Soaking in rays of sunshine atop Topside Bar and Grill is bliss enough. Add a cold craft brew from its divine selection and a nibble and you're loving life.

During my most recent visit I took in the spectacular waterfront view and sun drenched dining area and tried Topside's smoked salmon quesadilla ($14).

I was not disappointed. Sadly, a photo can do no justice to the flavor within this warmed golden flour tortilla. Blacks beans, roasted corn, melted cheeses and copious amounts of local wild salmon made this appetizer a real treat. It's all too often you're looking a "seafood" appetizer face to face, only to be sorely disappointed by the lack of a tasty fishy friend. This is not the case with Topside's quesadilla.

The chipotle sour cream only adds a zesty richness to the dish that further elevates the flavors. And just think, this is just an appetizer. The rest of the menu features some tasty sounding entrees and sandwiches for lunch and dinner hour that can fuel your stroll through town.

SMOKED SALMON QUESADILLA, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Topside Bar and Grill, 215 Wilkes St., Steilacoom, 253.212.3690

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 2013 >>>

1. If Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa is a mouthful of a name, then his music does well to invade every other one of your senses. For years, de Dionyso has been making a name for himself as one of the premier practitioners of experimental music in the Northwest. Unlike other experimental artists, whose work consists of beauty in chaos, de Dionyso is conceptual and thought-through in the extreme. Catch Malaikat Dan Singa with MTNS, DJ Urine and the Nadines at 8 p.m. in 2nd Cycle on Tacoma's Hilltop. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. Older homes are typically loaded with character, and some people love nothing better than to stroll through a neighborhood and check out the architecture. For them, there is the Steilacoom Historical Home Tour. The outing, which is hosted by the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association and hasn't happened in almost 40 years, features six privately owned historic homes dating from 1858 through 1895, including five built when Washington was still a territory. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If there's one thing we know, it's Tacoma like to run, and drink. The Tacoma Runners prove it every Thursday night. Metro Parks knows this fact too. At 6 p.m. in Wright Park it will host its Sneakers to Suds - the first of four 5k events in its Pub Run Series. Each 5k is open to ages 21 and older and includes post-race festivities, which means drinking in local watering holes. Participate in trivia contests and post-race fun at Parkway, Tap Room and Amocat Café.

4. Shyan Selah & The Republic of Sound will headline a night of live music featuring Northwest hip hop legend Xola Malik, aka Kid Sensation, rock and blues act Monica-Crystal & The Beat Bandits and local acoustic songstress Stephanie Anne Johnson at 8:30 p.m. in Stonegate Pizza.

5. Future Bass dance party brings a little dub, some Dirty South bounce, some mini-backpack drum 'n' bass, sassy house, badass soul, squiggly squeaks, breaky beats, distorted hip-hop samples and wobbling bass lines - like pathological gamblers through paychecks - at 9:30 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: Saturday, June 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 28 2013 >>>

A week ago we began pitting 64 of the South Sound's best sandwiches - voted in by the Weekly Volcano readers - in head-to-head battles. Today marks the end of First Round action. The last eight sandwiches will enter the area bright eyed and fresh. At the end of the day, four sandwiches will join the other winning 28 sandwiches in the Second Round, four will pick up the crumbs and go home. This is a tournament, folks, not a playoff. Each match is do or die - one misstep and you're out of the dance. Leave the bread out on the counter a little too long, forget to add lettuce, and you can pack your sandwich bag and go home.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Cuban Fish Sandwich (Asado, 2810 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Albacore Tuna Po'Boy (Tides Tavern, 2925 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor)

In a battle over the Narrows Bridge, Asado cruised to victory and securing roughly 60 percent of the vote by the time things were said and done. This one was over early, and the pummeling lasted all day. Luckily for all of us, Tide's Tavern doesn't need the Tournament of Sandwiches to get by ... it has an awesome deck, not to mention a grubbin' Albacore Tuna Po-Boy. The high-powered Asado moves on to Second Round action.

Game 2: Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh (Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia) vs. Egg Salad Sandwich (Steilacoom Pub & Grill, 1202 Rainier St., Steilacoom)

In a back and forth matchup pitting two fairly evenly matched competitors (at least in the eyes of voters, it seems), Le Voyeur was eventually able to pull ahead of the Egg Salad Sandwich at the Steilacoom Pub thanks to a late run - grabby 52 percent of the votes. The loss has to be especially tough for Steilacoom Pub, as they entered the Tournament of Sandwiches with plenty of hype, mainly coming from, well, the entire town of Steilacoom. That said, Le Voyeur thanks its lucky stars every time it makes a bank deposit for the damaged livers of Evergreen students, and it has its eclectic music scene, so the fact it's moving on to the second round isn't shocking. You can't question Le Voyeur's following, and sometimes a following is just what it takes in the Tournament of Sandwiches.

Game 3: Farmhouse Philly (Dirty Oscar's Annex, 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Notorious P.I.G. (The Ram, 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma)

It would have been an upset of monumental proportion had The Ram somehow managed to defeat Dirty Oscar's Annex, but - alas - it was never meant to be. Dirty Oscar's dominated from tip-off to the final seconds yesterday, collecting votes at almost a three to one ratio and securing 73 percent of the votes. Rock stars and moonshine lovers unite - Dirty Oscar's will not be denied!

Game 4: The Chief (Sparks Firehouse Deli, 621 Fifth St., Puyallup) vs. Jan's Mufalletta (Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante, 2207 N. Pearl St., Tacoma)

Everyone loves a good comeback, and this may have been one of the better clutch performances in the (obviously short) history of the Tournament of Sandwiches. Down by a substantial margin by midday, Sparks Firehouse was able to rally the troops at halftime, and by the time the final buzzer sounded the Puyallup deli had walked away with an impressive victory, racking up 57 percent of the vote. Next up for Sparks' Chief sandwich, a Second Round dogfight with Dirty Oscar's Farmhouse Philly. ...

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Asado's Cuban Fish Sandwich
• Le Voyeur's Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh
• Dirty Oscar's Farmhouse Philly
• Sparks Firehouse's The Chief

The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's First Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich joint per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 >>>

Well whaddaya know! It's still March, and dagnabit if all that "Madness" isn't still in the air! What's one to do with all that pent up "madness?" It can make for quite a dilemma. ...

Unless, of course, you've found something like the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Sandwiches to help get you through. Throughout the month (and into early April, even) the Volcano's readers will be voting on the South Sound's best sandwiches through daily head-to-head matchups here on Spew. We started with 64 South Sound sandwiches, and only one can be crowned king.

Without further ado, let's get down to business.

Yesterday's Results

GAME ONE: Club House (Old Milwaukee Café, 3102 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Jake's Sandwich (Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor, 3939 Martin Way E., Olympia)

For a relatively small town, Olympia has more than its fair share of top-notch sandwiches - which is going to make for some interesting battles down the road. With 5th Ave Sandwich Shop and Darby's grabbing most of the headlines, Dirty Dave's can fly relatively under the radar. Oh, but the eaters of the area know - which is probably why Dirty Dave's Jake's Sandwich took down the beloved Old Milwaukee Café's Club House, nabbing almost 60 percent of the votes.

GAME TWO: Reuben (Peterson Bros. 1111, 1111 S. 11th St., Tacoma) vs. Hammock Sandwich (Schooner Pub and Galley, 5429 100th St. SW, Lakewood)

The Eleven Eleven is a relatively newcomer on the sandwich scene, creating goodness and slinging drinks in a lively, neighborhood joint. The Schooner Pub has been a neighborhood hangout for years, where the game or your daily meeting with your old friends is more the focus than sandwiches. In terms of comparing the two joints, at least in regards to a hangout, it's a dead heat. Comparing the two sandwiches that battled yesterday, it's not even close. Eleven Eleven grabbed 75 percent of the votes, and moves onto the Second Round.

GAME THREE: Steak Torta (Vuelve a la Vida, 5310 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. Ikonos Gyro (Ikonos Real Greek Souvlaki, 4920 Point Fosdick Dr. NW, Gig Harbor)

Vuelve A La Vida started up in 1995. Six months after its inception, the owner sold it to the mysteriously named Senor Douglas, who's owned it ever since. Most people know the joint for its authentic Mexican food, featuring prizes such as tongue and goat and featuring banners boasting no chips & salsa. That said, Tournament of Sandwiches officials were a bit surprised Vuelve's Steak Torta grabbed 71 percent of the votes over Ikonos Gyro, which is one tasty treat. It doesn't matter now, the Steak Torta moves onto the Second Round.

GAME FOUR: Vietnamese Banh Mi (Pacific Grill, 1502 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. Italian Grinder (Shamrock Tavern, 11118 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma)

Unexpectedly, this was an epic battle ... the kind of thing Tournament of Sandwiches "instant classics" are made of. A surprisingly low scoring affair, with much of the action on defense, the fourth seeded Pacific Grill and the 13th seeded Shamrock Tavern were in a dead heat - literally tied - going into the final hours of the competition. Back at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, Tournament of Sandwiches officials frantically discussed what to do in the case of a tie? Overtime? Coin flip? See which establishment could deliver a sandwich to our Lakewood office the fastest? Then, our guess is, the drinks kicked in at the Shamrock, phones came out and the Parkland tavern edged out the win, securing exactly 53 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the history books.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor's Jake's Sandwich
• Peterson Bros. 1111's Reuben
• Vuelve a la Vida's Steak Torta
• Shamrock Tavern's Italian Grinder

The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's First Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 26 >>>

Favorites or underdogs, fancy restaurants or dive bars, it's all the same. In the end, they all have one chance to put some tasty morsels between two slices of bread that can take the prize. Sixty-four South Sound sandwiches were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Sandwiches, which is now six days into the competition. Apparently sandwiches were on the minds of South Sounders yesterday as it was the second largest voting day for the Tournament of Sandwiches behind Thursday's opening bell.

Yesterday's Results

GAME ONE: TLT (Quickie Too, 1324 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) vs. Fishwich (Spar Tavern, 2121 N. 30th St., Tacoma)

Cod filet rolled in crispy panko breading served on a Kaiser roll: The Fishwich at The Spar sound easy enough, but alas, it's not. Coddies - those who live for cod filets - claim The Spar has one of the best fish sandwiches in the South Sound. Yesterday, voters agreed. Tacoma's oldest tavern moves into the Second Round after beating Hilltop's beloved Quickie Too by 20 votes.

GAME TWO: Catfish Sandwich (Fish House Café, Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) vs. Lobster Sandwich (Oliver's Sandwiches, 900 Meridian Ave. E., Milton)

Oliver's Sandwiches turned out the troops to propel it into the next round of the tournament, despite Fish House Café's exceptional Catfish Sandwich. Although it's what sandwich experts call a "hidden gem," Oliver's Sandwiches treats diners like family, and that had to be a factor against the Hilltop Tacoma cafe. With 93 percent of the vote, Oliver's moves on.

GAME THREE: The All Star Grilled Frenchy Cheese and Ham (Babblin' Babs Bistro, 2724 N. Proctor St., Tacoma) vs. Nutty Chicken Sandwich (Varsity Grill, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma)

Babblin' Babs Bistro doesn't have a mini theater in the middle of its restaurant. It doesn't have a huge happy hour menu. And kids don't eat free. Those are the attributes of the Varsity Grill sports bar in downtown Tacoma. What Babs does have are gourmet sandwiches and an ownership that can squeeze ever bit of goodness out of a Chardonnay seed. Babblin' Babs and its famous All Star Grilled Frenchy Cheese and Ham moves into the Second Round after grabbing 64 percent of the votes over the Varsity Grill.

GAME FOUR: Stinker (STINK - Cheese & Meat, 628 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma) vs. Papa Bair (Bair Bistro, 1617 Lafayette St., Steilacoom)

STINK owner Kris Blondin has found the perfect formula. Create gourmet comfort food recipes, teach hip kids how to recreate them, play kick ass music and serve big beers and soft wines to movers and shakers in Tacoma. Yesterday, this formula paid off when STINK's famous Stinker sandwich beat Bair Bistro's delicious Papa Bair - and all the history the town of Steilacoom could muster up - by 70 votes.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• The Spar's Fishwich
• Oliver's Sandwiches' Lobster Sandwich
• Babblin' Babs Bistro's All Star Grilled Frenchy Cheese and Ham
• STINK Cheese & Meat's Stinker

The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's First Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

<<< VOTING CLOSED FOR MONDAY, MARCH 25 2013 >>>

Sixty-four South Sound sandwiches were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Sandwiches, which is now five days into the competition. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, restaurant hallways and birdcages. Birthday parties have been moved to delis. Everyone is discussing tempeh and bread thickness. It's crazy fun.

Yesterday's Results

GAME ONE: Ricky J's Philly Cheesesteak and Farrelli's Pizza's 3 Sauce Italian Meatball Sandwich battled back and forth all day, changing leads several times. It's our guess that Ricky J's Sunday night "Spin The Wheel Drink Specials" made the difference as the Puyallup restaurant ended up edging out the local pizza chain's tasty meatball sandwich with 54 percent of the votes.

GAME TWO: The blowout of the day happened in the matchup between Pacific Coffee House's Big Tacoma and The Office Bar & Grill's California Club, each anchoring the current Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project construction. The new coffee joint on the ground floor of the Wells Fargo Building grabbed the most votes of the day, smoking the sports bar that is The Office with 91 percent of the votes. The Big Tacoma sandwich moves on to the Second Round to face Ricky J's Cheesesteak March 30.

GAME THREE: "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." That famous quote comes from the beloved Winnie the Pooh. That quote could have easily comes from a regular at Legendz on Spraque Avenue speaking on his or her love for the drive-thru joint on the edge of Hilltop Tacoma. It doesn't matter that Engine House No. 9 is historically famous, and its Baked Italian sandwich has an amazing garlic pesto spread. Legendz's Lamb Beef Gyro looked in great shape as its edged out the Baked Italian with 53 percent of the votes.

GAME FOUR: The other blowout really wasn't a surprise. Meconi's Italian Subs in Lacey was born to make great sandwiches. Its Italian Sub put the hurt on Little Da Nang's Prok Banh Mi beating it by 60 votes, and moves on to face Legendz's Lamb Beef Gyro in Second Round action March 30.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Ricky J's Philly Cheesesteak
• Pacific Coffee House's Big Tacoma
• Legendz's Lamb Beef Gyro
• Meconi's Italian Subs' Italian Sub

The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's First Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

WE SCENE IT >>>

Jeanne Hopkins, the singer and songwriter better known as simply Jeanlizabeth, plays host to an open mic every Sunday night at Steilacoom Pub and Grill. The night has become a playground for musicians to tinker and receive feedback from their peers. It's almost a guarantee to hear a mix of punk rock songs on a ukulele, indie covers and folk originals every Sunday. In addition to the talent, the Steilacoom Pub open mic will occasionally be blessed with a random drunk strummer or sheet music reader making it one of the more entertaining music nights in the South Sound.

I dropped by the Steilacoom Pub last night to snap a few shots.

LINK: More photos from Sunday's open mic in Steilacoom

LINK: All-ages open mics

LET'S DO SOME SCROLLING >>>

Sunday morning, we'll be yelling at the top of our lunges, stuffing ourselves into a purple-hazed food coma and throwing adult temper tantrums during commercials, all in the name of cheering the Seahawks to a win Sunday against Atlanta, then on to the NFC Championship game.

Where to watch the game?

Good question. Ideally, the Weekly Volcano wants a combination of multiple televisions, good grub and drink specials. Good grub could be sacrificed.

We searched Facebook looking for Seahawk breakfast specials in the South Sound so you don't have to.

Burs in Lakewood

Cheers West in University Place

Farrelli's Pizza Tacoma

Johnny's At Fife

Masa on Sixth Avenue

Pints & Quarts Pub in Lacey

O'Blarney's Irish Pub in Olympia

The Office in downtown Tacoma

The Ram on Tacoma's Ruston Way and South Hill Puyallup

The Red Hot on Sixth Avenue

Spring Lake Cafe

The Swiss in downtown Tacoma

Topside Bar and Grill in Steilacoom

Varsity Grill in downtown Tacoma

Where else?

I LOVE THIS JOB >>>

In case you haven't notice I have bourbon fever. I've applauded local distillery endeavors and reported on bourbon dinners. Because the Weekly Volcano is an equal opportunity rag, I turn my attention to the translucent liquids.

No, no, not H2O silly. I'm talking to you vodka and gin.

As mentioned in my local distillery piece, there is a new distillery in Pierce County - Port Steilacoom Distillery. Kevin and Jennifer Laughlin Stewart opened the distillery Friday. Situated in the idyllic community of Steilacoom the Laughlin Stewarts are now concocting Chambers Bay vodka and gin from their charming distillery space.

PSD's vodka and gin have unique flavor profiles. Due to federal restrictions, craft distilleries are required to use 51 percent Washington-grown product. For most distillers, the products are grains. At PSD, Chambers Bay vodka and gin are distilled with blackberry honey and dark cane sugar. As a result, the vodka and gin are gluten free. You gluten-free kids on the crazy train can indulge with no negative consequence, ignoring bad dancing and wicked little hangovers from overindulgence. The honey and sugar combination also distinctly different flavors from many similar products. In other words, I think PSD's vodka and gin are tasty.

Chambers Bay Vodka carries a nice sweetness with a smooth clean finish. The honey and sugar lend this sweetness that is pleasant and light with just a hint of honey. The products are not syrupy, such as flavored vodka. It's mixer friendly, too.

Chambers Bay Gin also has this playful sweetness with a finish teasing with the herbal finish that lends itself to a nice aroma. I myself am not a fan of gin. Thankfully, Chambers Bay Gin lacks that uber-juniper berry flavor that can overwhelm some drinkers. Port Steilacoom Distillery uses a traditional London dry technique with its gin.

In six weeks, or so, PSD will add a rum type liquor to its product line. Though technically not rum since it's not produced from cane sugar Wicked Wind Spiced Rum will be made with Laughlin Stewarts' special recipe of spices and buckwheat honey, which consistency much like molasses.

PSD's tasting room is open Wednesday-Sunday, offering free two-ounce samples, by law, and a limit of two bottles per day.

When you visit the distillery be sure to keep a lookout for its mascot. "There's a tabby cat that is always nearby and on occasion will come in and take a seat. One day while I was labeling he jumped right up, I decided to read his little tag on his collar and get his name ... Martini," Jennifer Laughlin Stewart says with a laugh.

If that isn't a good omen, I don't know what is.

PORT STEILACOOM DISTILLERY, 3:30-6:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, 1601 LAFAYETTE ST., STEILACOOM, 253.212.0090

LINK: The scoop on local distilleries Heritage and Parliament

Barring any new Movember drunken people donning mustaches photos, the Weekly Volcano is going to use the holiday as an excuse to take a rare day off. So, please people, for our sake, dig out that ol' music box that plays "Born Free," open a new doughnut shop or start your own Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project.

And we totally want photos of your family's fight to the death over who has the damn Tupperware. The Weekly Volcano knows every year someone brings Tupperware to collect leftovers and every effing year it disappears.

We'll all see you back here tomorrow for 5 Things To Do, The Weekend Hustle and other glorious posts.

Remember: baste often.

LINK: Movies