Find extremely loaded baked potatoes, pinball and everyday vibes at this new Tacoma bar
The Huckleberry Club, a new bar from a group of Tacoma industry veterans, opened this fall with a menu of loaded baked potatoes that are almost the size of Nerf footballs. The tubers arrive at the Hilltop address in boxes 40-deep, each clocking in the weight class of one whole pound.
Under soft pink-and-purple lights and lava lamps, black ceilings and walls with flickers of color from music posters and disco-ball planters, settle into a few pinball machines in the front or the banquette with several tables. The bar area offers high-top seating and some standing room, plus a few televisions. It’s the kind of place where you can be alone, be with friends, be a carnivore or a vegan, want a snack or a meal, sip a top-shelf tequila or a tallboy of Rainier.
“It was important for us to stay approachable,” said JaimeKay Jones, of ambiance, offerings and price point.
The ownership team consists of familiar names in Tacoma’s bar and restaurant world — namely, from the original Top of Tacoma days in the late 2000s. (The McKinley bar changed hands again this summer.) JaimeKay and Jason Jones are back, joined by former Top manager Greg Rodriguez, his partner Magdalena Ramos, and Joy Wyrick.
They took over Broken Spoke, a combo beer bar and barbershop, at 1014 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, this summer. They kept the basic footprint, but the space has been transformed by the touches of longtime friends who know how to build a successful bar. Each played an important role at Top and the Joneses’ Marrow, which opened in 2011 in what is now Busy Body.
“It does help to have done it before,” said JaimeKay Jones.
Their mission with THC, for short, is — as it has been at other locales — to create an everyday, neighborhood hangout.
WHY POTATOES?
The entire menu is gluten-free — a decision that fell into place when they decided on potatoes.
The decision was three-fold. For one, they were on a budget and didn’t want to invest in upgrading the existing kitchen in a building they’re renting. They also wanted to do something different: no pizza, no tacos, no burgers or sandwiches.
“Something creative,” said Jones, “but in a room the size of a food truck.”
Also, “Greg and I love baked potatoes.”
She described the menu, which includes esquites-style corn, personal-pan-sized nachos and hearty salads, as simple but thoughtful. They whip up all the dressings and sauces in-house. Everything that’s already vegetarian can be made vegan — they have plant-based butter and sour cream, and they make a vegan cheese with a secret recipe that they would only divulge did not contain cashews, a common foundational substitute.
“I actually crave it,” said Wyrick, and she eats real cheese, like the house Tillamook cheese sauce.
Lore says that Russets, a prized possession of the Pacific Northwest, became the baked choice because of their thick skin. According to some historical accounts, Idaho-grown Russets traversed the country thanks to the Northern Pacific Railway, and their baked forms were championed by the owner of Chicago and New York steakhouses in the early 20th century, Dario Toffenetti. As to when they embraced additional layers of cheese, meat, sour cream, scallions and whatever else a clever cook could dream up — well, that’s more mysterious.
THC splits its spuds down the middle and bakes ‘em up with butter. Out of the oven, they are layered with all manner of accouterments ($10-$14). When they hit the table, in a round paper dish on a bright-colored tray, they tower several inches. The only question is how to dig in, and whether you should share.
In addition to ones with braised beef, chorizo, shrimp or bacon, four options skip the meat for broccoli and quinoa, black beans, plant-based chorizo or corn. Slaw, cheddar, candied jalapenos and pickled red onions abound.
Corn ($6-$7) comes tossed in butter with corners of mayo, crema, cotija and various textural finishes like Hot Cheeto dust and cracker nuts. Salads ($13) are sizable and served with fun dressings that fit the theme, such as basil-serrano ranch and tamarind-tahini. Nachos ($13) feature similar fixings to the potatoes but on chips, of course.
A brief cocktail list includes a mule and margarita, an old-fashioned with huckleberry, maple and mezcal, and a punch with huckleberry syrup. Again, prices are very reasonable, topping out at $11.
The name stems from the owners’ own friendships.
“It’s a term of endearment,” said Rodriguez. “We’ve all kind of called each other Huckleberry.”
“Our main goal is to be inclusive,” added JaimeKay Jones. “We want it to be comfortable, a place you can hang out, have an NA, play some pinball, have a potato.”
In other words: You, too, can join The Huckleberry Club.
THE HUCKLEBERRY CLUB
▪ 1014 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253-300-8340, instagram.com/the_huckleberry_club
▪ Daily 4 p.m.-late
▪ Details: new neighborhood bar with pinball, potatoes, salads and esquites (food $6-$13), plus occasional specials; full bar (house cocktails $8-$11)
This story was originally published November 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM.