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The pesto trio at Acqua Via is where pestos dream of ending up - in snappy combinations so unexpected your bruschetta just can't keep out of them. These are imaginative combinations - fig and goat cheese or grape leaf and feta. And the sensation in your mouth? Phenomenal. Out of
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I think it would be a crime not to spread the good word about Chef Gordon Naccarato's takoyaki, one of the Japanese street foods on Pacific Grill's Noodle Bar menu. These balls are chunks of heaven and they're currently my favorite dish in the South Sound area. Given the fact
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The little town of Milton has a hidden gem. Oliver's Sandwiches has the same set-up as franchise sandwich shops with one glaring exception - customer service. The owners, a husband and wife team, are hands-on and work the counter. The lobster sandwich alone is worth the drive. Twice as much
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This ice cream begs you to devour the entire bowl. This is not your standard, overly-sweet concoction, but a creamy delight that challenges your taste buds with just a hint of sweetness and crème, and a slight tang balanced by a hint of cardamom. Chef Cedar Martin has this delicious
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The mousse from the Bearded Ladies makes you pause to roll your eyes back in gratitude for tasting such a delicious dish. The mousse is creamy, dreamy and has a perfect mouthfeel. It is accompanied by a chocolate sauce, in-season berries and homemade marshmallows roasted and oozing with sweetness. This
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The Monte Cristo is the unholy union of a ham and cheese sandwich, a fried turkey leg and a powdered jelly doughnut. It's like something you'd eat at the Puyallup Fair, right down to the ridiculous, pseudo-royalty name. The only thing missing is the stick. Located in University Place, Affairs
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A good cup of clam chowder goes beyond mere foodstuff and can serve as a soul-soother and bone warmer. Such is the case with Duke's creamy-thick, savory chowder, full of luscious little bivalves. Inspired by owner Duke Moscrip's grandfather, John Fitzgerald Cox, this rich and tasty chowder always takes home
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One of the South Sound's favorite old dining haunts serves all-American classics for breakfast and lunch. Owner Marcia Crelling has zeroed in on what customers want at her down-home diner, Marcia's Silver Spoon, on South Tacoma Way. And boy oh boy, does she give it to them in heaping, plate-swallowing,
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Frankly, what isn't there to like at Indochine - the hip pan-Asian mecca in downtown Tacoma? A cutting edge leader, bringing finely crafted cuisine to the South Sound, Indochine features one menu item that stands above the rest: the Summer Basil Chicken Salad. But, don't wait for summer to dive
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Topped with sliced almonds, the full, rich, meaty flavor in shahi gosht korma stands out in this slowly simmered boneless dish of tender braised lamb. Savory garlic, coriander, red chili powder and ginger accent a creamy yogurt-based sauce with fenugreek leaves. Served bubbling hot in a metal dish suspended over
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The Sidewalk Café's Southern buttermilk pie is so delicious you can't help but devour the slice, lick your lips and then wish for more. I bought one and was going to save it for my husband, but after one bite I ate the entire thing. The Southern buttermilk pie tastes
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After almost a decade in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, LeLe Restaurant is still serving Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Swimming angel, a traditional Thai dish also called rama rama or swimming rama, is a huge plate of saucy goodness. Handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, thinly sliced carrots and mung bean sprouts are
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Otoro (oh-toh-roh), which is sometimes labeled o-toro, is the fattiest portion of the tuna, found on the very underside of the fish. This cut is fatty almost to the point of falling apart and can literally melt in your mouth; it is hands-down the best sashimi. It is the most
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On the road to making tasty food, I.Talia Pizzeria uses 100 percent organic, sustainably-grown ingredients whenever possible. One fine example is a serious stacker of a sandwich that features Italian dry-cured sopressata salami, turkey and rosemary ham, held tight between pieces of ciabatta smeared with creamy golden-hued aioli. Leafy green
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I have what some say is an odd preference for nuts in my food; I enjoy the crunch and the buttery nuttiness. Given that, the pineapple fried rice at Narai Asian Cuisine in Olympia is a pleasant surprise. The flavor array with the textures of cashews and crisp cucumber is
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Vien Dong in Tacoma's International District offers a heaping bowl of thin, undressed vermicelli noodles made from white rice - and they're especially addictive with sprigs of leafy aromatic cilantro, cucumber, shredded carrot, ground peanut and the option of skewers of grilled meat, seafood (or a combination of these) as
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Bill Staines. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12. Cafe Luna Vashon. Cosmo Harrigan, Mark Wells. All Ages. 7:30 pm. NC. A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist and Cafe Latte Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Dinner & Music Evening, featuring Beth Wood. All Ages. 6 pm. $20. Beyond
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ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Billy Stoops Acoustic Jam. 21+. 9 pm. Tacoma Farmers Market - Broadway Tacoma - Downtown. Jam On My Muffin. All Ages. 10 am. NC. Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. John McCutcheon. All Ages. 8 pm. Liquid Soul Coffee Roy. Open Mic. Hosted by David
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Argentina is known for its steak, and the best part, the filet, is called lomo. It makes sense that Tacoma's little slice of Argentina, Asado, excels at steaks. Their lomo with polenta and espalda asado (flat iron steak) with purple Peruvian potatoes are both to die for. However, I'm choosing
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Coconut milk is a weakness of mine. I see those words on a menu and my eyes glaze over. Coconut milk is used beautifully in the green curry dish at Oriental Noodle & Grill across from Tacoma Community College. I select tofu versus chicken or beef for this dish because
