NOSH PIT >>>

Burrito Eating Contest: Masa hosts a bit of fun tonight.

Special Menu: Maxwell's is going Mexican tonight.

Tasty Taco: Moctezuma's seems to have a decent taco.

Casino Rojo Del Viento: Chili Colorado, Spanish rice, Mexicna ribs, al fresco, carne asada, El Diablo shrimp and more from 4-10 p.m. for $15.

>>>>> Where are you eating tonight? <<<<<<<

The World's Most Interesting Man: Like him.

Spring Menu Launch: Pour at Four unleashes its new spring menu today, which features more than 65 new wines.

Future Things Are Coming: Brix 25 presents its second dinner in its Specialty Dinner Series featuring wines from Rotie Cellars. Chef Thad will create a four-course menu matched with Rotie's Rhone-styled wines set in an intimate atmosphere - only 18 seats - Thursday, May 13 at 6 p.m. The cost is $85 per person. Reserve your spot at the Gig Harbor restaurant at 253.858.6626.

Food Matters: The full list of James Beard Award winners for 2010.

LINK: Wine and beer tastings, dinners and events

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: Send us your restaurant and lounge news

TAMALES IN A SPEAKEASY >>>

As far as I'm concerned, any excuse to eat Mexican food is a good one. But the celebration of Cinco de Mayo - usually observed over a period of days, not just on the 5^th - provides folks with even more ammunition for gorging on tacos, chile peppers, mole, pozole, menudo and burritos, while of course washing it all down with frosty margaritas and Mexican cervezas.

Contrary to common assumptions, the 5th of May - Cinco de Mayo - is not Mexico's day of independence. That's Sept. 15, the day in 1810 when Mexico declared its independence from Spain. What Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates is the defeat of the French army of Napoleon III in the battle of Puebla, when 4,000 poorly equipped Mexicans defeated an army nearly twice the size. That battle ended on May 5, 1862, and Cinco de Mayo is now celebrated on May 5 all throughout Mexico but with added gusto in the state of Puebla, not to mention in U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations.

Wednesday most folks will migrate to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate the French ass kicking. I'd like to suggest an alternative. Chef Matt Colony, bartender David Benefiel and staff at Maxwell's Speakeasy has created a special menu for Cinco de Mayo. Colony grew up in San Diego and surfed in Mexico. Maxwell's Sous Chef Jesus is also from Mexico. Here's their special menu for Wednesday:

Bebidas (drinks)

Loco Show de Burro

Cazadores silver, ginger beer, muddled lemon on the rocks with grilled pineapple $6

Chupacabra

Sauza Gold muddled with red jalapenos, cilantro and lime served up with black sea salt rim and float of goslings dark rum $9

Cinco de Maxwell's Margarita

Cadillac margarita on the rocks with a little coronita tucked right inside of it $12

Comida (food)

Local Rockfish Ceviche Tostadas 

Marinated in citrus, finished with pico de gallo, avocado and lettuce $6

Homemade Tamales        

Your choice pork or chicken on cabbage slaw with cilantro lime dressing and spicy pickled carrots $5

Staff Meal Tacos

With cilantro, onion and lime and choice of meats: beer marinated carne asada or housemade spicy chorizo or adobada charred chicken or chile butter braised lobster $3each or $7for two with rice and beans

Tender Pork Pozole

Pork shoulder slow braised in a mild dried pepper red sauce with hominy and finished with cilantro, onions, avocado, jalapenos, sour cream and grilled corn tortillas $9

Mexican Flan

Creamy caramelized custard  $4

Pastel de Tres Leches

Decadent dulce de leche cake $5

[Maxwell's Speakeasy, 454 Saint Helens Ave., TAcoma, 253.683.4115]

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 >>>

1. King's Books hosts a special Murder Mystery edition of Scrabble rousers of all ages from 6:30-9 p.m. Entrance fee is $10 per person with proceeds directly benefit the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund, which assists students as they transfer from TCH to community college.

2. Beginning at 5 p.m. Inside the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue bartender Dino will serve a martini made with fresh local rhubarb and a Tacoma-made IPA called Jack Rabbit, Chef Charlie McManus will grill up his Walla Walla Thundering Hooves 100 percent organic grass-fed beef burger, and local artist Susie Russell Hall will be showing her hummingbird painting in the lobby. There will also be trivia contest and prizes including two seats to a Primo Grill cooking class. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Tahoma Audubon Society and their mission of Connecting People to Nature.

3. Tacoma Little Theatre's final performance of Samuel Beckett's Endgame goes down at 7:30 p.m.

4. Billy Roy Danger & The Rectifiers perform their rockin' blues at 7:30 p.m. inside the Happy Days Casino in Lakewood.

5. Hell's Kitchen celebrates Earth Day with The Keeper, Vallor, Cold Cold Ground, Voxxy Vallejo, and 4th Dimensional Nightmare at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

BURGERS AND DOGS FANCIED UP >>>

Burgerama

The history of the hamburger is fairly mythical. The Menches family of Ohio say they invented the hamburger at an 1885 fair in Hamburg, New York, when heat and humidity forced them to stop butchering pigs. In all probability, the hamburger was a good idea waiting to happen, and a bunch of folks stumbled upon it around the same time.

The Ram Restaurant & Brewery might not have invented the hamburger, but it has been serving them since 1971 when the Ram Pub opened in the old Villa Plaza in Lakewood. Ah, good times.

Today, The Ram has locations throughout the nation, and the burger is still front and center on its menu — more so than ever with its current promotion, Burgerama - "The transformation of the burger to an artform." The restaurant chain has created "10 works of art," according to promotions, which includes The Ricardo, Moody Blue Cheeseburger Salad, The Elvis, Reuben - Make Me A Burger ... and the two huge burgers I tried Saturday night at the Ruston Way location: the Hillbilly and The Cheeseburger Skirt. The Hillbilly comes with frizzled onions, blue cheese crumbs and blue cheese mayo. The Cheeseburger Skirt - and speciifically "The Skirt" is a bunch of cheese allowed to overflow and fry on the griddle, creating something like a dairy based piece of female clothing. It's a stretch, but it will fill your stomach. Both burgers, actually, are a lot of food - especially with fries included.

National Corn Dog Day

Like the hamburger, the origin of the corn dog is debatable. Doyle's Public House in Tacoma doesn't really care about the history. They know National Corn Dog Day is Saturday, March 20, and they're ready to celebrate. Held amidst the revelry of the NCAA March Madness hoops tourney, the Stadium District bar will offer $1 corn dogs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday - in addition to tater tots for 5 cents a pop.

Bonus

By the way, the Varsity Grill in downtown Tacoma is offering something called the Mac 'n Cheese burger beginning tomorrow.

Saint Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Britain when it was under Roman rule. The myth that he drove the snakes out of Ireland is actually a symbolic euphemism for the inquisition that eliminated Paganism from the Emerald Isle. And March 17 marks Saint Patrick's death, not his birth. So once a year we poison rivers and pollute livers in honor of a carpet-bagging, xenophobic fraud.

Erin Go Braugh!

That said, with St. Patrick's Day approaching, I begin to salivate for old-fashioned Irish dishes like boxty, barm-brack, champ, coddle, and colcannon. Most of all, I yearn on the 17th of March for corned beef and cabbage - which, as it turns out, might not be very Irish at all.

Read more...

AN MHAITH LEAT ROINNT CACA MILIS? >>>

Corina Bakery & Bistro has cooked up a couple St. Patrick's Day specials.

TNT Diner wrote on one of their specials - Doyle's authentic Irish soda bread. Corina bakes the bread exclusively for Doyle's Public House. Corina owner Molly Ott reports her soda bread sales are booming due to the Trib blog piece, and that Doyle's Public House has doubled its soda bread order.

The other special is a chocolate Guinness cake. The cake is covered in rich Guinness butter cream and shamrocks.

They also have green, shamrock-shaped cookies in their display case.

Be sure to call your orders in soon.

Corina Bakery recently added another holiday special: Passover Haroset cheesecake. Think apples and walnuts in red wine with cinnamon and lemon layered in cheesecake with a matzo meal crumb crust.

[Corina Bakery & Bistro, 510 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.5070]

MONDAY, JAN. 18, 2010 >>>

1. Tacoma is known for hosting one of the largest annual indoor MLK celebrations in the country, and this year will be no different. With a "Unity in the Community" theme, the 2010 MLK celebration will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall - with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the "Little Rock Nine."

2. Celebrate MLK Day with performance tributes to Dr. King, a film about Tacoma's civil rights activists, and an exhibit about African American musicians who helped forge a lasting jazz movement, plus a live performance by the Kim Archer Band and more from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the Washington State History Museum.

3. The Ozzie Fuhrmann Orchestra perfoms at 7 p.m. in front of the fireplace at the Mandolin Café.

4. Blues Redemption hits The Swiss' stage at 8 pm.

5. Rockaraoke live band karaoke hits Jazzbones' stage at 9 p.m.

SUZY STUMP: HO HO HO A GO GO >>>

Here's the scene: It's getting late on Christmas night, the orgy of gift giving was over hours ago, and you have eaten enough to hibernate through the winter. Grandpa Freddy's head is beginning to bob, the Parcheesi game is coming out — and you are all out of spiked eggnog. Now is the time to get your young, vibrant self out of the family room and on to the dance floor. Now is the time to go to Lakewood.

Two clubs are open tonight featuring DJs in Santa hats and Naughty Little Ho Ho Hos with goodies for the naughty and the nice.

Happy Days Casino, Christmas Day DJ Dance, no cover, 9 p.m.

Last Call Bar, Christmas Day Party with DJ C-Luv spinning old skool, hip-hop, dance, Top 40, $5, ladies no cover, 8 p.m. $5.

MATT DRISCOLL: WINGIN' IT >>>

Yes, it's true - here at the Weekly Volcano we are friends with Roxanne (Murphy). You may need a last name to identify her, but we certainly do not (although we have called her by other names upon occasion).

This Saturday, the day after the Christianized and/or commercialized world celebrates Christmas with presents under the tree, overcooked turkeys and awkward family get-togethers, Doyle's Public House in Tacoma will help Roxanne celebrate her birthday - which is Dec. 26, for those playing at home - with a rock show worth its weight in stocking coal.

Tacoma's Goldwing, a slay first, ask questions later band of T-town troublemakers corralled by Rory Turner (who, now that I write this I realize I identified with a bogus last name a long time ago in a blurb that made the print version of the Volcano - journalistic excellence at its finest!), will share a bill with And Those Who Were Dragged. The night after Christmas show starts at 9:30 p.m.

In preparation for Saturday's show at Doyle's, I was able to catch up with Turner this week to get his thoughts on Goldwing's place in Tacoma, the importance of Roxanne's birthday, and which member of the band is closest to Robocop.

Here's what Turner had to say. This interview was posted in two parts - with the first installment hitting Spew on Monday, Dec. 21.

VOLCANO: Where does Goldwing fit in Tacoma? If Goldwing was an item off the Frisko Freeze menu, or a hot dog at the Red Hot - what would it be?

TURNER: If you asked Barham it would be the biggest heart attack burger from Frisko. I've personally invented my own hot dog at the Red Hot. It consists of: veggie braut, crushed Fritos, nacho cheese, and then topped of with coleslaw. It soaks up Rainier like a big delicious sponge. However, it will not make you any less drunk.

VOLCANO: What do you want for Christmas and are you expecting to get it? Or, did I just offend you with such a blatantly Christian assumption? If I did offend you, how offended were you earlier when I ask which was more important, Baby Jesus' birthday or Roxanne's?

TURNER: I don't think I could be offended if the question made me think about Wu Tang. 

VOLCANO: Talk a little about the bill for Friday's show - pretty solid. Are you guys already chummy with And Those Who Were Dragged? What can people expect out of this show?

TURNER: We actually share a guitar player (Barham). So, we have an awkward My-girlfriend-is-friends-with-her-ex-boyfriend-now kind of relationship. We pretend to be really nice to each other, but we really just want to keep him to ourselves. 

VOLCANO: In all seriousness, what are Goldwing's plans for next year - and what can fans of the band expect to see?

TURNER: Other than releasing a record, we're gonna try and not change the way we do anything. We like predictability. We've developed a formula: Pete and Dave are the "order" side. Whereas Barham and Myself are the "chaos" side. Which I guess makes Rusty "justice"... or Robocop.  

MATT DRISCOLL: WINGIN' IT >>>

Yes, it's true - here at the Weekly Volcano we are friends with Roxanne (Murphy). You may need a last name to identify her, but we certainly do not (although we have called her by other names upon occasion).

This Saturday, the day after the Christianized and/or commercialized world celebrates Christmas with presents under the tree, overcooked turkeys and awkward family get-togethers, Doyle's Public House in Tacoma will help Roxanne celebrate her birthday - which is Dec. 26, for those playing at home - with a rock show worth its weight in stocking coal.

Tacoma's Goldwing, a slay first, ask questions later band of T-town troublemakers corralled by Rory Turner (who, now that I write this I realize I identified with a bogus last name a long time ago in a blurb that made the print version of the Volcano - journalistic excellence at its finest!), will share a bill with And Those Who Were Dragged. The night after Christmas show starts at 9:30 p.m.

In preparation for Saturday's show at Doyle's, I was able to catch up with Turner this week to get his thoughts on Goldwing's place in Tacoma, the importance of Roxanne's birthday, and which member of the band is closest to Robocop.

Here's what Turner had to say. This interview will post in two parts - with the second installment hitting Spew on Wednesday, Dec. 23.