Dave’s Meat & Produce

Dave’s Meat & Produce is unique. Small market stores generally have a difficult time providing enough variety to draw a consistent shopper base away from the big grocery stores. In this case, the big competition combo of Safeway and Metropolitan Market lurks just 3 stoplights west in the heart of the Proctor District.

Times are tough. People are watching their pennies. Like many other small businesses in Tacoma, Dave’s Meat & Produce needs our help to stay alive. I noticed that the coffee stand in front of their building went out of business recently. This concerns me. I want to make sure the coffee stand is the only thing on that lot that fails. Dave’s is more than worthy of staying in business here for a long time.

By supporting local growers, and providing top quality produce, meat, seafood and personal service, Dave’s has everything you’ll need to make an entire meal, big or small. You’ll be in and out of this place in minutes – and if you’re really in a hurry, there are several prepared dishes ready for the grill or the oven, facilitating gourmet, homemade meals in minutes. They may not be the cheapest place in town, but you should remember to drop in the next time you want a fun, convenient shopping experience and a healthy meal at home.

Dave’s Meat & Produce
1312 North I Street
Tacoma, WA
(253) 280-9999

Map

University of Washington softball national champions!

The University of Washington Women’s Softball Team just became the 2009 National Champions after defeating the Florida Gators 2-0 in a best of 3 series. This is the 1st time the University of Washington has won a National Championship at softball. I am currently a huge softball fan, thanks to this World Series I just watched over the past few days. Go Dawgs!

Baconnaise bacon mayonnaise

Baconnaise. Stops you in your tracks the first time you see it. At least it did me today at Proctor Met Market. Needless to say, it’s here with me now. I am about to take my first bite of Brotvurst de Baconnaise. So far I can tell you it smells not a lot like bacon and appears to be a thicker version of 1000 Island. Here goes…

First bite: surprisingly delicious. Bacony.

Second bite: surprising yet again. Still delicious. I’m a believer.

I went 1/2 with just Baconnaise and 1/2 with Baconnaise, ketchup and mustard, and the Baconnaise was able to deliver plenty of bacon flavor right through the other condiments. As we always used to say back in college, a little dab’ll do ya.

Until tomorrow’s lunch sandwich experiment is complete, we won’t know if this makes a great mayo substitute, but I can tell you that it makes a terrific bacon substitute. Unlike Bacon In a Can or Squeeze Bacon, this has real potential. Camping burgers will never be the same.

We owe it all to a little company by the name of J&D out of Seattle, Washington. Try some today!

Tacoma Union Bank of California building for sale

The Bank of California Building at 1011 Pacific Ave in downtown Tacoma is for sale. I had the privilege of meeting owner Jay Yi last week and he allowed us a full tour of the historic site. The impressive structure is packed with an arsenal of equally impressive contents. Never having been used for anything other than a bank, the facility is uniquely tailored for a certain purpose. Like housing millions of dollars in cash, jewels and other valuables for decades.

You pass through the giant, classic pillars on the outside and into an expansive lobby where your eye is immediately drawn 40 feet upward to the cathedral ceiling. The ornate wood and plaster detail overhead is unlike anything you will find in new construction today. Gold carvings tell a story that wraps around the top of the room. Solid granite walls line the staircase leading downstairs.

An old bank manager’s office at the front of the building is luxuriously decorated with gorgeous wood paneling and feels like something out of Scooby-Doo. We could not find any of the secret compartments in the walls, but I’m certain they are there somewhere. If I had an office, I would want it to look just like this one.

We took the old world elevator to the basement and that is where things really got interesting. Exiting the elevator, I suddenly felt as though I were thrust headlong into the middle of a scene from Ocean’s Eleven. I’ve never had free run of a giant vault before. Have you? There were thousands of old, empty safety deposit boxes and multiple safes for the storage of exactly who knows what.

Movie set. That’s all I kept thinking. Well, that and the fact the building may have access to the old tunnels under Tacoma. Stay tuned.

OMFG delicious

The Rock has long been a nighttime take-it-or-leave-it for me. Crowds, pricing and mediocrity have generally kept me away, save for the weekday lunch buffet (a Tacoma classic). After granting The Rock another chance, I can tell you the food, drinks and service were all off the charts. Bravo, Rock, bravo.

Everybody knows that Pagliacci has the best pizza in the world. Well, I am here to announce that this is no longer the case. In the words of the not-so-great George Thorogood, move over little Pagliacci, a big, old Rock is movin in!

My comprehension of the experience is already cloudy, after having just finished my leftovers 15 minutes ago. The crust is hand-tossed, thin and crispy – it’s the closest crust to Pagliacci I’ve ever seen. What was so great about it? There was this prosciutto, meatball, almond and mushroom pizza that seriously ‘knocked my socks off’ <== I have never used that phrase before. You can't imagine how good it was. They have an impressive selection of pizza toppings, providing endless possibilities to appease even the pickiest of eaters (I brought one of them with me and she loved her mushroom n' olive pizza). Last night we walked right in and sat down at a booth in the bar. This new room they've created is cozy and comfortable compared to the old setup. To top it off, our server was one of the best I've had anytime, anywhere. I went in with little enthusiasm for a place I'd been many times and left with a new favorite.