Goodbye gravy

Spring has sprung and so has my belt. Bobble Tiki is fat. It seems like he needs a jack just to lift up his belly to find the spare tire.

How did this happen?

“You eat gravy-topped food and you don’t like to exercise,” Mrs. Bobble Tiki says. “The last time your heart rate exceeded 85 beats a minute was when you thought you won $100 in the lottery.”

Oh great. Now she thinks Bobble Tiki’s a fat gambler (personally, he prefers the term “big time gambler,” but Bobble Tiki doubts that’s what she meant).

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Bobble Tiki says, as though he had forgotten about breaded veal cutlet with cream gravy ($7.99) that was about to be delivered to his table at Burs in Lakewood.

But Bobble Tiki likes gravy, and he loves the Lakewood institution that is Burs Restaurant.

Certainly Bobble Tiki doesn’t blame Burs for taking his stomach from the category of wooden washboard into the realm of Lakewood billboard. Burs was only doing its job — serving up chicken fried steak and gravy, and veal Parmesan topped with cheese, at almost-too-affordable prices.

However, spring is here and Bobble Tiki must say goodbye to Burs’ dining room and its elderly patrons, but say hello to fruity drinks in the back lounge. — Bobble Tiki

[Burs Restaurant, 6151 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W., 253.588.4844]

The Oly Bite

The Oly Bite Challenge 2007 goes a la “Iron Chef America” pitting Olympia restaurants Ben Moore’s, Lemongrass, Ramblin’ Jacks, Waterstreet Café, Pepper’s, Johnny’s, Fishtale BrewPub and others against each other Saturday, April 21 at the Olympia Center.  Tickets are $50 at www.buyolympia. com. — Jake de Paul