Tacoma/Olympia in the House?

[hummingbirdkiss]

I live almost exactly half way between Tacoma and Olympia and notice most of the posts about WA ..well in general here in this section ...are all about Seattle and yes Seattle is a fantastic City I used to work at Harborview and have walked and eaten all over the place...I also worked at a clinic in Burien for years so I know the Burien.... White center well and still love to venture up as often as possible ..

Granted you got us in the Seattle area nice high end joints...famous chef's cookbooks and whatnot

but for daily eating and shopping in markets...

we can authentically eat our way around the world in the South Puget Sound! ...we have fantastic Korean food...Southeast Asian all you can imagine Vietnamese, Thai Cambodian... ..we have decent Italian (but you have to dig for it and really know what to order) ...Ukrainian ..German....Philipino .. Pacific Island food ...meaning also we have the best Samoan sweet bread in the world is baked on South Tacoma Way buy a guy with a recipe who knows exactly what to do and how to do it!!!..when he is open and baking it you can smell it on the road!!!

..Salvadoran ...insane Mexican (one place in the South Tacoma area makes the best Posole I have ever eaten!!!)....Caribbean food

markets and restaurants galore!!!

we also have real bbq on the hilltop that is made when the owner makes it and you can buy it only when you smell it!

...we have home cooking all styles ....even an Evangelical minster who sets up a Q and preaches serving BBQ in an empty lot

I absolutely love where I live!!! and feel lucky that I can prepare any meal any time....although we are sorely lacking in anything Middle Eastern

I know for a fact even though I have crawled all over this area there are tons of places I have not found or visited...

does anyone want to converse with me about the wonderful food scores in the South Puget Sound?

Edited August 23, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

Ok so we had a famous guy living and cooking in Tacoma Jeff Smith AKA "The Frugal Gourmet" but he got into some kind of trouble and passed away ...

back in the day he was vibrant and fun to watch and not a Julia or a Jaques (in a league of their own of course) but still one of my favorite TV cooking shows I learned tons and when I went to meet him he met me with open arms and lots of great info....he lived near us back then and was very good to my family ...made sure I had signed first editions of all his books not only for myself but for my parents as well

I can not believe I am the only one in the south sound here?

you guys should really come visit and eat...but only if you love great inexpensive food and want to dig deeply into the heart and history of Tacoma

Edited August 25, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[white lotus]

Greetings HBK... There are a few of us out here who know, appreciate and regularly eat here. Yes, there are wonderful (reasonably priced) restaurants that will make the heart of a Seattle restaurant snob melt. Actually, there are so many right now that with the end of Summer, sending child off to the East Coast for college chaos, etc. that I have been way behind in my posts. I doubt that I am not the only one with the seasonal rush that has been reduced to lurking vs. posting. There are great happy hour venues and wonderful places to grab great meals joyriding in the South Sound while the weather is still good? Appologies for not responding sooner (word?). Where is Girl Chow and Really Nice? They and perhaps others are better authorities about food in the South Sound than me. Cheers, wl

Edited August 25, 2007 by white lotus (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

I understand your being busy that is for sure!!!

I was worried I was the only one shopping for and eating all this good food here

[kitchenmage]

kicks the thread

I just moved to this part of the state (Oly) and am in desperate need of a good place for lunch this Sunday. My date is celiac so we're looking for a restaurant that can pull off a glutenfree meal that involves more than removing the bread from the table.

Thoughts?

[white lotus]

Thoughts but no real answers. You might want to call the Tacoma News & Tribune and speak to the Arts and Entertainment person who may be able to refer you to a more reliable source. Good luck...wl

[hummingbirdkiss]

kicks the thread

I just moved to this part of the state (Oly) and am in desperate need of a good place for lunch this Sunday. My date is celiac so we're looking for a restaurant that can pull off a glutenfree meal that involves more than removing the bread from the table.

Thoughts?

←

lots of thoughts ..but it is too late to reply sorry I did not notice this!!!

gluten free is not a problem

there are tons of great places to eat between Tacoma and Olympia ... I just need more details, price range, type of food you want ect ...

if you are still interested in advice I am happy to try to direct you ..

[kitchenmage]

there are tons of great places to eat between Tacoma and Olympia ... I just need more details, price range, type of food you want ect ...

if you are still interested in advice I am happy to try to direct you ..

←

The lunch got postponed but I am still in the market for good food in general so, please, jump in with thoughts.

We just moved to Oly and I am just figuring out where anything good is: shopping, restaurants, anything. So far, I have found the co-op for a little shopping, the last day (sigh) of the Tumwater farmer's market, and Lattin's Cider Mill (YUM) but the couple of ventures for a meal out have been less than stellar.

Specifics: moderate priced (~10 lunch, ~10-20 dinner, is that moderate?) mostly but a good splurge place or two would be nice, most kinds of food are good (not a sushi fan though), good Thai would be a bonus!, a pizza place, espresso/cafe with good munchies... I am particularly interested in a place where we can get good breakfast/brunch late Sat/Sun morning - it's sort of an old tradition we are trying to revive. I need to recreate my list of 'usual places' here, if you know what I mean.

I'm also looking for a bakery, fishmonger (I have heard about 'the one on the water' but no name...), other cool food shops.

So what do you know that I should know?

Thanks!

[rooberu]

I am completely ignorant about gluten-free dining around here, but I can give you my thoughts on a couple of good places.

Italian:

Begins and ends with Trinacria. This is a hole-in-the-wall type place on Capitol Blvd between 4th and State (next to the Brotherhood Tavern!), so don't go expecting elegant decor and delicate food preparation. This is authentic southern italian peasant food made by sicilian owner/cook Eugenio. His english is barely intelligible, but his food is incredible italian comfort food. I love the spaghetti alla amatriciana, the lasagna is wonderful and the penne broccoli too. His sicilian pizzas (calzones) are great. My favorite is the #2, spinach and raisin.

I've not tried Firenze, which is supposed to be more upscale italian. I've heard mixed reviews, so on the rare night where my wife and I can get out it is hard to pass up Trinacria. I don't care for Mercato at all. I find the food very bland.

Pizza? Feh. I don't mind Farrelli's (Yelm highway), but it is fairly spendy. Old School pizzeria is a good place for a NY-style slice. Overall, pizza is not good in the Olympia area and we usually end up making our own at home.

Vietnamese/Thai

I really like Lemon Grass (downtown, 4th ave) and there's a new place in Tumwater (Capitol Blvd by the airport) called Tran's Dynasty that is fairly good. The Thai Pavilion used to be good (also on 4th), but I haven't been there in several years. Racha in the mall is worth trying too.

Japanese

Osaka is my favorite sushi place, but if you don't like sushi they do some other japanese dishes fairly well. I love their geoduck batayaki, the bento boxes are ok and their sukiyaki is great on a cold evening. There's a new sushi place on the westside called Sushi House that is a step above most of the other places.

Seafood

I'm off the Anthony's bandwagon. Everything is starting to taste the same to me there. There is a place in Shelton called Xinh's that people rave about, but I've never been. It's seafood with an asian twist. I really need to go. Run, do not walk away from the Oyster House. yecch.

Mexican

Mexican food around here generally means flour tortilllas and ground beef smothered in orange cheese. I'm not a fan. My favorite mexican food in Olympia is the truck parked on the westside (Harrison ave ). A couple of asado tacos washed down with some real mexican coke is a nice lunch.

Mojito Bay is kind of a combo of mexican, cuban, and spanish food in the capital mall. It is a mixed bag, but i love the croquettas and their mojitos aren't too bad before or after a movie.

Miscellaneous

It's called Gardner's seafood and pasta, but it is the best steak in town.

There's a new place out at the end of the marina called Hearthfire Grill run by the Anthony's people. So far it has been fine but not spectacular.

I like the Waterstreet cafe. It is hit and miss, but at least they are trying to do something different around here. Big wine list. They are doing a tapas/wine bar downtown too, but I haven't been yet.

Where to buy stuff

With the market closed, it's kind of tough. I try to get my meat from Stewart's, which is easy when the market is open. Now that it is closed I have to drive all the way out to McKenna (past Yelm). They raise and butcher their own beef...it is very good.

To be honest I don't know where to go for outstanding seafood w/ the market closed. I think you were referring to the Olympia Seafood Co. I've only been once and left because it smelled bad.

I like to shop at Bayview, they have lots of hard-to-find stuff like san marzano tomatoes, manchego cheese, real prosciutto di parma etc. etc. Their seafood and meat shop is small, but good. It's fairly expensive and I don't think I've ever escaped Bayview without spending an inordinate amount of money.

Good hell, this ended up being a lot longer than I intended. I hope it helped a bit!

[kitchenmage]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to post all of that. I feel so much better informed. I've heard about Trinacria and the place in Shelton but not the rest of your picks. That's great!

[hummingbirdkiss]

I agree with some of the above..especially the rec for Italian ..but Ricardos on Martin in Lacy is good if you talk to them they will put out some great food for you .....I have had four meals there and loved three ...they try hard ...

but I completely disagree with Mojito Bay and Lemon Grass imho are absolutely awful!!! the prices, service and food ...all bad ....I have been a few times to Lemon Grass hoping they would improve but no luck on that one! only one trip to the Mojito Bay and I was done ...even the Mojito was bad there!!!

specifically Mojito bay does not resemble any Caribbean food I have ever eaten the "Jamaican wings" were teriyaki for crying out loud! ...all the food was cold when we got it and the prices were awful for the quality ..besides it being located in the mall ..the parking is awful and the atmosphere is more like Red Robin than a dining room ..I was horrified when I took friends there for a retirement party ...

Lemon grass ...even the YUM salad ..a no brainer ..was soggy wet ...tasteless and the lettuce was brown ...the service was awful and the condiment containers were sticking to the table they were so grubby

shopping there are some wonderful little markets ..I can not remember exactly hot to tell you get to the new Mexican Market but it is behind Wenchell donuts over by Fred Myers...argh I will look when I go back to work and post the address later... great Asian shops on Martin just drive down and see they are mostly Korean at that end of town and have nice fresh produce and all kinds of kimchee.. ..then on College there is a small very friendly Vietnamese Mkt called Hong Phat that has great prices and most SE Asian ingredients you may need...

there is a nice (or used to be I have not been there lately) Lebonese bakery "My Sweet Oasis" it was quite good years ago ...

then there is the San Francisco street bakery that is very good and has the best Marionberry pie (my sister wanted to know why we named a pie after Marion Barry )

I like the taco truck too!!! it is our best Mexican in the Oly area... for a greasy cheese burger shake fries and goop there is always Big Toms or Normas

Ace BBQ is not bad ..not southern but the brisket sandwich is pretty darn good ...and the woman that runs it is so funny be prepared she will give you shit!!!

I love going just to banter with her!!!

we have lots of good bread iand great coffee n the Oly area that is for sure!! Batdorf and Bronson is still my favorite coffee ...you can go to the tasting room and buy there after you taste to see what you like

I agree about Anthonys anything they are really bad now and yes all the food tastes the same ...

I love Pho on Martin makes duck pho that is not too bad ..the rest of the Pho is not very exciting but the duck one is good if you dont see it posted ask they make it all the time for me

as far as just a good grocer I dont shop in Oly much but Top Foods at both ends of town seem pretty inclusive and there is always the

Oly Food Coop (I have shopped there for over 20 years!) COOP

I am kind of scattered right now due to a recent tragedy so if this does not seem clear it is because I am not very clear but really welcome and I hope it helps!

[rooberu]

but I completely disagree with  Mojito Bay and Lemon Grass imho are absolutely awful!!! the prices, service and food ...all bad ....I have been a few times to Lemon Grass hoping they would improve but no luck on that one! only one trip to the Mojito Bay and I was done ...even the Mojito was bad there!!!

specifically Mojito bay does not resemble any Caribbean food I have ever eaten the "Jamaican wings" were teriyaki for crying out loud! ...all the food was cold when we got it and the prices were awful for the quality ..besides it being located in the mall ..the parking is awful and the atmosphere is more like Red Robin than a dining room ..I was horrified when I took friends there for a retirement party ...

Lemon grass ...even the YUM salad ..a no brainer ..was soggy wet ...tasteless and the lettuce was brown ...the service was awful and the condiment containers  were sticking to the table they were so grubby

←

Well, the news about Lemon Grass depresses me. I haven't been there for awhile, but I've always been a sucker for their satay skewers, chinese sausage fried rice and heaven beef. I'll have to go again soon and see if things have gone downhill.

Regarding Mojito Bay, I've eaten there twice and I'm smitten by the croquettas with the romesco dipping sauce. My entrees have been so-so.

I forgot about BBQ: Have you tried Ranch House ? They are out towards Elma but have opened a takeout/catering place on Capitol Blvd. They have won a bunch of national awards.

Also, I meant to recommend breakfast at "The Place" on Mudd Bay Road. awesome artery-clogging diner food. I enjoy the Chicken fried steak and eggs whenever I want to get in touch with my inner homer simpson. mmmm, gravy.

My Sweet Oasis was downtown wasn't it? I think it's gone now.

I"m sorry to hear you are going through a rough spot hummingbirdkiss. Best wishes!

[hummingbirdkiss]

Thanks for the good wishes Rooberu this is pretty much the worst period I have ever had in my life so best wishes help!

I will try the croquettes if you say they are good why not give them another shot ..I was just so disapointed in the expensive and disapointing dishes (my folks lived in the Caribbean for 20 years and I am honestly a brat when it comes to that type of food so maybe I was harsher than I should have been ..but how do you blow a Mojito drink in a place called Mojito Bay???) anyway I will try those ..I love Cuban food and croquettes are such a classic ..my folks live near Miami now so I always have to have some when I go there...

The Lemon Grass was so good I agree we used to order from there for work (I work in Oly live north just a short way in Steilacoom) ...now the few times I went they were completely slammed and that could have been the excuse (not a reason imho) for the bad food bad service and lack of cleaning of the tables ...so maybe I need to try them again and be fair ...

..My Sweet Oasis was on one end of downtown kind of behind the parking lot of the formerly good Saigon Rondevous (OMG that became lousy when the orig owner left years ago!!!) then it moved right next to the park ..it was there a year ago I stopped for a Turkish coffee and pastry ...but I have not been back in a year so I dont now ...I wish I could remember the name of the new Mexican market it is so nice they have a wonderful butcher in there as well ...

there is a fish Market near Hong Phat on it is not on College but actually on Marvin way in a brand new strip mall there ....you can almost see it from the Hong Phat plaza ..they sell a nice and reasonable variety of fresh fish there ..

What about the Thai Place on Columbia and State..the name elludes me now? They used to be fresh, reasonable, friendly and good ... again my brian is not working I have not been there in a few years but used to love it ..my kids always ordered "The Screamer" there ...

The best eggs on the planet are still at the Oly Farmers Market and they are open a little bit more

Wagners Bakery is nice .they are at the Market and downtown ...and have some very uniqute pastry and the best cinnamon bread ..it sticks to your teeth in a good way!

I think for Oly Bakeries and coffee are the best things food wise ..but that is just me thinking

oh Darbys for breakfast!!! lunch too!!! how could I forget they are really a good funky typically Oly little local spot ..right across from the Capital Theater..serve consitantly good breakfasts and decent lunches as well

Edited November 21, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)