Tacoma | Degustation Nation

A couple of weeks ago, we had the inaugural dinner of the T-Town Supper Club. The T-Town Supper Club consists of 15 people sharing a common bond: the bond of the unpretentious foodie. Our first dinner of course had a theme, and since my lady T and I hosted, what better than a nod to T’s heritage: A Night In Sicily. For the uninitiated, Sicilian cuisine is a wild mix of cultures: Italian, North African, Greek, Norman, and Arabian. All of these different civilizations invaded and occupied the island of Sicily at one time or another (sometimes simultaneously!). And the traditional foods of Sicily combine the best of all of these cultures into one big, bold pot of sauce. Our mission: to provide a list of key ingredients that each guest would volunteer to incorporate in a traditional Sicilian dish. The list was as follows: almond, anchovy, artichoke, capers, cinnamon, clove, eggplant, fennel, fig, lemon, mussels, olive, blood orange, orange blossom, pecorino, pine nut, pistachio, raisin, saffron, squash, squid, swordfish, tomato, tuna and of course the unanimous group favorite garlic! Each guest committed to using three or more of the key ingredients in a dish that they in turn brought to the dinner party. The night’s menu was as follows:

Apertivo: Prosecco, Blood Orange Margaritas with Fresh Basil
Antipasti: Bruschetta with Anchovy-Fennel Butter & Roasted Peppers
Antipasti: Citrus-marinated Shrimp with Capers & Olives, Herbed Flatbread
Primi: Mussels in Tomato-wine Sauce
Primi: Pasta with Artichokes, Raisins and Cauliflower, Saffron Sauce
Primi: Calamari with Garlic, Herbs and Preserved Lemon
Secondo: Bracciole of Beef
Contorno: Eggplant with Capers and Mint
Dolce: Cassata (Cake that takes 3 days to make)
Digestivo: Moscato di Asti, Rosolio di Pistachio

Citrus Marinated Shrimp

Pasta with Saffron

Mussels Roberto

Bracciole

Cassata

The entire experience took about 4 hours. Everyone arrived on time (we have a very responsible bunch here) and we were off to a nice start with our Apertivo of Prosecco and Rob’s Blood Orange/Basil Margaritas. Antipasto was sampled casually; the remainder of the courses were served formally at the dinner tables. Additionally, most people brought at least one bottle of wine, so we had an amazing variety of wines, most of them of Sicilian origin. All of the courses were very big on flavors, which of course is the Sicilian tradition! The real standout of the evening though was the mussels - they were absolutely fantastic. Every last drop of sauce was sopped up with warm bread. All in all it was a most excellent dinner party, with the grand finale of Sara’s Cassata cake. Yes, this cake took 3 days to make - a most involved process - but the effort was well worth it. Bellissima! As they say in Italy, “Abbiamo mangiato molto bene!” - we have eaten very well!

I gotta’ tell ya’, there’s nothing I love more on a Saturday than having an authentic, non-gringo-ized Mexican meal. My lady T and I always go to Tacoma’s finest Mexican restaurant, Vuelve a la Vida. She is addicted to the Ceviche Cameron, a fabulously lime-infused mixture of shrimp, tomatoes, onion and cilantro. We get it by the 1/2 pound, accompanied by a stack of crisp tostadas.

1/2 Pound of Heaven

A few bites of Ceviche were nice to get my appetite tuned-up for my main course, a bowl of Menudo. This stuff is the real deal, no holds barred kick-ass soup just like Grandma used to make (yes, I grew up on the stuff). The main ingredients are Honeycomb Tripe (lining of a cows stomach), Hominy and a Pata de Vaca (cows foot). No, there is not a hoof sticking up out of the bowl - that part has been removed. It is more like an ankle bone.

A Steaming Bowl of Goodness

What this all boils down to is a lot of very gelatinous meat. Certainly not for everyone - but it is one of the simple pleasures of life that I indulge in occasionally.

Accompanied by a plate of fresh chopped onion, cilantro and lime wedges for garnish. This is the quintessential Mexican cure-all: hangover, cold, flu, etc. A bowl of Medudo with a cold Mexican beer can be a fabulous experience; it just makes you feel good all over!

So, next time you feel a little peaked, under the weather, grouchy, hung over, or just plain crappy, get down to Vuelve a la Vida and have a steaming bowl of Menudo. It’s better than vitamin C - it’s Vitamin M! Tell them Juanito sent you.

Vuelve a la Vida is located at 5310 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. Look for the sign with the happy octopus on it.