The 13 best things we ate in 2023, from oysters on the beach to a roadside cheeseburger
After kicking my New Year’s resolutions off with weeks of fried dough, I ventured through the rest of 2023 trying to avoid such indulgences. I mostly failed, as this peek at 13 of my favorite food and drink memories reveals.
We’re talking about gelato and ice pops, a sort of savory Salvadoran pastry and an embarrassingly decadent benedict. I fixed it with detoxifying ginger tea, raw oysters from our local waters and very strong, very cold, very dirty martinis.
As in years past, this list allows me to share with you highlights of our culinary diaspora that might otherwise be overlooked. Some of the restaurants, bars and shops named below have been featured in these pages; others have not.
It’s far from exhaustive. For starters, I wanted to include the prawns in a lush tomato broth high with lemongrass and the beautiful ahi poke accented by cara cara orange at Siete, but the temporary pop-up restaurant in Browns Point has closed. I’m not sure if we’ll see owner Gabriela Oliva, who was known in Gig Harbor for Animarum, at it again, but we can dream!
Likewise, a part of me wanted to call attention to some high-profile newcomers in Tacoma, but I wavered in doing so for the sake of it when, in truth, I don’t think they are quite there yet. Consistency, as they say, is key.
The selections below flow from around the New Year to late fall. I hope this glimpse into my world compels you to explore places old and new, whether around the corner or a reasonable commute away — because sometimes you need Szechuan dumplings.
GINGER TEA AT BEWARE COFFEE
▪ 3562 E. McKinley Ave., Tacoma, bewarecoffee.com
Since this coffee shop stealthily opened in McKinley last year, Tacomans (and others, from somewhere?) have emerged from their cocoons to relish perfect cortados and lattes with housemade syrups from owners Braxton and Natasha Wittenburg. The roasts are wonderful, but the fresh-pressed ginger tea shot me to serenity before bringing me back to the buttery yellow hug of a cafe this couple has brought to the Eastside.
PUPUSAS AT BALCON EXPRESS
3102 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-212-3054, balconexpresstacomawa.com
The cheese hidden inside the handmade pupusas at this petite Sixth Avenue eatery seeps out and sizzles on the griddle, adding texture, flavor and charm. Ofelia Amaya learned how to make these Salvadoran specialties from her husband’s grandmother. You might be tempted to order the two taco plus one pupusa combo, but you’ll want another pupusa.
RAISED GLAZED DOUGHNUT AT VARIETY DONUTS
▪ 9312 South Tacoma Way, 253-584-0109
As many might recall, or at least my gym membership does, instead of abstaining from fatty substances in the new year, I downed dozens of doughnuts. Admittedly I have not had a doughnut since, but every time I pass Variety in Lakewood, I think about stopping for that heavenly sugar-glazed fried fluff.
CRAB BENEDICT (& EVERYTHING, REALLY) AT THE WANDERING GOOSE (TOKELAND HOTEL)
2964 Kindred Ave., Tokeland, 360-267-7006, tokelandhotel.com
My partner and I took advantage of a winter deal at Tokeland Hotel, purportedly the oldest such lodging in Washington state that has been lovingly restored by Heather Earnhardt and Zac Young. The couple swapped this tiny coastal town for Seattle in 2018, her acclaimed Southern restaurant The Wandering Goose to follow. We had brunch and supper twice (!!), and while I would recommend everything — including a sojourn here anytime — the crab benedict epitomizes their influence on this Pacific Northwest gem.
SALVADORAN QUESADILLA AT SELVA CENTRAL GOODS
▪ Proctor Farmers Market, selvacentralgoods.com
File this one under Reason No. “I’ve lost count” of why to love farmers markets. Mayra Sibrian is a Seattle-based baker who has infused her Central American heritage with local ingredients. The result? Conchas in flavors like papaya and apricot, atol cookies with corn and raspberries, and a honey quesadilla — the sweet Salvadoran pastry that’s moist and cheesy, an ally to a dark, bitter cup of coffee.
KULFI PALETA AT CHILL PALETAS
▪ Tacoma Farmers Markets and special order, 253-753-3707, chillpaletas.com
After a family visit to Puerto Rico, John and Amber Jones began honing their own paleta recipe. They introduced their frozen pops in hues of hibiscus-raspberry, truly spicy pineapple and blackberry-peach at Tacoma Farmers Markets this summer, but it was the one-off kulfi, served at the market’s annual fundraising dinner, that I sensed we are in for a continual treat.
GELATO AT MEDZO GELATO
▪ 612 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253-600-9491, medzogelatobar.com
How and why Jennifer and Fareed Al-Abboud ended up moving their Medzo Gelato Bar to Tacoma is a winding tale, but what really matters is that the stuff is downright divine. Flavors rotate frequently, but you’ll adore the silky, thick, creamy wonder they create from scratch, on-site, one pan at a time.
DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER AT PICK-QUICK DRIVE-IN
▪ 4306 Pacific Hwy E, Fife, 253-922-5599, pick-quick.com
It might be closed for the winter, but after finally sinking my teeth into a Pick-Quick double, I’ll look forward to sitting at those red picnic tables in Fife come February. The stacking of raw onion, tomato, pickles, cheese and beef — in that order — seems implausible for such a tiny hut doing so much business, but a steady summer afternoon didn’t sway this young staff.
FILTHY MARTINI AT VIBE DIVE LOUNGE
▪ 5439 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, vibedivelounge.com
The exterior signage deceives what lies within Vibe Dive Lounge in South Tacoma. Pop by 6 p.m.-midnight for hearty potato wedges, homemade lumpia, umami-packed veggie fried rice and other snackable, shareable, cocktail-friendly fare. Owner Kelly Walton has designed a bohemian dance club (DJs usually start around 9 p.m.), and the Filthy Martini might persuade you to stay. Plucked with four pickled pearl onions, it is truly filthy.
SZECHUAN DUMPLING AT NINE WAY
▪ 31509 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way, 206-886-1225, instagram.com/ninewayrestaurant
Knowing that Nine Way was a much-loved Chengdu destination in Redmond, I was thrilled and jealous yet again that an expansion landed not in Tacoma but Federal Way. These homemade pillows swim in slowly numbing Szechuan glory, speckled with crushed peppers and toasted sesame seeds. Also because of the copious noodle dishes not prevalent in Pierce County, Nine Way should be your next stop off I-5.
SOFT PRETZEL AT WREN’S NEST BAKING CO.
▪ 5121 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, 253-693-0189, wrensnestbaking.com
A trip to the mall in my ‘90s childhood was incomplete without a pit stop at Auntie Anne’s. No one could have convinced me that a gluten-free soft pretzel baked in Tacoma, Washington, would be the best such twist I — and probably you, too — would ever have. I can’t wait to watch Wren’s Nest grow in 2024.
DUNGENESS CRAB COCKTAIL AT LOBSTER SHOP
▪ 4015 Ruston Way, Tacoma, 253-759-2165, lobstershop.com
As I wrote in the December TNT Diner review, this simple, sensational chilled crab should be on every table’s order at the updated Lobster Shop — unless you’re allergic to shellfish, in which case, sorry!
OYSTERS AT HAMA HAMA OYSTER SALOON
▪ 35846 Route 101, Lilliwaup, 360-877-5811, hamahamaoysters.com
A friend described our outdoor lunch at a picnic table in an A-frame on Hood Canal as one of the absolute best culinary experiences of her life. High praise. I took more pals to this century-old farm this summer and fall; it was, is and might forever be, in my mind, the epitome of Pacific Northwest living. I mean, the oysters hang right there! The saloon serves only Friday, Saturday and Sunday lunch, and reservations are basically required. I don’t want to divulge my secret to slipping in without one, but let’s just say “afternoon” and “raincoat.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 5:30 AM.