Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to shoot at Southern Kitchen

As reported first on our blog Spew last Thursday, Southern Kitchen Restaurant in Tacoma will be invaded this weekend by Food Network’s Guy Fieri, who will be shooting a take for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives as part of a tour through our little corner of the world.



Southern Kitchen owner Gloria Martin says she’s been haggling since October with Minnesota-based Page Productions, which produces the show. Crews were originally slated to visit Tacoma, then just Seattle, and then, about a week ago, Tacoma was back on Fieri’s itinerary.



Cable television pseudo-celeb Fieri and crew will be here for two days, Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, taping the soul-food shenanigans. Note: Southern Kitchen will be closed for taping, and Fieri groupies shouldn’t expect to have much of a chance at getting autographs. So, for Tacoma’s sake, don’t everyone go down there to hawk autographs and soak up Fieri’s starlight.



Martin says she has been swamped preparing for the visit, which will include a couple of hours in the kitchen with Fieri, who is an accomplished culinary artist and is rumored to smell like coconuts. Fieri was born Guy Ferry, which must have been hell in junior high.

Martin says she’s getting her hair done for the shoot, and will be preparing fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, cornbread dressing and jalapeno poppers for Fieri, and for America. — Paul Schrag

Jalapeño Bottle Caps

The Milton Tavern carries an appetizer with the name “Jalapeño Bottle Caps”  that led me to believe it would be delightfully spicy and easy to chow down. Easy to chow down with one of their frosty draft beers, that is.



Perfectly crispy, flawlessly breaded, deep fried slices of jalapeno made me feel as though I were nibbling on bottle caps sent down to me from a heaven located south of the border. Admittedly, nothing about these tiny bites said “heat” to me, yet the peppery flavor dipped into Milton Tavern’s cool, creamy ranch dressing had me and my friends polishing off the entire basket — no problemo. — Steph DeRosa



[Milton Tavern, 7320 Pacific Highway E., Milton, 253.922.3340]