The Rock (289 Good Days in Tacoma)

Sometimes, our attempts to have a "good day" can be a little hard on everybody. Today, for example, was looking a little rocky at first. After a morning spent jostling through crowds at the UPS Flea Market, we headed downtown to try out a "kids eat free" Saturday special, only to find out that the restaurant in question was mobbed with St. Patty's Day crowds.

Rather than wait thirty minutes, the girls and I made our way down Broadway in search of other adventures. Just about everything was closed, or a bar, and the underage portion of our team was getting a little more than tired of mommy's obsession with downtown. Fortunately, we landed at the perfect spot to wipe the slate clean: The Rock (formerly Rock Pasta).

The Rock has a cozy, brick interior, with television screans and music just loud enough to hear each other but not worry about noise from the kids. We saw a number of other families there, enjoying the informal, pretension-free atmosphere and great service.

My two grumpy children were quickly ushered to a table, and immediately presented with two piles of play pizza dough. They set to it immediately. When our server saw that my eldest had sculpted some sort of alien with maraschino cherry stems poking out, she made a point of coming by with another handful of cherries to assist her creative process.

We decided on a basic small cheese pizza, delivered fresh to our table in about five minutes. (This was my first taste of a bread product in over a month, and it was definitely worth it.) The crust was wonderful, thin and bubbly with just enough elasticity. The sauce was a simple crushed tomato affair, perfect in its simplicity. My Picky Child plucked at her cheese and wondered "why do people always think they should put tomatoes on pizza?" I noticed she somehow ate her whole slice anyway.

Fortified by great pizza, strawberry lemonade, and a to-go box full of dough (now hardening at a low temp in the oven--it's an experiment) we emerged happier people, ready to enjoy a rainy walk back to the car.

Age Recommendation: all

The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and Spirits

1920 Jefferson Ave

Tacoma, WA

253-272-1221

tacoma@therockwfp.com

dining, pizza, pizza map, Downtown
Sometimes, our attempts to have a "good day" can be a little hard on everybody. Today, for example, was looking a little rocky at first. After a morning spent jostling through crowds at the UPS Flea Market, we headed downtown to try out a "kids eat free" Saturday special, only to find out that the restaurant in question was mobbed with St. Patty's Day crowds.

Rather than wait thirty minutes, the girls and I made our way down Broadway in search of other adventures. Just about everything was closed, or a bar, and the underage portion of our team was getting a little more than tired of mommy's obsession with downtown. Fortunately, we landed at the perfect spot to wipe the slate clean: The Rock (formerly Rock Pasta).

The Rock has a cozy, brick interior, with television screans and music just loud enough to hear each other but not worry about noise from the kids. We saw a number of other families there, enjoying the informal, pretension-free atmosphere and great service.

My two grumpy children were quickly ushered to a table, and immediately presented with two piles of play pizza dough. They set to it immediately. When our server saw that my eldest had sculpted some sort of alien with maraschino cherry stems poking out, she made a point of coming by with another handful of cherries to assist her creative process.

We decided on a basic small cheese pizza, delivered fresh to our table in about five minutes. (This was my first taste of a bread product in over a month, and it was definitely worth it.) The crust was wonderful, thin and bubbly with just enough elasticity. The sauce was a simple crushed tomato affair, perfect in its simplicity. My Picky Child plucked at her cheese and wondered "why do people always think they should put tomatoes on pizza?" I noticed she somehow ate her whole slice anyway.

Fortified by great pizza, strawberry lemonade, and a to-go box full of dough (now hardening at a low temp in the oven--it's an experiment) we emerged happier people, ready to enjoy a rainy walk back to the car.

Age Recommendation: all

The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and Spirits

1920 Jefferson Ave

Tacoma, WA

253-272-1221

tacoma@therockwfp.com