The Senior Scene

If you are driving along Custer Road in Lakewood near the corner of Bridgeport Way and 72nd and see a silver building shaped like an old-fashioned diner, you are at Best Burger, home of good hamburgers and very good fish and chips, and famous for their fresh berry ice cream in season.
We were looking for a carryout fish and chips dinner and found this one-of-a-kind eatery online. Established in 1999, Best Burgers is family-run and has good, fresh food at reasonable prices. Drive up to the menu stand on either side of the building and pick out your dinner, wait and get your hot meal. On a nice day, walk up and get your order and eat at the picnic table in front. I love diners, and just being at Best Burger gave me a warm feeling.
We ordered fish and chips at $9.99, chicken sandwich at $6.99, and a Banana Mango Raspberry Smoothie at $3.99. Everything was cooked on site. The fish and chips was perfect. The three pieces of cod were lightly breaded and fried very crisp without any extra grease or oil dripping from each piece. The taste was mild and sweet, fragrant but not fishy, and the fries were nice and thick and also crisp without any fish taste, which indicates good, clean cooking oil is used. The meal came with tartar sauce and ketchup on the side.
The chicken sandwich came with a large grilled chicken breast, house dressing resembling thousand island, and romaine lettuce and tomato on a soft hoagy bun. The spices were tasty but not too hot, just enough to warm the tongue.
The smoothie was thick and rich and very mild-tasting; no one fruit was overpowering. Berry season is coming, and we will be going back for Best Burgers’ homemade ice cream.

IF YOU GO

Best Burgers
7714 Custer Road
Lakewood WA 98499
253472 – 0736
9 AM to 9 PM Monday through Friday
8 AM to 9 PM Saturday and Sunday

Carolyn Augustine, who writes Senior Eats for Senior Scene, is a freelance restaurant writer.

We decided to find some authentic Mexican food, and the Taqueria el Antojo was mentioned as a place where the food was very good, at reasonable prices, and we tried it.
Located in a little strip mall at 56th and Orchard in University Place, the Taqueria takes up the entire west end of the strip. The restaurant has a front counter, a massive bar area, and seating for nearly a hundred in the main dining room. There is a large popcorn-style case near the counter, filled with self-serve nacho chips with a variety of sauces nearby. Bathrooms are accessible and spotless.
The menu is expansive, and we ordered three fish tacos at $3.96, three mixed papusas at $6.30, three beef tacos at $3.96, chicken tamales at $5.24, flan at $4.50, one bottle of Mexican Coca- Cola at $3, one Berry Sexy 4 You cocktail at $5.70, and one strawberry margarita at $5.70.
The fish tacos were my first, and the crisp fried fish portions were lightly seasoned and surrounded with fresh shredded cabbage and offered with a variety of sauces. No cheese came with any meal, which I thought was odd, but was reassured that not all Mexican food has cheese. The little street-style beef tacos were loaded with flavorful beef and came with sauces, and the tamale was loaded with shredded chicken and had a generous corn flour coating. The flan was a perfect, soft vanilla egg custard with caramel sauce. It melted in your mouth.
On this day, the three young women who were staffing the place seemed overwhelmed and we had trouble getting our drinks until we were almost ready to leave. Still, the meal was mostly so enjoyable, and the prices so reasonable, that I would recommend the Taqueria for authentic Mexican food.
Enter the strip mall off Orchard or 56th. Be careful parking, since the parking lot is on a gentle hill, and a disabled person might not notice. Large lot, plenty of parking.
IF YOU GO
Taqueria el Antojo
5502 Orchard St. W., University Place
253-212-0914
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight

Carolyn Augustine writes the Senior Eats column for Senior Scene.

A few blocks north of the hospital district in Tacoma is a surprise.
Tucked into a residential area, with no parking to speak of, is Parkway Tavern, a pub with lots of wooden stools, open areas for standing and talking, a big wooden bar, very accessible bathrooms with designer sinks and subway tiles, lots of beer and walls covered with pictures of owners and patrons.
We went in on a blustery day and found a spacious room with a library feel and a nice server, Emily, who answered all our questions, helped us get seated, and brought everything in a timely manner.
We ordered a cup of Soup of the Day, a spicy vegetable (made by Tina, a deft hand with seasonings) at $3.50 and so good we ordered another cup to go as we left, a club sandwich at $8.50, a Mushroom Swiss Burger at $8.50, and half a quesadilla at $4.50.
The soup had fresh chopped vegetables in a tomato base, not overly peppery, and welcome on this chilly day.
The half-quesadilla was fine but very basic with cheese and tortilla and overpriced in my opinion.
The club: My pet peeve is a “club sandwich” without three slices of bread. That big sandwich at the golden arches happens to be a club. So this sandwich was just a meaty, cheesy sub with lots of ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, and mayo — very good, on a soft bun.
The Mushroom Swiss Burger was terrific! A really good hamburger to add to my collection. This was a flame-grilled, thick, large, beef patty with melted Swiss cheese, cut mushrooms, tomato and onion. Very tasty, and worth the money, It came with a salad.
I recommend the Park Way Tavern for atmosphere, burgers and staff. But be aware that parking can be a real problem, and they don’t serve coffee.
IF YOU GO
Park Way Tavern
313 N. I St., Tacoma, Washington (Go to I and Division in downtown Tacoma and turn north on I. The tavern is on the north side of the street. Parking is as it is, on street.)

Carolyn Augustine is a freelance restaurant writer.

Cold and tired? Hungry and looking for something interesting? Greek food! Cute restaurant with blue painted decorations, drive-in window … Yay!
I had a talk with Christine at the window at It’s Greek to Me while we tried to work out an order that had ingredients that my whole family would eat, be tasty, and had generous servings. We settled on the 10-inch Greek Garden Pizza at $9.95 with $3 for added chicken, a chicken gyro at $6.49, and the Souvlaki appetizer which was two chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce at $6.99. Sounds like a lot of chicken, but I wanted to taste the spices and condiments without too much of a challenge, and I was happy with these choices. You could choose beef or lamb for any menu item.
Everything was delicious and made to order. The pizza came to the car flaming hot, loaded with kalamata olives, black olives, fresh garlic, lots of chicken, fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, and dripping with feta cheese. Spices were oregano, pepper and basil. Waiting until it cooled off enough to touch it was a good idea and gave me a chance to taste the chicken skewers.
Each long wooden skewer had four big pieces of chicken breast marinated in garlic, olive oil and spices. The tzatziki sauce is yogurt, olive oil, grated cucumber, garlic and lemon, and was tangy and flavorful.
The gyro, a Greek sandwich served on pita bread, had onions tomatoes, letttuce, tzatziki sauce and browned ground chicken. It was tender and very good.
If you have a taste for Greek-style food and find yourself anywhere near downtown Tacoma, stop in at It’s Greek to Me. The menu has something for everyone, and the prices are reasonable.
(I am dedicating this column to Carole Hobson,a reader from the first column, longtime friend and dining partner. I will miss her.)

Carolyn Augustine, a freelance restaurant writer, writes the Senior Eats column for Senior Scne.