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The Fish House Cafe

18 Nov

We hit one of Tacoma’s best hidden treasures, The Fish House Cafe on MLK, for some greasy goodness.

On the corner of MLK and S 19th, looming beneath the shadow of the new St Joe’s hospital expansion, is a tiny blue clapboard building that is home to some of the best fried chicken and fish in Tacoma. It is one of the three restaurants, along with Ezell’s and Papa Jone’ BBQ, that make up Soul Food corner (or Cardiac Corner as Ravi so poetically refers to it), and shouldn’t be passed up on your Tacoma bucket list.

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Sonia’s Tacos

11 Aug GCF_6thTT-5

Adam, returning from a long trip overseas seeks out some traditional American fare: street tacos.

It’s been one lazy-assed summer. At least for me. Adam’s been galavanting around the European countryside eating fabulous food and drinking amazing beer, while I’ve been doing the same…only in my backyard, not Austria. I could have been writing posts about my finely honed BBQ sauce or my kickass loganberry jam, but who’d read that crap? The pictures would surely leave something to be desired. Truth is, I love nothing more than sitting around in the sumer time and doing absolutely nothing. Just ask my neighbors, the kudzu of blackberry and morning glory ominously framing my property has already claimed a few small children. We’re a bit out of practice here at Gritty City food, and what better to knock off the rust than a soft landing at a safe little taco truck on 6th Ave? I mean, it’s in the midst of everything else, conspicuously adjoined to a payday loan carcass like some sort of Frankenrestaurant just waiting for an eager food blogger to expend several hundred words on the glory that is street tacos on 6th Ave.

If you’re into that sort of thing, read on…

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Dirty Oscar’s Annex – Spring Menu

6 May GCF_DOASM-4

A preview of the new spring menu at DOA. 

Dirty Oscar’s Annex has had a lot of air time here at GCF in part because they’re so nice about inviting us to classy events such as this one (pinkie out), but it’s mostly due to their constantly evolving menu of fresh and unique dishes. The competition on 6th is intense with other fine eats like Crown bar and Asado (the finest menu on 6th will probably always belong to Marrow however), but Chef Aaron is doing his best to push his to new heights, and is firmly ahead of the bulk of those competitors.

A couple weeks ago we were invited, along with a number of other local media personalities, to a preview of the spring menu. The abbreviated menu showcased a number of bright and tangy vinegar-based dishes that are a very welcome springtime departure from the heavy and appropriately greasy bulk of the winter menu. It’s as if we’ve emerged from hibernation to find ourselves some spring fruits and flowers…served alongside a crisp IPA.

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Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

18 Mar

Adam and Derrick celebrate St. Patrick’s day at one of Tacoma’s favorite Irish pubs: Doyle’s. 

One of the best things about being an American is the shameless appropriation of other cultures’ holidays. Whether it’s sucking down a cool margarita on Cinco de Mayo, pounding a Marzen at Oktoberfest, or throwing back a Guinness on St. Patrick’s day Americans love getting loaded in honor of cross-cultural celebrations. And why not? Thanks to many of our ancestors’ non-discriminatory romantic proclivities, any given person’s potential for Irish blood in this American “melting pot” (or “salad bowl” as it is more recently being referred to) is just high enough that we can all say “hey, I’m probably a little bit Irish according to my grandmother….or was it my grandfather?”

“Kiss me, I’m potentially Irish.”

Today everyone’s a little bit Irish. We happily promote stereotypes by way of consuming mass quantities of meat, potatoes and Guinness, surely making the world outside Ireland jealous of our pseudo heritage – even our beer is green with envy. This St. Paddy’s Adam and I celebrate the only way we know how, at Doyle’s public House.

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GCF Readers Choose: EL ZOCALO

14 Mar GCF-El Zocalos-29

You voted, we listened. We visit El Zocalo in the Lincoln District for some tasty tortas and Mexican pastries.

It is with some embarrassment and a healthy dose of humility that I must confess: my first torta ever was had here…this year…in the Lincoln District walkthrough video. The one you watched before you voted on this place. Remember? I’m not sure how I managed to avoid them for so long, perhaps the thought of having a sandwich at a Mexican restaurant was so much less intriguing than having something smothered in delicious sauces, served alongside roasted vegetables, beans or rice with a side of warm fresh-from-the-griddle tortillas. After all, sandwiches are a downright invasive species in this country, why bother with another one? El Zocalo is why.

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Museum of Glass Slider Competition

6 Mar

We stuff our faces at the first annual “Shake, Rattle and Grill” event hosted by the Museum of Glass – a slider competition featuring 7 local restaurants and some of Tacoma’s grooviest patrons. Be sure and read the written recap after the movie!

Click below to read our thoughts on the event and the sliders!

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The Parkway Tavern

16 Feb

You know it, you love it. We meet a few of you and enjoy some beers at the Parkway Tavern.

The Parkway Tavern…best beer selection in Tacoma. ’nuff said.

On Historical Landmarks Not So Historical

You know, I in good conscience could have ended the post there. The Parkway beer selection alone is good enough to make it a worthwhile destination. Even if the place had only one bathroom, wobbly tables, and a staff consisting of one Brett Michaels I would still consider it a wonderful stop along the Gritty City Express. Not long ago that was a frighteningly close description of this bar-in-a-house, but the Parkway has become so much more in just the past eight or nine years in which I’ve been privy to its existence. Once a grimy space-challenged room with few taps and low popcorn ceilings, the Parkway is now a shiny cathedral for hop worshippers to pay homage to the religion that is craft beer.

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Dirty Oscar’s Annex – New Breakfast Menu

12 Feb

A brief glimpse of the new Dirty Oscar’s breakfast menu featuring an interview with chef Aaron and behind the scenes look at DOA.

- Please enjoy the video full screen -

Chef Aaron seems to be striving for greatness. He made it clear to us that while positive criticism is nice, it does nothing to help improve his craft, something he seems passionate about. So, I’ve taken some time to reflect on the food we had that day, and put on my best critic hat to offer some detailed pros and cons for each of the dishes we were privy to this sitting, and the menu in general.

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Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles

10 Feb

The GCF boys get briny with some of the best damned pickles you’ll ever eat.

Adam and I have recently been mired in the daily toil of our 9-5′s and have been so busy playing Clark Kent that we’ve allowed our superhero GCF personas to gather some dust lately. We were able however to free ourselves long enough to attended the annual gathering of local entrepreneurs known as “Shift Happens,” where we shot some video and had some good interviews, but left thinking only of one thing: the awesome pickle lady. We weren’t the only ones either, read this from the TNT.

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Lincoln District Walk Through – VOTE NOW!

3 Feb

We walked through the Lincoln District on S 38th. If you haven’t been there, you need to go now, but if you want to live vicariously through us, then vote. We want to hear you voice to where we should go next. Vote on the poll… and in the mean time, enjoy the video.

 

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