Tag Archives: local

Ginkgo Forest Winery Grand Opening Saturday

Ginkgo Forest Winery Grand Opening Saturday

Did you know a new wine tasting room opened in Old Town? I’ve driven past a few times, making mental notes to check it out. Tomorrow is the perfect time to do so. Ginkgo Forest Winery, from Mattawa, WA (just outside Vantage in Eastern Washington) is having its grand opening tomorrow, September 28 starting at 11 a.m.

There will be food and wine pairings and live music from guitarist George Turner and art from Bill Colby. You can also enter to win a gift basket, and there will be specials on wine.

Even if you’re not able to make it to the grand opening, stop by Ginkgo Forest in Old Town and give them a nice welcome to Tacoma.

Here’s a handy-dandy video to learn more about Ginkgo Forest Winery.

Ginkgo Forest Winery | 2221 N 30th Street, Tacoma | (253) 301-4372 | Open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Whitewood Cider Co. Wants Your Homegrown Apples and Pears

Whitewood Cider Co. Wants Your Homegrown Apples and Pears

I really love this idea — Whitewood Cider Co. (which I wrote about recently for the Weekly Volcano) is looking for your homegrown apples and pears to use in their ciders. For more details on how to participate, check out Whitewood Cider’s blog.

Just think…you could be part of Whitewood’s amazing story, just as they’re blowing up big time. Imagine stopping by Pint Defiance or your other friendly retailer, popping open a bottle and knowing that you had something to do with its production. Their South Sounder cider (which I’ve had, and it’s delicious) is made up of 100 percent local apples. So very cool.

According to Whitewood Cider, thousands of pounds of fallen apples go to waste each year. So if you’ve got extra apples or pears, be part of this hyper-local business and drink to sweet success.

Image via Whitewood Cider Co.

Broadway Sizzle

Broadway Sizzle

I see a lot of food-related events run across my desk each month, and I try to make it to as many as I can. One upcoming event that has stood out to me is Broadway Center for the Performing Arts’ Broadway Sizzle, August 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. Following the event, you can choose to combine the dinner with a show and attend the premier night of the national-touring musical, Chicago.

Call me crazy, but it sounded like a great excuse to get dressed up for a memorable night on the town. The dinner will be at a communal table set up under a tent in the middle of Broadway. Chef Dustin Joseph has created a menu utilizing all local ingredients (menu below), and if you love food, it’s a delight to read (and equally good to taste).

I’m very much looking forward to attending the event, and hope to see you there! Tickets for dinner only are $75, or $150 for both dinner and tickets to Chicago, and can be purchased online. Ticket sales benefit Tacoma Free For All, Broadway Center’s 100 percent free programming each month.

Menu for Broadway Sizzle

Wine and Beer Garden
Braised pork macaroons, pickled sweet onions (Walla Walla, WA), apple jelly (Yakima, WA), caramel sea salt biscuits

Compressed watermelon (Hermiston, OR), thyme-chevre, aged balsamic, honey (Lakewood, WA / Spring Valley)

Dinner
(Family style)
Grilled corn (Puyallup, WA / Sterino Farms), cilantro aioli, cotija cheese, chile dust Heirloom tomato salad (Yakima, WA),  fresh burrata, basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette

Cucumber-kale-farro salad (Puyallup, WA / Duris Farms), goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, lemon-cilantro vinaigrette Heirloom melon cornbread

(Plated)
Rosemary grilled (Columbia River, WA) salmon, crisp wild mushrooms (Olympia, WA / Ostrom Farms), sweet potatoes, rose hip jus

Pesto grilled hangar steak (Niman Ranch), chipotle potato salad, caramelized onions, grilled peppers (Wapato, WA / Inaba Farms), aioli

(Dessert station)
Honeyed biscuits, cinnamon creme, macerated strawberries Roasted peaches (Wapato, WA / Pence Orchards), lavender (Sequim, WA / Purple Haze Farms), pistachio Chantilly cream

South Sound Food Blog Love

South Sound Food Blog Love

 

  • Tacoma, Olympia and the rest of the South Puget Sound are home to lots of fabulous food, cooking and restaurant bloggers and writers. From where and what to eat, to news, events and what to cook, here’s a list of my favorites for you peruse and enjoy.
  • Fresh Scratch– Cooking and more from Olympia.
  • TNT Diner– Sue Kidd, the food critic for The News Tribune, covers all things restaurant in the South Puget Sound.
  • Real Food NW– Cooking, baking and gorgeous photography in Olympia.
  • The Plum Palate– Olympia food events, cooking, stories and lovely photography.
  • A Big Mouthful– My other blog, focused on cooking and recipes from local, fresh ingredients.
  • Roxanne Cooke– Although primarily a photography blog, Roxanne shares food photos, recipes and musings on other things Tacoma.
  • Gritty City Food– Tacoma restaurant blog with great photography and videos.
  • Jason Sipe– Tacoma restaurant blog with reviews.
  • The Weekly Volcano/NorthwestMilitary.com– South Sound restaurant reviews, food features, news and events. I also contribute to this as a food and restaurant writer.
  • Feed Tacoma– A Tacoma forum sharing thoughts on local restaurants and more.
  • Vegan Moxie– Though Dawn now lives in Seattle, the blog contains lots of posts about vegan options in Tacoma.
  • Showcase Magazine– South Sound restaurant reviews and food stories.
  • South Sound Magazine– South Sound restaurants and food news and stories.
  • Smiling Hearts and Butterfly Kisses– Writer Jackie Casella shares musings on food in Tacoma.
  • Chef Jasmine– Chef and caterer Jasmine Biernacki shares recipes from Gig Harbor.
  • Tofu-N-Sprouts– Vegan recipes from Tofu Mom.