TUESDAY, APRIL 1: SWEET PICKLE 16 BURGER ACTION >>>

For the last two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: Who makes the best burgers in the South Sound? And you have responded in multitudes. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Pickle Girls and Fry Guys living together - mass hysteria!

The competition had been whittled down to the Sweet Pickle 16. Yes, 16 South Sound burger flippers are poised to make the final push to the Final Four, which will begin Friday.

So, read up on yesterday's action, and then vote on the first four games of the Sweet pickle 16. It's in your hands, mouth and stomach, folks. Do us proud.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Lefty's Burger Shack (8317 27th St. W., University Place) vs. Alfred's Café and Bubble Room (402 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma)

Lefty's Burger Shack kept a lead all day with ferocious play from their one-pound beef patty Viking Burger. The behemoth was too much for Alfred's. Lefty's grabbed 61 percent of the vote and moves into the Sweet pickle 16 to battle The Forum tomorrow.

Game 2: Classics Café at LeMay (2702 E. D St., Tacoma) vs. Crown Bar (2705 6th Ave, Tacoma)

These two Tacoma restaurants bounced buns off each other all day until around 4 p.m. when the Crown Bar began to pull away. Rumor has it the Crown Bar got behind their Cougar Gold Burger with its housemade pickles and pushed through Classics Café's wall of chili cheese tots protecting their classic, hard-working cheeseburger. As the clock hit 11:45 p.m., the Crown Bar had 62 percent of the vote, and a spot in the Sweet Pickle 16.

Game 3: Herfy's (10417 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood) vs. Dirty Oscars (2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma)

Herfy's in Lakewood grabbed the lead early and never looked back, nabbing 66 percent of the vote when all was said and done. Our Steno Pool believes Herfy's rode a bit of nostalgic momentum, drawing huge numbers of Lakewood's old-timers who remember the original Herfy's from the Villa Plaza days. It was too much for Dirty Oscar's gourmet burgers. Herfy's moves into the Sweet Pickle 16 to take on The Spar tomorrow.

Game 4: Shake Shake Shake (124 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma) vs. Frugals (10727 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma)

In NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament history, when a ninth seed team has battled a number one seed, the ninth has emerged victorious less than 10 percent of the time. In the Tournament of Burgers, the percentage drops to zero. In the largest victory margin of the day, Tacoma's Stadium District burger joint Shake Shake Shake clobbered longtime Tacoma burger slinger Frugals with 69 percent of the vote. Shake Shake Shake moves moves moves into the Sweet Pickle 16 to battle the Seinfeld-loving Little Jerry's tomorrow.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Sweet 16:

• Lefty's Burger Shack
• Crown Bar
• Herfy's
• Shake Shake Shake

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Sweet Pickle 16 burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 1 2014 >>>

1. Just look at us South Sounders, would you? Are we not the most adorable creatures ever? The most perplexed and beautiful and yes, sometimes, lost? Look at us, with our mountains and our mushrooms. Mushrooms? Surely you have trudged through the forest on a damp, cold day, its dreariness punctuated by water dripping from the rain-soaked newly leafing trees. Occasionally one of these frigid droplets would plummet directly down the back of your jacket collar, making you wish you had spent that particular day in the DuPont Library listening to wild foods expert Langdon Cook discuss his new book, The Mushroom Hunters, about Pacific Northwest commercial pickers. Oh glory be, astonishing wonderfungi! Cook will, indeed, be in DuPont Tuesday, to discuss hunting for mushrooms in the rain. No joke.

2. Smooth & Juicey will reopen at 7:30 a.m. in the same downtown Tacoma spot. That's right, the variety of freshly squeezed juice drinks and smoothies are back. In celebration, S & J will offer 41 off any smoothie or juice all day. Also, the first 25 people who drop by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. will receive a complimentary Mimi's Cake Pop. It's a rewarding place to check in and recharge.

3. Making magnificent use of the Laotian landscape and tribal traditions, Australian director Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is a coming-of-age tale infused with fantastic elements as it tells the story of young Ahlo who - with the help of a drunken former soldier known as Uncle Purple - decides to enter a local rocket contest, in which the winner gets a cash prize. The stakes are actually broader: It is hoped the rockets will anger the sky gods and force necessary rain upon the farming town. Catch the film at 2:15 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

4. Olympia female hardcore band Hysterics joins The New Flesh, Darto and Dirty Joe & the Brick Walls for an all-ages show at 6 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

5. Randy Linder and David Christensen will pay tribute to Bob Seger, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty at 6:30 p.m. in the Red Wind Casino.

LINK: Tuesday, April 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.1.14 >>>

The Navy lifted a lockdown at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor after ordering personnel to shelter in place for nearly two hours.

CIA officer confirmed no protests before misleading Benghazi account given.

Sequestration would degrade military readiness, senior military officials recently told a Senate panel.

The involuntary separation of soldiers from the force may be necessary as the Army draws down in strength over the next few years.

Japan today lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports, introducing new rules covering the arms trade in a move supporters say will boost Tokyo's global role, but which unnerved China.

The United States should work directly with Taiwan to actively promote peace and stability in Asia.

Putin's imaginary Nazis.

The Pentagon improved its buying power on 51 of its 80 programs in 2013, resulting in $23 billion of procurement savings.

A Senate investigation concludes waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods provided no key evidence in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

After months of criticism about how the military accounts for the remains of fallen U.S. service members from foreign battlefields, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday he will create a single Pentagon-level office to oversee the worldwide mission.

The Air Force is planning to join with European allies to create an ISR or tanker consortium.

Troops might be able to replace heavy night vision goggles strapped to their helmets with contact lenses.

The long-awaited Army Regulation 670-1, with new rules on tattoos, hairstyles, grooming and uniform wear, went into effect Monday.

Defense Secretary Hagel gave his support to moves by the services to consider banning tobacco sales on bases and ships.

Thousands of soldiers and others have signed a White House petition calling for the president to order the Army to reconsider just-released appearance and grooming regulations they contend are 'racially biased' against black women.

Chinese warlords Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren had the best bromance in military history.

Inside the military's new office for cyborgs.

Army testing combat boots, camouflage patterns.

Army Medicine is near completion in the implementation of its secure healthcare-messaging system, the Army Medicine Secure Messaging Service, to all 52 of its military treatment facilities worldwide.

Testing is about to begin on futuristic robot space surgeons.

Michael Stipe is inducting Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Finally: George Lucas explains the birth of lightsabers.

The Flaming Lips has created a companion to Dark Side of the Moon.

Watch a deleted scene from last weekend's Saturday Night Live that really should've aired.

The Pink Panther is being rebooted yet again.

Game of Thrones 9-minute recap...

Ambiance, it counts for a lot and can make or break an establishment. Ambiance, after all, is a vital component of a restaurant's character. Of course, the place doesn't need to be fancy to have an appealing ambiance. There's a time and a place for everything and if it's time for a craft brew or cocktail paired with exceptional gourmet grade grub where you can slide right in wearing a hoodie and jeans the place is Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe.

With a menu featuring appetizers, salads and sandwiches, Top of Tacoma takes them all to the next level with fresh, compelling ingredients. My "Eat This Now" recommendation of the week is its Beast of Burden sandwich ($9). Sourdough slices grilled to perfection and packed with tender Angus roast beef, flavorful caramelized onions and gooey havarti cheese then topped off with generous amounts of cherry pepper relish and a horseradish herb-mayo. It's a delightful matrimony of flavor. Served with a side of au jus for dipping and your choice of chips, soup or salad this sammie is about as good as it gets.

Honorable mention? Really anything on their menu, though owner Jaime Kay Jones tells me the Adobo Spiced Steak and Cheddar ($9.75) is undergoing a facelift. Trading a French roll for flat bread wrap and adding avocado and corn to the steak, green chilies and spiced crema concoction. They say "don't fix it if it ain't broken," but this is more of an embellishment than a "fix" - and a damn tasty one at that.

BEAST OF BURDEN SANDWICH, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, Top of Tacoma Bar and Café, 3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1502

SEE ALSO

Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe voted best bar in Tacoma

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival - The world's largest touring heavy music festival - is back for its seventh year with a July 8 date at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn. Crawling around will be Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Body Count Featuring Ice T, Suicide Silence, Mushroom head and the not scary named Asking Alexandria and Miss May I.

Ticket prices haven't been announced. The show goes on sale through LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster and 1.800.745.3000 at 10 a.m. Friday, April 4.

If you adore loud, aggressive and violent music, then this is your show.

While the weather doesn't seem ready to share warmer temperatures, it is technically spring, which for the South Sound means one thing: the Spring Fair in Puyallup.

This 25-year tradition is back at the downtown fairgrounds April 10 to 13 with food, rides, livestock and performances. All military servicemembers, retirees, disabled veterans and their families get in free April 11 with valid identification.

For more information, check out excerpts the news release from the Spring Fair folks below. ...

Read more...

<<< MONDAY, MARCH 31 GAMES CLOSED >>>

Beginning tomorrow, we'll cut the field of 64 South Sound burger joints to the Sweet Pickle 16. No joke. April 3, it'll drop to eight. Monday, April 7, we'll announce the winner of the Tournament of Burgers - picked by you, of course - at Meconi's Pub in downtown Tacoma during halftime of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. On that Monday, we'll cut the online voting at 5 p.m. and take the voting live at Meconi's, handing out ballots while you pound beers.

That's all fine and dandy, but it's Monday and you don't have time for idle chitchat. You need to know yesterday's results and get to voting on today's games.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: The Forum vs. Frisko Freeze

Ah, history. The factor we all owe so much but for the most part choose to ignore. Frisko Freeze is still going strong after more than 50 years in the biz and its delicious burgers are the reason for its success. But the modern electric hum lies with The Forum - the new kid on the block - and its fancy burgers. The new restaurant at the historic Olympus Hotel grabbed 65 percent of the vote yesterday over Frisko Freeze, and moves into the Sweet Pickle 16.

Game 2: Lunchbox Laboratory vs. Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery

Let's face it. It is more fun to drink shakes out of beakers, munch on a burger made of duck and pork (affectionately called the "dork"), or order cocktails made with Tang. Lunchbox Laboratory positions itself as a laboratory where amazing burgers are created and the customization options are endless. It's a winning formula, at least in terms of the Tournament of Burgers. Lunchbox Laboratory grabbed 59 percent of the votes over the Puyallup mainstay Powerhouse Restaurant, and nabs a spot in the Sweet Pickle 16.

Game 3: The Spar vs. Norma's Burger Hut

Eleventh seed The Spar knocked three seed Norma's Burger Hut out of the tournament yesterday. I don't have any idea if The Spar's weekly Sunday night blues concert played into the historic tavern's whooping of the popular Lacey burger shack, but its handful of burgers grabbed 65 percent of the vote, and an April 2 date in the Sweet Pickle 16.

Game 4: Little Jerry's vs. Mikie Burger

Mikie Burger has history and fans. For years the tiny mom-and-pop restaurant defied the odds, going head to head with nearby national franchises. Despite having no indoor seating and very little parking - despite eccentric hours and long waits - despite being literally overshadowed by new construction - the home of the Mikie Burger endured, until the summer of 2009. The Little Holland burger joint - which now bares a sign reading "Mikie Burgers" - officially reopened on Center Street Jan. 4, 2010. Little Jerry's knew it had to go big against the history and long list of burgers. The Seinfeld-crazed café pulled out The Mimbo. Remember Elaine's man-bimbo, Tony? Yes, Little Jerry's creates dishes from Seinfeld episodes. Yes, the burger sandwiched between grilled cheese sandwiches and topped with a fried egg put the hurt on Mikie. Little Jerry's nabbed 64 percent of the vote and has made the Sweet Pickle 16.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Sweet 16:

• The Forum Tacoma
• Lunchbox Laboratory
• The Spar
• Little Jerry's

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Second Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

MONDAY, MARCH 31 2014 >>>

1. There are nature people, and there are not-nature people. But a not-nature person living in a place such as Washington state is sort of a tragedy. Something should be done about this - a slow transition to the outdoors. Just think of the world beyond your walls as a gigantic, interactive television. Introduce yourself to the concept of nature through Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's Animal Scavenger Hunt. Each day of this spring break week will focus on one superstar species: red wolves Monday, sharks Tuesday, elephants Wednesday, polar bears Thursday and wild cats Friday. If the Zoo's hands-on activities and animal action doesn't make you want to be outdoors and in nature, you're hopeless. If it does - you're in the right place.

2. Recalypso, a steel drum party, will kick off at 1 p.m. in the Parkland/Spanaway Library.

3. The Monday night jazz has fired up at the new Rhythm and Rye in downtown Olympia, kicking off with the Hot Club Sandwich at 8 p.m. Founded more than 10 years ago, Hot Club Sandwich began with a deep reverence for Gypsy jazz of the '30s and '40s, growing to incorporate classic jazz and folkloric influences from around the world.

4. Saxophonist Wayne Christopher Swanson joins the house band at 9 p.m. for The New Frontier Lounge's weekly jazz jam.

5. Jazzbones has amped up its weekly live band karaoke. Every Monday at 9 p.m. for the next five weeks it's hosting a singing contest with the grand prize being two nights and flight to Las Vegas. Jazzbones will choose three finalists from each night to compete in the finals. The competition will be judged by the applause-o-meter.

LINK: Monday, March 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.31.14 >>>

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are advancing far different proposals on how to calm tensions and de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine as Russia continues to mass troops along its border with the former Soviet republic.

America's secret weapon to stop Russia.

North and South Korea fired artillery shells into each other's waters today, a flare-up of animosity between the rivals that forced residents of five front-line South Korean islands to evacuate to shelters.

Taliban gunmen abducted a candidate running for a seat in a provincial council in northern Afghanistan and seven members of his entourage.

Japan and the United States plan to create a permanent consultative body to coordinate the operations of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military in the face of China's highhanded actions over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.

33,000 troops to go: Marine Brig. Gen. Daniel O'Donohue outlines Afghanistan drawdown.

Photographs expose Russian-trained killers in Kiev.

Secret warplane appears over Texas.

U.S. Army field artillery is preparing for future wars by returning to Cold War-era tactics supplemented by modern, mobile technology.

The Pentagon's five-year projections for procurement spending on its 63 major weapons programs, submitted to Congress this month, has turned more positive than last year's spending forecast.

The first week of April will be a critical one for what has been a relatively drama-free armored vehicle program for the U.S. Army.

Mustache March ends, but controversy lingers.

Your forecast for the next century: It'll be hotter, drier and hungrier, and the chance to turn down the thermostat is slipping away.

Yes, Louie's back!

Celebrate Jeopardy!'s 50th with these facts about the show.

List: Simpsons Easter eggs you might've missed.

Watch a new trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

A simple flowchart to work out if you should take a selfie.

Here's that giant David Hasselhoff on wheels you asked for.

Forget twerking and planking.  Whaling's the new in thing.

<<< SUNDAY, MARCH 30 GAMES CLOSED >>>

The subject of burgers is, like the subject of barbecue, vexed and fraught with controversy. What constitutes a great burger? Who makes the best? Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite, and everyone's an expert. Throughout the month of February we polled our readers asking what are the top 64 burger joints in the South Sound. You chimed in. Thursday, March 20 we launched the Tournament of Burgers, pitting your 64 burger joints against each other, similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, only with more pickles. It's the 11th day of action, and we're deep into the Second Round. Let's take a look at yesterday's results and today's four games.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: NetShed No. 9 vs. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Thad Lyman and Katie Doherty, the husband-wife team behind Brix 24 in Gig Harbor, opened the waterfront breakfast and launch destination Netshed No. 9 a year ago. Just off Harborview Drive, it has a splendid view of quiet waters and boats. It also has a breakfast burger that smoked Five Guys Burgers and Fries with 88 percent of the vote. NetShed No. 9 moves into the Sweet 16 to face Eastside Big Tom April 1.

Game 2: DeLong's DeLuxe vs. Maxwell's Restaurant

Robert Walker, who was the president of Walker Cut Stone Company, built a seven-story apartment hotel building at the corner of Sixth and St. Helens in 1927. The building was designed in a classical revival style. While the building appears rectangular from the street, it is actually L-shaped with a small garden court. It was the first apartment house to be faced with stone in the Northwest, where others were brick. Today, the fine-dining restaurant Maxwell's anchors the building, serving a namesake "Walker Burger," which has remained on the menu through several ownership changes. It's an historic building and an historic burger. Yesterday, the gourmet Walker Burger beat a tough opponent, Lakewood's DeLong's DeLuxe, with 80 percent of the vote. There's chatter of putting Maxwell's Walker Burger on the Historic Register.

Game 3: Asado vs. Marrow Kitchen + Bar

Tacoma is Asado, and the Commonwealth of X Group. Tacoma is Marrow, and the Republic of Jones. At 62.34 square miles, Tacoma is hardly big enough for the both gourmet burgers, and that includes Saturday night in the Second Round. Asado vs. Marrow. Few sentences in Tournament of Burgers come with more buzz, especially in March. A half-hour after No. 1 seed Asado beat No. 8 seed Marrow by two points, Asado co-owner John Xitco stepped into the entrance of Asado. Chefs were texting family members, conducting interviews and watching themselves on YouTube when the familiar voice of Xitco cut through the joyous din. "You guys have a hell of burger," Xitco probably said, pausing for a moment. "You just beat the best. You should be proud." This game will be the enduring legacy of the Tournament of Burgers, etched in the record books as Asado 50.42%, Marrow 49.58%. Epic.

Game 4: Meconi's Pub Tacoma vs. Tatanka Takeout

We can't thank Meconi's Pub in downtown Tacoma for hosting the Tournament of Burgers Championship Party at 6 p.m. Monday, April 7. The final two South Sound burger joints will battle live through paper ballots, and the burger winner will be announced during halftime of the NCAA Basketball Championship Game. Yes, I'm softening the news for Mecoini's, "Tacoma's friendliest place to eat and drink," as the pub fell to Tatanka, who's bison burger captured 68 percent of the vote. The remain burger joints need to pay close attention to the Ruston joint specializing in bison, especially Best Burgers who takes on Tatanka April 1 in the Sweet 16. This cross-region game will be a bruiser.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Sweet 16:

• NetShed No. 9
• Maxwell's Restaurant
• Asado
• Tatanka Takeout

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Second Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.