Nuts & Bolts

For the month of December we are featuring good old fashioned “Nuts & Bolts” as my Nana used to call it [aka Chex Party Mix] here at the Pacific Grill in our lounge, for the month of December. Nana always used to have us out to her house in the woods near Lake Spanaway, and there in her living room in an overly ornate bowl, on an overly ornate lace doily, was this exotically spiced salty snack that I became instantly addicted to, still to this day.

She always made hers with Wheat Chex cereal and Cheerios, and added lots of salty Worcestershire and of course real butter, and real garlic (no garlic powder in her musty smelling cupboard), but yes to dried oregano, and lots of skinny pretzels and peanuts, and those big brazil nuts that we kids did not like at all (well really does anyone like those bitter nuts?)--but without (most) of those ingredients it just doesn't taste right to me.

My good friend Brock insists one has to have Cheetos in your Party Mix and my sister Gayle loves lots of Rice Chex in her's (I always swapped the extra rice Chex in my handful for the extra Wheat Chex in her's and always thought I got the better end of the deal…our Bartender Paul swears that his recipe is the best and recently he made a batch that had spaghetti sauce and sun-dried tomatoes that I actually thought pretty tasty!

A chef friend of mine, the late great Billy Pflug even used to put Duck cracklin's in his gourmet version. Last year, here at PG we deep fried garbanzo beans and julienne salami & pistachio nuts and dubbed it “Chef’s Mix” to great acclaim.

How about yours? Does your family have a secret heirloom recipe?

What indispensable ingredient has to be in your Party Mix for the Holidays?

By the way, also during this month of celebration we are serving two great Champagnes by the glass: Dom Pérignon & Veuve Clicquot at a great price. So get your Merry on! and get down here for some Nuts & Bolts and a glass of Dom or Veuve and let’s celebrate the season—oh and don’t forget to share your secret ingredients with me for your best Party Mix cause I want your recipe to put on my holiday menu next year!

Happy Holidaze!

Oysters Oysters Oysters!

FRENCHMAN’S POINT OYSTERS

This Fall and Winter we are featuring a new oyster at Pacific Grill that I find particularly delicious. And amazingly when we order them they harvest that very day and deliver them to us a few hours after they pick them up off the beach! You cannot get fresher than that!
Served on the half shell I like them with just a squeeze of fresh lemon. We also make a mignonette sauce (white wine and champagne vinegar) with a little freshly diced horseradish root and fresh cracked pepper. Frenchman’s Point oysters owe their unique flavor to the special surroundings in which they are grown or "terroir", [ tehr-WAHR]. Originally a word used in wine and coffee appreciation, the term is used to denote the special characteristics of geography that bestow individual unique qualities upon the food product.

Scenic Frenchman’s Point is located at the entrance to Quilcene Bay, which is located at the northern end of Hood Canal,WA near Dabob Bay in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains, one of the most undeveloped bays on Hood Canal, and is bottle-necked so that with every tide change the pristine nutrients of the area flush directly over Frenchman’s Point.


The oysters are located far away from waterfront homes or other developments, and are grown on pea gravel & small rocks (not in mud) and you can definitely taste the difference. The flavor of the oysters is somewhat complex; plump and brimming with meat they have a slightly metallic overtone, finishing with sweet cucumber and a sprite brininess.



They taste like barely-held-together ocean…

Besides offering them on the half-shell, we also serve them as “Shooters” in a shot glass with citrus infused Stolichnaya vodka & cilantro.

We also roast them over a bed of rock salt perfumed with spices with our house-made pancetta and buttered crumbs.

Some of our guests prefer them deep-fried in beer batter and panko-- served with house-made tartar sauce and our famous skinny fries, with olive-oil poached garlic cloves & fried herbs.

"Crusty" Memories of the Puyallup Fair

Had a great time at the Puyallup Fair on closing day—the weather was perfect, blue skies and sunny—but the food we ate was terrible.

I had only had a Tully’s latte to “eat” before arriving around 3pm, so I was starving. We all agreed our first stop was to get a scone.

The classic Fisher fair scone that I eagerly purchased had a congealed raspberry jam that didn’t –or wouldn’t—melt into the warm biscuit. The butter tasted inferior, and the biscuit itself was broken into pieces inside its nostalgic little waxy bag.


A couple people I was with wanted lunch, and I had heard Ed Murrieta of SouthSoundEats.com rave about the smoked Turkey Legs at the Young Life booth. So three of us tried them. Mine was very hot but awkward to eat—with no real tables nearby. The leg was gristly with all those annoying little bones to deal with, and most disappointingly—it did not even come close to tasting like turkey. It was very salty and not really smoky at all, in fact it tasted like it had been brined which would account for the interior color of the meat being as pink as ham with a similar consistency. After walking through one of the crafts buildings still struggling to eat it (and it really just tasting like salty ham on a stick) I threw it away...


After a few rides we decided to detour into the Beer & Wine Garden to rehydrate after eating the salt bomb posing as a turkey leg. A small beer was $6 and the medium size (20 oz) was $8. Kinda steep we thought...

I tried a $10 glass of the delicious Pepper Bridge Red blend from Hightower Cellars~the grapes come from Red Mountain. Next was a stunning 2007 Cabernet from Saviah Cellars, Walla Walla. This wine received 93 points from Wine Spectator--it had luscious brambleberry fruit with French oak vanilla, a nice undertone of espresso, and a loooong finish. Perfect.



After a few more rides (the Zipper never fails to terrify me) and the obligatory ride up Extreme Scream at sunset, I was ready to end my day with the justly famous onion fair burger. (Last year I got duped into trying the Earthquake Burger and regretted it—huge yes, but not satisfying, in that elemental best-burger-in-memory kind of way, like the Frisco Freeze of your childhood, or insert your own childhood burger memory here. So off we went in search of the perfect fair burger, which can be a little confusing as so many of the burger places tout themselves as having the best burger at the fair.

A couple of friends opted for a “healthy” dinner (from a booth the name of which escapes me) of rice and veggies and pork or chicken on top (at the Fair?? Are you kidding?).

This booth had the ugliest examples of different menu items on petrified display that guaranteed I would hold out to find the childhood fair burger of my dreams. It looked like “sh*t on a shingle” (as my frat brothers’ less than fond name for our fraternity cook Miss Mack’s signature dish). When I asked Jacob how his was he said it was cold. I told him it looked like "puppy got sick in the back seat of a hot car".

And then in the distance, there it was--Hamburger Myers "The Burger That Made the Fair Famous (since 1922)". I was so excited. The woman at the counter asked if I wanted cheese and onions. (Of course I want cheese and onions). The intoxicating smell of griddled onions wafting through the air as you walk the fairgrounds says “fair” to me as much as the smell of cotton candy and warm raspberry scones.

I watched the young teenager assemble my burger. The buns were disappointingly not being griddled, the cheese was put on the meat un-melted, and then a huge glob of cooked onions mounded and smooshed on top of the cheese (I guess they feel the heat of the onions will do the melt-job on the cheese, so why bother actually melting it on the meat?) The lady handed me my burger and explained that I could add mustard and ketchup, which I did.

I took my first bite and I cannot adequately convey my disappointment.

The hamburger is one of America’s greatest achievements. This burger was tepid, the buns cold, the onions scalding hot, and tasted like mushy sweet onions and since the onions had no color or caramelization from the griddle--they just seemed steamed, and lacked flavor.

And no meat flavor at all.

The side of (frozen) crinkle fries were lukewarm and toughened from sitting under a heat lamp too long. If I wasn’t so hungry and tired I would have asked for my money back. And believe me-- I should have asked for my money back...

A couple others in the group went for the venerable Sales Family Krusty Pup (since 1923).

The batter was hot, but the dog inside was cold, and they complained the dog was very salty—indicative of low quality. I used to love the “corn dogs” at the fair as a child. I cannot recall when they became “krusty”, but I have to ask at these inflated fair prices --can’t we all try a little harder?

My group of 8 friends and I spent around $800.

And all of us left the Puyallup fairgrounds with disappointing memories, and dreams of fairs past when people cared about better food and made an effort.

How sad.

Steak & Eggs

Recently we were featured in a nice article in the Weekly Volcano newspaper that I wanted to share:

"Pacific Grill serves an amazing happy hour.


In fact, the Best in Tacoma as voted by Weekly Volcano readers. And, it's one of the few restaurants in downtown Tacoma that offers free wi-fi. My plan yesterday: dart into Pacific Grill, partake in their excellent happy hour, blog quickly and head back into the night.



So there I sat. At Pacific Grill's corner window table. Pecking away at my laptop. Diners in slacks, suits and ties dined, by candlelight, around me. Sharing anniversary kisses. Toasting birthdays. Soaking in Pacific Grill's elegance. Me? In jeans, with my laptop open, adding a blue, annoying glow to PG's refine atmosphere. Nice, huh?

The thing is owner Gordon Naccarato and his crew made me feel welcomed. And the happy hour food held a tight grip on me.


Whether you're out with the gang bar-hopping or looking for a rendezvous with that significant someone, the kitchen's sophisticated, creative bar menu is sure to impress. The decor is stunning — 17-foot high exposed beam ceilings, glowing sealifeartforms and intimate lighting — but what truly sets Pacific Grill apart as happy hour destination is the food. Anyone can attempt to create a hip atmosphere, and serve discounted beer and wine, but they'd be crazy to try to offer 50 percent off such bar menu items items as Asian baby back ribs, barbecued oysters, Vietnamese bahn mi, Kob hot dog sliders, Cuban sandwich, meat candy and more.



My favorite is not discounted for happy hour. The steak and eggs ($19.95) — grilled petite beef tenderloin, tender enough to cut with the edge of a fork, topped with raw American Sevruga caviar (eggs — get it?), chives and crème fraiche.



On the side, arugula and crispy potato shreds dressed with a Worcestershire vinaigrette. The care that was given the center of the plate carried over to its side, so that nothing was wasted, ignored or forgotten."



Ron Swarner--The Weekly Volcano


I've been doing that dish since the early 90's and glad it still is relevant. Bob Evans the Hollywood Mogul/Producer used to order it at the Monkey Bar where I was chef in Hollywood--and then send it back every time "cause there wasn't enough caviar on it!"

Jack Nicholson his friend was one of the owners so of course we didn't question Bob about the caviar--but he easily got double what he paid for.



Happy hour: Monday-Friday 2-6 p.m., Saturday 5-6 p.m., Monday-Thursday 9-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9-11 p.m.
253-6273535

Pouring Salt in my Wound

Occasionally we get complaints or comments on why we do not automatically put salt & pepper shakers on our tables at Pacific Grill restaurant.

The answer is very simple. I (like a lot of other chefs I know) want my guests to taste their food first. This is not a health issue--it is a taste issue.

I have a close friend named Charlene who always—almost unconsciously—salts her food the minute it is placed in front of her and she hasn’t even tasted it yet.

At dinner she would talk on and on relentlessly salting whatever dish it was, until I almost lunged across the table and shouted out to her to stop! This habitual, knee-jerk reaction is rude to the chefs that have toiled so long and hard to make a perfect dish. And especially rude to me since she was dining in my home.

When a dish leaves my kitchen it has been seasoned. It has salt and pepper, or soy sauce—or Thai fish sauce or some other seasoning particular to the dish and very carefully chosen. And hopefully it leaves the kitchen well-seasoned.

The only thing worse than over-seasoned food is UNDER-seasoned food!

Granted we sometimes make mistakes and under or over-season a dish, but please try the dish first, then if you would like additional salt please ask.

Many times when we garnish dishes, just before delivering them to the dining room, we add a final grind of a special exotic peppercorn blend, or we use an expensive finishing sea salt over juicy heirloom tomatoes, for example—if you then add table salt on top of the sea salt, you are most likely not going to like the flavor.

I had this happen to me many times where a guest returned a dish as being “too salty” with the waiter later explaining to me that they saw the guest flailing away with the salt before tasting it. A few restaurants ago I decided that I would remove the salt shakers from the dining room.

The worst example was once upon a time I had served a potato pancake with an ounce of expensive Beluga caviar on top. The guest told the waiter that it was too salty --when the waiter returned the dish he explained that the guest was seen salting the CAVIAR!!! (And the wholesale cost of caviar at the time was about $50/oz).

After that, the decision to remove the salt shakers from my dining room was very easy.

DaVita stays in Tacoma!

Great News for Tacoma!

Tacoma leaders toast DaVita’s new lease

THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Tacoma and Pierce County political and business leaders raised a glass Monday night to celebrate DaVita’s decision to keep its business offices in Tacoma.

In a cocktail gathering at the Pacific Grill Events Center, DaVita Vice President Jim Hilger accepted on behalf of the company the thanks of Tacoma’s mayor – as well as a proclamation declaring Aug. 10, 2009, “DaVita Day” in Tacoma.

Mayor Bill Baarsma presented the framed proclamation, then surprised Hilger with a key to the city – a gift Baarsma asked Hilger to deliver to corporate headquarters in Denver.
DaVita, which operates a network of 1,400 kidney treatment centers nationwide, announced in May that it would sign a new lease on the former Schoenfeld Furniture Store at South 15th Street and Pacific Avenue, and lease three floors of the nearby Columbia Bank Building to house its accounting and billing staff.

The company now employs some 900 workers in Tacoma, and it expects to add more over the next decade. Its decision to stay in the city has been celebrated in downtown circles and almost always is mentioned in the same breath as the forthcoming headquarters decision for Russell Investments.

The gathering Monday was put on by the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma. Among those attending were U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who Hilger has said called him on his cell phone while DaVita was making a decision.

When asked if he had Russell CEO Andrew Doman’s cell phone number handy, Dicks said with a smile, “I’m sure I have it in my files.”

Kathleen Cooper, The News Tribune

Pacific Grill's 4 Year Anniversary & Julia Child's Birthday

I am inviting our readers to join Pacific Grill on August 15th as we celebrate our 4 Year Anniversary and Julia Child's Birthday! We will be featuring a special 3 course Prix Fixe menu featuring great recipes from Julia Child including: Potato & Leek Vichyssoises, Beef Bourguignon, Lobster Thermidor a la Julia Child and Julia's Perfect Chocolate Mousse.

You can make reservations online on our website or by calling 253.627.3535 .

My personal remembrance of Julia Child:

My first professional kitchen job at Michael's in Santa Monica CA, was in the Fall of 1979. I remember standing at my station one night and looking up-I saw the imposing figure of Julia Child being given a kitchen tour-and making a beeline for me!

Towering above me, in her distinctive melodiously cheery voice, she asked what I was doing: "Boning quail," I answered, my voice hesitating.

"Oh wonderful" she exclaimed. "I just adore quail! -but-- be careful of those little bones," chuckling as she warned me, twinkling mischief in her eyes.

Then, as she turned to leave. a final "Carry on!" full of encouragement.

And with that she was off to the garden with husband Paul to finish dessert.

I will never forget how genuinely enthused Julia seemed to be in me- when I was doing something as mundane as boning quail. But that is, after all, the whole point. Her innate curiosity, her generosity of spirit, her talent and humor inspired me and gave an entire new generation of American chefs the confidence to pick up their whisks and follow her into the kitchen.

Happy Birthday Julia.

Carry on!

Julia Child Prix Fixe Online Menu (pdf)

(the normal Dinner Menu will still be available)

I am so grateful that customers like you have made Pacific Grill Tacoma's premier dining destination for the past 4 years. We look forward to many more years of serving you the best dining experience Tacoma has to offer.

See you on Saturday!