It's hard work being a foodie scribe. On the one hand, you have the barrage of demands to indulge in delectable cuisine; on the other, you have the need to investigate the local culinary culture. I mean, seriously, what's a girl to do? Most recently, my civic duty required me to attend Sunday's Art on the Ave Grub Crawl and dine with a panel of fellow judges. We tasted our way through the nine participating establishments on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue. Let's take a tour through best things I ate at Art on the Ave and discover the winners.

Swimsuit season is upon us, which means there are lots of folks trying to maintain or acquire a more slender figure. This means lots of "dieting." For Sunday's festivities, North China Garden was the go-to for those caloric-aware types. Its Peking-duck lettuce wraps, with house-made plum sauce, market-fresh carrots, cucumber, cilantro and red bell pepper, were light, fresh and flavorful - and totally guilt free, which is a rare luxury I allow myself. *I'm not of the caloric-aware type*

Dirty Oscar's Annex brought big, beautiful flavor with its braised Oaxacan tacos. DOA delivered flavor country to the taste buds with a tasty apple verde, smoky, chocolatey molé sauce, bell peppers and cojita cheese. It was a well-balanced, creamy, crisp, spicy and delectable treat, even if a bit messy. Pass the napkins, because here's to hoping these babies make it to the special board soon.

Legendary Doughnuts served us judges a "half" order of its coastie/fireball combo. If that was a "half" order, good gawd the full order has to be a gut buster. A glazed donut was stuffed with Fletcher's bacon and English Coastal cheddar cheese and paired with a habanero jelly filled donut dot embellished with cream cheese frosting on top. Pure decadence. Donut + Bacon + Cheese = What's Not to Like!?

Asado has a reputation for presenting some of the most flavorful steaks in T-town, and they hit the mark again. Its marinated skirt steak skewer with a side of chimichurri was a tender, flavorful meaty meal on a stick.

Gateway to India presented shrimp and bell pepper kebobs featuring a perfect toasty char flavor that were divine. Whispers of heat and super fresh bell peppers paired with meaty shrimp and a cilantro chutney nabbed Second Place in the Grub Crawl competition.  

I know, I know, you feel like you JUST heard me raving about Ice Cream Social. Well, that's because you did, but it is exquisite and nabbed First Place for the second consecutive year for a reason. With a double scoop of buttered popcorn and dark chocolate ice cream drizzled with house-made salted caramel sauce in a fresh waffle cone topped with salted popcorn, it's a well-deserved honor . Locally sourced with an added ingredient that must be love, Ice Cream Social scoops hold a special place in this fat kid's heart and belly.

To wash it all down, this year Art on the Ave debuted its Tasting Lounge, a roped-off area for local wine and beer enthusiasts. One word: genius. I sipped, OK chugged my way around the perimeter. Among others, I felt a real connection with Odd Otter Brewing's Pancake Porter. Can't wait for it to open in six weeks so I can check out their other hops concoctions.