Pacific Grill is having an Argentine Wine dinner this Thursday (June 12, 200 .

It sounds pretty fabulous. Five wines, and a five course Chef Tasting dinner for $95 a person.

If you want to go, you better call soon.  Reservations are required.

For reservations and information, please contact Chip Venzone at 253-627-3541.

Have I told you that I would rather open a vein than open a restaurant?

While I love to cook and enjoy watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, I have no desire to run a restaurant.

There are, however, no shortage of people who find the idea appealing.  God bless them.  If it weren’t for these crazy dreamers, I would have to cook all my meals at home.

Pacific Avenue is home to many restaurants, large and small, and they all have a story to tell.  If you heard that La Costa had closed and re-opened under the name Gringo de Loco, you may have been excited to give it a try.

Well, hold on to your hats, kids, because Gringo de Loco is gone.

Read the whole sordid tale in the buyer’s own poignant words here.

We will be at the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue at 6:30 - 7:00 (ish).  We have reserved space for the Azarra crew and friends.  We’d love to have you join us, but there are other places you can go that are part of the event.

Participating restaurants

The Azarra staff will be Dining Out For Life next Thursday, April 24.  If you want to join us, we’ll be at the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue around 6:30 or so.

If you need a list of other places to go, check this out.

Hello Cupcake is one of our neighborhood businesses.  I thought you might like to read this article from Cakespy, a Seattle based blog about cake.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Batter Chatter: Interview with Reina Miller of hello, cupcake in Tacoma, WA

Cakespy Note: This interview also appeared on our Cakespy Seattle outpost!

Let’s face it–between the paper-mill aroma and the collapsing bridges, Tacoma doesn’t have the best reputation. But have you been there recently? Like whoa. Downtown Tacoma has undergone a massive revitalization and has become quite the budding art scene, what with its gorgeous museums, newly-renovated airy artist lofts, and a thriving UW campus. But really, to the Cakespy crew, the most exciting part of this revitalization is hello, cupcake, a cupcake shop whose wares have been aptly described as “coo-worthy”. Walking into hello, cupcake is like becoming a child again: there’s no turning back once you’re greeted by an intricate cupcake mosaic tile design on the floor, on a crash course toward sugar overload…but then again, why would you want to? The cupcakes are not only adorable but delicious, with a tender, moist crumb and creamy, rich frosting which melts oh-so pleasingly in your mouth (not your hand). Recently, we had a chance to talk cupcake with one of the owners, Reina Miller; here’s what we found out about life, love and the pursuit of cupcake nirvana:

Read the rest of the article here.

The Harmon Brewery & Restaurant is close to our hearts because we like the food (favorites are fish & chips and the coconut prawns) and the beer and because it is directly beneath our feet.  It is very nice to have a restaurant near the salon.  I use it as place to hold meetings with vendors or prospective employees as well as a place to have a drink at the end of the day.  (I like the Bartender’s Margarita.)

Saturday Carrie and I went to the Friends and Family opening (pictures here) of their new venture, The Harmon Hub.  Be sure to visit them if you like wood fired pizza with a paper thin crust.  (Read the whole menu here.)  Carrie had the salmon appetizer and I had the caprese sandwich, both of which were darn tasty!  We also enjoyed a few more of their Margarita Fresca (fresh juice…very limey…yum!) than we should have.  Next time we’ll take a cab.

Read a more thorough review from Ed’s Diner here.

See you there soon!

It is no coincidence that my name is right in the middle of the word restaurant.  While I do enjoy crafting a wonderful meal, at the end of a long work week I really enjoy sitting on my ass and having someone bring me a wonderful meal!

Our dear friends at the Trib have put together a great resource for us.  The South Sound Restaurant Guide will help put an end to the “What sounds good to you?  - I don’t know, what do you feel like eating?” conversations that always seem to end with a visit to the same old places.

You can search by category or use the map and pick something close.  As an added bonus, you can even read the reviews from the Trib food guy, Ed Murietta.

For the record, the rib eye I had at Asado this weekend made my eyes roll back into my head with pleasure.  The house margerita was fresh and perfectly limey.  The husband had the prawns wrapped in serrano ham (which was lovely, but nowhere near as good as my steak!)

Our venerable local paper, The News Tribune, has a number of blogs specific to our region.  There is one about neighborhoods, one on music, one for dining….

I just subscribed to some, so I will share with you any time something pops up that I think would be of interest.  But, if you would rather gather your own news than rely on me (probably a wise choice!) click on over here for the list. 

This came in my monthly newsletter from my favorite wine bar, Vin Grotto.  I thought I would share.

THIS IS FUN: To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine…and those who don’t. As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila,rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting. Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health.  Therefore, it’s better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of crap. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I’m doing it as a public service. Your friend, Kris Blondin

(No, not two bottles! There’s nothing pretty about a drunk girl!)

I started drinking it in my thirties when the health news about polyphenols came out. All these years has done little to make me a wine expert (those of you in Tacoma can talk to my friend Kris at VinGrotto for that), but I do enjoy a glass or two. Now I have another reason why! And don’t forget that a serving or two of any alcohol keeps your blood thin, so those of use with family history of clots have yet another. The health benefits just keep adding up. Cheers! (Click here to learn about the 4 Seasons Wine club in the photo above.) Read the rest of this entry »

We have had requests for drinking and dining recommendations (since you know we like to do both!).

Relax with a great glass of wine and the best house salad dressing on earth: Vin Grotto

Really great soup: Halibut Cheek Chowder at Sea Grill

I have never eaten anything prepared by Chef Gordon Naccarato that I didn’t love: Pacific Grill

Great steak, great place: Asado

The only place in town where Aura will order tamales: Vuelve a la Vida

What are your favorites?