Gifts for the tongue and beyond

This fall I received two favorite gifts (a tin of huckleberry tea and bottle of huckleberry vinaigrette) from Priest Lake, Idaho. Having never been to Priest Lake, it was a fun, sensory way to experience something the area is known for.

The folks at the Pacific Northwest Shop in Tacoma's Proctor District make it easy to share the love of all things local as we head into the holiday season.

Considering how to share what makes the Pacific Northwest great with Thanksgiving and Christmas guests? From low-sugar raspberry jam made in Puyallup, alder-smoked wild salmon, syrups and Space Needle noodles to Tacoma's Commencement Bay coffee, Walla Walla sweet onion mustard and Seattle's Market Spice Tea, nothing says holiday love like something tasty. The Pacific Northwest Shop has a little bit of everything. 

[Pacific Northwest Shop, 2702 North Proctor Street, Tacoma, 253.752.8094, pacificnorthwestshop.com]

Not a prickly situation

Word on the street is that Felix Guzman, owner and chef at Reyna's Mexican Restaurant near Pacific Lutheran University, has more than a 1,000 dishes with nopales (that's cactus leaves) up his sleeve. Guzman offers six or seven nopales dishes continually. His childhood nickname was Little Coteco, after his favorite cactus dish of rice and beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and nopales. He highly recommends both this dish and the Monterey tacos, which feature enchilada sauce, nopales, pico de gallo and grilled chopped steak. Think of nopales as a tasty side dish, or like you would zucchini or mushrooms.

Nopales are imported for Guzman from many parts of Mexico through local Mexican markets. Cardon, a wild cactus, is highly climate-resilient, vitamin-packed and may improve blood pressure and circulation. Asian, European and South American people look to to it for health benefits, great taste and as a versatile cooking ingredient. "Some even eat it for breakfast and lunch and their diabetes goes away," Guzman tells me.

Whether for your health or for the taste, if you add chorizo, peppers, scrambled eggs, whole pinto beans, jalapenos and sundried chilies, you cannot go wrong with nopales. Reyna's Mexican Restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner with a separate lounge and bar for karaoke and fun. 

[Reyna's Mexican Restaurant, 411 Garfield Street South, Tacoma, 253.538.2368]