SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITES >>>

Tonight: Toscanos Café & Wine Bar hosts Hot Drinks & Cool Scarves tonight. If you purchase one of Toscanos's specialty hot cocktails you'll be entered into a drawing for a bitchin' winter scarf.

Fill Your Growler: Beginning today through Friday, Jan. 13, Wine Bank & Beer Vault will take $2 off any growler fill.

Bonus: Through the month of January Brix 25 will present an envelope to diners to open after their meals revealing a $20.12 discount, a free dinner up to six guests or $500 gift certificate. Reserve your spot at 253.858.6626.

News: Garlic Jim's on Sixth Avenue is now called Sammy's Pizza with the same owner.

Hot Dog Cart: T-Town Hot Dog cart will open for business at 10 a.m. Monday-Saturday in Tollefson Plaza beginning today.

New Club: Surreal Ultra Lounge replaced Club Kokonut in April 2010 at 728 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma. Surreal closed in late 2011. Now, Club Kokonut has re-opened in the same space. The dance club hosts "Wobble Wednesday" featuring DJ Reign spinning dubstep and $3 top-shelf pours without a cover change.

Celebration: Northwest Mountain Winery celebrates its first anniversary from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 with jazz music by Norma Owens. Admission is free.

On Hold: Wildside Wine will be closed until Jan. 18. It has a Bordeaux blind tasting scheduled for Jan. 28.

Maxwell's Night Out: Maxwell's Restaurant offers two wild mixed green salads, two selected entrees, two scoops of ice cream, two glasses of house wine and two tickets to The Grand Cinema for $60. Reserve the deal at 253.683.4115.

Farrelli's Pizza is opening up a new store this summer

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND SIPS >>>

Veterans Day Thank You: Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza offers $11 12-inch pizza and $11 craft beer pitchers to everyone, as well as accepting donations for the Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Volunteer Service Organization. The Ram Restaurant & Brewery will award those with valid military IDs a "buy one entrée, get one free" deal.

Customer Appreciation Day: Norma's Burgers in Olympia hosts a customer appreciation day today awarding $1.11 chocolate or vanilla shakes and $1.11 burgers per person.

30th Anniversary: Salty's at Redondo Beach celebrates its 30th anniversary with a free slice of its signature white chocolate mousse cake for those who wish them a "happy birthday." Friday, Dec. 2, Salty's at Redondo Beach will host a Rockin' ‘80s Party.

Dim Sum In Tacoma: TNT Diner found some in the Lincoln District.

Plan Ahead: Create a sticky and sweet gingerbread house in a festive holiday setting Nov. 26 and 27 at the Gingerbread Jamboree inside the Bicentennial Pavilion in downtown Tacoma. The cost is $36 per house. To register, call 253.527.6031.

LINK: Happy hours!

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND SIPS >>>

Proctor Farmers Market: It's still on!

Tacoma Foodie App: Foodcaching makes searches easy and delivers deals straight to your mobile phone.

Weekend Special: Pour at Four chef Howie is serving a Cassoulet special today. Drop by the Tacoma Proctor District wine bar after 2 p.m.

Weekend Special II: Primo Grill in Tacoma will be serving slow roasted pulled pork staring Cheryl "The Pig Lady" Ouellette's Berkshire pigs tonight. The dish will be served with caper mint salsa verde.

Tomorrow: The Tacoma Buddhist Temple hosts a free Fall Food & Crafts Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LINK: Happy hours!

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITES >>>

New Menu Party: 1022 South lounge will throw a cocktail party to celebrate the debut of the new fall and winter menu at 6 p.m. TONIGHT. The new menu showcases the lounge's exploration and innovation, respect for classic cocktail construction, excitement for apothecary techniques, and commitment to showcasing seasonal ingredients. To celebrate, all menu cocktails will be specially priced at $6 tonight.

Wine Fest: Toscanos in Puyallup is all about the wine this month.

New Menu: Primo Grill in Tacoma has a new fall menu featuring wild mushroom lasagne, rigatoni alla Romagna with house cured guanciale, pumpkin ravioli with sage butter and Grilled Beef Tenderloin with roasted pepper sauce and blue cheese butter. Nice.

Tomorrow: Adriatic Grill by the Tacoma Mall hosts a five-course with wine pairings VIP Chef Dinner.  The main course is braised pork shank with roasted garlic risotto,paired with a 2008 Aia Vecchia, Lagone, Bolgheri, Italy.

LINK: Today's wine tastings

LINK: Fall Restaurant Guide

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND SIPS >>>

Proctor Farmers Market: FairWinds winery joins the vendors offering wine samples while Chuck Wayne and Kristen Mellis perform.

Grand Opening: Inferno's Brick Oven Pizza in Lacey is having its Grand Opening today. Expect prizes, food and drink specials and a raffle at 8825 Tallon Lane just past Costco on Martin way East.

Beer Tasting: 99 Bottles in Federal Way will pour Alaskan Brewing Co. beers - including the limited-release Perseverance Stout, brewed with birch syrup and fireweed honey - from 4-6 p.m. today.

Wine Tasting: Abby's On Broadway will pour tastes of Hip Chicks Do Wine Winery's 2009 Pinot Gris, Drop Dead Red, Wine Bunny Rouge, 2007 Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon and Vin Nombril from 4-8 p.m. today.

Video: Gritty City Food does Valhalla Coffee here.

LINK: Wine tastings today in the South Sound

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITES >>>

Endless Rolls: TWOKOI Japanese Restaurant in Tacoma offers an awesome weekday lunch deal for those you dig sushi rolls. For $19 you may chow down as many rolls as you can at the sushi bar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Sucks: Smitty's Chicago style pizza in Lacey has closed.

Beer Launch Party: Wingman Brewers will release its Ace IPA tonight at 6 p.m. inside The Red Hot in Tacoma. The IPA's Belgian malts complement the Citra, Centennial and Cascade hops.

Wine Tastings Tonight: Pour at Four in Tacoma's Proctor District will be pouring Barnard Griffin Winery tastings from 5:30-8 p.m., and Wildside Wine at Sixth and Oxford in Tacoma will a "Find Your New House Wine" tasting from 4-7 p.m.

Future Things Are Coming: Octoberfest Tacoma featuring live music, beer-filled pumpkins, chainsaw pumpkin carving, a pumpkin pie eating contest and tons of beer will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 in Tacoma's Opera Alley.

LINK: Download our free Mobile Happy Hour app

SOUTH SOUND NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITES >>>

Tacoma Avenue Hole: JoAnna and Tom Irick quietly opened the SideBar Bistro last summer, and now have quielty closed it – along with their other restaurant Hot Rod Dog next door at 11th and Tacoma Avenue South.

Cicada In Olympia: Chris Cratsenberg and Jen Thornson are the new owners of Cicada Restaurant and Lounge. While they say there will be little changes to the menu, the new owners will change the interior and have added two 50-inch TVs in the lounge for sports games. The new hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Pan-Asain: Cafe Banana will open Sept. 15 in the spot Goodfellas Steakhouse once occupied at Great American Casino in Lakewood. it's been tagged as an upscale Asain bistro.

Adding Land: Sushi rocks next to the cinemas at Capital Mall in Olympia has closed and Land and See Buffet is moving into its spot.

Maxwell's Speakeasy: Maxwell's new owners will roll out a new menu Sept 13 with a grand "red carpet" re-opening in mid October.

LINK: Half-priced wine bottles tonight!

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS AND NIBBLES >>>

Now Open: Kimberly's Café has opened for breakfast and lunch in the former Lakewood spot Vive Bene - and all the way back to Mime's Kitchen - once occupied at 11126 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the restaurant serves traditional breakfast dishes, flat bread pizza, Connecticut grinders, paninis, sandwiches and a few entrees such as spaghetti, cod fish and chips and angel hair pasta. Everything is priced at $10 or less.

Brewer's Night: The Crown Bar hosts Georgetown Brewing Company tonight for beer, prizes and giveaways. The party begins at 6:30 p.m.

Beer Vault: The Wine Bank in University Place is now called the Wine Bank & Beer Vault because the wine store has added craft beer to its inventory.

Thanking Soldiers: The Harmon Brewery group in Tacoma will feed 60 soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Group, along with their spouses. Not only will dinner and beer be provided, but also each soldier will be receiving a dozen roses to give to their loved one. Finishing the night in style, each couple will be guests aboard a sunset cruise from Commencement Bay to Gig Harbor. For those interested in donating, visit the Harmon's Tacoma locations: The Harmon Hub, the Harmon Brewery & Eatery and The Tap Room. Those who donate will be given a voucher for the restaurant, such as a free appetizer. If you donate at The Hub, a staff member will ring a bell followed by cheers from the entire staff.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: Happy hours!

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITE SIN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Wine Tasting: Dana Madsen of Madsen Family Cellars will pour five Madsen wines for $6 from 1-4 p.m. today at Dockside Bistro in Olympia. More wine tastings today listed here.

Oh Thank Heaven: Another 7-Eleven store opened at 4328 Sixth Ave. in Tacoma, where Bombaty Bistro once stood. There's a grand opening party from noon to 2 p.m. today with food and drinks.

Wine Deals: The Big Wine Sale at The Wine Bank in University Place ends today at 5:30 p.m. Get in there to grab 20-40 percent off bottles. Also, they'll be pouring tastes of Spanish wines from small vineyards tasting from 2-4:30 p.m.

Beer Bash: 7 Seas Brewing in Gig Harbor is throwing a two year anniversary bash in their parking lot from noon to 8 p.m. today. Besides a barbecue and bunch of 7 Seas brew, expect live music by Perry Acker, Shy Boys, China Davis and SweetKiss Momma.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: Happy hours!

SOUTH SOUND DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITES >>>

Combo Deal: Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza on Sixth Avenue will pour free samples of 14 Hands Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay from 7-9 p.m. tonight. The band Blues Redemption will entice you to say for $6 glass pours and $22 bottle chugs.

Wine Discount: El Gaucho celebrates the growth of Washington and Oregon wine with a Quantitative Wine Easing program featuring $50 off any bottle of wine with the purchase of two dinner entrees before July 31.

Future Things Are Coming: The Bayview School of Cooking will teach a class on Italian small plates at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 7. The cost is $45 per person. Get in on it here.

The Hot Dog Files: Twelve tales from America's era of sausage-hating.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

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