HAVE YOU VOTED YET? >>>

A grilled cheese sandwich can go terribly wrong. Experimenting with the classic formula, in this arena, can turn an American classic into a toxic-tasting mouth mutant. And Jesus hates mouth mutants. Well, thank God for Deanna Bender, who still makes the best grilled cheese around. Go ahead and bitch if you disagree. Then go down to Over the Moon Café on Opera Alley and try wine—soaked sourdough oozing with Gruyere, grilled to perfection and served with marmalade. Don’t be confused by the name — Croutes de Fromage. It means bread and cheese. This is the grilled cheese of the future. Better recognize.

Over the Moon Café

Lunch 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
709 Court C, Tacoma
253.284.3722

BEST OF TACOMA 2010 VOTE NOW

Once again, the Volcano's readers' poll will be the engine that drives our Best of Tacoma 2010 issue, which hits the streets July 29. Here is a sample of the food related questions in this year's poll:

Best Cupcakes?

Best Bowl Of Noodles?

Best Sandwich?

Best Service?

Click here to vote now. You could win a fabulous prize, too.

VOTE NOW >>>

Once again, the Volcano's readers' poll will be the engine that drives Best of Tacoma 2010. Think you know the best band, restaurant, politician, blog or thrift store? Want to help spread the word about the best bike shop, make-out spot or bar in our area? Cast your vote here. The results of our ultra-scientific survey will be published in the Weekly Volcano Best of Tacoma issue July 29, 2010.

And yes, we did say "our area" - as in Pierce County, not just T-Town. In a shocking turn of events, we've opened up the voting to all of Pierce County this year. You'll get the same Grit-City-style coverage you've come to expect from the Volcano Best of Tacoma, but our Best Of readers' poll net will be cast even further. It should make for some interesting competitions.  If you say the best restaurant is in Gig Harbor, so be it. If the best villain is in Lakewood, then vote it so.

THE PRIZE!

All ballots must be received by Wednesday, June 30 at 5 p.m. Those that arrive before the deadline will be eligible to win a $200 gift certificate to El Gaucho restaurant and a night at the Hotel Murano. The winning ballot will be chose at random. We'll announce the winner of our random drawing, as well as the winners of this survey at the Best of Tacoma Premiere Party Wednesday, July 28 at Masa restaurant on Sixth Avenue.

Person in Tacoma you most want to make-out with? Cast your vote here.

The Best of Tacoma 2010 is sponsored by Click Cable TV.

WIN FABULOUS PRIZES >>>

Hollywood has arrived in the greater Tacoma area, spinning off bits of Avatar-style, virtual reality technology to the world of print. The same brand of special effects that produced the billion-dollar blockbuster movie will be used by architects and engineers to design the Weekly Volcano's Best of Tacoma 2010 issue.

It will be epic.

The Weekly Volcano has spent the past 12 months dining, drinking, rockin' out, sneaking around city hall, and shopping our way across Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood, Gig Harbor and the other Pierce County cities - all while wearing 3-D glasses.  That's right, we have viewed the past year through funny-looking glasses.  And we are ready to throw the best of what we discovered right at your face July 29! 

The Best of Tacoma 2010 will be in 3-D. 

Of course, that means you'll need  fancy 3-D glasses to fully enjoy the breathtaking issue. Luckily, we have you covered there too. No need to search through your dresser drawers. We have the glasses, and we'll be handing them out to Volcano readers at events and locations all over the greater Tacoma area in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned for more 3-D details.

Best of Tacoma Readers' Poll

Once again, the Volcano's readers' poll will be the engine that drives Best of Tacoma 2010. Think you know the best band, restaurant, politician, blog or thrift store? Want to help spread the word about the best bike shop, make-out spot or bar in our area? Cast your vote here. The results of our ultra-scientific survey will be published in the Weekly Volcano Best of Tacoma issue July 29, 2010.

And yes, we did say "our area" - as in Pierce County, not just T-Town. In a shocking turn of events, we've opened up the voting to all of Pierce County this year. You'll get the same Grit-City-style coverage you've come to expect from the Volcano Best of Tacoma, but our Best Of readers' poll net will be cast even further. It should make for some interesting competitions.  If you say the best restaurant is in Gig Harbor, so be it. If the best villain is in Lakewood, then vote it so.

THE PRIZE!

All ballots must be received by Wednesday, June 30 at 5 p.m. Those that arrive before the deadline will be eligible to win a $200 gift certificate to El Gaucho restaurant and a night at the Hotel Murano. The winning ballot will be chose at random. We'll announce the winner of our random drawing, as well as the winners of this survey at the Best of Tacoma Premiere Party Wednesday, July 28 at Masa restaurant on Sixth Avenue.

OK, enough blabbering. Cast your vote here.

The Best of Tacoma 2010 is sponsored by Click Cable TV.

RON SWARNER: BEST OF TACOMA 2009 >>>

Ever wonder where your favorite vintage clothing store owners shop? Most days and nights, they’re slaving away in their own shops, or buying new stock.

Weekly Volcano readers chose urbanXchange as their favorite vintage clothing store in our Best of Tacoma 2009 issue. Owner Julie Bennett sent us a kind note of appreciation â€" and while we dig the store and its lovely owner, it wasn’t our doing. Our readers chose her store as the best in the City of Destiny.

On the eve of our Best of Tacoma 2009 issue launching on our Web site, I thought I’d ask Bennett where she shops for vintage clothing in Tacoma.

There you go. Three more vintage clothing shopping options from one of the best in Tacoma.

Here are the Bought and Sold Readers’ Picks from our Best of Tacoma 2009

BEST PAWN SHOP: Hilltop Pawn Shop
BEST THRIFT STORE: Goodwill
BEST FLOWER VENDOR: J Robbins Florist
BEST FREE SERVICE: The Link
BEST TACOMA NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YARD SALES: North Tacoma
BEST PLACE TO BUY A USED CAR: Goodfellas Motor Co
BEST FURNITURE STORE: Posh Home
BEST ECO-STORE: Marlene’s
BEST VINTAGE CLOTHING STORE: urbanXchange
BEST PLACE TO PUT GUESTS: Hotel Murano
BEST PLACE TO BUY SHOES: Nordstrom
BEST TATTOO SHOP: Supernova (with House of Tattoo a close second)
BEST PLACE TO BUY EYEGLASSES: Costco
BEST HAIRCUTTER: Andrea McKillip â€" Baroque Salon
BEST SPA: Savi Day Spa
BEST INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE: Buzzard’s
BEST PLACE TO BUY VINYL: Buzzard’s
BEST OCCULT STORE: Crystal Voyage
BEST WINE SHOP: Tacoma Wine Merchants
BEST POST OFFICE: Downtown
BEST ATTORNEY: Eric Bjornson
BEST COMIC BOOK STORE: Comic Book Ink
BEST PLACE TO RENT MOVIES: Stadium Video
BEST BIKE SHOP: Old Town Bicycle

For the Weekly Volcano Bought and Sold category staff picks, pick up the issue on the street or check out our Web site tomorrow.

MICHAEL SWAN: RANT LINE >>>

The Weekly Volcano World Headquarters voicemail received a call at 4:15 a.m. Sunday from a gentleman claiming Bob's Java Jive doesn't have crappy beer â€" as we lovingly suggested in the Best Of Tacoma 2009 issue.

While the gentleman ranted, there was swanky sounding music in the background â€" adult movie swanky.

Classic.

We love early morning calls. Keep them coming to 253.584.1212.

P.S. Remember our Best of Tacoma 2009 will post to our Web site early Thursday morning.

MATT DRISCOLL: WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR THEM ALL >>>

As the hip and with-it cat you are, I’m sure you’ve already checked out the Weekly Volcano’s Best of Tacoma 2009 issue. It hit the streets yesterday, and â€" pretty much â€" it’s like the coolest reading material ever. Or at least I think it is. I suppose you can be the judge of that.

In our zeal to unearth and shine a spotlight on all that kicks ass in Tacoma, we did our best to leave no stone unturned. However, this exhaustive process resulted in a surplus of 2009 Best of Tacoma Weekly Volcano writers’ picks. There simply wasn’t enough room to get them all in the paper, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let them die.

Thanks to the endless space of the Internet, they live on below.

Enjoy.

Best Bar For Conversation
The Crown Bar
The Crown Bar is constantly alive with the comfortable buzz of talking and laughter. Bartender Dino holds court over the bar seats â€" discussing San Francisco, opera, science â€" the dude knows things. In the dining space, two, four and six tops are full of hands up in the air, clinking glasses and pounding fists.  That said, it’s still the ideal place to talk with old friends or strike up conversations with new ones. The local art on the wall and windows with a generous view of Sixth Avenue are great conversation starters. And there’s always a table by the fire if you’d like to talk about more … uh, intimate things with a “friend” over beer or dinner, which is served late. â€" Jake de Paul
[The Crown Bar, 2705 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4177]

Best Hot Dog And Beer
The Red Hot
What’s left to say about The Red Hot (that we don’t say every freakin’ day on this blog)? The best spot for the biggest variety of ultimate mystery meat presentations â€" damn straight. The best place to drink pitchers of unheard of beer on a boring Sunday afternoon. Not a question for debate. The best place to watch the game and get clipped by a piercing â€" true dat. Everyone knows all of this. If you want to be an urban legend, you’ll have to visit The Red Hot. Because if you haven’t been, you’re nobody. Well, nobody special, anyway. â€" JDP
[The Red Hot, 2914 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.779.0229]

Best Coffee
Satellite Coffee
This year’s Best of Tacoma issue is bittersweet â€" for, amidst the celebration of all the good things Tacoma has to offer, we can’t help but be forced to remember the good things Tacoma lost over the last year. The Helm. Little Holland. And, of course, Black Water Café â€" which was pretty much thee place to get coffee for Tacoma’s emerging hip â€" and those just looking for a really satisfying cup of Joe. But don’t cry for me Argentinean coffee farmers getting raped by greedy, international coffee conglomerates, luckily in Tacoma there’s still Satellite Coffee. Whether above Supernova in its original, tiny, Stadium District outpost (that now has a deck, yo!), or now at Masa, Satellite’s shot pulling experts whip Portland’s Stumptown beans into pure coffee heaven. Seriously. If you haven’t experienced it yet you don’t know what you’re missing. â€" Matt Driscoll
[Satellite Coffee, 817 Division Ave., Tacoma, 253.428.8288]
[Satellite Coffee at Masa, 2811 Sixth Ave., Tacoma]

Best Bacon
Pacific Grill
Bacon, sweet bacon â€" the smoky, salty, fatty pork meat that makes my world go round. It's the centerpiece of breakfast, the stuffing for my lunchtime sandwich, the base of my dinner's soup and subsequently, the reason this baby has got so much so-called back. Pacific Grill’s lip-smacking Nueske's apple-smoked pig strips are the best. Another one of my favorites, the always crispy bacon at The Spar in Old Town, nipped at Pacific Grill’s tender heels â€" but came up just short. Puget Sound Pizza scored well, too. I smell a bacon crawl! â€" Suzy Stump
[Pacific Grill, 1502 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.722.1490]

Best Head Shop
The Green Room
We all know Tacoma is full of glass artists â€" but we may not fully realize just how full of glass artists Tacoma is until we delve into the world of hand blown pipes â€" for tobacco, of course. Tacoma may be relatively small, but the selection of smoking accessories we produce is staggering. If you’re looking for the best, reasonably priced selection of said glass smoking accessories, or vaporizers or double bubble bongs the size of Muggsy Bogues â€" for tobacco, of course â€" check out the Green Room on Sixth Avenue. There’s a reason we’ve named it Best Head Shop two years running â€" and it’s not just because the store has become like my own personal Cheers. That’s only part of the reason. â€" MD
[The Green Room, 6413 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.566.6436]

JAKE DE PAUL: YOU CHOSE THE BEST >>>

Below are the results of the Weekly Volcano's Best of Tacoma 2009 Readers' Poll for Food and Drink. You can read the staff picks in the Bets of Tacoma issue inside today's Weekly Volcano.

BEST SCONES: Corina Bakery
BEST CEVICHE: Asado
BEST CUP OF COFFEE: Satellite Coffee (RIP Black Water)
BEST NACHOS: Matador at happy hour
BEST SUSHI: TwoKoi
BEST BUFFET: Gateway to India
BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Merende
BEST HAMBURGER: Frisko Freeze
BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT: North China Garden
BEST PIZZA: Puget Sound Pizza
BEST FOOD LIKE MOM USED TO MAKE: Southern Kitchen
BEST ICE CREAM: Cold Stone Creamery
BEST CHEESE CAKE: Corina Bakery
BEST SOUP: Infinite Soups
BEST RESTAURANT THAT LIKES KIDS: Red Robin
BEST FOOD TO EAT ON THE RUN: MSM Deli
FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN TACOMA: Pacific Grill
BEST OUTDOOR DINING: Katie Downs
BEST LOAF OF BREAD: Corina  Bakery
BEST CATERING: Pacific Grill
BEST WINE BAR: Cork (close runners up Vinum and Pour at Four)
BEST BOWL OF NOODLES: Vien Dong
BEST TAQUERIA: Vuelve a la Vida
BEST SMALL PLATES: Merende
BEST BRUNCH: Shenanigan's and Shakabrah in a tie (how's that for diversity?)
BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT: Gateway to India
BEST BARBECUE: Bob's BBQ Pit
BEST SELECTION OF BEER: Parkway Tavern
BEST WINE BY THE GLASS: Pour at Four
BEST CLASSIC COCKTAIL: El Gaucho
BEST CREATIVE COCKTAIL: Tempest Lounge
BEST DIVE BAR: Bob's Java Jive
BEST BLOODY MARY: Hob Nob Restaurant and Lounge
BEST HAPPY HOUR: Pacific Grill
BEST PICNIC SPOT: Wright Park
BEST CANDLELIGHT RESTAURANT: Pacific Grill
BEST LOCAL CHOCOLATE: Brown & Haley

MICHAEL SWAN: YOU VOTED, NOW READ THE RESULTS >>>

Weekly Volcano writers are like scientists. We make Tacoma our lab. We take notes. We assemble the notes. Then we report to you.

In every sense, our Best of Tacoma is a scientific exploration for rare creatures â€" and the lab results hit the streets tomorrow as a special pullout section inside the Weekly Volcano.

Yes, once again, the Weekly Volcano staff contributed its choices to the Best of Tacoma issue. Because, truth be told, we can’t always rely on our readers for the most interesting choices. Living in a world where Olive Garden gets votes for “Best Italian” presents some pretty conspicuous challenges.

However, this is a free country, ours is a free weekly newspaper, and votes count. So this year, we are putting more emphasis on readers’ picks.

Still, for the total Weekly Volcano Best Of package, you’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow. But here’s a snippet of the goodness in store:

MICHAEL SWAN: WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO PEE? >>>

The finalists in the America’s Best Restroom VIII contest have been announced here. Tacoma didn’t make the list.

Where is the best restaurant bathroom in Tacoma?

My vote is the Tempest Lounge.

Where’s yours?

Oh, yes, and don’t forget to vote in our Best of Tacoma 2009 Readers’ Poll. The results hits the street July 30.

STEPH DEROSA: IS THIS A POPULARITY CONTEST? >>>

Since someone somewhere at Weekly Volcano headquarters bought Matt Driscoll a desk, I complained like a jealous little bitch, and now I have one too.  Across my brand new desk a multitude of announcements flowed from local TACOMA shops and restaurants stating that they’ve been nominated for what I declare as television news history’s most brilliant marketing scheme ever: Best of Western Washington contest.

Everyone except Christopher Wood and myself have been nominated for “Best of Western Washington.”  Seriously.  I’m not debunking the fact that our locally owned businesses are in fact the BEST, but this contest has just gotten out of control.  Here’s the 10-step process to how it works:

Step 1: As a business owner, tell a friend or regular customer about the contest.

Step 2: Let the customer/friend nominate you. 

Step 3: If in a hurry, or have no customers, nominate yourself under a fake name.

Step 4: Send out emails and make phone calls to people who will help whore out your votes.

Step 5: Send out multiple MySpace and Facebook blogs and bulletins telling people to vote for you. 

Step 6: Friends go to The King 5 Web site

Step 7: After being blinded by flashing screen adds and clicking out from numerous pop-up adds that I’m sure were sold for top dollar due to constant Web traffic, friends vote for your business.

Step 8: Wait.  Maybe smoke out, watch Scarface a few times while reminiscing on puberty and what eighth-grade was like for you. 

Step 9:  Realize that a plaque on the wall from King 5 does not determine how much Tacoma loves you.  Yes, you are awesome, that’s why you opened up a business in Tacoma â€" because you have something of precious value.  I, for one, will tell you that anytime you want to hear it.  I am proud of my community and it’s independent business owners.  Come to me and I will stroke your ego all you want.

Step 10 (second option from step 9): Send Steph DeRosa hate mail for writing this.  Fuck her!  She’s just a bitter bitch who uses this blog for venting her own irritating frustrations.

See?  It’s easy!  In just 10 steps you too can win King 5’s Best of Western Washington!

Now time for debate:

Is this a popularity contest?   Whoever can rally the most friends wins?  Is the love your community has for you and amount of true customers actually reflected in these votes?  What about the senior citizen who comes into your restaurant for breakfast EVERY Sunday, but who doesn’t use a computer?  Or the 5 year old who begs her mom to go into your store after school for ice cream every day?  Or what about the guy in a suit who stops by every Friday after work to get flowers for his wife?  Are they on MySpace? Is the 5 year old going to the King 5 Web site?  

Go ahead and flame away.  It’s my two cents.

LINK: Best of Tacoma. Go Local!