Eatin' Good In The (Tacoma) Neighborhood
Working for Guru Labs has allowed me to experience new foods on someone else's dime. I used to think that I didn't like sea food. As it turns out, I do like sea food, I just don't like cheap sea food.
Here's a tip for frequent business travellers: if your room has a refrigerator, hit a grocery store and buy food you normally wouldn't because of the price.
Last week while I was in Tacoma, WA I stumbled on a great little Japanese restaurant called Twokoi. (Unfortunately it doesn't have its own Web site yet.) The menu was printed without any prices. Based on the atmosphere and the food I saw on other tables, I was expecting to spend $30 to $40 before tip. Boy was I in for a surprise! Appetizer, entree and a delicious bowl of ice cream were just $15 before tip.
I decided to start off with an adventurous appetizer: calamari (squid), sea weed & cucumber in a light sauce. Amazing! Truthfully one of the best appetizers I've ever had.
For the entree I decided to push the limits of my sea food tolerance. I can't remember what it was called, or everything in it, but I do remember my soup had clams, crayfish, lobster and shrimp. The small iron kettle it was served in was also fun.
To finish things off I had two scoops of of ginger ice cream. And speaking of ginger...
This was actually my third trip to the Seattle area. During the last trip I discovered a rich-hippy organic grocery store with a great deli and surprising chocolate selection. Last time I didn't have the courage to try the chocolate, but this week I was determined to take the plunge. I bought two bars:
the Black Pearl (ginger + wasabi + black sesame seeds + dark chocolate) and the Naga (sweet Indian curry powder + coconut flakes + milk chocolate). They didn't taste bad, and I did enjoy the experience, but I don't think I'd buy them again.
Hands down, however, the best food that week was the fruit. Here's a tip for frequent business travellers: if your room has a refrigerator, hit a grocery store and buy food you normally wouldn't because of the price. For example, over the course of just two days, I ate $20 worth of strawberries. Thanks to Bolthouse Farms C-Boost, I must have averaged ~3000% of my RDA for vitamin C. (Oh how I love Acerola!) I also had bananas, tangerines, plucots and awesome honeydew melon. (Apparently Washington is known not just for apples but also for its melon.)
Sound like fun? Guru Labs is hiring.
