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.