Neighborhoods
The Weekly Volcano has been known to have an opinion or two about local drinking, dining, and entertainment. Some of us have even become self-declared "foodies". As much as we'd like to think we know it all, there are some things about food we still have yet to find expertise.
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Oh hell, it is almost impossible to read my notes from this week’s Trouble with DeRosa interview. As I rocked back and forth on Pacific Parasail’s floating dock, it was all I could do to keep my balance AND write in my notebook. My feeble attempt to somehow support myself
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Large rusted coffee cans littered with old cigarette buts rest beneath the patio tables in Unicorn Sports Bar’s serene patio as I prepare to meet some friends for a sunny afternoon beer. Unicorn’s outdoor space is well crafted with accents including English Ivy, flowering plants, landscaped rock, and a towering
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The Mandolin Café is ever changing, yet always staying the same. Although it has changed hands in ownership, the ambiance of being a cozy, warm coffee shop will always remain pumping through the restaurant’s veins. Over the past few years the Mandolin Café community has witnessed its library walls come
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If Tacoma were a big college dorm room, we’d have empty cans of PBR covering the floor and a consistently empty toilet paper roll. We’d eat cold Puget Sound Pizza for breakfast, develop a kick-ass Facebook group, and have an immense amount of pride in what we have to offer.
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Price: $7.95 Burn Factor: Two out of four Molotov cocktails I’ve fallen victim and become someone I loathe: I ate a sushi roll stuffed with imitation crabmeat. The worst part is: I liked it. After much persuasion from my friends at Sapporo Sushi Roll and Teriyaki in Fife, I decided to instill
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Although lately you can find Jordan behind the bar of Tacoma hot spot The Mix, his face may be more familiar than you realize. Think: MLKBallet, Tempest Lounge, and 1022’s South predecessor — The Monsoon Room. Gunderson seems to have become a staple to the downtown scene, so seeing him
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So naïve I was, back in 1996. Fresh from under a large wheel of Texas tumbleweed, I had never even heard of a clam, much less eaten one. (And no, I’m not talking about eating a bearded clam, perverts.) Gooey, raw, and freshly shucked oysters from the Gulf of Mexico
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It’s been an ongoing deliberation over whether or not lounges in Mexican restaurants could be considered “dives.” The deliberation has mainly taken place in my own head, between my right brain and my left brain. I argue with myself every time I pass by any sort of La Palma, El
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Nestled in Tacoma’s North End stands an old converted gas station that now houses prime cuts of steak, fresh-from-the-boat fish, and ready-to-bake meals made by the men at Dave’s Meats & Produce. Also housed within this family-friendly, open-air market are frozen take-home dinners from local restaurants, beautiful produce, and a
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Salad There’s no messing around and covering up the fact that you’re eating raw fish when it comes to Sapporo Japanese & Sushi Restaurant’s Poki Salad ($16.99). They lay it all on the line with bite-sized, yet substantial chunks of tuna, white tuna, and salmon. The cold, fresh fish trifecta is
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Sharing a space with Phantom Records, Dumpster Values holds a plethora of hand-me-downs ranging from the most eclectic (I tried on a purple glittered vest), to the simplest (kid’s clothes), which I did not try on. One-dollar bins are filled with goodies and all proceeds go to buying books for
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When the important question begs, “Where’d you get your body from?” the most obvious, and of course intellectual, answer would be, “Got it from my mama!” Trust me. I know this because Will I Am told me (very loudly) as I entered the door’s of Lakewood’s Green Pup Sports Bar
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They say that beer is the breakfast of champions. If that’s the case, then give me a gold medal and slap my picture on a box of Wheaties, because I rocked both breakfast AND beer at The Chieftain on South Tacoma Way. A reader board that I’m sure hasn’t been
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You’re not going to believe this, but I met James Wellings in a bar. Shocking, right? It’s hard to avoid the downtown Olympia crowd as I stroll down Fourth Avenue, the best street located in this state’s capitol city. Eventually I run into the same faces at each venue I
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Apparently word has gotten out about how much talent is all up in the South Puget Sound. Rumor has it we have great live music, talented performers, and one helluva attitude to back it up. As I walk down the street, I see talent gushing out of every open crack
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Recent Trouble with DeRosa victim Daniel Furrer from Archibald Sisters in Olympia had given me a heads-up about the spiciness of Chopsticks Noodle House’s dishes. Thrilled, off I went. There were three items on the menu with a picture of a cute little red chili next to the names. This was
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Still owned by its original founding family, the Eastside Club Tavern has been an Olympia staple since 1942. I instantly felt the warmth of wooden bar comfort as I planted my bum close to the tavern’s cute, friendly bartenders. This place reminds me of what a true tavern should be,
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With a husky voice that told a story within itself of heavy smoking, all-night fishing, and hardcore crabbing survival — Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the Discovery Channel’s show Deadliest Catch made my dream come true. With the show’s fifth season beginning this past Tuesday, he called my cell phone and
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Much like the critically acclaimed show Mystery Science Theater 3000, which openly ridiculed mediocre science-fantasy movies from 1988 to 1999, the newly formed Tacoma Cult Film Club will honor only the best B-movies one beat-up VCR can handle. Only this time you’re not alone on your Dorito-stained futon laughing at
