Good News, Bad News for the Holidays

Bad News: This Thanksgiving we didn’t celebrate on Thanksgiving Day. Daughter Sarah was out of town. Johnny and his girlfriend had to work on the holiday.

Good News: We ate our turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc. on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It tasted just as delicious. Johnny and his girlfriend have jobs and got paid overtime for working on Thanksgiving. We were all just as thankful as we would’ve been the day before.

Bad News: For the Apple Cup this year, the WSU Cougars were going into it with a 3-8 record and not a single win in the PAC-12 conference. Coach Leach is under investigation for allegations of abuse after wide receiver Marquess Wilson quit the team.

Good News: The Apple Cup state rivalry between WSU and UW was played in Pullman this year. It wasn’t snowing. In a nail-biting overtime finale, the Washington State University Cougars beat the University of Washington Huskies 31-28. I have no doubt that the cheering, jumping, and celebratory whooping it up at our house could be heard in Pullman. 

          My favorite play of the game was when 6’1” Kalafotoni Pole reached up to snag the football from UW’s quarterback and then ran with all his 277-lb. might toward the goal line in overtime. Go Cougs! For more details about the game: Overtime Ecstasy for WSU at Apple Cup

Side Note: I’ve noticed an absence of Cougar t-shirts, and other merchandise at several local stores including Wal-Mart and Victoria’s Secret. They’ve opted to go with just UW stuff. My guess is that someone at the national level is focusing on the area surrounding each university, not realizing that most of the Cougars come from the west side of Washington.

    I’ve launched a one-woman campaign to get more crimson and gray over here, and I’m looking for other Cougars to join me. When there’s only UW purple in the store, ask a manager where the WSU merchandise is. Fill out a suggestion card. Tell them that most Cougars come from this side and that there are more than twice as many WSU license plates than UW (just go look in the parking lot), so we’re willing to spend money to support scholarships at WSU. Thank you to Fred Meyer’s for carrying a great, affordable WSU (and UW) selection!

Holiday Shopping

Bad News Shopping for Quilt Supplies: A few days before Black Friday, I studied the JoAnn Fabrics fliers looking for their bargains. My eyes zeroed in on a roll of cotton batting: 25 yards for $99. That’s a great deal! It was a doorbuster on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

I actually skipped Zumba that morning and rolled into JoAnn Fabrics at 9:15. I pushed my cart to the batting section to find my gigantic roll of batting. There was nothing there. I asked a sale clerk where the special batting was, pointing to my flier.

She told me that the store had opened at 8:00 that morning with a line out front. (Hmmm, I hadn’t noticed that on the flier. It normally opens at 9:00). There had been a line of customers waiting for the doors to open. And, the batting I wanted was sold out by 8:15.

Where I should have been lined up ahead of time.

She talked to another clerk and asked about the batting they were substituting. That was sold out by 8:30.

Alrighty then. I found a roll of Warm and Natural cotton batting that wasn’t on sale, but that I prefer anyway. I calculated how many yards of it I could buy for $99 using my 40% off coupon. I bought 11 yards.  

I missed the doorbuster batting, but I also missed standing in the cold rain with a crowd.

Good News Shopping for Quilt Supplies: I got an email from The Wild Rose Quilt Shop in Orting which I didn’t read before their Black Friday sales. Instead, I went on Sunday and got some great deals on fabric. There were $5, $7 and 60% off tables. As if those savings weren’t enough, if you bought two yards, you got the third yard free. Most high quality cotton fabric now costs from $9.99 – 12.99 a yard, and this was the good stuff: Moda, Northwood, etc.     

The Wild Rose Quilt Shop, Orting, WA

        Between the batting from JoAnn’s and the fabric from the Wild Rose, my sewing machine will be humming for a long time.

Good Shopping News Four Ways: I set a personal record. It’s still November and I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping!

Super Mall, Auburn, WA,

First shopping strategy: on what I’m calling Way More Civilized Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. John and I went to the Super Mall in Auburn and got a huge chunk of Christmas shopping done. We parked easily. There were no crowds. Everything we bought was on sale. We found the sizes we needed and things hadn’t been picked over. 

Second shopping tactic:  at 10:15 on Thanksgiving night (mere hours before the official start of Black Friday), even though I hadn’t planned on shopping, Sarah K., John, and I found ourselves at Target.  Parking took a few laps, but there wasn’t a line outside. A thoughtful lady on her way out of Target, handed us her shopping basket, “You’ll need this. There aren’t any inside.”

The three of us walked all the way back to one corner of the store past 32 rows filled with hundreds of people snaking through them aiming for 14 checkout registers.  John got in line immediately. Sarah and I hunted and gathered.

We found the things we’d come for and piled them in the basket. The line was moving pretty quickly, considering.

On our foray, we’d found out that if you were buying any electronics, which we were, you needed to be in a separate line in back of the store. John and I left Sarah with the basket in front, and went back to electronics. I showed him what to get and left him in that line, then went back up front to join Sarah.

The electronics line only had three checkers, so even though that line was shorter, it was slow going for John. Nothing like tag team shopping! Sarah had to go to work at 6am, so once we got checked out, I took her home. Then I turned around and went back to pick John up in the parking lot at midnight, the official start of Black Friday.

Shopping Technique #3: On Cyber Monday, while everyone else was at work shopping online, I was at the mall. (One of the perks of being semi-retired is that I can go shopping on weekday mornings).  As on Way More Civilized Wednesday, the parking was easy, and it was serenely un-crowded. There were lots of bargains for the picking. I even left the mall, coupons in purse, to look for something at a nearby shopping center, and returned to the mall easily with no traffic congestion.

South Hill Mall, Puyallup, WA

When my arms were exhausted from so many reps of shopping bags curls, I loaded my goodies into the trunk and drove around to the other side of the mall, to lessen the odds of my car being broken into. I popped into a few more stores. At JC Penney they didn’t have what I was looking for, so the sales lady told me to check for it online.

Christmas Shopping Technique #4: Following the advice of the Penney’s lady, when I got home, I logged in for Cyber Monday. She was right, they had what I wanted. Amazon also had what I couldn’t find at the mall, and with Amazon Prime it would be delivered to my door in two days.

Bad News: I’d tried to avoid Cyber Monday because I want to support local businesses and brick and mortar stores. I estimate that more than half of my Christmas purchases come from wandering through stores and finding the perfect gift that I didn’t start out looking for.

Also, I missed Waldenbooks and Border’s Book stores. Again, in bookstores, and libraries as well, I randomly search through the shelves. It’s easier for me to judge a book by its cover in person, than online. I’m still looking for a couple more gifts, a specific book, but after a few more unsuccessful attempts, I’ll go with Plan B.

Good News: I should have lots of time to get things wrapped up and in the mail. I’ll be able to sew a few gifts with minimal pressure, and it looks like I may actually wrap my gifts way before my usual Christmas Eve frenzy. Who knew the holidays could be so leisurely? Maybe I’ll also remember where I’ve hidden everything so that I won’t be giving Valentine’s Christmas presents in February.

Laura Keolanui Stark is starting to deck the halls and the rest of the house for the holidays. She can be reached at stark.laura.k@gmail.com.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Cruises into Crockett's Public House

Warning: If you’re on a diet, don’t read this blog.

This story started as a pizza run to downtown Puyallup, but when John and I pulled into the pizza parking lot, every space was taken. As luck would have it, when we turned right out of the parking lot and onto East Stewart Ave. there was a parking space waiting just for us.

It was right smack in front of Crockett’s Public House, newly opened (est. Feb. 2011) in a building that was formerly an antique store, and a feed store before that. 

Inside the brick walls a metal trough (a nod to the feed store roots?) filled with domestic beers on ice sits at one end of the polished wooden bar on the pub side. 

Booths and tables line the restaurant side divided by antique stained glass windows hanging from the open ceiling. TVs are well-placed so customers can watch sports.

The grill is open, so you can see the chefs working back there while the energetic waitresses and waiters bustle to pick up their orders.

At least once a week, our family and whichever of our “kids’” friends are around, get together at Crockett’s, sometimes for dinner after work and sometimes on weekend mornings for breakfast. Since we’re regulars, we’ve gotten to know most of the waitresses, the manager Tracy, and the owner Shaun Broback.   

John and Laura Stark at Crockett's

Deciding what to order is the hardest part of eating at Crockett’s. I have never been disappointed, despite eating my way through most of their menu. Add what others at our table have munched on and devoured and we have most definitely given their chefs a workout.

As Crockett’s biggest fans, we weren’t all that surprised when we got the word that Guy Fieri was going to feature Crockett’s on his top rated Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. After all, their food, their team, and their unique pub atmosphere come together to make Crockett’s special enough to be on Triple D.  What we questioned was how Guy found out about our favorite Puyallup restaurant.

Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-in, and Dives on the Food Network.

And yet, there were surprises to come. Shaun Broback, Crockett’s owner, asked us if we’d like to be there when Triple D was shooting the show. Of course we would! 

The film crew would be there on a Wednesday and Thursday. We were scheduled for Wednesday, the day that Guy Fieri would not be there. Maybe we’d be in some background shots. We marked the date on our calendars (thank goodness John wasn’t traveling), and agreed to keep quiet about it.

Johnny and his girlfriend Sarah K. were jealous. They were the ones who got John and I started watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. They discovered it while they were at WSU. It’s a food show that guys can really wrap their minds around—cruising around in a 396 Chevy Camaro chowing down at the best diners, drive-ins, and dives across America.

This summer when it seemed like our grill never cooled off, Johnny regularly bought Guy Fieri’s Rosemary, Herb Pepper Crusted Beef Sirloin Tri Tip to throw on the grill. For condiments, all of Guy’s barbecue sauces were lined up on our kitchen table for taste testing.

A week before the taping of the show, Shaun asked if we’d be interested in being in Crockett’s on Thursday instead, the day that Guy Fieri was there, and possibly being interviewed. After I stopped jumping up and down, and emailed back “YES,” I asked him if it would be possible for Johnny and Sarah K. to come too.  Shaun answered that they just happened to need two more people!

Then the debates started in our house, and in my own mind. What was my favorite Crockett’s food? I love their shrimp Mexican Street Tacos: a perfect blend of shrimp, pico de gallo, cabbage, cheddar cheese and chipotle mayo all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. But when we first started going to Crockett’s their Crunch burger, was at the top of my list: tender braised pork roast and beef short ribs, chipotle BBQ mayo, with crunchy potato chips on top.

Crockett's Crunch Burger

Then again, on cold, rainy NW nights, their Public House Meatballs that pack some heat, or Mom’s Sloppy Joe topped with onion rings warm me up.  
  John loves every steak from the 10 oz. sirloin to the 16 oz. Dude, along with every burger that they serve on top of a toasted bun. 

Green Chili Cheeseburger--could be the best burger ever.

He took someone there for a business lunch and when his guest from Hawaii bit into the Green Chili Cheeseburger, he proclaimed it the best burger he’d ever eaten in his life!

Johnny thinks the Fire Grilled Artichoke appetizer, the steaks, and oh yeah, the Wood Fire Grilled Mahi Mahi and traditional pub food Beer Battered Cod and Chips are all at the top of his list!

       Sarah K. started off with the Sonoma Spinach Salad as her favorite, but then she tried the Mexican Street Tacos with chicken and loves them so much, she just can’t get past them.

When our daughter Sarah is with us, she’s all for the BLT club sandwich. Nobody else has thick slab pepper bacon like Crockett’s.

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Club Sandwich at Crockett's.

We were going to have to come up with some answers ahead of time so we wouldn’t look like bumbling idiots when Guy asked us what our favorites are.

         The big day arrived. Guy’s iconic red ‘67 Camaro SS was parked in the space John and I had parked in the day we discovered Crockett’s. 

           We all met on the side of Crockett’s, while the film crew set up inside. A Puyallup city policeman on a bike, and a film crew were gathered around with a group of 10-15 of us who were excited, but trying not to look star struck.

Ron, one of the show’s production crew, told us what to expect. When we got inside, we’d have to sign releases. He joked (or maybe not) that if we had any warrants out for our arrest, or were there with a “consort” we shouldn’t be seen with, we’d better bail out now. He also told us how to act, as in “Never look directly at the camera.  Just focus on Guy when he talks to you, and don’t watch the other people when they’re being interviewed, just keep eating.” He also told us to think of how we’d describe our favorite foods. Don’t just say, “It’s really good.” Think about the flavors and even the textures.

Guy would start off standing by his car and introducing Crockett’s. He’d run through his lines a few times while they taped. Turn cell phones off. No pictures. Don’t laugh or react while they’re taping.

Then Guy, with his trademark spiky bleached blond hair, walked out and greeted us. Why does it always seem weird that in real life, celebrities look just like they do on TV? He stood by the hot red convertible and said his lines while the crew tried to tape around traffic driving by. A delivery truck across the street was loudly rolling doors up and down. People driving by spotted Guy and honked. The sounds of everyday life were magnified now that we were paying attention and needed quiet.

Guy Fieri in his iconic '67 Camaro.

Guy said his spiel perfectly except for his pronunciation of Puyallup. (Like that never happens!) We laughed and then tried to stifle our giggles. He had pronounced it correctly all the times before. He said he’d better do it over again or when the show aired everybody in Puyallup would get mad at him. He nailed it on the next take.

When Guy went back into Crockett’s, Ron answered questions about the show. Here are some of the “insider” things we found out. Guy doesn’t drive the Camaro all over the country. It is taken to locations in a trailer, but once they get to a city, they do drive it around town. 

Love Guy's " FLVRTWN" vanity plate.

About the only foods that Guy doesn’t like are “foods with a job:” liver, heart, etc. 

The way that they find restaurants for the show is that people write in with suggestions, and then they follow up by reading reviews of those restaurants, including ones on Yelp! There have actually been restaurants who said they didn’t want to be on the show. Their reasons have ranged from “we don’t need any publicity,” to “we’d lose money shutting the restaurant down for part of two days for the taping.”

Guy and the crew like the Pacific Northwest because of the mountains and snow, and they appreciate that we’re environmentally saavy. Triple D is also shooting at restaurants in Tacoma and Olympia and they named them, but asked us not to tell, or follow them around.

After answering more questions, and  telling more customers that Crockett’s was closed for lunch, Ron looked us over and then pointed to John, me, Johnny, Sarah, and two young ladies in their twenties and said that we would be at Tables 1, 2, and 3. He directed us inside.

Another member of the crew divided the six of us into two groups: John, me, and Kayla at a table near the wall; Johnny, Sarah, and Lisa across the aisle at a table by the kitchen. The seats of our chairs were labeled: Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, and Guy. Wow! We were going to be interviewed by Guy! We introduced ourselves to Kayla and Lisa and signed the releases while the others filed in.

The plan was that we would have three dishes on each table to fight over: Fire Grilled Artichokes, the Public House Meatballs, and Mom’s Sloppy Joe.  John took the meatballs. I grabbed the Sloppy Joe. Kayla had the artichokes.

John's Public House Meatballs.

 

Mom's Sloppy Joe.

Fire Grilled Artichokes.

Our table had a sampler holding three red wines. None of us drink wine, so we were relieved when they also brought each of us a pint of Crockett’s microbrews: a cask conditioned IPA for John, a Mac n Jack’s African Amber for me, and a Diamond Knot IPA for Kayla.

While they filmed, they wanted us to act naturally and talk softly. If we were getting too loud, they’d give us a signal to quiet down. They also said not to eat until they told us. That was hard with the food steaming right there under our noses.

One of the cameramen noticed a purse sitting on a table and didn’t want it in the camera shot. Guy picked up the purse and moved it out of camera view. “You’re getting this on tape right?” he laughed.

Then he walked over and sat next to Lisa, across from Johnny. The director announced, “OK, you can start eating.” The cameras started rolling.

I didn’t stare at Johnny’s table, but my ears sure did grow longer listening to what they were saying as I dug into the sloppy joe with a fork so that it wouldn’t get too sloppy. Guy asked how they’d found Crockett’s and Sarah answered that “Johnny’s parents had found it and taken them there.” Johnny talked about why he liked the artichokes so much and how he thought they cooked them.

And then Guy was sitting across from John. He was kidding with us like we were old friends who always got together at Crockett’s. John pointed out that there were pistachios sprinkled over the meatballs, definitely not your average meatball! Guy asked me what I liked about the sloppy joe, and played a little trick on me that I totally fell for. Kayla told him that she was a waitress at another restaurant, but liked eating at Crockett’s.

I don’t know how they’ll edit our interviews, or if they’ll even include them, but when it was over, I was relieved because I don’t think I said anything stupid, and I didn’t spill anything. John, Johnny and Sarah all sounded natural and like they were enjoying themselves, easy, because they were. Guy was as likeable sitting there with us in Crockett’s as he is on the show. He joked around and made everyone feel comfortable. We are so thrilled that we got to talk to Guy Fieri on his show, and that we got to spread the word about what a special pub we have right here in Puyallup.

Kayla, Lisa, Sarah and Johnny relax after the Triple D shoot.

The producer said that the show will air in about six months, and that Crockett’s will know before it airs. Guy also apologized in advance for the crowds that will be lining up at Crockett’s once the show airs. So, if you want to try it before it becomes famous, you better head over there soon. They’re at 118 E. Stewart Avenue in downtown Puyallup. Directions to get there and the menu are on the Crockett’s website: crockettspublichouse.com/

Laura Keolanui Stark surprised herself by blurting out a different dish than the one she’d planned on saying when Guy asked what her favorite was. She still can’t decide what her favorite Crockett’s meal is so she’ll just have to keep going back. She can be reached at stark.laura.k@gmail.com.