Kitchen 253

About Kitchen 253

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

Publisher

Evelyn Lopez

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Feb 2025

Latest episode

9 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Aug 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.

2. 

   10 Jul 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.

3. 

   11 Jun 2025

   Episode 9: Broke Beans

   The host of Kitchen 253 shares a recipe for "Broke Beans," a budget-friendly dish of beans and rice, offering tips for adding protein and vegetables to create a filling meal.

4. 

   24 May 2025

   Episode 8: In Search of Good Vibes at Bar Rosa

   Evelyn and Joe Lopez explore Bar Rosa's ambiance and menu, highlighting the spiced olives, poached pear tartine, spicy rigatoni, and Pizza Calabria for a relaxed and happy dining experience.

5. 

   18 Apr 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

6. 

   9 Apr 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

7. 

   28 Mar 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.

8. 

   10 Mar 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.

9. 

   2 Mar 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

10. 

    7 Feb 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

11. 

    1 Feb 2025

    Episode 1: A Bowl of Comfort

    Welcome to the first episode of the Kitchen 253 podcast! Hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez. We wanted a food-centered podcast to share information about restaurants in the Tacoma area, and also recipes and resources for those managing on a tight budget. In this first episode, we talk about comfort foods for a cold, wet January. In particular, Pho. You can find great pho in many of Tacoma's Vietnamese restaurants, but we feature our favorite, Souper Pho, in the Westgate Plaza (N. Pearl and 30th). They have a varied menu, and a lively take out business. Stop in and try their Shrimp Pho (Joe's favorite) or Yellow Curry (Evelyn's favorite), or something else--everything we have ordered has been delicious. We prefer to eat in, but if you'd like to order for pick up, give them a call. Souper Pho, 2725 N. Pearl Street, Tacoma; 253-503-3328; www.souperphorestaurant.com Shrimp Pho Pot Stickers We also tried a new recipe, Perfect Instant Ramen, from Chef Roy Choi (adapted by Jeff Gordinier for New York Times Cooking): Recipe background from NYT Cooking: Make some ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2914, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. "It's our snack, it's our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it's our bowl of cereal," Mr. Choi said. "It's something that has been a part of my life forever." Ingredients: 1 pack ramen noodles with flavor packet 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon butter 2 slices American cheese 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds 1/2 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced on the bias, optional Preparation: Bring 2 1/2 cups* of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flavor packet, stir, and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the egg. Do not stir; pull the noodles over the egg and let sit for one minute to poach. Carefully transfer everything to a serving bowl,** add the butter, cheese and sesame seeds and mix. Garnish with the scallions if desired. Note* I reduced water to 2 cups to make the dish more noodles, and less soup Note** I left it it the saucepan when I added butter and cheese Questions or comments? Send them to hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez. Email: truetacoma@gmail.com, or find Evelyn on social media as True_Tacoma

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

10

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32