Just hand over the baklava and nobody gets hurt

We love Tacoma’s Annual St. Nicholas Greek Festival. We love the group dancing, the fine food; hell, we even love yelling “Opa!” for no apparent reason. But let’s be real. For us, the entire festival is just a complicated set dressing for a baklava-delivery system. Oh, we’ll hang out and listen to them ramble on about Socrates, the Olympics and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” but we’ll be picking the flaky crumbs from our shirts and stuffing them into our hungry taste-holes while we do it. We’ll dance (Greek Folk Dancing from the St. Nicholas Dance Group throughout the weekend) and eat the food (souviklakia, gyros, calamari, salata, loukomades, Alaskan cod) not just because we like it, but in an attempt to bring the honey content in our blood down low enough so we can scarf down another slab of triangular goodness. — Suzy Stump

[St. Nicholas Church, Oct. 5-6 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Oct. 7 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., $11-$12 dinners, 1523 S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.0466]

Sushi Revolution

Sushi Revolution is tentatively scheduled to open Oct. 6. It will be a conveyor-belt sushi spot — thus the Revolution moniker. The staff may not be able to muster the heartiest welcome when they shout irasshaimase to entering customers but who really cares? Spew will squeal like a Japanese schoolgirl at a Hello Kitty emporium every time the salmon nigiri passes by us. — SS

[Sushi Revolution, 5225 Tacoma Mall Blvd., Tacoma, 253.475.5559]

Huge take-out

Famous Dave’s Barbeque makes dinner easy offering huge take-out meals that feed four for less than $40 — whole roasted chicken, full slab of savory barbeque sauce slathered St. Louis ribs, two half pints of side orders and fluffy corn bread muffins. — Jennifer Johnson

[Famous Dave’s Barbeque, 1901 S. 72nd St., Tacoma, 253.722.0500; 3811 Ninth St. S.W., Puyallup, 253.604. 0340]

Late night happy hour

El Gaucho offers late night happy hour from 10 p.m. to close. It’s a sensible way to try tasty cuisine without dropping $80. Sit around the piano sharing discounted appetizers of beef diablo, capresse salad, clams in white wine and garlic (all under $10). Plus $5 house wine, $3 well drinks, $2 Bud Lights. — JJ

[El Gaucho, 2119 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1510]