Sure, you like beer - but have you ever worn it? Wrapped your entire being in it and then spent a day in a warehouse devoted to it? That's what the South Sound's most dedicated beer enthusiasts did at the Big Beer Festival, held at the Foss Waterway Seaport yesterday. Set in a more intimate environ than its larger summer Tacoma Craft Beer Festival counterpart, 20 small breweries poured 5.5-ounce shots of beers that contained a minimum of 6 percent alcohol by volume for 1,500 beer drinkers. By all accounts, it was a success.

What the Weekly Volcano also witnessed during the four-hour night session - the first session ran noon to 4 p.m. - was beer lovers know how to stagger in style, and many showed off just how crazy they could look. We also saw a few normal looking drinkers at the festival, which you will see below.

LINK: More photos from the Big Beer Festival in Tacoma

A TEASER >>>

How do you make really excellent eggs Benedict? Perfect each element and then combine for peak perfection. Marrow starts by launching a Sunday brunch service called "Breaking Bread," which it did today at 10 a.m. Next, Marrow Chef Kyle Wnuk adds a base of slightly sweet, lightly toasted, spongy bread, topping it with several firm lobster claws and a quivering poached quail egg, the yolks simultaneously runny and thick. All of that is lightly draped with a tangy, housemade, tarragon hollandaise. On the Benedict ($13), though, the sauce mixes with the yolk, creating a decadently rich and creamy combination - and you'll summon the potato roll fingerlings to sop it up.

Marrow's brunch dishes range between $9-$13.

Read our first bite review on Spew in the next couple of days.

MARROW, SUNDAYS, 10 A.M., 2717 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA, 253.267.5299

11:30 A.M., SUNDAY, FEB. 17, ORCHARD & EMERSON STREET, FIRCREST  >>>

This is not how pedestrian signals are suppose to look!

MONDAY, FEB. 18 2013 >>>

1. Guy Fieri visited Puyallup when he blasted through the South Sound in November. His show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, filmed at six popular locations, including Darby's Cafe and Fish Tale Brew Pub, both which have aired on Fieri's Food Network show. Tonight, Crockett's Public House receives the spotlight with the episode screening at 7 and 10 p.m. In celebration, Crockett's invites everyone to join them for happy hour from 9 p.m. to close and watch Fieri discuss their awesome meatballs.

2. It's Kids 'n' Critters day at Northwest Trek. From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. special nature-themed arts and crafts and trailside encounters will hit the massive animal park. Tram seating is limited to the first 1,500 visitors.

3. The Tacoma Art Museum and Washington State History Museum are opening their doors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate President's Day. To honor servicemen and servicewomen, the museums are offering free admission to all active-duty military members and their immediate families. Tacoma Art Museum will be offering hands-on art activities as well as a family photo booth. The Washington State History Museum is featuring Let's Ride! Motorcycling the Northwest, which explores a century of motorcycling.

4. Monday is typically a black hole for nightlife. Sure, if you run a sports bar, you'll do well during the World Series or football season, but for most eating and drinking establishments, it's just dead, dead, dead. There's a darn good reason why so many bars are empty on Mondays. So how do those that remain open find ways to fill barstools on this, the most dreadful evening of the workweek? The folks at The Swiss seem to have found a solution and, oddly enough, it's one that has been the bane of many other venues: live music. Since the beginning of time, The Swiss has hosted live blues every Monday at 8 p.m. Tonight, Palmer JCT will fill the Swiss with blues featuring three singers, dual lead guitars and a righteous rhythm section.

5. Beginning at 9 p.m. every Monday Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, Feb. 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

YOU HAVE TO PAY TO FIND OUT >>>

Each year, the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board - EDB to the cool kids - gathers for its annual meeting, listens to a keynote speaker, trades economic related knock knock jokes and busts out its "Excellent 10" list. The list highlights 10 great projects or investments that bolstered the community in the past year.

"The nominees are chosen by a committee internally at the EDB," says Chris Green, one of the vice presidents at the EDB. "All nominations are evaluated on their impact and significance to the Pierce County economy and determined in advance of the annual meeting. The purpose of the list is to highlight the great projects and investments in our county over the past year that are laying the groundwork for more private sector job growth in Pierce County."

Along with the list, the annual meeting offers brief descriptions about each of the projects, just in case you weren't paying attention throughout the year.

Past makers of the list range across a wide swath of industries. In 2012, winners included everything from Downtown Tacoma's Redevelopment project to the Washington United Terminals at the Port of Tacoma to the JBLM Military Communities Project. In 2011, the brand new LeMay - America's Car Museum and Cheney Stadium's extensive upgrade made the list.

What will be on this year's list? No one except the EDB knows until the meeting. Deputy Mayor Marty Campbell, chair of the EDB, offers thoughts on what projects to keep an eye on for next year:

"From my point of view I see few key developments in Tacoma. 2014 should see the opening of McMenamins in the old Elks building. This and the completion of the Pacific Avenue Streetscape will revitalize the north end of downtown. More excitement will be coming for the point Ruston development in 2014 creating a great place to live, work and play."

Tickets to the event are a whopping $85 each and are available online. The annual meeting will take place Friday, March 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy's national economics and finance correspondent, will be the keynote speaker.

NEW SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST OPTION IN TACOMA >>>

Shaking up Tacoma's weekend eats scene, Marrow debuted its "Breaking Bread" Sunday brunch yesterday, with a slew of nontraditional breakfast items from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and an inventive small plates menu from 2 p.m. to close.

A steady flow of sleepy-headed hipsters and Marrow devotees entered the doors when they opened, ready to experience the restaurant's first foray into breakfast. It was so popular, in fact, they sold out of food early.

Owners Jaime Kay and Jason Jones and chef/co-owner Kyle Wnuk prepared a menu that would surely awaken even the most tired palates and eradicate the unpleasant effects of too much fun the night before.

For a bit of hair of the dog, try a Saul cocktail ($7) with refreshing grapefruit juice, vodka, and a Libertine citrus-vanilla salt rim. Perhaps the Flynn ($7) is more your style, with a smoky bacon-infused bourbon and a hit of maple syrup.

Catching my eye was the colossal biscuit with duck and pork sausage gravy, hash browns and cheddar duck eggs ($12). "Colossal" was right - a giant mountain of a biscuit, with a delightfully crisp exterior, smothered in a skillfully seasoned gravy. The hash browns, with a perfectly crisp interior and light, fluffy cheddar duck eggs are worth the visit in themselves.

The challah French toast with maple syrup, raspberry syrup and cheddar duck eggs ($11) is a sublime way to feed your sweet tooth. With a griddled crust and bright raspberry syrup, this dish is not to be missed.

The afternoon small plates menu offers three menu choices for $16, including duck and pork or mushroom and vegetable dim sum dumplings, duck confit sliders and wild boar bacon tea sandwiches, to name a few.

Brunch at Marrow is anything but ordinary and the prices are spot-on. Although the staff and the kitchen were still figuring out the new menu, I'm convinced they'll quickly overcome the kinks of their maiden brunch voyage.

MARROW KITCHEN AND BAR, 4 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT TUESDAY-SATURDAY, 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY, 21+, 2717 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA, 253.267.5299

Adrienne Kuehl's love of Tacoma and passions for the local food scene and supporting small businesses led her to create A Big Mouthful and Tacoma Foodie. Follow her on Twitter: @tacomafoodie

LINK: A review of Marrow's new lobster claw Benedict dish

FYI >>>

The Puyallup Fair promises to release its full concert schedule any day now. The Fair has all ready teased with Craig Morgan's appreance Sept. 6 and Trace Adkins embed in the Pro Rodeo.

Today, it was announced Larry The Cable Guy is headed back to the Fair and well, gulp, "Git-r-done" Thursday, Sept. 19. It makes sense. It's a good pairing — Larry and Puyallup.

Tickets sell for $20, $40, $50 and $65, with reserved seating, and include Fair gate admission, unless noted. Tickets will be available starting Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. on the Fair website, or by phone 888.559.FAIR

WILL ANOTHER FREIGHTHOUSE HAVE TO BE BUILT TO HOUSE IT? >>>

First, how fun is the name Pip & Lola's?  I was hoping they were the real names of the folks behind Pip & Lola's Everything Homemade in Freighthouse Square. But, I knew different as our Valentine's Day cover story revealed. Bruce Story and Samantha Camp are their real names, while not as quaint, are still awesome. Hyphenated, they could be Camp-Story, and that's pretty fun.

"Pip and Lola are actually the nicknames of my 4- and 6-year-olds," laughs Camp, a soap maker who began creating - and selling - certain soaps to reflect the sensitive skin needs of her 4-year-old.

Second, and obviously more important than the name, is the fact that Pip & Lola's has just tipped the scale of handmade vendors to more than 50, which says more for the business than any name could. Also noteworthy is the fact that this expansion happened in less than a year. The business opened in July 2012 with just a dozen vendors.

"Isn't it crazy!? The whole thing has been a happy accident," says Camp.

She says her soap had been selling well, and she'd always been in love with Freighthouse Square. Camp says the landlord talked her and Story into two spaces. Camp asked her crafty friends on Facebook if they wanted to come play. Within a month, Pip & Lola's hit 20 vendors and had to tear down a wall.

"Obviously something like this was needed. We really try to make it a place for people to feel safe putting their products out there."

Currently, Pip & Lola's carries knit and crochet items, pottery, jewelry, wood turnings, stained and fused glass, BBQ rubs, chain mail jewelry and accessories, candles, young girls' dresses and skirts, synthetic hair pieces, blankets, paintings, cards, hand spun yarn, Camp's soaps and a whole lot more.

"It's the coolest thing in the world. The people that are making stuff love it - and the people that come in feel that love," she says.

They even have cabinets with products strictly for charity.

There is room for more vendors. Camp says she's looking for furniture and other everyday uses, as well as opportunities for taking or teaching craft classes in the store. For more information call 253.256.5660 or email pipandlola@gmail.com.

PIP & LOLA'S EVERYTHING HOMEMADE, 10 A.M. TO 7 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY, NOON TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY, FREIGHTHOUSE SQUARE, 430 E. 25TH ST., TACOMA, 253.256.5660

TUESDAY, FEB. 19 2013 >>>

1. The Academy Awards 2013 nominees for Documentary Shorts continue to screen at The Grand Cinema. You can view the five nominated shorts - King's Point, Mondays at Racine, Inocente, RedemptionandOpen Heart - at 2:15 and 6:50 p.m.

2. There is an excellent art exhibit in the gallery at The Evergreen State College from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is called An Abstract - Representational Continuum and it juxtaposes abstract art with slightly surrealistic photographs culled from the college's art collection. Included are works by well-known West Coast artists and a few nationally-recognized artists. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "An Abstract - Representational Continuum" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

3. The latest show at the University of Puget Sound's Kittredge Gallery is a fascinating installation that may prove difficult to describe. It is called "Kukai," and it is a collaborative project between digital media artist Robert Campbell and ceramic sculptor Yuki Nakamura, who previously worked together for an installation called "Floating Plaster/City Motion," a multimedia installation comprising video, audio, and cast sculptures for the New Works Laboratory, a program between 911 Media Arts Center and the Henry Art Gallery at University of Washington in Seattle. The current installation is all about light and sound - mostly light. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Kukai" in the Weekly Volcano Arts section.

4. Since China began flooding U.S. markets with illegally subsidized products in 2001, more than 50,000 American factories have disappeared, more than 25 million Americans can't find a decent job, and America now owes more than 3 trillion dollars to the world's largest totalitarian nation. But, what do we really know about China?  Tacoma's Fuzhou Sister City Committee selected the book Spring Moon: A Novel of China by Bette Bao Lord as a book to illuminate about China's different customs and people. Drop by King's Books at 7 p.m. to discuss the book and, well, China in general. By the way, this discussion is in conjunction with the upcoming Sister City International Film Festival taking place at Blue Mouse Theatre. Fuzhou's night is Feb. 28 with the film Last Train Home about China's country-wide migrations of people going home for their Chinese New Year celebrations.

5. Flint Culp, Mythologies and The Clacid Arkansas will rock Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia around 10 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Feb. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

I'M BACK IN MY COMFORT ZONE >>>

Since the day I moved to Tacoma's North End neighborhood about five years ago, part of my daily routine was a quick stop at the Tully's in Old Town Tacoma. Friendly service - some I'd even consider friends - the coffee shop next to the park was the perfect way to get my caffeine needs met fast and a good excuse for park play with the toddler.

Then Tully's closed and my routine has never been the same. Aside from coffee giant Starbucks, no coffee shop was so conveniently placed on my daily route. My world resorted to a sad state of quick coffee fixes that filled the void but didn't fill my heart.

When I heard Treos was going to reside in the space - boasting café-like goods alongside wines and beers -I was intrigued and my anticipation consumed me during its renovation.

Its doors opened last week.

Treos is no Tully's. Treos is modern chic with earthy tones of greens, booths and tables, minimalist bulbs - all set the almost swank tone.

A former familiar face to the old Tully's location greeted me. Apparently, a couple of other former Tully's staff members are also working in the new digs. The charisma of a place is thanks in large part to the characters - these familiar faces were welcome while it was a pleasure to meet some of the new players as well.

Treos serves the usual roasted bean concoctions, as well as a decent selection of teas for your work hour needs. Once the lights dim, out come a lovely selection of wine and a tap list that boasts some tasty brews, including local favorites 7 Seas' Balls Deep and NIV Ale, and Harmon Brewing's Blonde and Eleventh Street IPA, gluten free Angry Orchard Cider and Triplehorn Stout.

If eats is what you seek, look no further. Treos features local baked goods such as muffins, croissants and house made flatbreads. Treos flatbread menu left me indecisive because they all sounded like lovely flavor profiles pairing pears and brown sugar, red peppers and goat cheese, chicken and ranch and, the one I settled on, the Treos flatbread with chorizo sausage and drunken goat cheese, which was a delightful and a fair $10 for a sharable nibble. Treos also offers a bacon and egg brunch special and cheese platter.

I'll drop by for a night hang soon.

Treos seems a natural fit for the Old Town Tacoma community - whether for a quick coffee or pre-show date night. 

TREOS, 2312 N. 30TH ST., TACOMA, 253.212.2287