<<< SUNDAY, MARCH 23 GAMES ARE CLOSED >>>

Sixty-four South Sound burger joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Burgers, which is now four days into the competition. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, restaurant hallways and birdcages. Birthday parties have been moved to burger restaurants. Everyone is discussing patty thickness and lettuce varieties. It's crazy fun.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: DeLong's Deluxe vs. Blazing Onion

Lakewood burger house DeLong's Deluxe sticks to a formula: good seasoning, perfect cooking and good meat. Delong's burgers are fundamentally simple and textbook perfect, whether it's a Fair Burger, Old Fashioned or DeLong's Cowboy Burger. It's just like what you could make at home, only much, much better. Lakewood doesn't mind standing outside, listening to amplified tunes while waiting for DeLong's Deliciousness. Blazing Onion came out blazing with its gourmet burgers, but at the buzzer, lost by 45 votes. DeLong's Deluxe moves into the Second Round to face Maxwell's March 29.

Game 2: Maxwell's Restaurant & Lounge vs. Famous Dave's

Maxwell's Restaurant and Lounge grabbed 86 percent of the votes over Famous Dave's. Maxwell's take on this classic tops the burger charts with an unconventional potato bun, grilled onion aioli and a patty that stays plenty juicy - a boon for both the sweetness and sturdiness of those buns and the sharpness of white cheddar. High quality arugula and tomato come standard if you swing that way, but the aioli alone does a great job of highlighting the meat. Famous Dave's might have antlers on the wall and fast take-out, but it apparently doesn't have a burger that can compete with Maxwell's A game.

Game 3: Asado vs. O'Malleys Irish Pub

Argentine-inspired steaks, seafood and an in-house ground sirloin and chorizo burger with fried provolone and Serrano ham surrounded by sunset colors, an open kitchen and toasty fireplace. That's a winning combination, at least according to the vote totals in the Tournament of Burgers. Asado put the hurt on O'Malley's Irish Pub with 71 percent of the votes. Number one seed Asado moves into the Second Round to battle with Marrow March 29. No hocus pocus, just focus on Sixth Avenue that day.

Game 4: Marrow Kitchen + Bar vs. King Solomon's Reef

Finally, in yesterday's closest battle, Marrow edged out Olympia's King Solomon's Reef with 53 percent of the votes. This one was surprisingly close. Dubbed "The Best Diner in the Galaxy," The Reef has a solid lineup of burgers, including the popular double meet, double cheese Liberty Burger. Holding the day's trend, fancy won again. Marrow's artisan cheese Beecher's Marco Polo probably sealed the deal. Marco! Polo!

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Delong's Deluxe
• Maxwell's restaurant
• Asado
• Marrow Kitchen + Bar

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 First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 22: FIRST ROUND BURGER ACTION >>>

Even in this era of kohlrabi salads, Haute Mexicanand Chinese-Peruvian, the hamburger remains America's favorite food, and burger fans - of which you are undoubtedly one - are insanely opinionated about what the consummate burger should look and taste like. Tear into the Tournament of Burgers, make a mess and dribble 'til the cows come home.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Duke's Chowder House vs. Chalk Talk Bistro

Duke's Chowder House has fancy newsletters, kick ass chowder and a gorgeous view of Commencement Bay. Chalk Talk Bistro has chalk ... oh, and delicious burgers. Formerly Mary's Burger Bistro, the sportsified Chalk Talk put the dispsy-doo double-a-roo on Duke's, and grabbed 56 percent of the votes from way at the end of the grill, BANG!

Game 2: Pick-Quick Drive-In vs. The Schooner Pub & Galley

The Schooner Pub is a dark place. It's truly one of the darker watering holes in the South Sound. Obviously, there are advantages to drinking in dimly lit joints. For one, squinting isn't attractive. Anyway, yesterday was the Lakewood bar's worst possible cave scenario. We haven't had many sunny days since early autumn. The Schooner's competitor, Pick-Quick Drive-in, offers a nice park-like outdoor eating area (albeit, with a view of I-5). The walk-up burger joint was packed with questionable open shirts and giddiness. Sunshine grabbed 75 percent of the votes and Pick-Quick moves into the next round to take on Chalk Talk Bistro March 28.

Game 3: Loose Wheel Bar & Grill vs. The Westside Tavern

If there's one thing our food tournaments has seen over the years; you don't mess with West Olympia. The community huddles around their own - more often than not with sleeves rolled up and a chew in place. The Westside Tavern grabbed a respectable 62 percent of the votes yesterday in its win over the tough Loose Wheel Bar & Grill. That's impressive. That's the Westside.

Game 4: Pacific Grill vs. South Bay Pub & Eatery

If there's a trend developing it's that elegance or unique toppings don't wow Tournament of Burgers voters. Sure, a fancy burger can get you somewhere in the Tournament of Burgers, but it doesn't guarantee anything - your burger foundation has to be sound before voters will get behind some of the fancier stuff. While Pacific Grill gushes sophistication and class, it had a tough day on the burger court. It beat Olympia's scrappy South Bay Pub & Eatery by one vote. One. Pacific Grill will need to reanalyze its game plan, as it will take on another scrappy Olympia burger flipper in the Second Round - Westside Tavern.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Chalk Talk Bistro
• Pick-Quick Drive-In
• Westside Tavern
• Pacific Grill

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 First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

<<< VOTING FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 21 GAMES IS NOW CLOSED >>>

For the past several months, I ate a bunch of burgers. It's my job, at least in terms of this crazy tournament. At each South Sound burger joint, I tried the most standard cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and shakes (for a while, at least). I also tried specialty burgers, if available, and paid special attention to secret sauces. I took notes on napkins, backs of menus, five note apps (why can't I decide?) and even receipts. This isn't something I recommend you try. My weight and blood pressure increased. Hopefully, you're basing your game decisions on years of burger eating in the South Sound. If you're a newbie, I suggest you pick a game a week. Use the attached Tournament of Burgers bracket to plot your course.

Without further ado, let's take a gander at yesterday's results, then preview today's matches.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Eastside Big Tom vs. Ricky J's Restaurant

There's something green at Olympia burger shack Big Tom - and it's not on the menu, which is bare of all vegetables save the humble potato and a few lonely burger toppings. Instead, it's just about everywhere else. Owner Michael Fritsch has taken the classic drive-in and made it green, with features ranging from solar hot water to food waste recycling to a parking spot where customers can charge their electric cars. Yes, people who drive Priuses really do eat burgers slathered in Goop, the secret special sauce. And apparently a fleet of them voted yesterday as Eastside Big Tom edged out Ricky J's with 62 percent of the votes.

Game 2: Steele Creek American Whiskey Co. vs. Oakhouse Restaurant and Bar

Deep in the northwest corner of the city of Lakewood, between the winding streets named after rocks, underneath hundreds of giant oak trees and along the back edge of the Oakbrook neighborhood sits the Oakhouse Restaurant and Bar. It's not the easiest place to find. Coach John Tartaglia took advantage of Oakhouse's hidden location, pushing his eighth seeded Steel Creek to victory with 61 percent of the votes, behind solid play from his Black and Bleu Burger. Steel Creek faces off with Eastside Big Tom in Second Round action March 28.

Game 3: Bootlegger's Bar & Grill vs. Eagon's Westside Drive-Inn

Bootlegger's opened its first Tournament of Burgers with a romp against Olympia burger shack Eagon's in yesterday's First Round action. Grabbing 63 percent of the votes, the Buckley burger king dominated the griddle for much of the game, only letting up a little when a herd of elk outside distracted the cook.

Game 4: Best Burgers vs. Nisqually Bar & Grill

Best Burgers in Lakewood grabbed Nisqually Bar & Grill by the trucker hat and gave them an ass-whooping, grabbing 80 percent of the votes. Best Burgers moves on to the Second Round, facing Bootlegger's March 28.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Eastside Big Tom
• Steele Creek American Whiskey Co.
• Bootlegger's Bar & Grill
• Best Burgers

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 First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

<<< THURSDAY, MARCH 20 2014 - THE GAMES ARE NOW CLOSED >>>

Four years ago, the Weekly Volcano challenged 64 taco slingers to enter tournament-style culinary combat, shell versus shell, with Moctezuma's crowned best taco. The next year, pizza took center-stage in our quest for gustatory greatness, with Katie Downs' pie reigning supreme. In 2012, it was breakfast time, baby, with Moon Rise Cafe grabbing all the bacon, eggs and hot cakes. Last year, it was all about South Sound sandwiches, with Oliver's Sandwiches in Milton named the best between two slices of bread.

This year, the tradition continues.
 
We speak, of course, of the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Burgers. Sixty-four area burger joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February, and now the time has come to see who's best.
 
Only one can be crowned king - so vote on this blog daily. Use the bracket in the March 13 print edition of the Volcano to guide you through the daily matchups (see attached pdf).
 
Then, on April 7, join us at Meconi's Tacoma Pub & Eatery in downtown Tacoma for the Official Tournament of Burgers Party - our winner will be announced during halftime of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game.

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

OK, let's do a quick cholesterol check, then dive into today's First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

Monday night the city of Lakewood took a major step in charting the region's future growth and development with Joint Base Lewis-McChord, at least according to the news release.

On Monday night, the Lakewood City Council awarded a contract for professional services to AECOM Technical Services, Inc., to assist the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership (SSMCP) in completing a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) for JBLM and surrounding communities.

The purpose of the JLUS is to create a long-term planning partnership that balances the protection of the health, safety, quality of life, and economic prosperity of local communities while ensuring the continuation of the military missions of the area. The study will emphasize ways to promote coordination, maintain the positive economic impact of the installations, and preserve critical civilian and Department of Defense investments.

The JLUS is a cooperative process among state, county, and local governments, the public and JBLM. The study examines land use, growth trends, and civilian and military activities in a region that hosts a diverse range of critical military operations, highly urbanized and growing population centers, and uniquely valuable environmental assets. The study area consists of portions of Thurston and Pierce Counties, the cities of Lakewood, Tacoma, University Place, Roy, Yelm, Lacey, DuPont, and Steilacoom, the Nisqually Indian Tribe Reservation, JBLM, and Camp Murray.

The project will officially begin in April 2014 and will include multiple opportunities for public participation and comment. The projected completion date for the study is September 2015.

TUESDAY, MARCH 18 2014 >>>

We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragic KOMO News 4 helicopter crash in downtown Seattle. Our thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families.

1. We've all been there. You met her when she was a young teen, then you two nurtured a growing romance over the next several years despite the objections and outright bitter legal battles with her father. When you finally married, you composed a great deal of romantic lieder describing your feelings for your wife. Hear Robert Schumann's version of your story along with Richard Strauss' Zueignung and Hugo Wolf's Der Tambour when Opera tenor Thomas Harper performs a selection of musical works by German artists at the next Music @ 11 event at 11 a.m. in Kreielsheimer Hall on the Saint Martin's University campus.

2. The Grand Cinema's Tuesday Film Series hosts a more romantic variation on Clerks. The film Detroit Unleaded charts the budding relationship between Lebanese-American gas station owner Sami - compelled to take over the family's Detroit-slums business with ambitious cousin Mike after his father is killed in a robbery - and his beautiful cousin Naj. Catch it at 1:45 and 6:40 p.m.

3. Ivar's Seafood Bars and full service restaurants are once again paying tribute to beloved flounder Ivar Haglund and his would-be 109th birthday with a deep-sea deal. Today, all Ivar's fans who purchase one regularly-priced entrée and wish Ivar "Happy Birthday," will receive a second entrée of their choice for $1.09 off a special birthday menu. In addition to the birthday discounts, Ivar's will also treat the first 109 guests to a sweet slice of birthday cake.   

4. Accountants-turned-pirates, a daydreaming bureaucrat from a dystopian future, folklore-collecting con-artist brothers, a fantastically lying baron, and an ill-fated attempt to bring Don Quixote to the big screen. These could all be among the topics tonight as Saint Martin's University presents "The Films of Terry Gilliam" as part of their Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. in Harned Hall on the Saint Martin's University campus. Jeff Birkenstein, Anna Froula and Karen Randell lead a discussion of the Monty Python alumnus' cinematic works based upon their book The Cinema of Terry Gilliam: It's a Mad World. A screening of the Gilliam classic Time Bandits follows; the trio will then present an analysis ofthe film - perhaps clearing up once-and-for-all the mystery of how Horseflesh, the supposedly-deceased seventh dwarf, ends up on the side of Evil. Or the nature of Vincent's "problem" which he needed fruit to cure.

5. Lakewood Historical Society celebrates Women's History Month by hosting a panel of local women writers - Dorothy Wilhelm, Nancy Covert, Carol Neufeld Stout, Meg Justus - at 7 p.m. in St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

LINK: Tuesday, March 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MARCH 16 2014 >>>

1. Christian Mistress, Olympia's favorite metal sweethearts, are about to make their home stop on a wailing west coast tour. The bellowing harmonies of a front woman - who was clearly born from the ashes of a phoenix - the dueling guitars that create paths of thunderbolts in your mind, and the brilliant tempo of a drummer who gets in your spine, Christian Mistress is the real deal. Voted by Weekly Volcano readers as the Best Metal Band in the 2014 Best of Olympia issue, you should see this band live at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge. On deck is Broken Water with punk rock/shoe gaze delights and Paralyzer with indie dance vibes.

2. Twelve chairs surround the table, and the audience surrounds the chairs. Lakewood Playhouse's 12 Angry Men's set design announces its intentions immediately and without mistake: as an audience, we are made to be conscientious observers, to judge these jurors as they judge a murder. It's an intriguing way to view this show, and it's one of the things that this production gets absolutely right. Read Rev. McKinney's full review of 12 Angry Men in the Music & Culture section, then catch the closing show at 2 p.m. 

3. Conductor Christophe Chagnard, the Northwest Sinfonietta, PLU Choral Union and five soloists perform J.S. Bach's sacred oratorio St. John Passion - a harrowing tale of power, betrayal, murder, love, compassion and hope at 2 p.m. at the Puyallup Pavilion.

4. Children are stubborn creatures. Molding them into the clean, safe-driving, classical-music-loving model citizens you dream of them being is just not as simple as it should be. It takes creativity and an ability to be extremely entertaining for long periods of time. You should share your burden. Take Junior and Junior Junior to Mini Maestros: Jungle Jams at 2:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Hall, where the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet will teach children how horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas can sound like animals - while you sit in the back and wonder how the musical and zoological worlds all collided without your noticing.

5. Little Bill Engelhart grew up on Hilltop Tacoma and learned rock 'n' roll by playing rhythm and blues with the black musicians' downtown, which was unusual for a young white kid at the time. He formed a band with some of his teenage friends and had a national hit when he was just 19 titled "I'm in Love with an Angel." Life after that seemed a bit anti-climactic. Once you've toured with the most famous musicians of your time, it's hard to come home and be an every day guy. Engelhart turns 75 tomorrow, but still works most days booking, promoting and playing music. At 5 p.m., Englehart will headline the Blues Vespers in the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Wish him a happy birthday.

LINK: Sunday, March 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, MARCH 10 2014 >>>

1. The exhibitionFor You! in Kittredge's Small Gallery premieres selections from photographer John Arsenault's newest body of work, which opens today at 10 a.m. The images in the exhibition reveal Arsenault's fascination with the mundane and how the unexpected can be amplified by readily accessible digital technology. Using the Instagram app, Arsenault isolates exquisitely beautiful details of flowers, adding a 21st-century twist to 19th-century precedents and ideas about art and aesthetics.

2. Today looks like an awesome day for a noon, free guided bird walk at the Adriana Hess Wetland Park. No experience necessary; binoculars are available to borrow. No RSVP required. 

3. Ready for a success story ... in story form? At 17, Brandon Stogsdill was arrested, tried as an adult for assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to four years in prison. While in prison, Stogsdill vowed to change. When he was released, Stogsdill enrolled in college and began a career in psychology. Today he works as a youth mental health counselor. He tells the story of his transformation in his book, The Boy with the Gun: From Incarceration to Higher Education, which he'll discuss and sign at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Library.

4. James Coates performs original tunes and classic rock hits at 7 p.m. in the Steilacoom Pub & Grill. 

5. Maia Santell and House Blend will fill The Swiss with blues and jazz beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Monday, March 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia events

Clarification: My son, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, was really baked Friday afternoon. The open letter below has a mistake. Apparently, Babblin' Babs Bistro's permit delay isn't the city of Lakewood's doing. The delay is rooted in inspection issues. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake has been restricted to his refirgerator.

Best,

Golden Pound Cake

Dear City of Lakewood,

For the love of everything delicious, please grant my boss his freakin' building permit so he'll stop driving me crazy. Chef William Mueller cooks. He doesn't sit around. He doesn't run errands. He doesn't watch television. He doesn't weed the garden or wash the car or shop for fabric. He makes Bodacious Biscuits!

Read more...

Before there was a Food Network or even a city of Lakewood, there was the Yen Ching Restaurant - a steadfast friend doling out exotic flavors from all corners of Asia as it watched other Lakewood International District restaurants come and go over its 30-year history.

Lakewood is now a city, and the strip of South Tacoma Way around Yen Ching has been dubbed "Korean Town," and still Yen Ching remains my go to for authentic Chinese cuisine with its wide variety of Mandarin and Szechwan dishes. 

Speaking of "go-to," Yen Ching Chicken ($12.95) is simply delicious. Tender, marinated diced chicken with sliced mushrooms and bits of green onions are evenly coated in a house "special sauce" teasing with a delicate smoky sweetness and an emphasis on sesame flavor. Don't expect bells and whistles. Do know a splash of soy sauce or sriracha is an option. Served up with white rice, the portion is easily shareable - especially if you start off with their splendid pot stickers.

With rich, worn reds, Chinese New Year placemats, a koi pond and a large Buddha greeting diners, here's hoping Yen Ching is around for another 30.

YEN CHING CHICKEN, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, Yen Ching Restaurant, 8765 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.582.3400