Kitchen 253

Evelyn Lopez
  • 5.0 (5)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Exploring the restaurants, kitchens, and good eating in Tacoma and the 253.

Episodes

  1. 08/09/2025

    Episode 11: A Tale of Two Pizzas

    Ah, Pizza, how do we love you? Let me count the ways. We love an intensely tomatoey, spicy, and garlicky sauce. We love a crust that has some chew, something we can sink our teeth into. And we love toppings that pop with flavor. Recently, we tried two new to us pizza places: Fat Zachs-Downtown in Puyallup (621 5th St. SW), and Tacoma Pie on Sixth Ave (4417 6th Ave) in our T-Town. Both pizza places were entirely pizza focused, both were different, and both produced very good pizza that we would happily eat again. Tacoma Pie in particular is a pizza that may become a craving with their deep focaccia-like crust. Join hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez, and producer Doug Mackey, as we discuss the pizzas we love, and maybe don’t love that much. If you have thoughts on pizza, or anything food related (or suggestions for our new air fryer!!!), please get in touch. Email: truetacoma@gmail.com, or @True-Tacoma on social media.

    33 min

  2. 07/10/2025

    Episode 10: Jam and Dread — Coping with, you know, stuff

    We will talk more about restaurants — I promise. But first let’s talk about life and how right now, in this moment, it’s full of angst and worry. There is real existential dread. How do you deal with it? Well, I make jam. In this episode we talk about Tayberry Jam, and how else to find those moments of joy. Joe is enjoying gardening. Doug has music, reading, and garden time. We have our beloved pets (even if they are jerks). No matter what you are doing, take a moment and do something to nourish yourself. You need it. We all do. Also, here’s the NYT article we were talking about:  How to Have Small Moments of Happiness in Your Life – The New York Times If you have thoughts on this, suggestions or other feedback, please get in touch. You can email us at truetacoma@gmail.com, or find us on social media.

    34 min

  3. 06/11/2025

    Episode 9: Broke Beans

    Recently, I saw a post on Reddit where the poster was saying “times are tough! if your budget is busted do this: get some Knorr instant chicken bouillon and add rice” and I thought yes, but no. Yes, get the bouillon, and the rice, but then add beans. Definitely add beans. Because beans and rice will keep you alive. You will have the protein to thrive, and they taste good too. So, for this episode, we talk about Broke Beans–the dish you make when you literally only have a few dollars and need to stretch those for a week. Broke Beans will keep you fed, happy, and ready for your next battle. As I say in the podcast, right now, keeping yourself fed and healthy is resistance, it is courage, it is critical. Feeding your family–even more an act of defiance, courage, and survival. Broke Beans is hardly a recipe–it’s more a basic life food. You can add anything to the beans and rice: Add some animal protein. Anything, beef, chicken, pork, fish, add the cheapest off cuts, or pick up whatever is marked down at the store or available at the food pantry. Don’t be too proud to feed yourself–go to the pantry, look for the odds and ends in the meat case. Eggs are another great addition–fry one up to top your plate of rice and beans. Add sone plant protein–tofu is a delicious option. Add some plants. Leafy greens like spinach and kale can be added when you are cooking, or stir them into the beans when done. You can even forage dandelion greens to add some fresh bitterness (pick the greens in places that are overgrown to avoid potential weed killers and fertilizers–so park trails yes, golf courses no). Add an apple on the side for crunch, sweetness, and to fill you up. If you get a bag of apples (listen to Diner for Four with Eric Hanberg), start every meal with one. Broke Beans and Rice: 1.5 cups dried beans (soak these overnight before cooking, or use 3 cans of beans) 1.5 cups of rice Knorr bouillon (I used 2 heaping teaspoons of chicken bouillon with the beans, and the same amount of beef bouillon with the rice–next time I would probably use the same flavor in both–it’s mostly salt, but will make your rice and beans taste really good) 1 tomato 1/2 onion cilantro olive oil Cook the beans in a pot or instant pot. I cook them like rice–for one cup of beans I add 2 cups of water. So, 1.5 cups of beans with 3 cups of water and 2 tsp of bouillon, cook over medium high heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then put the lid on the pot, reduce to low heat and cook for 30 minutes. If you use canned beans you really only need to cook them until they start to bubble. If you use dried beans, check to see if they are tender after 30 minutes–sometimes they need more time. Same instructions for the rice: Add 1.5 cups of rice and 3 cups of water to a pot or instant pot, add 2 tsp of bouillon, cook on medium high until it boils, boil for 1 minute, reduce heat to low, put the lid on the pot and cook for 25 minutes. Optional topping: Dice up tomato and onion, add about a handful of diced fresh cilantro and enough olive oil to moisten (about 1 tablespoon). Serve rice, topped with beans, topped with the tomato/onion salsa.   If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please reach out! Email: truetacoma@gmail.com, or find me on social media @True-Tacoma

    20 min

  4. 05/24/2025

    Episode 8: In Search of Good Vibes at Bar Rosa

    We had a restaurant set back–a place that was awesome on the first visit, was decidedly not on the second visit. We usually eat out once a week, and when the experience is disappointing, it is hard to shake the negatives. So, we went looking for a good vibe, and we found it on Hilltop at Bar Rosa. Bar Rosa feels like your favorit neighborhood bar–a place where you might drop in for a quick drink while you wait for a takeout pizza, or maybe a sweet spot for a special date (think Lady and the Tramp tables, but over pizza rather than spaghetti). We visited Bar Rosa on a sunny Friday, sitting at a small table behind the clematis screen. Easy music was playing, and I had a cold Campari and soda in a high slender glass with a ribbon twist of orange peel. Joe was enjoying his wine. Starters: spiced olives, poached pear tartine. Yum. The olives were plump and meaty. Poached pears were on toast with a cloud of whipped goat cheese, amazing paper-thin slices of dried coppa (crispy and salty), drizzled with honey. Extra delicious to dredge the forkful through the honey pooled in the corners of the plate. Sweet, salty, creamy in one bite. For our main dishes, Joe had the spicy rigatoni fresh pasta that was spicy, but not too spicy. I had the Pizza Calabria. What stood out was the nduja sausage (a soft sausage, almost like a spread, from Calabria). It was a delicious early dinner, and put us into the perfect relaxed, happy vibe for the weekend. When you are in the mood for casual, but also with a cool, park your Vespa out front vibe, check them out. If you have thoughts on this episode, or suggestions for other places to try, send us an email: truetacoma@gmail.com, or find us on social media as True_Tacoma. Cheers! Evelyn and Joe Lopez

    16 min

  5. 04/18/2025

    Episode 7: Dinner for Four (with Erik Hanberg)

    Oh, the joys and challenges of making dinner for your family–night after night! In this episode, host Evelyn Lopez meets up with Channel 253’s Erik Hanberg (host of Citizen Tacoma) to talk about meal planning, food buying. cooking and eating as a family. There are a lot of pressures on families. Work, school, sports activities, social activities, and you still have to feed everyone. And I’m going to add to that pressure–eating healthy food, made at home, is a key to long-term health, and maybe happiness too. Erik goes over his weekly plan, how he figures out menu options, uses the Fred Meyer app, has found which stores have the best values, and how a deep freezer makes it so much easier to have ingredients on hand for quick healthy dinners. It is not easy, but it is possible to fit home cooked meals into your schedule if you plan. And you may find that you really enjoy it too. Erik also shared a family favorite recipe from New York Times Cooking:   One-Pan Salmon Niçoise With Orzo Recipe   It was delicious! Salmon Nicoise Have a question or suggestion? Send me an email:  truetacoma@gmail.com, or find me on social media @true_tacoma

    55 min

  6. 04/09/2025

    Episode 6: A Conversation with TNT Diner Kristine Sherred, Part 2

    Imagine you are reviewing restaurants and someplace just doesn’t measure up. How do you decide whether to give a less than glowing review? How do you dish out some constructive criticism? Hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez continue the conversation with TNT Diner and food critic Kristine Sherred, along with our producer, Doug Mackie, in the lovely Moon Yard Studio. We also talk about where to go when you have a mix of people at the table, what places have the vibe you are looking for, and where are some spots outside Tacoma that are worth your consideration. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed talking! And we will definitely invite Kristine back, so if you have questions let us know. Email: truetacoma@gmail.com Other social media:  @True_Tacoma

    37 min

  7. 03/28/2025

    Episode 5: Talking Food and Restaurants with TNT Diner Kristine Sherred, Part 1

    Who doesn’t like to dish the restaurant news with a real restaurant reviewer? Hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez sat down with Kristine Sherred of the News Tribune, and producer Doug Mackie at the Moon Yard Studio, to talk about the local restaurant scene and the food industry. Kristine is the TNT Diner and has been closely following and writing about food trends in our town since 2019. We talked so much that we decided it would be two episodes (and we could have talked more!). In this episode, we talk about how a reviewer decides which restaurants to review and which stories to tell, and we talked about the mystery of making a successful restaurant in Tacoma. If you have questions or comments, please email us at truetacoma@gmail.com, or find us on social media @True_Tacoma. Also, Kristine will return to talk about happy hours at some point, so if you have suggestions on that let us know.

    48 min

  8. 03/10/2025

    Episode 4: Mmmm, Smells like Bakeries!

    Welcome to Kitchen 253! In this episode, hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez, and producer Doug Mackey, discuss three local bakeries: Maggie Magee’s Bakeshop in Fircrest, the Wren’s Nest Baking Co. in Ruston, and Hess Bakery & Deli in Lakewood. When you first walk into Maggie Magee’s Bakeshop there is the most amazing aroma of sugar and cinnamon. Seriously, bottle that and I would use it in place of any air freshener or cologne! Upon dropping in on a weekday, there was a nice selection of cookies (big cookies), some coffee cake, and tray bake bars. We tried snickerdoodles, toffee crunch, chocolate chip, a crumb top coffee cake, and a peanut butter s’mores bar. The cookies were delicious, and had a real home-baked taste. These are the cookies you wish your Mom made—big, full of chips, chewy. Highly recommend. Also, Maggie Magee’s has special items for the weekend. On Saturday they have a wide variety of artisan bread loaves (olive, rosemary, dill, etc.), and on Sunday they have freshly baked cinnamon rolls. If I lived in Fircrest, a quick run for Sunday morning cinnamon rolls would definitely become my weekend routine. Check them out. Also, check out their website at https://www.maggiemagees.com and learn about their cookie classes. Maggie Magee’s is located at 604 Regents Blvd. Our second stop was at the Wren’s Nest Baking Co. 5121 N. Pearl Street in Ruston. This bakery simply blew me away. I had heard it was an all gluten-free bakery, and that gave me pause. The few gf items that I have made did not turn out well—something was off with the mouth-feel and texture. So, I was a bit dubious when I went into the Wren’s Nest. Boy was I wrong. First of all, it is gorgeous. The bakery has lovely display cases and friendly staff. There is a viewing window into the baking area and I could have stood there all day. Then there is a relaxed, open space seating area, and a couple of comfy chairs by a fireplace. Imagine sitting there with a pastry and coffee—pure heaven. Now, as for the food—wow. We tried spicy beef empanadas for dinner, and a beef kolache (meat pie in a bun). Both were delicious. The empanadas were spicy, and I never would guess that the flaky pastry crust was gluten-free. The kolache was even more of a surprise—the meat filling was savory and moist, and the bun was soft and bready, like a nice dinner roll. I would definitely get both again, and try the other flavors. You can see photos at their website at https://www.wrensnestbaking.com. We also tried strawberry and chocolate macarons. They were everything a good macaron should be—beautiful, chewy, crisp exterior, punch of flavor in the filling. We did not try the breads or other pastries, but I certainly will return. This place would be my choice for any coffee or lunch meet ups. It is wonderful. Finally, we stopped in Lakewood for an old school favorite, Hess Bakery & Deli (6108 Mt. Tacoma Drive SW • Lakewood, WA 98499, https://hessbakery.com ). This is THE place for German deli items, delicious big pretzels, and beautiful cakes. You can have a very nice lunch there (and cake for dessert) among the older German ladies. We picked up some pretzels, small rolls (brötchen), and a couple of tubes of German chicken liver pate’. If you like liverwurst, I highly recommend the pate’. It is delicious, and more mild than most other liverwurst. The bakery has a great selection of breads, including a fantastic chewy rye, but really I stop there for the pretzels. You will never be tempted by a mall pretzel again. The Hess pretzels are large, chewy, but very soft inside with a perfect sprinkling of salt. So good! Since we were talking about baking and bakeries in this episode, I wanted to share my best, most reliable, brownie recipe. I’ve been baking these Brownies for more than 45 years. You can use this recipe as is for a great chewy, chocolatey brownie, you can frost it, bake it thin, or use canna-butter to make pot brownies, It is the only brownie recipe you will ever need. Recipe: Aunt Mollie’s Brownies 1/2 cup butter (use salted butter, one stick) 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate (2 one ounce squares) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup flour (optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts) Heat oven to 325 f. Prepare an 8 inch square pan (or other pan if you want thinner brownies) by buttering the interior. In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, thoroughly cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended (tip: if you like really chewy brownies beat the eggs, butter and sugar mixture for more than 10 minutes). Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and let cool. Blend in the melted chocolate and the vanilla. Stir in the flour (and nuts) just until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes (check after 20 so that you don’t overbake). Do you have questions or feedback? Send us an email at truetacoma@gmail.com, or find us on social media as True_Tacoma.

    27 min

  9. 03/02/2025

    Episode 3: Getting Your Winter Greens

    Hello and welcome to Kitchen 253 with your hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez, and producer Doug Mackey at the Moon Yard Studio. In this episode, Getting Your Winter Greens, we visited three smaller, independent markets to find out what winter vegetables were available. We are incredibly lucky to have great grocery store options in our area. Corporate stores like Safeway and Fred Meyer have excellent produce sections, and very good prices (seriously, check out the markets in the LA and Orange County areas of Southern California—they are well below the standard we find across Tacoma). But we also have some small, specialty markets where you can find amazing prices and the freshest options. First, we visited Cappy’s Produce on Tacoma’s Eastside at 1232 72nd St. E (you can find information on Facebook and Yelp). Cappy’s is a small market focused on fresh produce and meats (although the butcher counter was mostly empty when we visited in February). They have a great selection of peppers and other ingredients for Latine/Hispanic recipes. I was particularly impressed by the pepper display, and will return for the bags of ripe lemons, limes, and dried hibiscus flowers. I also left with the largest yam I have ever seen and am planning to add that to a weekend dinner. Cappy’s Produce peppers Giant yams! Second on our list, one of our favorites, Tacoma Boys Market in the Westend at 5602 6th Ave (Tacoma Boys Markets | Local Specialty Markets | High Quality Fresh Food ). Tacoma Boys has a great selection of fruits and vegetables, plus a first rate meat and fish counter. But I must admit that one of our reasons for stopping there to pick up dinner ingredients is their awesome wine selection (beer selection is also fantastic). They are open every day, all day, and have weekly specials on their website (as I type this, you can get organic bananas for 99 cents a pound). Third, you simply have to check out Valley Liquidation at 9813 Pacific Avenue (see their Facebook page for daily specials and regular videos of what is in stock). They get overstock and very ripe produce from, well, I don’t know where, but it is fantastic. The last couple of years I’ve made early strawberry jam with gorgeous organic strawberries from California and delicious pineapple jam when pineapples were available for $1.99 each. I could not resist buying pineapples at that price, and they were super ripe so making jam was the answer (and it was delicious!). There is always a wide variety of salad greens, lots of fruit, and inside the store you will find all kinds of food bargains (cereal for $2 a box, bags of rice for $1, snack items for lunches). Their stock is constantly changing so keeping up on their Facebook page is a must. But do try it out—the produce is excellent, the prices are low, and you are helping to eliminate food waste. Win-win-win. Recipe: Chard (or any leafy green vegetable (but not Collards as they require longer cook time)) 2 bunches of chard 2 T olive oil 2 T soy sauce 1 t hot sauce like sriracha 1 cup water 2 T butter Rinse the chard leaves thoroughly (fine dirt can collect in the crevices), cut off the ends of the stems, then chop the leaves. Start from the stem and chop about ¼ inch pieces, then when you get to the leaf cut across at about 1 inch increments. On your stove top at medium-high heat, place a deep pot or saucepan that can accommodate all the chard (it will cook down). Add the olive oil and let it warm for about 30 seconds. Add in the chard. Add the soy sauce, sriracha, and water. Stir the chard over/under in the pot to keep moving the leaves to the bottom, hot part of the pot. Cook for about 10 minutes, stir every few minutes to turn the leaves. Reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and let the chard continue cooking until it is softened (about 5-10 minutes). It will be wet. You can serve it with a slotted spoon to drain off some of the liquid. Red Chard–cut from the stem, start small Cut leaves into 1 inch pieces Questions or feedback? Send me an email, truetacoma@gmail.com, or you can find us on social media at True_Tacoma.

    24 min

  10. 02/07/2025

    Episode 2: A Table with a View

    Hello and welcome to Kitchen 253! Hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez, along with our producer, Doug Mackey, are coming to you live from the glorious Moon Yard Studio. Valentines Day is just around the corner, so we wanted to talk about places in Tacoma where you could find a table with a lovely view. There are a lot! Most of them on the spendy side. We visited a place that was new to us, Stink cheese, meat, and wine bar in downtown Tacoma. Stink is located on what I would call the second floor of the brick office building that you might have known as the Russell Building or the State Farm Building at 909 A Street. I say second floor because if you come at it from street level you have to go up the stairs or up the elevator to get to suite 110. The views are amazing! We were there on a very cold day with crystal clear skies. It overlooks the Foss Waterway, the Murray Morgan Bridge, and the Mountain. They have patio space that will open for the summer, and I can’t think of a nicer way to spend an afternoon. Stink is generally only open until 6, but they regularly have special events and music nights during later hours. Check out their website: www.stinktacoma.com The menu is largely sandwiches and charcuterie plates, but they also have a wonderful mac and cheese, and delicious desserts. We enjoyed the m&c, a platter with spicy Italian sausage, rosemary ham, and prosciutto, cheeses and olives, and tiramisu for dessert. It was delicious. Their wines are top notch. We enjoyed a Spanish red blend called El Goru. The m&c was mild rather than sharp, but with a deep cheesy flavor, noodles cooked to perfection. It was a blend made for a cold winter day. So satisfying. We will definitely visit Stink again! View from Stink And if going to a view restaurant is not in your plans, perhaps you would like to find a spot for a car picnic overlooking the waterfront? We discuss several scenic options, and a recipe for hand pies! The key to easy hand pies is to start with pre-made puff pastry. I highly recommend Dufour, but Pillsbury also makes a great puff pastry. Keep the pastry frozen, then thaw it in your fridge for about an hour before you make the pies. It needs to be really cold, worked minimally, in order to keep the flakiness (that is the cold butter suspended in the dough). First, a caveat about my recipes. I improvise and add ingredients to get the taste I want. For this pie, I wanted something both savory and sweet. I was inspired by my Mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing that was filled with apples, raisins, and walnuts (it was so good!). So, I will give you amounts, but don’t sweat it–any combination of ingredients is awesome when you wrap it in puff pastry. I have included photos so that you can see the steps of putting the pies together. I promise you that this recipe is easy, but the end result is fancy! If you make a big pie, you could make a Beef Wellington, or Salmon en Croute, with the same process. Tips for making hand pies: filling ingredients should be bite size, filling should not be too wet, and don’t overfill the pastry. Ingredients: Dufour puff pastry dough (thaw in fridge for about an hour before using) 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs ½ red onion ½ lemon or 3 T juice 2 T butter 1 T soy sauce ½ t sage 1 t chicken bouillon powder 1/3 cup diced dried pears 1/3 cup diced dried apricots 2/3 cup raisins 2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans (or other nuts) 2 T gorgonzola crumbles Generous shake of cinnamon 1 egg for egg wash (one egg, beaten to make a smooth mix) Ingredient note: this would be great with curry spice added, but Joe is not a curry fan so I did not go there. Also, I planned to add 1 t of Dijon mustard for a little extra zip, but forgot. If you make this, consider adding the mustard. I added cinnamon at the end because when I tasted the filling I didn’t think the sweet was in balance with the savory. Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 425f Set out a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Make the filling: Thinly slice the onion. In a medium frying pan, sauté the onion with butter and soy sauce until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Cut up the chicken thighs to small, bite size pieces and add to the onion mixture, cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer raw, but is not fully cooked. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the fruits, nuts, and spices. Add the gorgonzola last and stir up to distribute the cheese. Pie filling Roll out the puff pastry. The Dufour pastry comes in a rectangle sheet folded into quarters. Each quarter will be one pie. Roll out the whole sheet just until each quarter is about 5 x 7 inches (not a lot of rolling, this is just to make the dough more workable). Separate the four quarters. Rolled out pastry Put about a half cup of filling in the center of the quarter, bring the sides up to form an envelop around the filling, and press the dough seam together. Filling to dough ratio Pie envelope Turn the pie over and press the ends closed, then use a fork to crimp the ends. Place each pie on the sheet pan. Crimped pie end You don’t have to refrigerate the pies on the sheet pan, but I did because it made sense to stop there and do some other work. I would suggest putting the pies in the fridge for about 30 minutes if time allows. Take the pies out of the fridge and brush the sides and surface with the egg wash. Slash several cuts in the top of each pie so that the steam can escape. Pies to be brushed with egg wash Bake the pies for 30 minutes (check at 15 and turn baking sheet). Watch the pies do not burn or get too brown. Finished hand pies I hope you will give it a try, and let me know how it turns out! You can contact us by email at truetacoma@gmail.com, or find us on most social media at True_Tacoma.

    33 min
  • 10 Episodes

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About

Exploring the restaurants, kitchens, and good eating in Tacoma and the 253.

Information

  • Creator
    Evelyn Lopez
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Kitchen 253