Weren’t those sonic booms fun? In case you missed it, here’s our coverage of the two loud thwaps that could be heard from Seattle to Olympia (and beyond, according to News Tribune Twitter followers).

I just saw this on the Adriatic Grill’s Facebook page: “In honor of the two F-15′s that flew over Adriatic Grill on their way to protect the Commander-in-Chief, we are going to rename our wine bar “The Boom-Boom Room” for the rest of the day, and we’ll have Kamikaze’s and B-52′s on special for only $2 from now until we close! So, jet on …

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Deck?

Check.

Sun?

Check.

There’s a new waterfront Harbor restaurant to sit and enjoy a sandwich with the sun (while it lasts). The Red Rooster Café opened Aug. 2 at 3313 Harborview Drive. Owner Jamie English Radcliffe describes her restaurant as a comfortable 40-seat restaurant (18 of which are on the deck) with a focus on sandwiches, crepes, a full espresso bar and a few breakfast items. Click “more” to read about Radcliffe and to see the menu. Read more »

I didn’t want to finish this dining report.

Sorry again, boss, for blowing the deadline. Twice.

I wanted to keep visiting the hidden treasure that Chambers Bay Grill is just one more time. Also, I don’t like fighting people for tables. Or at least I don’t want to for the next week or so. Like the rest of the grounds around Chambers Bay, the Chambers Bay Grill will be closed for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship Aug. 20-29. After that, we can duke it out for that sweet table in the left corner of the patio.

Chambers Bay Grill, if you didn’t know already, is a Northwest spun restaurant that sits atop a bluff that yields awe-inspiring views of McNeil, Anderson, Ketron and Fox islands. Read more »

Did you miss my review last week of Gig Harbor’s Brix 25 in the GO entertainment section? We’ve been experimenting with keeping restaurant reviews in the News Tribune’s restaurants page. But I wonder, do you want me to post them over here, too?

If you’ve never been to Brix 25, let me just say that the restaurant was the highlight of my July. The flavors, the culture, the staff of Brix 25 is immersed in wine culture and it percolates in every dish, and extends to the conversation with diners. Brix 25, under the previous ownership, won the Washington …

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It’s a new, fun, made up holiday. And it’s something I can get behind: a holiday devoted to meat.

The first ever St. Meatentine’s Day is Saturday Aug. 14 at the Harmon Tap Room. The event is the beefy vision of Steve Haverly, a self-described meat fanatic and lifelong Tacoman.

I asked Haverly why he was hosting the event Saturday at the Harmon and he said the event is, simply put, to honor meat and men. Says Haverly by email: “I decided that men need a holiday that they look forward to just as women generally look forward to Valentine’s Day.

A big bacon salute to Haverly. Click “more” to read about St. Meatentine’s Day. If you go to the event, please take pictures and tag them to the TNT Diner Facebook page.
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Ian Thompson is heading back to the books. The Executive Chef of the Pacific Grill was in the middle of degree in Hospitality Management when Pacific Grill owner Gordon Naccarato called and asked him to come cook at Pacific Grill.

Thompson is just finishing up his 18-month career at Pacific Grill and will take a few weeks off to travel through Oregon before returning to the South Sound area to work in a lower-stress job while he focuses on his studies. “I plan on taking a kitchen lead position at Fircrest Golf & Country Club. I have never worked in a club kitchen before, I know it will be different than independent restaurants. I anticipate it being low stress enough to allow me to focus on school. I will consider this job as a bridge,” he wrote in an e-mail. Click “more” to read his plans, and to see what’s next for Pacific Grill. Read more »

I had a funny e-mail exchange with Travis Scheff, owner of The Office Bar & Grill, which just opened Friday in downtown Tacoma at 813 Pacific. I wrote about the restaurant here and here.

The email exchange went something like this:

TNT Diner email: What should I try at your new restaurant?
Travis Scheff email: “The Spinach Artichoke Jalapeno Dip or Fried Mac for starters then the Fettuccini Alfredo w/ blackened chicken yum… then try our deep fried twinkie a la mode to top if off. If you would like to try a specialty drink our “post it” is yummy.
TNT Diner email: Are you trying to kill me???

It wouldn’t be the first time a restaurant has tried to off a critic.

But I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it. Really.

Click “more” to see the menu and to read a bit more about the new restaurant. Read more »

A candy store called Sugar opened in Proctor Thursday. I checked in by phone on opening day with owner Donna Schramm, a North End resident, who opened the shop that sells old-fashioned candy in a tiny space at 3901 N. 27th St.

And, no, you’re not reading incorrectly. This is the second old fashioned candy store to open recently in Proctor. Jubilee Cupcakes & Vintage Candy, a cupcake-candy store that used to be called Sweet Things, opened July 23. C.R. Roberts wrote about Jubilee here.

(Note to dentists: if you’re looking to set up shop, you might consider Proctor.)

I don’t have a die-hard candy obsession, and when I do, I usually go to the the Johnson Candy Company for truffles, but the store sounds like a neat place to take your favorite daughter, niece, sister, girlfriend, or to indulge your 1970s child infatuation with Flicks. It’s a prettied up Willy Wonka décor. Click “more” to read more about Sugar, and to see a few pictures of the shop. Read more »