Breakfast at Art House Cafe

Breakfast at Art House Cafe

Art House Cafe in Tacoma’s Stadium District has been open since April of this year, and I haven’t been in since my first bite a week after their opening. I was due for a visit for breakfast, and this was the perfect morning to check it out. With the rain coming down, Art House Cafe made a cozy refuge from the weather on this lazy Sunday morning.

All of the new restaurant kinks I experienced when I first visited for dinner were gone. Our server was knowledgeable, helpful and made a mean latte and hot chocolate.

The fresh, airy cafe was bustling with couples sipping espresso, friends meeting for breakfast and my disheveled “I’m not doing my hair and I’m going to wear yoga pants” self. That’s what weekend breakfasts are for, right?

Actually, Art House Cafe serves a daily breakfast, meaning weekdays included, which is different from most Tacoma restaurants. Tacomans are hard-pressed to find a restaurant that serves breakfast on weekdays, and I’m thrilled Art House serves such a great one.

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Local Business Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles on Shark Tank

Local Business Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles on Shark Tank

Tacoma business and Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles was on ABC’s Shark Tank this past Friday. I interviewed Aly Cullinane back in 2011 when the business was just starting out, and they have grown exponentially since then.

While the “sharks” may not have bit on Shark Tank, Aly and Lynnae really did an excellent job presenting their business and representing Tacoma on national TV.

Because they weren’t successfully funded on Shark Tank, Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles now has a Indiegogo campaign running to help them meet their business goals for growth.

Best of luck to you, Aly and Lynnae, it looks like you got some great feedback from the “sharks”!

Check out the video of their Shark Tank appearance below.

Jam Class with Terra Organics and Deluxe Foods

Jam Class with Terra Organics and Deluxe Foods

I love making jam. Love it. In fact, when my husband Casey and I got married, we canned 150 jars of jam as wedding favors. Don’t try that at home. It was quite the undertaking to do that many at once.

If you’d like to learn how to make jam, my good friends at Terra Organics are hosting a jam class with Rebecca Staffel of Deluxe Foods this Thursday, September 19 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The cost is only $10. Register online.

Taking a class to learn preservation techniques is actually a really good idea — not only will you learn the process, but you can learn tips and tricks from a pro like Rebecca. Though I have experience making jam, I am very interested to see how her technique may differ from my own.

I’m going to be there, and I hope to see you there as well!

Washington Cider Week, Tacoma Style

Washington Cider Week, Tacoma Style
  • So…I’m a little behind this week. I meant to post this last week, so as to give you enough time to appropriate plan all of your cider activities. But there’s still time! It’s officially Washington Cider Week, September 5-15th. And the good news is, it’s actually longer than a week. Those smart cider people sure know what they’re doing. There are all kinds of fun cider-related events going on this week. If you love cider as much as I do, you’ll want to get to an event, or at least pick up one of your favorite local ciders to celebrate. I know I’ll be imbibing…in fact, I need one right now. It’s Monday, that’s reason enough.Check out all the Washington Cider Week events on their website, but here are some Tacoma-area cider activities to wet your whistle:
  • Pint Defiance Events
    Get daily cider tastes of all your local favorites, and stop by on Sunday, September 15 for a Sunday Cider Sampler from 11:30-4 p.m. to taste ciders from all over the country.
  • Events and Ciders on Tap at the Red Hot 
    Tue Sept 10th, 5 p.m.
    Whitewood Cider Co.
    Tap List:
    1. Old Fangled Heirloom Blend (100% WA grown blend of Jonathan, McIntosh, Gravenstein, & winesap. Dry & crisp w/clean citrus flavors)
    2. South Sounder (100% South Sound community grown apples, flavors of apricot & green grape, tannic bite)
    Wed Sept 11th, 5p.m.
    Schilling Cider Night
    Tap List:
    1. Schilling Original (blend of 100% Washington apples w/light dry hopping of NW whole leaf hops)
    2. Radler Session Cider (w/grapefruit & lemon)
    Thu Sept 12th, 5 p.m.
    Tieton Cider Night
    Tap List:
    *all Tieton Ciders made with blends of their own farm-grown fruits.
    1. Apricot (crisp, tartness of apricot, notes of fresh and dried apricot)
    2. Cherry (A well balanced apple cider blended with Cherry w/big mouth feel & long finish)
    3. Wild WA Apple (w/pineapple aroma & pronounced mineral quality that gives the cider a lively mouth feel. Notes of green apple & preserved lemon)
    4. Yakima Valley Dry Hop (aroma of fruit-forward nuttyness followed by a citrusy palate)
    5. Special Surprise Randallized Cider

Soul Tacoma’s Breakfast and Dinner Menus

Soul Tacoma’s Breakfast and Dinner Menus

New restaurants don’t often pop up in the Proctor neighborhood of Tacoma, especially those of the Latin American/soul food variety. Soul has opened in the former Old House Cafe location, dishing up favorites like fried chicken, amazing sweet potatoes, fried okra, mofongo, jambalaya, fried catfish…and much more.

Menus for both breakfast and dinner read of classic comfort food favorites with a dose of Cuban, Puerto Rican, Peruvian and soul food flavors.

When I first heard about Soul’s opening, I was really excited, not just for a new dining option with food I couldn’t get anywhere else nearby, but because of one thing: BREAKFAST. Tacoma is notoriously short on breakfast restaurants, so any and all are welcome.

Fried okra appetizer at Soul Tacoma

Fried okra

Soul Tacoma Dining Room

Soul Tacoma Dining Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My recent visit for dinner was full of delicious flavors and textures. Go for dinner during their daily happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m. and all day Monday that gets diners 20 percent off their final bill — an excellent deal.

Read my full review of Soul in the Weekly Volcano and Northwest Military.com.

From what I gather, the menus aren’t online anywhere else at the moment, so I thought I’d share them with you. Click the links below to check them out.

Soul Tacoma dinner menu | Soul Tacoma breakfast menu

Soul | 2717 N. Proctor St., Tacoma | 253-761-7685 | Open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.,  Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Breakfast available on the weekends only.