This week ...

Place: Alfred's Cafe and Bubble Room

Originally named: Bill & Ted's Restaurant, Cafe and Tavern (1930s)

Adopted current name: Late 1950s

Daytime bartender: Scott Wright

Evening bartender: Kali

Happy hour: 4-7 p.m.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Bubbles seen: Only in our beer

Beers consumed: Two each

Parking lot: Resembles a pack of sardines

Melanie Manista-Rushforth (of Rushforth Wheels and last year's Weekly Volcano Tacoma's Most Sexy Business Owner) - who I am convinced is my social twin - and I had just finished a round of sharp-shooting over at Bull's Eye shooting range when we felt an intense magnetic pull toward the bar at Alfred's Cafe, otherwise known as the Bubble Room. It was during our epic conversation over ice-cold Bud Light drafts that we began to wonder where the bubbles were.

Obviously, from the number of smelly burps I was producing, there were plenty of bubbles in my beer - but that couldn't be the only reason this joint has Bubble Room incorporated into its name. 

Rushforth and I speculated about a private employee hot tub in the back, thus providing reasonable justification for the Bubble Room surname. Other theories came to mind such as: hidden bubble machines that only came alive during after-hour raves, bubble baths being a mandatory method of employee cleanliness and the possibility that there was a creepy clown-cook named Bubbles in the kitchen hovering over the deep fryer.

After a thorough investigation (we asked the bartender), none of those theories proved to be true.

Scott Wright, loyal daytime bartender of eight years at Alfred's Cafe and Bubble Room, gave us some real insight into why the damn place has a Bubble Room.

According to Wright, about eight years ago the owners broke away from the 1970s decor by tearing down all wood paneling gracing the Alfred's Cafe walls.  Underneath the paneling they found very trippy wallpaper with elephants, zebras, giraffes and ... champagne bubbles. "It was obvious the animals were drunk on the wallpaper," notes Wright, thus his theory is that this wallpaper is the reason the Bubble Room came into being.

"It was definitely during a time of Lawrence Welk and Champagne Ladies," says Wright.

Yes!  Champagne Ladies!  That is definitely going to be the name of my new Eazy-E all-girl tribute band. 

And as for Rushforth, I'm just going to start calling her "Bubbles."

[Alfred's Cafe and Bubble Room, 402 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.5491]