Local Restaurant Update: Part 4

Part 4 – Something Blue

The finale of the four part series! In case you missed them, here are the first three:

And now for Something Blue…., has been open since April 2010, but it’s a relatively new find for us.  And while it’s not unanimously our favorite pizza in Gig Harbor (a hotly contested issue in our family and the subject of an upcoming blog post,) it is my favorite.

I love the super thin, crispy pizza crust.  The salads are huge; the small size is enough for two people.  The Chop Chop salad is excellent and packed with flavor.  They have a salad bar with so many options that it’s a meal by itself.  Good salad bars are a rarity these days so it’s great to have this one around.  We have only tried one of the sandwiches, the Cannon Ball, an extra-cheesy, better-than-average meatball sandwich.

The atmosphere is modern, light and spacious with televisions in every corner tuned to sporting events.  There are several arcade-type games to entertain the kids while waiting for the food.  A large separate dining area is available that can be reserved for large groups.

It’s a great family destination because of the casual atmosphere and the diverse menu.   We have never had any problems with slow service here.  They run specials on occasion and you can often find coupons for them in local publications.

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Now I would like to take a moment to address something that’s been bothering me since moving here about two years ago.  I can’t count the number of times I have heard the complaint that we have no “good” restaurants in Gig Harbor.  Usually this is stated as a lack of quality of a particular variety of restaurant, such as breakfast, pho, seafood, pizza, fine-dining, and so on.

I’m not trying to say that every single restaurant here is the “best” out there.  This is very subjective and it’s impossible to please everyone.  I think we (me included!) can be a little over-critical sometimes.

The truth is, we have some really good restaurants in Gig Harbor that are run by some wonderful people.  Operating a restaurant is difficult under the best of circumstances and keeping one afloat during these trying economic times takes a herculean effort by these small business owners.

I lived in Shelton before moving here and I still drive through that town on a regular basis.  Just on the route I take through town, no less than seven restaurants have closed their doors in those two years.  Only one has re-opened under new management.  And I see that happening all over the country during our travels.

Gig Harbor seems to be the exception.  Not only do we have a wide variety of restaurants for a small town, even with Tacoma just across the bridge, but in that same two years, we have had many new restaurants opening with only a couple closing.

I am so grateful to live in a city like Gig Harbor and things are only getting better.  We have more exciting changes coming up in the Gig Harbor restaurant scene that I haven’t even mentioned yet but stay tuned…

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to applaud those hard working restaurateurs and to thank them for their hard work and sacrifice.  I encourage you to go out there and show them your appreciation by dining at one of our great local restaurants.