Storied Hilltop cocktail bar opens soon with new owners, new menu plus brunch

The new proprietors of 1022 South J sensed a certain kind of je ne sais quoi when they first walked into the petite haunt in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood last summer. By November, Vanessa Goodrum and Corina Cross had keys in hand to their first bar and restaurant.

The address has been known to local cocktailians for almost 20 years — first as The Monsoon Room, then 1022 South and, from 2015-2022, with J in the name. In early March, it will enter another new era.

“This bar spoke to us,” said Goodrum. “We are social and inclusive, and we want it to be an extension of that, of ourselves and of our home.”

The Tacoma couple “knew right away” they wanted to retain the name and the ambiance, from the jackalope mascot (updated by Cross’s daughter, Megan Hannah, for the menu and T-shirts) to the cozy, urban lodge aesthetic. They also wanted to continue the thoughtful pub fare and cocktails that gave 1022 staying power in years past but with their own spin.

“We loved the name. It’s catchy and simple,” noted Goodrum. The ‘22 also reminded them of their 2022 wedding.

They worked closely with Cross’s sister, Misty Rothrock, a chef in Arizona, on the food menu. Cocktails will be central to the experience.

Inspired by the bar’s history, three “classic 1022” selections include a gin and tonic, a lavender and coconut sipper and the Blood and Bone with rum, pomegranate, orgeat and cinnamon. Under “New 1022” are Goodrum’s namesake drink of rum, tart cherry, orange and pineapple, and the Twila, a French 75 with Empress gin (which lends a pretty purple hue) and rosemary.

The seasonal Noel cocktail — mulled wine with brandy in winter and a wine spritzer with fresh berries in summer — is named after Cross’s late daughter, Jamie Noel, who suffered from a rare congenital heart defect. All proceeds from those drinks will benefit Jamie’s Heart Foundation, a nonprofit Cross and Jamie’s father started to support families with children fighting heart disease.

THE NEW 1022

The layout will look familiar to anyone who passed through previous iterations of the space, which has been a cocktail bar since 2005. The first version of 1022 opened in 2009. Chef Riley Morgan, who garnered praise from 2013 until the bar’s closure in the summer of 2022 for his Southern-inspired bar fare (and a darn fine burger), attempted to buy the business from but that deal fizzled.

These twists and turns were largely unknown to Goodrum and Cross until they embarked on their personal journey at the corner of South J and South 11th.

Both have worked for 22 and 14 years, respectively, at a local optometry office, where they met. Goodrum has been easing out of her role in the customer-facing eyewear side of the business, while Cross has trimmed her schedule as a clinician.

They both speak very highly of their boss, a close friend who they said showed them how to run a business where employees care about their work and each other. He will soon retire, “so it felt like the right time,” said Goodrum, who had envisioned owning a bar since her 20s..

On Nov. 1, they shared the news on the bar’s existing Instagram page. Hundreds of hearts rolled in and more than a few comments about “bringing back” favorites from the 1022 archives. Goodrum and Cross politely affirmed that neither do they own those recipes nor would they want to copy them, but they hope the “new menu will be accepted and delicious to the loyal 1022 following.”

After recipe testing with her sister, Cross will lead the kitchen. The concise menu includes shareables like a baked brie board, sliders in three styles (cheeseburger, brie with fig and caramelized onions, bacon and mushroom), jalapeno cornbread in a cast-iron skillet and “deep-fried guacamole.”

On the heartier end, look for fried chicken and gravy with bacon-soaked collards and a flank steak with “not your standard chimichurri,” said Cross, accompanied by a homemade garlic knot.

If some of those dishes sound a bit Southern — as in, reminiscent of the old 1022 — the couple said it’s mere coincidence. They can’t help it that an old-fashioned loves fried chicken!

“We had thrown around ideas,” recalled Cross. “We hadn’t even seen a menu because we had never been here, but what we were envisioning was similar. It was just another confirmation that this was meant to be.”

At brunch, which will start right away, expect that chicken on a waffle with bourbon syrup, fresh eggs cooked the way you like ‘em, biscuits and gravy. Bloodies and a mimosa bar highlight the morning cocktail menu.

For dessert any time, share a seasonal cobbler or “donut truffles” with dipping sauces (hot chocolate to start turning to lemon in the spring, strawberry for summer and pumpkin for fall). Served three to an order, Goodrum described them as larger than a standard doughnut hole with a smooth, almost custard-like interior.

Goodrum and Cross plan to officially open the doors Saturday, March 2.

1022 SOUTH J

▪ 1022 South J, Tacoma, instagram.com/1022_southj

▪ Starting March 2: Wednesday-Thursday 5-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-midnight, Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

▪ Details: Hilltop cocktail bar under new ownership serving dinner, brunch and cocktails in cozy bar-style setting

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 5:00 AM.