Discover what ‘the Dorito effect’ can do for grilled cheese at new Tacoma sandwich shop

Tacoma is a city obsessed with sandwiches, but truth be told, the options offer a lot of the same. Chef Micah Tucker has quietly been trying to change our minds; the trick is knowing where to find him.

Led by his signature chimichurri chicken melt — of hot gouda and garlic aioli, succulent, braised thigh meat and grilled onions, all piled into a French roll — Tucker introduced Memoranda Kitchen one year ago with a tent, a table and a portable grill.

His summer menu featured the Faccia Bruta, which translates to “ugly face” in Italian, an homage to the Chicago-famous beef sandwich served instead with marinated pork shoulder. But it was the smoked portobello melt that attracted a particular fan base.

“It’s a weird world when a mushroom sandwich outsells a pork sandwich,” mused Tucker in November.

We’re in his current commissary, My Commercial Kitchen at 3812 S. Wright Ave. in Central Tacoma. It’s Thursday afternoon, just ahead of Memoranda’s service hours for pickup and delivery, and the portobello process has begun: Tucker blanches the large mushrooms to add moisture before smoking, then marinates them before searing to order.

Elsewhere on the grill, Roma tomatoes char with rosemary sprigs, the future star of tomato soup, which pairs near perfectly with fellow All-Star comfort food, grilled cheese.

Between hearty slices of Balloon Roof Baking Co.’s fine sourdough bread — perhaps the best of the moment in Pierce County — is young gouda, selected for its melt-ability. Sweet and nutty, it succumbs at a lower temperature. After griddling both sides with butter, Tucker sprinkles his proprietary seasoning salt, inspired by pickling spices.

It’s a seemingly benign decision that transforms the Memoranda Melt beyond the realm of ordinary cheese sandwiches.

“I like to call it ‘the Dorito effect,’” Tucker said. He spent a year nailing down ratios and toasting technique.

The other half of Memoranda, brewer Kelvin Keown, chimes in: “Our little joke is we call it ‘Tacoma’s best seasoning salt,’” in reference of course to Johnny’s.

Keown and Tucker have been homebrewing buddies for a decade, having met through their spouses and similarly aged daughters. Over beer, naturally, they developed the idea for Memoranda Brewery and Kitchen, a brewpub styled like a cafe, with a tight list of German-style ales and lagers and great, never fussy, food.

Where is the brewery, you ask?

It doesn’t exist, but Keown has spent years honing his brewing techniques and recipes, and they hope to open a brick-and-mortar in Tacoma. Short on cash, they decided to jump-start the business through Tucker, who cut his chops at the late Pacific Grill.

BEGINNING OF A BREWPUB

Since that first pop-up at Tacoma Night Market, most Saturday mornings Memoranda has built a following at Proctor Farmers Market. Over the summer, Tucker served at the Tuesday farmers market in Lakewood. On a more regular basis, you can order pickup or delivery from My Commercial Kitchen.

Inspired by the success of pickup-only newcomers Buddy’s Chicken & Waffles and Side Piece Kitchen, Tucker realized there was a market for “ghost restaurants.”

Incorporating his Italian roots, he focuses on braised and roasted proteins such as the time-intensive porchetta, a pork loin robed in pork belly, roasted for a supple interior and crispy edge. Try it on herbed focaccia with roasted sweet peppers and arugula.

Looking ahead to more seasonal menu changes, special events and — eventually — the brewpub, he wants to harness his wife’s Navajo heritage, shared on the current menu in another pork melt variation with the meat braised in a red chile sauce.

You can also try Memoranda in grab-and-go form at Lux Coffee in McKinley, now stocked with grilled chicken on a baguette with pesto, a vegan chickpea salad sandwich and a breakfast roll with ham, havarti and egg prepared as a “loose scramble,” the cracked yolk baked into white squares. For Manifesto Coffee in Hilltop, Tucker put the chimichurri chicken and portobello melts onto sourdough, toasted at the shop in a panini maker.

From local ingredients when possible to homemade touches including vegan aioli, pickles, chimichurri and pesto, the taste is in the details at Memoranda.

“Do it simple but well,” Tucker said of his approach to cooking.

MEMORANDA KITCHEN

▪ (located in) My Commercial Kitchen, 3812 S. Wright Ave., Tacoma, 253-973-9368 memorandakitchen.com

▪ Thursday-Saturday 5-9 p.m., Sunday 3-7 p.m.

▪ Details: hot sandwiches ($8.50-$12.50) with focus on braised and roasted meats, plus from-scratch soup and sides ($5.50-$8)

▪ How to order: online for pickup, or delivery through DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.

▪ Also available at Proctor Farmers Market, Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Reporter’s Note: Memoranda Kitchen is closed for Thanksgiving weekend. Next order date is Thursday, Dec. 1.