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Kris Blondin, the Weekly Volcano's "Grocery Stories" scribe, has got to be white wine's number one fan. If white wine had a fan club, Kris would be president. Hell, maybe there is a white wine fan club I don't know about yet, and Kris is already the president. Did I
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DuPont residents know far too well how to detect the signs of summer. Not the good signs of summer: warm sunrays, kids playing outside, and restaurant patios finally open for dining. I mean the miserable, annoying signs of summer, such as muggy afternoons, people who don't wear deodorant, and Sunday
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Thanks to Michael, creator of last week's "spread your wings" email (which instructed us to head out east), Bandito Betty and I were stuck in Bonney Lake for the day. Last week we ventured up the big hill, otherwise known as State Route 410, and set our sights on some
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A few weeks ago I received an email from a nice gentleman named Michael telling me to "spread my wings." In the email he explained that possible 3 Drink Minimum establishments were not only located in Tacoma, but also Bonney Lake and Buckley. I couldn't agree more. Yes, there are fine
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I might get flat-out fired for saying this, but screw the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Tacos. Please, allow me to inform you I'm a self-proclaimed taco expert (for the length of this column, at least), and I'm here to crown the Corner Bar as BEST TACOS in Pierce County.
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There's no need to ever peruse the menu at Old Spaghetti Factory; I know exactly what I want. Never to vary, I stick with the KISS method: Keep it simple, stupid. For me, it's a quick order of Mizithra spaghetti with a side of broccoli. That's all I need. That's
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Look here, Tacoma Farmers Market. If you served alcohol, I wouldn't have to drag my ass outside of your barricaded confines for a little hooch after lunch; I'd have one-stop gluttonous shopping all within one downtown Tacoma block. But NO. Instead, you heed all county/city permits, rules and regulations -
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A few months ago I enjoyed a nice lunch in Federal Way. I was dining "Hans" style (solo), which I find enjoyable at times - seeing as how most people get on my nerves. There are only a couple of people I can tolerate for the entire length of
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My all-time favorite girl's name ever is Genesis. Coincidentally, our bartender for this week's Three Drink Minimum is also named Genesis. I only know of one other female named Genesis and she is an amazing soul. The original Genesis I know has a constant swirl of butterflies around her, with traces
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What would Jesus serve? Heck, I thought I was entering the Denny's in Lakewood - not the second coming of Christ's "Sportsbar." That is, if Jesus Christ had a "sportsbar," in which case it might have a better name than "Christ's Sportsbar." I can only assume that ol' JC has a
News Front
Hailing from Eastern Washington, 25-year-old Jolene Renee Green has been a part of Tacoma for the last three years. Without trying too hard to sound like a cheesy singles ad, I'll also point out she has a dog named Bodi with an ancestry from the "mutt" breed, almost always picks
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Aliens often invade my brainwaves, sending subtle subliminal signals that force me to crave certain restaurants. These are different than normal cravings in the fact I have cravings not for certain foods, but the actual restaurants. I yearn for a certain atmosphere, a favorite bartender, or an establishment's basic menu
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Any halfway social person will admit they have a favorite bar, tavern, pub or restaurant they frequent. Among those halfway social people you might know, you'll find some wannabe-foodies (woodies) who have certain opinionated preferences such as, "The Red Hot has the coldest beer," or, "Pacific Grill has the best
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My poor, poor sister-in law. The phrase, "Come have a few drinks with me" has come out of my mouth quite often when in her presence, and I'm not quite sure if she loves me or hates me for it all. Just about every family event ends in frantic
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I totally cheated this week. I knew Steamer's only had beer, and that in no way was I going to be manhandled by a Manhattan-serving bartender bully. Aside from that, I had a bigger reason for carting myself down to Titlow Beach: a hangover. It was a simple and slight hangover,
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People have been holding a raging hot iron to my ass for some time now, telling me I need to get said ass to at Kamel Toe Bar and Grill. All the dive bar signs were there, giving me a mix of both scared and excited feelings rushing through my loins:
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The servers at HG Bistro are going to want to strangle me for saying this, but when someone insists that I don't ever bring something up again - you know I simply must bring it up again. Here it goes: HG Bistro used to be Hungry Goose, a doily-filled, knick-knack
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What the hell is an "imbibery"? Google, my third best friend ever, tells me to "imbibe" is to either drink something, or to absorb moisture, gas, light or heat. Thank you, Google - but doesn't one form of imbibing lead to another? I know for sure after I've had
Music
I have, in my possession, rare video footage just waiting for the perfect blackmail opportunity. It involves Weekly Volcano co-publisher Ron Swarner and his oddly profound karaoke rendition of the B-52's "Love Shack." It's a scene many of you are probably quite familiar with, I'm sure: A group of friends
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It was during our liquid lunch at the newly opened Laura's Bayview Bar & Grill that Bandito Betty's sister-in-law asked restaurant owner, Laura Carlson, the mysterious question: "I've met you before. How do we know each other?" As they squinted at each other in deep contemplation, listing past cities of
