Marcia’s Silver Spoon

The GCF boys get greasy at Marcia’s Silver Spoon.

On Roads, Magical

South Tacoma Way is a yellow brick road of sorts. Along this long and winding path through the Nalley Valley you’ll encounter giant teapots, dusty flea markets and more used car dealerships than you can shake a broomstick at. There was even a monkey at one point at the B&I. Although it didn’t fly. And it wasn’t a monkey, it was a gorilla. The only significant difference really is that there’s no wizard at the end of this yellow brick road, just Lakewood. Which is worse. So much worse.

[Ah, it's so nice to be able to be the giver of the regional jokes for once, rather than the recipient. Suck it Lakewood.]

One of the locations you’ll find on South Tacoma Way is Marcia’s Silver Spoon. It’s a bit divey, but what on South Tacoma Way isn’t? As Adam and I pulled up outside Marcia’s we were greeted by an empty can of Steel Reserve, a likely welcome for any place within stone’s throw of the Java Jive. I’d never given the exterior much thought before, and after some long glances I felt equally void of thought. Totally nondescript. The signage hadn’t been changed in a couple weeks and it’s hard to tell where Marcia’s ends and the Lucky Silver Cafe begins. What’s the story there anyway? They must be related right? This area wasn’t exactly renowned for its abundance in silver.

Perhaps I would have asked that question had I not been busy consuming an omelette the size of Toto.

Alright, enough Wizard of Oz references. To the food!

A Silver Spoon in Our Mouths

The place was packed near capacity on a Sunday morning, full of both church goers and gritty Tacomans nursing hangovers. The waitstaff was minimal but folksy and genuinely nice. By the end of our trip a large group had formed by the door, waiting with varying degrees of patience for their tables. There are enough tables for roughly 40 people, and trust me there’s no room for expansion. We’re not talking Old Milwaukee cramped, but small enough that we were privy to most peoples’ conversations. Not that I was eavesdropping. I prefer to call it research.

A popular topic of conversation was portion size. I overheard a woman complaining about her scramble being too large, as she didn’t want to bother with leftovers. Apparently she was too guilt ridden to waste any because she ate the plate. She seemed to be the minority, as everyone else seemed delighted with their monstrous plates. I am in the latter camp myself. Amurrrica!

It has also been brought to our attention since that the pancakes here are some of the biggest and best in Tacoma. We however did not get the pancakes. If you’ve been reading this with bated breath waiting for that pancake review, I’m afraid you will be disappointed. We’ll have to come back a later day. Maybe for a pancake showdown someday. (We’d love recommendations!)

Coffee

Actually not bad. Some mass distributor like Boyd’s or Farmer Bros. It’s got nothing on any cafe in town, but has most breakfast joints beat. Good enough to skip your morning cup before coming. It seems that one of the first places restaurants look to save money is with their coffee – a scoop fewer grounds in the basket makes a huge difference in cost, but Marcia’s coffee wasn’t thin at all.

The Food

Meat! Adam couldn’t deny his meaty lust and went with the sausage breakfast. He was clearly swayed by the waiter who, when asked for suggestions, spoke glowingly about the pork sausage ground in house. The sausage patties were the size of hamburger patties and were fairly tasty – though not life changing. Although the sausage was clearly the main attraction, supporting cast included eggs, toast, and the seemingly famous hash browns. Everybody was talking about the hash browns. I love me some crispy browns, but these were a little on the soft side.

After some serious debate, I decided to get the bacon sausage omelet. It was a monster, but it seems that every breakfast spot in Tacoma serves up monstrous omelets. What set this apart from other restaurants was the egg. Where other places whip the living shit out of the eggs, resulting in an extremely thick egg blanket wrapped around minimal ingredients, Marcia’s left the eggs relatively thin, leaving plenty of room for greasy goodness. This was stacked with meat, cheese and vegetables. The bacon was thick cut and perfectly cooked. My plate too came with a mountain of potatoes and toast. I was sure to come to Marcia’s hungry, but I ended up leaving a fair amount of browns on the plate. That guilty eater from earlier would have punched me in the face.

Our Take

Marcia’s Silver Spoon is certainly rocking the “greasy spoon” label by way of cheap coffee, oily potatoes, and plate wrecking pancakes. Marcia’s tops a lot of peoples’ lists for breakfast in T Town, though we’re not so sure. Our breakfasts were good, but not life changing. We’ll be back and keep you updated. Maybe finally try some of those plate wreckers ourselves next time we travel the magical road that is South Tacoma Way.

***

As always, mention us and get…nothing! With lots and lots of potatoes.

Tags: breakfast, coffee, Marcia's Silver Spoon, meat, omelets, sausage, South Tacoma, South Tacoma Way