The kitchen wasn't complete when The Swiss Pub opened 21 years ago this month. Once it was up and running, the first menu item was a no-brainer.

"People would hound us asking when we were opening. We would always reply, ‘two weeks'," says Swiss Pub owner Jack McQuade, speaking for his former co-owners Gayl Bertagni and Bob Hill. "Two weeks, two weeks - we said it for months. When it came time to name Gayl's first sandwich out of the kitchen, ‘The Fortnight' seemed appropriates since it's the British term for ‘two weeks'."

The turkey, bacon, sauteed mushroom, onion and Swiss cheese sandwich spurred the other original Swiss sandwiches: Today's, Tomorrow's and the Yesterday's. All but Tomorrow's still grace the menu.

After Bertagni died in a freak accident in May 2009, McQuade and Hill stayed true to her menu, since their beloved partner created the menu and ran the kitchen at The Swiss. McQuade, now the sole owner, still keeps the sandwiches on the menu, with slick tweaks, in her honor, but has slowly changed the cuisine coming out of the Swiss' kitchen.

"We're moving from a bar with food to a restaurant with a bar," says McQuade. The Swiss is no called The Swiss Restaurant & Pub.

He hired a new chef, Scott Cleese, who has put modern twists on The Swiss' dishes, as well as added new flavors, especially for daily and weekly specials.

Wednesday, April 16, Cleese will running back and forth the kitchen to the main music room to explain his creations during his Georgetown Brewing beer pairing dinner, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Cheddar potato soup, steak salad, fried monkfish and other dishes will be paired with Georgetown's finest, such as the Lucille IPA and Chopper Red Ale. Cleese will explain how he incorporated each Georgetown beer into his dish, followed by tasting notes from representatives from the Seattle craft brewery.

McQuade says monthly brewers dinners are on the books.

The cost is $40 per person. Tickets are available at The Swiss. For more information, call 253.572.2821.

Thursday, April 17

Beer geek Erick Swenson will pair bacon and beer at 6 p.m. in 208 Garfield close to Pacific Lutheran University. For $10, you may drink local beers and eat bacon until 9 p.m.

Friday, April 18

The Eastside Club Tavern hosts a No-Li Brewhouse brewers night. Have you played on the downtown Olympia tavern's new shuffleboard?

Friday, April 18-Saturday, April 19

The Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival takes over Fremont Studios in Seattle with the biggest and best pop-up bar you may ever see with 50 microbrews, scotch, whiskey and wine tastings flowing through the aisles April 18-19. Hopscotch 2014 has an impressive lineup of both Washington and out-of-state microbreweries and distilleries. Well-known breweries, from Deschutes Brewery to Full Sail, Ninkasi to Snoqualmie, will serve up familiar brews and more. A few wines from the Proletariat Wine Company will also be available. If your tastes run a little harder, Scotch aficionados (or newbies wanting to learn a bit) can sample five Abelour vintages and six Northwest whiskeys. "We are bringing back our scotch workshops, which are hour-long Scotch 101 workshops led by a master of scotch and feature 10 different kinds of scotch from the Aberlour, Glenlevit, and Chivas families," said Maddie Murphy, sponsorship and marketing assistant for the festival. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.hopscotchtasting.com.

Saturday, April 19

Wingman Brewers celebrates its third anniversary with a party noon to midnight. It will premiere its Double IPA Pocket Aces in 22-ounce bottles and on draft, which is basically a doubled up version of its Ace IPA. There is a significant amount of malt backbone in the Pocket Aces, which leads to some residual sweetness. It weighs in at about 12 percent, but with a massive amount of citra and centennial hops, along with a few other varietals to balance it out. Budha Bear Bagels will help soak up the suds. Here is Wingman's starting tap lineup for Saturday: Ace IPA 7.1% ABV, P-51 Porter 8% ABV, Pocket Aces 12% ABV, Coconut P-51 8% ABV, Stratofortress 11.2% ABV, Gratzilla Smoked Bacon Wheat Ale 3.4% ABV, Operation Crossroads Old Ale 16.8% ABV, Chocolate, Coffee, Oatmeal Stout 7.8% ABV, AO Supporters Outlaw Ale 4.8% ABV, Pacific Gose 3.3% ABV, Wit 4.6% ABV, Big Baby Flat Top Imperial Stout 11.4% ABV, Chocolate Fortress 11.2% ABV, Mighty HighPA 6.8% ABV and a cider from Seattle Cider Company.

The historic 1908 Olympic Club in downtown Centralia hosts its annual Brewfest from 1-11 p.m. Since it's a McMenamins' operation, you can expect its Oregon-based brews on full display, as well as beer from guest brewers and importers, including local treats from Fish Brewing and Dick's brewing. While you sip, you can take in the Olympic Club's history of railway bootlegging, captured train robbers, secret call buttons, subterranean tunnels, rumored hauntings as well as tour the Olympic Club brewery, relax in the outdoor seating area, play a round or two of pool. The cost is $12 per 1o-sample punch card. The overnight rooms at the Olympic Club have been taken so plan accordingly.

Sometimes I make the greatest, yummiest discovers when poking around sleepy strip malls.

Case in point: Beau Legs Fish and Chips.

Located in a Lacey strip mall, Beau Legs is a casual, intimate dining option specializing in Southern style cuisine with Cajun flair. Think catfish, jambalaya, hush puppies and sweet potato pie. They even have alligator.

Let me tell you this, Beau Legs is soul food at its finest. Everything I've sampled was flawless and well executed.

My Eat This Now recommendation?

You need to eat Catfish and Shrimp ($12.99) now. Featuring two crispy, breaded catfish filets, several meaty fried shrimp accompanied by perfectly seasoned fries, slaw and a couple hush puppies thrown in for good measure makes this a generous serving of all kinds of goodness for those less decisive. Served up with sides of hot sauce and tartar, each table also has all the extra fixins you may desire to add more flavor such as malt vinegar and several hot sauce options. I didn't inquire but if you can request a side of their po'boy sauce, DO.

As I said, the establishment is intimate but service provided is uber friendly and the menu delivers fuel for your soul.

CATFISH AND SHRIMP, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Beau Legs Fish and Chips, 8765 Tallon Lane NE, Lacey, 360.915.6328

Since Doyle's Public House opened in the spring of 2006, the Tacoma bar has attracted tourists from all over the world (Esquire magazine gave it a thumbs up), as well as become a local hangout for South Sound Guinness lovers, Jameson drinkers and soccer enthusiasts who are grateful for a spot to meet more of their kind. These folks, and those who enjoy a good time, will pack Doyle's Thursday, April 17 when it celebrates its eighth anniversary.

Doyle's opened its doors in Tacoma's Stadium District at 3 p.m. Monday, April 17 2006. Eight years later people are still walking through  its doors. Owners Russ Heaton and Dave Shelnut originally looked at Magoo's on North 21st before Adam Buff grabbed it, but did not have the money to do the fire rehab and build a business. They also toyed with the idea of opening "Dr. J's" with Josh Hill, Swiss Pub bartender. The three didn't have the drive needed to make it happen. Heaton never gave up. He remembers the day Bob Hill and Jack McQuade walked away from Engine House No. 9 to open the Swiss Pub. And it never left his mind the many years he worked as a wine and beer distributor.

The idea for Doyle's was hatched June 2005 on Shelnut's bachelor party in Reno at Foley's, a bar across from their hotel. Maybe a month later Heaton found the location, phoned Shelnut immediately, and demolition began in November.

"I marvel sometimes at the fact we have done so well," Heaton told me a few years back. "It makes me feel the best on payday when we are able to employ as many people as we do. Seeing and hearing how proud my parents are of me makes this entire project worth everything I have put into it times 10.

Sitting at Doyle's last Friday afternoon, I asked Heaton what was the secret to staying in business for eight years, in an industry that has gobbled up many South Sound bars in the last eight years.

"Stick to the business plan," he said. I've watched many bars make radical changes and suffer the consequences. Sure, make tweaks, but stick to the plan. Your customers will appreciate it and stay loyal."

Heaton and Shelnut will combine their monthly St. Practice Day party with their anniversary celebration Thursday featuring the standard hoisting pints at 5:17 pm to recognize pint club achievements and welcome new members, followed by hugs, drinking and music from The Cold 102's at 8 p.m. No cover, as always.

"(The Cold 102's) Ant has been a favorite of Doyle's since he was with Toughtimes and we were brand new," says Jesse Turcotte, who books the music and pours the juice at Doyle's. "The 102's are a great compliment to him whether he's barkin' through his harp or fryin' bacon on that guitstick. He's played our party before, and this sure won't be the last time. If you can't feel the blues, you're dead inside."

Drop by Doyle's Thursday and celebrate the vision of Heaton and Shelnut, grab one of their delicious hummus plates or the world-famous Cheesy British, and tip one or two back.

EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, doors at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. official anniversary, 5:17 Guinness toast, 8 p.m. music, Thursday, April 17, 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, no cover, 253.238.5359

Sometimes it seems like obsession with bacon know no bounds. Present company definitely included. However, in some cases the infatuation is deserved, as in the case with the Gratzilla bacon wheat beer created by Wingman Brewers and Maxwell's Restaurant, which I wrote about this week. The two Tacoma entities let their pork flag fly, and their porky and smoky beer is on tap now, well ahead of the Bacon and Beer Classic at Safeco Field May 17 for which they brewed it. Drop by Wingman Brewers by the Tacoma Dome for a taste.

Side note: 208 Garfield next to Pacific Lutheran University offers a $10 beer and bacon sampling at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12

The Leavenworth Ale Fest, which is the annual fundraiser for the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, will run from 2-10 p.m. on April 12. This year's Ale Fest will feature beers from more than 30 breweries, five popular food vendors and live music performances every 90 minutes throughout the day. The hop-tastic day also benefits Operation Ward 57, a nonprofit that provides assistance to wounded warriors, their families and their caregivers. In exchange for providing volunteers for the event, Operation Ward 57 receives a portion of the proceeds. Best of all, active duty servicemembers receive free admission by simply presenting their respective IDs at the entrance. Admission for military also includes a taster's glass and three drink tokens. Regular admission is $20 at www.leavenworthalefest.com. Tickets will increase to $25 when purchased at the door. The event will take place at the Leavenworth Festhalle, 1001 Front St., Leavenworth.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13

Pint Defiance will host Petrus sour beers as part of its "Sour Sampler" from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Flights of four 4-ounce pours will be served for the cost of a normal pint.

You love TWOKOI Japanese Cuisine, but the last time you sat in a window booth you were forced to watch a young couple make-out in the next booth. No one needs to see tongue while tossing back hokkigai.

Young love is most likely not the reason why TWOKOI will operate as a private event space Monday and Tuesday, but that's exactly where the downtown Tacoma sushi restaurant is headed, beginning April 14. Parties of 15 to 120 people - business meetings, sushi classes, sake classes, Jackie's table, fundraisers, seminars and special functions of any kind - can have the run of the joint Monday and Tuesday. You can control your own environment.

Named Best Sushi every year in our Best of Tacoma issues, TWOKOI offers groups of up to 10 people an intimate experience with its award-winning chef Jackie Koh - smack dab in front of you - during the two days. Chef Jackie will personally share the cooking process and the preparation of unique entrees - available only at Chef Jackie's Table - while dining with you.

Nice.

In fact, Chef Jackie will let roll your own - sushi, that is - for smaller groups. He'll teach you art of making sushi. Also, awesome sake sommelier Jeannie Han will pair sake with specially-prepared dinners, as she explains the history and process of making saki. Han did just that during one of the Weekly Volcano's Nosh League events and it was a blast.

It makes sense TWOKOI and TWOANNOUNCEMENTS. The Japanese restaurant has busted out a new happy hour menu between 2 and 6 p.m. The menu features drink specials as well as a variety of small plates.

The restaurant continues to serve lunch, happy hour and dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until close.

TWOKOI JAPANESE CUISINE, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-11 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2-11 p.m. Saturday, 2-9:30 p.m. Sunday, private functions Monday-Tuesday, 1552 Commerce St., Tacoma, 253.274.8999

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 >>>

1. The exhibition at Museum of Glass by Jen Elek and Jeremy Bert is a colorful and interactive show of glass sculptures combined with about 50 large, refurbished neon letters that visitors can rearrange to their hearts' content. "Look! See?" fills two of the larger galleries in the museum. It's like an interactive children's museum lifted from its site and set down the in the galleries. The day I was there, a large group of children of all age, plus a few adults, were moving the oversized letters around to write their names or make poems or other messages on the floors and the walls. Read Alec Clayton's full review of the show in the Music & Culture section, then take a gander from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. Pint Defiance celebrates Centralia's Dick's Brewing Company with a brewer's night 5-7 p.m. Dick's hit the beer scene in 1992, creating ubiquitous ales such as Double Danger and Dick's Cream Stout, among others. The Dick's crew will be in house with their IPA, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Imperial Stout and Raspberry Triple Belgian Ale.

3. If you could ever wrap the matronly goodness of a mother's kiss, her love a tune of strength, her stories a place for the imagination to leap through the portal of everyday living and into the soundscape of music, riding the waves of Appalachian acoustics and vibrating on the end of a crescendo, then it would be in the soulful arrangements of Joanne Rand at 8 p.m. in the Urban Onion Lounge. Gabriel Wolfchild will open.

4. The Rock n Roll Lodge in Tacoma has a new jam night every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.

5. RowHouse and Shrews will rock Magoo's Annex at 9:30 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, April 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Terry's Office Tavern is a true tavern. The neighborhood hangout in Tacoma's Proctor District, by definition, serves only beer and wine. If a domestic beer, reasonable priced glass of vino or classic craft brew is your thing, Terry's has you covered. Suds and sips have served them well since they opened in 1936.

I visted on a weekend day and found a rail full of regulars watching the Mariners. Friendly conversation lingered in the air from both sides of the horseshoe bar.

Terry's menu consists of some appetizers alongside a hearty burger selection and chicken wings. Having established myself as an admirer of the hamburger and with us closing out the burger tournament last night it seemed only appropriate I opt for a burger. The Western Burger ($9.95) did not disappoint.

Upon a classic sesame seed bun was a charbroiled half-pound burger topped off with crispy beer battered onion rings, bacon, barbecue sauce and choice of cheese (pepperjack for me naturally). The burger smelled as smoky as it tasted - delicious.

It reminded me of burgers at a summer barbeque - nothing fancy or adventurous about this burger and there need not be. It's damn tasty. Don't fix it if it isn't broken!

Bonus: Terry's fries are hand cut, though you can choose tots, onion rings, soup or salad instead.

Service is what one hopes for from neighborhood digs: non-pretentious, efficient, casual and friendly.

Need a burger and brew with no fuss? Terry's Office Tavern is the place to go.

WESTERN BURGER, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, Terry's Office Tavern, 3410 N. Proctor St., Tacoma 253.752.6262

Doughnuts are serious.

Those soft, fluffy morsels of sweet, sticky and gooey goodness transforms the average person into the possessed, with the spittle flowing from the corners of their mouths and with a glint in their eyes that will stop at nothing to savor and devour.

Bring doughnuts to the office and watch your co-workers get their little grubby fingers all over that action in 10 seconds flat. Watch the poor soul who is late to the massacre and gets the dregs, which they eat with wild abandon anyway. Drop a fresh and delicious doughnut on the floor covered with a whole host of diseases and you will happily retrieve it, brush it off and happily consume it, regardless.

So imagine our delight when we learned that the historic and iconic House of Donuts in Lakewood was expanding its operations. We were on it faster than you can say "doughnut factory." This doughnut staple since 1959, with its drive-thru, kitschy coolness factor and the most glorious, made from scratch daily, orbs, circles and squares of doughy sweetness in the universe, is expanding into the former Movies To Go space next door. As the infamous DONUTS sign of yesteryear gleams in the spring sunshine, owner Tom Peterson and House of Donuts team aren't talking (yet); they are feverishly whipping up the new digs to absolute perfection over the coming weeks, just like their doughnuts.

And you know what that means? MORE, MORE and MORE.

House of Donuts, originally owned and operated by the Cheatham family for more than 50 years, started the doughnut greatness; I mean we are talking secret recipes, passed down secrets and know how. In past reports, the new owner wishes to honor the stuff of lore and love, with a modern touch. Serious business, this is, yes?

Stay tuned.

House of Donuts is at 9638 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW. Check out pics (hellah yeah!) on their website or Facebook page.

It's a simple equation. Take ground beef and add heat. Then, it becomes tricky. Choices need to be made. Griddle or grill? Plain salt or complex seasoning blend? Poppy seed or potato bun? In those choices lie the path to burger greatness.

Over the past three weeks we've pitted 64 of the South Sound's best against one another in the mother of all reader-voted burger brackets. You've seen the carnage: No. 1 seeds fell, powerhouses butted heads and surprise patties made a run at the prize. 

Yesterday, our Tournament of Burgers came to a close. The championship match pitted the Westside Tavern in Olympia against Maxwell's Restaurant & Lounge in Tacoma, and you, the voters, made your decision. It was the closet margin of victory in Weekly Volcano food tournament history. For the first time, the championship party meant more than an excuse to drink on a Monday.

The day began with Maxwell's gobbling up online votes for an early lead. The Westside Tavern kept the game within a lettuce leaf's length, holding back its steak burger. At 3 p.m., Maxwell's surged forward after server Kent jumped up on the bar and broke out in what he calls the Burger Slide. With an hour left in the online voting portion, the Westside Tavern unleashed the kraken, their steak burger. When the 5 o'clock bell chimed, and the online voting closed, the Westside had a 17-vote lead.

At 6 p.m., the Tournament of Burgers moved into the live vote portion of the championship game, initiating a ballot vote and a bunch of beers at Meconi's Tacoma Pub. The Westside Tavern contingent arrived a half-hour before Team Maxwell's made its way down Saint Helens Avenue. The televised NCAA Men's Championship hoop game would every so often steal a burger conversation.

As promised, we tallied the on-location votes during halftime of the hoop game, a vote Maxwell's managed to own. After the raffle prizes found homes, and I stumbled through an explanation over Meconi's PA system, both vote sessions were combined and the Westside Tavern of Olympia was crowned the Tournament of Burgers champion by a four vote margin.

Then, a burger love fest broke out. Both restaurants congratulated each other, tossing out compliments (and tossing back shots!) as well as posing for pictures. An hour after Westside's win, both teams still held court at Meconi's, signing autographs and telling stories of early bracket victories.

Both South Sound burger joints will receive Tournament of Burgers trophies after engraving. Also, look for an upcoming feature on the Westside Tavern in the Weekly Volcano.

So it's official: Westside Tavern is the winner of Weekly Volcano's 2014 Tournament of Burgers. Eat it up, South Sound.

Thank you!

We would like to extend special THANKS! To Ricky J's Restaurant & Lounge for sponsoring the Tournament of Burgers. The popular Puyallup hangout really stepped up and made the tournament possible.

Also a big thanks to Meconi's Tacoma Pub and Eatery for hosting our Tournament of Burgers championship party last night. Good times.

But most of all, thanks to all the awesome folks who voted. You rock.

See you next spring for the Tournament of Mac N Cheese!

Bacon exemplifies everything I love about food. Bacon ties me to my foodie forebears who cured and smoked pork belly to preserve it in the absence of refrigeration. Highly prized artisanal bacons keep alive rural American traditions and ensure smokehouse knowledge will be shared with future generations of proud farmers. Bacon provides my 11-year-old with essential nutrients such as saturated fat, salt and nitrates. Wait ... those things aren't good. Uh ... if we don't stand together, resolute, in support of bacon, cultivating a culture of pork, the entire fabric of our society will come apart at the seams!

This past month I had my fare share of bacon cheeseburgers paired with beer. It's one of the great pairings of life: Fred and Ginger; baseball and hotdogs; sunrises and strolls along Ruston Way; Bella and Edward; beer and bacon.

Think about it. Beer and chips is something that people think of as going together well. And if you think about it, bacon is really a meat chip.

The Bacon and Beer Classic will consume Safeco Field in Seattle May 17. The traveling greasy, hoppy fiesta visits baseball fields around the country, drawing thousands of attendees to sample craft beer and bacon-based dishes from regional restaurants. Adding to that already winning combination will be performances from local bands and cooking demonstrations.

Chef Hudson Slater of Maxwell's Restaurant has teamed up with the mad scientists at Wingman Brewers to create a Tacoma bacon beer for the Seattle festival.

"We had Chef Hudson Slater smoke wheat malt mixed with bacon at Maxwell's," says Colin Harvin with Wingman Brewers. "We then used that malt in a beer called a Gratzer, which is an old German style. So what you'll get is a smoky, bacon-y wheat beer that has a super light body and an insane amount of flavor."

The prep work at Maxwell's takes about three hours.

"I just layer bacon on bottom and top of wheat malt in a pan and then smoke it on a low heat with applewood so the fat soaks into the malt," says Slater. "Then I let it cool and hand it off to the good people at Wingman and they make the beer with the malt and bacon."

Slater and the Wingman crew tried it Friday night.

"Pretty crazy bacon-y good," adds Slater.

The official beer will make its debut at the Bacon and Beer Classic. Slater says he'll serve candied bacon next to Wingman's booth, where the bacon beer will be served with a strip of bacon across the glass. Wingman Brewers is dialing the recipe, in so some variations of it will be available in its taproom up until the event once it's perfected.

BEER NEWS

The Swiss Pub turns 21 this year. A celebration is planned Monday, April 28. Apparently, 7 Seas Brewing in Gig Harbor will have a special beer made for the occasion.

"I was talking to (owner) Mike Runion from 7 Seas about doing something special; he said let's make a special batch," says Jack McQuade, owner of The Swiss.

McQuade and former Swiss partner Bob Hill donned the white lab coats and joined the 7 Seas crew in the brewing room. The result will be a special Imperial Red Ale, which will be released at the anniversary celebration.

High Times named The Red Hot one of the top 11 hot dogs on the planet: "Out in Washington State, we'd recommend smoking a fat (and totally legal) blunt and then heading to this delectable dive in Tacoma. Stars of the menu include the 6th Ave Strut, a prototypical hot dog of the Pacific Northwest, topped with cream cheese, tomatoes and chopped onions, and the Hosmer Hound Dog, topped with peanut butter (seriously) and two crispy strips of bacon (conceived while stoned silly, we're guessing). If you have time to sit and eat, order the not-available-for-takeout Tideflats, featuring two beef hot dogs on an open-faced bun topped with the works: yellow mustard, ketchup, fresh chopped onions, sport peppers, locally made Red Hot Moma relish, jalapenos, chili, apple cider-braised sauerkraut, nacho cheese, coleslaw and a special house-made spice blend. You'll definitely need a fork. (You might also need a bib.)"

Today is National Beer Day. Didn't know there was such a day. How are you celebrating?

BEER HERE

>>> Tuesday, April 8

The Harmon Tap Room serves four, 5-ounce beers paired with four small bites for $10 5 p.m. to close every Tuesday.

>>> Wednesday, April 9

Pint Defiance celebrates Centralia's Dick's Brewing Company with a brewer's night 5-7 p.m. Dick's hit the beer scene in 1992, creating ubiquitous ales such as Double Danger and Dick's Cream Stout, among others. The Dick's crew will be in house with their IPA, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Imperial Stout and Raspberry Triple Belgian Ale.