Tacoma’s best cider bar and bottle shop now makes its prettiest charcuterie boards

Beer bars abound in the South Sound, but the region was still short on taprooms dedicated to another beverage thoughtfully fermented in our backyards. When Cider & Cedar opened last year in Tacoma, the owners not only filled that void but crushed it.

The bar is somewhat clandestine, humbly located on the ground floor of an apartment building at 612 Tacoma Ave., not far from Wright Park and Corina Bakery. Thanks to a curbside cafe permit, the grassy knoll between the sidewalk and the street now beckons with its striking live-edge cedar tables — a theme that carries over into the bar itself, where a slice of Western Red Cedar doubles as the back-bar.

Sterling Paradiso sources this old-growth wood from land he owns on the western coast of the Olympic Peninsula, where once-logged forests gave way to a lush collection of fallen trunks. “People think turtles are neat because they’re 150 years old, but trees are thousands,” he told The News Tribune last summer.

He and wife Mia Paradiso have carried that sense of wonder into their first bar. The emerald green walls are a bold choice that works, accented by antique rugs, thoughtful artwork and living foliage. You’ll want to sit and stay a while, whether at one of the tables built by Sterling Paradiso inside or out.

There is also a small sidewalk patio, ready for guests to relax with a charcuterie board meticulously arranged by Mia Paradiso. The exact offerings vary — a springtime version featured three bite-sized cheeses including gruyère, prosciutto and two types of salami (one swirled into rosettes), baguette and chia-studded fruit crisps, dried apples, strawberries and green grapes. A few slices of cara cara oranges, shelled pistachios, skewered blueberries and nutty dark chocolate transformed the board into more than just a nibble but a grazing dinner, rendered all the more perfect by the accompanying ciders.

You are here, after all, for the ciders.

Whether already an aficionado or, like me, a human terribly intrigued by the nuance within heirloom varietals grown in different climates, in unique soils, then Cider & Cedar will be your new weekly getaway.

Though Mia was the first to fall for the drink — which dates back 2,000 years in Spain and even farther for the Celtic Britons — Sterling, too, has come to adore it. Their passion is unrivaled, even amid the crowded hills of craft beer bottle shops and breweries. Seriously, find someone to talk to you about anything the way the Paradisos will talk to you about cider.

Since opening last July, they have added a third shelf to hold more bottles for retail sale. On-site, enjoy much of that selection from the fridge, or take advantage of the 10 draft ciders, rotating with the season and the owners’ careful whims.

They don’t just try ciders for the sake of it; they travel to each location, prioritizing Washington and surrounding states. They can answer most any question about the cidery, the apples, the beverage and the taste profile.

Here I am indebted to have learned of Wheel Line Cider out of Ellensburg, Herb’s Cider in Bellingham and Finnriver in Chimacum, where I insisted we stop on a recent trip to the Olympics. From Independent Cider based in Dryden, I tried the ginger perry — fermented from pears — which pours remarkably clear, tastes refreshingly dry with that unmistakable zing of raw ginger. (Incline Cider House at Brewery Blocks, another cider destination, has also carried this lovely sipper.)

The occasional European cider will find its way to the shelf, too. I took home a bottle of Eric Bordelet Sidre Tendre, a low-alcohol cider from a respected French maker that leans on the sweet side but carries complexity missing from commercial brands in the U.S.

Stop for a bottle to pair with your next Sunday dinner at home, or get a glass and remember why you live in the Pacific Northwest.

▪ Value: expected — $60 for a generous charcuterie board and four draft ciders.

▪ Quality: excellent — thoughtful ingredients to match one of the region’s most impressive cider selections

▪ Atmosphere: The perfect setting to relax with a date, rendezvous with another couple or sip alone and read a book, steps from Wright Park and downtown.

▪ Returnability: Can I move in? As theater returns to Tacoma, no doubt this bar will become a popular pre- and post-show destination, but it is destination-worthy for travelers and locals alike.

CIDER & CEDAR

▪ Wednesday-Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday 4-11 p.m., Saturday 2-11 p.m., Sunday 2-7 p.m. (Note: closed for vacation June 18-25, reopens June 26)

▪ Details: cider bottle shop and taproom, cozy indoor seating plus two small but lovely outdoor seating areas

This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.