She says her favorite dishes are the turkey panini at lunch and the stuffed chicken entrée at dinner.
As happy hour ended the clientele partly cleared out, but just as quickly seats were filled again - leaving the main floor and downstairs about 50-percent full. The vibe is comfortable elegance. The view is riveting. And the staff is personable.
[The Cliff House, happy hour daily 3-6 p.m., 9 p.m. to close, lunch served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, dinner served 3-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 3-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, brunch served 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, 6300 Marine View Dr., Tacoma, 253.927.0400]