Minoela

The rustic wine bistro Minoela opened last week next to The Grand Cinema.  Occupying the location that formerly housed the Kickstand Café (and One Heart Café) Minoela serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturdays at 604 Fawcett Ave. in Tacoma.

The physical lay-out of Minoela strongly resembles former One Heart Café days with two separate rooms for dining and a back bonus area with a cozy couch and coffee table that are lent a semblance of intimacy by a white curtain. The Weekly Volcano call dibs on the couch! 



Minoela’s menu is minimal, but at the bistro wine house taste is not. The three choices of Italian and French inspired pizzas, sandwiches and salads feature larger portions and are under $12 — a pleasing surprise. Gourmet pizzas see creative toppings of herbed cream cheese, sun-dried tomato herb oil, sea salt, basil, toasted pecans served on chewy artisan crust. For sandwiches, ham and brie with apple is an instant favorite.



Appetizers cover the four food groups —  rich buttery prosciutto, warmed brie, olives and tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella ala caprese, oven-roasted veggies, ripe strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and even bread in the fettunta.



Creamy gorgonzola ranch dressing is crazy good and breads are made fresh daily.

Desserts are of simple creation with decadent flavor — multi-layer chocolate cake with berries, golden pound cake glazed with brown sugar cream, single serving champagne with strawberries, and freshly baked cookies and a glass of milk so huge you’ll want to share (and not just because you’re nice).



The vino list is heavy on the Washington and Australian wines.

Fresh produce abounds as does the good cheer of owner Danielle Kartes and staff. —



[Minoela, 604 Fawcett, Tacoma]

Red Star Pizza

In the specialty pizza arena, a new contender has entered recently. Lakewood’s Red Star Pizza holds its own against downtown Tacoma’s Puget Sound Pizza and The Rock, Farrelli’s Pizza and Cloverleaf Tavern on Sixth Avenue, Spud’s Pizza Parlor on Pacific Avenue, Joey’s off South Tacoma Way and Katie Downs on Ruston Way.



Open for only a few short weeks, Red Star is already doing a hoppin’ business. This can be attributed partly to a jump-off aggressive discount and coupon campaign that offers pizza meal packages on lunch and dinner, their star spangled sub sandwiches, free delivery, military discount and a vow to honor competitor’s coupons as well.



I made a visit last week to take advantage of the $6.99 carryout special for a large one-topping pizza. I requested my 14-inch canvas be painted with half marinara and half creamy alfredo sauces. I further spiffed it by treating each half as if it were a pizza unto itself; marinara side receiving Italian sausage, spiced meatballs and long slivers of red onion while grilled chicken breast chunks, white mushroom slices and hearty roasted garlic cloves decorated the alfredo side. All were laid out on a garlic basted pan-style crust (hand-tossed classic, and thin and tasty are also available). As a finishing touch the whole lovely pie was visited by Monterey Jack cheese. Extra toppings and pan-style crust carried additional charges (toppings $1.50 each, pan-style 75 cents).



Dessert of stardust cinnamon sticks with sweet icing for dunking at $2.99 and my large amazing two-in-one-pizza brought dinner in under $20 leaving my bank account happy.

Quality ingredients, friendly staff and well-executed finished products are the other reasons for Red Star’s quick popularity. Marinara is made fresh daily, carrying a pleasant tang and tomato richness. Overkill was not a factor in the amount of sauce used letting the buttery crust’s flavor shine and brought the fennel in the sausage to the forefront. The alfredo mixed well with the cheeses creating a scrumptious creamy luscious blend.



Again, the sauce did not act as a drowning pool. Chicken was moist and flavorful; a nice change from bland dry-edged offerings I’ve experienced on other pizzas elsewhere. The garlic was super soft and the consistency of butter, spreading at first tooth touch. The pizza dough was cooked evenly remaining billowy at the puffed edged and slightly crisp underneath.



Six of these specialties are highlighted — the meat lover’s Supernova; vegetarian Garden Delight; Blue Star BBQ comes with chicken, bacon and barbeque sauce; the Pacific, which is Red Star’s version of a Hawaiian pizza, has two thick layers of smoked ham and double pineapple; the Cheese Sun Burst is completely smothered in four cheeses; and the Alfred O. Chicken is self-explanatory. 



Though lacking a dine-in area of any kind, family-owned and operated Red Star Pizza provides friendly and courteous service, plus above par pizzas, salads, hot wings, soda pop, pizza by the slice before 4 p.m., sandwiches for carryout and free delivery. — JJ



[Red Star Pizza, 12134 Pacific Highway, Lakewood 253.583.7827 (STAR) www.redstarpizza.com]