The Old House Mercantile Company (2717 North Proctor Street ~ www.oldhousemercantile.com) has been a favorite Tacoma destination of mine for many years. On the first floor of The Old House there is a nice gift shop which carries an amazing assortment of Fiesta Dinnerware. Much like Kitchen Basics in Seattle, The Old House carries every piece in every available color and even has some discontinued pieces in discontinued colors. My sister bought a set of chili bowls and I ended up buying the hostess bowl in the new lemongrass color. Upstairs from the gift shop is The Old House Cafe (2717 North Proctor Street ~ www.theoldhousecafe.com). I ate there once a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed my meal - especially since it was served on Fiesta Dinnerware!
Just a block away from The Old House in Tacoma's Proctor District is The Metropolitan Market (2420 North Proctor Street ~ www.metropolitan-market.com). This was our first visit to this store and all three of us were in awe. From the bouquets of fresh flowers to the divine deli, from the amazing cheese and wine selections to the mini kitchen shop, the Metropolitan Market literally has it all.
I purchased a bottle of Charles Smith (of K Vintners) Boom Boom! Syrah Columbia Valley 2007 ($14.99). I tasted this wine a few months ago at a Vehrs Trade Tasting and felt it was one of the best values in Pacific Northwest Syrah I've ever encountered. The Boom Boom! can be found on the shelves of finer grocery stores or at your local wine shop or by visiting www.charlessmithwines.com.
However, there was a "must have" wine on the shelves of the Metropolitan Market. A number of bottles of the 2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Valley Estate Grown Cabernet Franc ($34.99) were sitting on the top shelf of the local wine section. This was a surprise as my distributor for Cougar Crest has been shipping out the 2006 for many months now and I only have one bottle of the 2005 left in our inventory at the restaurant. Why is the 2005 so special? Because it received a score of 93 points from Wine Spectator! Visit them at www.cougarcrestwinery.com.
From www.winespectator.com:
Supple, plush and generous with its gorgeous blueberry and currant fruit, shaded with mocha and black pepper nuances as the finish lingers enticingly. This has great stature and plenty of personality. Drink now through 2013.
Our last stop of the day was supposed to be dinner at Indochine Asian Dining Lounge (1924 Pacific Avenue ~ www.indochinedowntown.com) in downtown Tacoma. I took my mom there a few weeks ago and she fell in love with the place and we specifically planned our day around taking Amy to dinner there. Unfortunately, they are closed on Sundays. We ended up at the Old Spaghetti Factory (1735 Jefferson Avenue ~www.osf.com), both because it was close and because we were getting very hungry. It actually turned out to be a pretty decent meal at a very reasonable price.
Cheers!
Stephen Pavletich
Wine & Spirits Director
Ocean Crest Resort
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