Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Eastside extravaganza -- Garlic City Grocery

I had coffee with the lovely Traci Kelly the other day (the music Traci, not the art Traci, in case you were confused). We chitted and chatted and caught up -- and she let me know about a new East Tacoma grocery biz that just opened its young doors and seems to have so many good qualities you just want to pinch its cheeks with glee.

At the intersection of 56th & Pacific Avenue, the border between East and South (behind the Shucks and across from Jack in the Box), a plucky business endeavor mixes it up a bit with:

  • a lunch counter with BBQ, Indian food, Mexican, deli counter, desserts and so much more
  • an ice cream counter -- complete with giant bins of (I think I saw) Dryers (tacomamama, I better see you there)
  • luscious looking fresh fruit and veggies ... and plenty of eclectic options (beyond your apples, lettuce, tomato and other basics)
  • an espresso bar (they wanted to do a drive-thru, but ran into road blocks)
  • organic options (we hear veggies are coming, but we saw lots of organic "other" items, including a few wine options)
  • decent wine corner with decent prices (I nabbed a bottle of Ribbet Red by "Arrogant Frog" of France in honor of my visiting father-in-law, who all kidding aside seemed to get a kick out of it)
  • eclectic grocery mix -- enough to get the staples if you're in the neighborhood, plus some "extras", I honestly don't know how they get all the great options ... and more coming ... into the place, but they do. And I guess Stadium Thriftway does it, so I look forward to seeing what happens over the coming months.
A little disclaimer ... this place is lovely, with intensely wonderful potential, and the fact that it's there is HUGE for the neighborhood, especially since it's open until 10 p.m. (I think). However, it's very, very new. They're still working out some quirks. They're still looking for input. So I highly encourage heading over for the lunch special, a coffee drink, an ice cream cone, some grocery items, a good bottle of wine, a mop if you're so in the need, or so much more. Just remember, look with appreciative eyes. The flowers and cards are coming, new tables are coming, and so much more. And they want to hear what their customers want. This is local folks ... so go buy, tell them what you'd like to buy, and watch this place bloom into the place you know it could be ... and will be.

4 comments:

amocat said...

Just a few items.

I am not sure they have mops. They do have many other wonderful things for a local "grocer". I would like to see them eventually emphasize more of the Thai and Asian flavor (we have little to none of that in this area).

Oh and speaking of area, technically they are still on the south side. As I realized a few years ago, A street is the actual dividing line and not Pac Ave.

Please give this wonderful little gem a chance and if you would like to see them add, change or remove something then please let them know... nicely.
The owner is a wonderful and very smart person.

Maybe we could all post a comment here of what we like or would like to see.

> I would like to "see" the wonderful ICE CREAM.
> I would like to "see" all of the cooked food, even if it is just a picture (like a lot of asian restaurants do) because I know some of the food is cooked to order... at least for now until they get more traffic.

The lattes are above average, definately better and more consistent then the "cart" at the nearby Safeway. The latte area is inside in the food area.

Alicia said...

Pretty sure I saw mops. Maybe they were brooms. I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted them.

And according to the City of Tacoma's website, the Eastside neighborhood is "located in the easterly portion of the city south of Interstate 5, north of East 72nd Street and east of Pacific Avenue." This is the area that makes up the Eastside Neighborhood Council, formerly known as "ENACT".

Thanks for the comment! And everyone should go check this place out ... the food I saw looked good ...

OH! And they'll have a baker in the somewhat near future! FRESH BREAD in Tacoma -- that's not in Safeway or MM -- how did I forgot that detail! *head smack*

Anonymous said...

amocat, there's an Asian store on S 38th. A good one, I hear.

CV said...

*wimper* I want to see! Why can't they come up with cool places like that in L.A.?