I love the Over the Moon Cafe at709 Opera Alley (Court C) and don’t know why I haven’t been there in a couple of years. But today I joined some delightful friends for an early dinner and had a great time! The Cafe keeps their lunch menu in effect until about 4:15 and I enjoyed a scrumptious 1/2 a grilled cheese and a cup of lobster bisque. Besides wonderful food their decor is quirky and inviting, and they have the nicest public bathroom that I’ve ever been in!
http://www.overthemooncafe.net/
The tea was an experience! Much more refined than our usual Starbucks break with a gorgeous, classic interior and dignified, warm service. They seated us by the window and we happily visited and watched the city walking by us. There was a pianist for most of the time that we were there.
As for the tea, it included five types of finger sandwiches, a marvelous scone and assorted treats. I’m embarrassed to say that we ate almost all of it! We were sent home with two boxes of tea to help us recreate the experience
http://www.fairmont.com/empress/GuestServices/Restaurants/AfternoonTea.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empress_%28hotel%29
Two sweet words… spring… break. And time to go a little further afield. Today we hopped in the car and drove up I5 into Canada. Then we took the Spirit of British Columbia Ferry and over to Victoria. Our delicious halibut and chips dinner was at Nautical Nellies. Dear daughter and I shared a meal and a dessert and it was more than enough.
http://www.nauticalnelliesrestaurant.com/
Their website says that Silk Thai at 3401 Sixth Avenue, Suite F is Tacoma’s favorite Thai restaurant and perhaps it is. They have consistently savory food, lovely decor and our waitperson was spot on.
Their website can be found here. http://www.silkthaicafe.com/
Today our family was celebrating and we decided to try a new to us restaurant, Casa Mia Italian Restaurant at 7304 Lakewood Drive, Suite 1, Lakewood, WA 98499. We’ve been looking for a local Italian restaurant that is more than a pizza place, but won’t break the budget. Casa Mia was just what we wanted. We had Rosemary Chicken Ravioli, Manacotti and a submarine sandwich. All three were delicious and the service was fast and friendly. I’ll have to try a pizza sometime soon. The chicken pizza with three cheeses looks particularly tempting!
Casa Mia Italian Restaurant is a chain of eight (Lakewood, Yelm, Olympia, Hoquiam, Kennewick, Lacey, Puyallup and Richland). The first of them opened in 1952 in Hoquiam.
http://www.casamiarestaurants.com/
For her upcoming birthday my dear daughter asked to go to one of her very favorite restaurants, which is named That’s-A-Some Italian Ristorante. Located at 18881 Front St NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370 (360) 779-2266. We have been going here for special occasions for years now and it is still as good. I had the catch of the day (grilled fish over angel hair pasta with a basil cream sauce), my daughter had Fettuccine Alfredo and her friend had the lasagna and all three dishes were top notch. They also have an extensive selection of wine and even a small wine shop, though we stuck with soft drinks. During pleasant weather (which is the opposite of what we had today) there is outside seating.
Their website is here
http://www.thatsasome.com/italian/index.html
Ste 105, 5003 Tacoma Mall Boulevard
Tacoma, WA 98409-7120
(253) 475-4889
http://www.peanutsaucethaicuisine.com/index.php
Their complete menu is on their website.
Because I was traveling, I missed recording a new place of the day on Tuesday. But we went to Waterfront Pizza in Port Townsend for lunch and it was a treat. The two of us had a small pizza and I had a side salad. Pretty much what they have is pizza, basic salads and assorted beverages (beer, wine, soda). The Yelp reviews sometimes complain about the service, but our server was great!
The main level store front area is very tiny and used as a kitchen and a place to buy a slice. The upper level is a small traditional restaurant of about six tables.
951 Water Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368-5732
(360) 385-6629
http://www.yelp.com/biz/waterfront-pizza-port-townsend
Today we went to see the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D My dear daughter and I had recently rewatched the first two movies in the series and were looking forward to this recent installment. We really loved it. Much of the movie was set on the ship and the visuals of the sea were stupendous.
Anyway, we had 30 minutes to eat lunch. My dear daughter gets rather grumpy when not feed, so it was important to eat. While large chain restaurants are not our first choice, it was Ruby Tuesday or a Sports Bar and Ruby Tuesday was the clear winner. We had an appetizer each (a single crab cake for me and spinach dip for her) and also sodas. With the tip, it came to $30, which seemed kind of expensive. The food was good, but not that special. Service was pleasant and understanding about our short time frame.
There are 890 Ruby Tuesday locations, including several overseas spots (Chile, Iceland, India, Egypt, Hong Kong, and more). The original restaurant opened in 1972 in Tennessee. The chain is named after the Rolling Stones song.
Update 12/12 Both this Ruby Tuesday and the one in University Place have closed.
Today the ladies and I lunched at Affairs Cafe & Bakery and listened to a great program about the Broadway Center. I’ve been coming to Affairs on occasion for years and remember when they had a fire in October 2000 that closed them for some time. They are justly known for their truffles, cheesecakes, catering and delicious breakfasts and lunches.
Oh, and I also included a photo of a cool dinosaur that we discovered today!
2811 Bridgeport Way W # 15
University Place, WA 98466-4602
(253) 565-8604
http://www.affairs-chocolate.com/
4/2013 Update On March 16, 2013 Affairs closed. The owner, Gay, retired. Good for her, but I’ll miss the place! The opened on 12/10/1985.
