Grub Gossip

Bite-sized foodie news for your consumption

By Jackie Fender on January 24, 2019

The drizzly, grey skies might have you feeling like you don't want to leave the house, but there's a big wide world out there still going about its business as usual. Get out of those jammie pants and get out there. Heck, keep the jammie pants on. There's no judgment here (okay, maybe a little judgment). Foodie festivities' picks this weekend include pasta, dark and delicious brews, wine slushies and carnivorous spectating.

The Tacoma Home and Garden Show isn't all interior design and renovations, oh no, there's also a few foodie-focused things to spy. Peruse the labyrinthesque aisles inside of the Tacoma Dome and stumble upon wine slushy mixes provided by Nectar of the Vine. There will be free samples, and frose and the like are trending, you're guests will love it. You can also amp up your hostess game with OMG Oils and Vinegars. On the Main Stage throughout the weekend, celebrity guests and speakers will touch base on everything home and garden, which naturally will include the opportunity to listen to award-winning gardeners give you tips on how to hone your green thumb and produce a bounty of a harvest this season. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Jan. 24-26; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Jan. 27, $10-$12, 2727 E. D St., Tacoma, tacomahomeandgardenshow.com

Pasta With a Purpose sounds like my kind of event. I mean, if you can do a good deed by eating pasta?! Why wouldn't you? Saturday, Jan. 26, 5-7 p.m., Gloria Del Lutheran Church is hosting a spaghetti dinner with proceeds directly benefiting Murry-March Neighborhood, a nonprofit association. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids 10 and up and $5 for the minis. 3315 S. 19th St., Tacoma, tickets available on eventbrite.com

Also happening this weekend is the Washington Sportsman Show Outdoor Cooking Championship at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. Expect FIVE days of ultimate throw downs from Wild Game, Whole Animal, Steak, Dutch Oven and Barbeque standoffs. It sounds like a carnivore's dream. Granted, don't go hungry, you won't be tasting the results but catching some cooking network-styled culinary cook-offs sounds like a good time to me. Festivities occur Jan. 23-27. See the full schedule at outdoorcookingchampionship.com. 110 9th Ave. SW, Puyallup

Saturday, Jan. 26, 6-10 p.m., the Oly Taproom hosts the 4th annual Oly Dark Nights Fest, because, tis the season for dark beers! They present 14 rich, dark beers they've collected from the deep cellars of some of their favorite breweries. Chocolate, coffee, coconut, bourbon-flavored, malty dark brews of the hops is what these cold winter months are all about. There will be some barrel-aged giveaways including a pair of tickets to the Fort George Festival of Dark Arts and hotel accommodations in Astoria, Oregon. This is a delectable event for you beer lovers who like to chew and savor each sip. Must be 21 and over to imbibe. 312 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, olytaproom.com