Town Square Park

31620 20th Ave S, Federal Way
http://www.cityoffederalway.com/facilities.aspx?page=detail&rid=37

I have to say that I kind of love Mayor Jim Farrell. Not in a creepy, restraining order sort of way. In a civic pride, nerdy sort of way. I frequently say to my husband, “You know what this town needs?” and then I go off about something that would clearly make the community better. Ever since Mayor Farrell has taken office, I regularly read about my ideas magically happening.

A great example of this is the new Town Square Park, which opened this summer. It’s right in the middle of downtown Federal Way and helps answer the inevitable questions, “where is downtown Federal Way?” or even, “does Federal Way actually have a downtown?” The park features a huge lawn suitable for outdoor movies, yoga, and doing cartwheels (my daughter’s preference); picnic tables and grills; multiple basketball courts; a pea patch; a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier; and a paved area with a Christmas tree and area for a farmer’s market and food trucks.

Just since July, we've attended a handful of events at Town Square Park, from the park’s grand opening celebration which featured live music, food trucks, face painting, and two bounce houses; to a movie night at which the mayor himself served free popcorn before the town enjoyed the Lego Movie while lying under the stars. This weekend, we will be attending a tree lighting ceremony with local choirs, hot chocolate, and Santa Claus arriving via fire truck.

This area is quickly becoming a fun hub for the community of Federal Way and I’m so glad to see this particular dream of mine come true – especially since I didn’t actually have to do anything to make it happen!

Serious Soul Cafe

35501 21st Avenue SW, Federal Way
www.serioussoulcafe.com

Ok, forget the Seattle Girl today – this post is dedicated to my southern girls. I actually waited to try Serious Soul Café until my friend from North Carolina was in town. I had been noticing it every time I went to buy cat food at Simply Paws and I was intrigued. I figured if it passed muster with my friend who has southern roots, it would get a gold star from me. Not only did it get her stamp of approval, she actually said that their hushpuppies are some of the best she’s had. I absolutely have to agree. They are so soft and fluffy on the inside and were served with a honey dipping sauce. The fried chicken was perfect – crispy and juicy but not at all greasy. They make amazing macaroni and cheese and the collard greens were delightful. My husband had their ribs and a slice of pecan pie and enjoyed that very much too. I would guess that everything on the menu is as delicious, based on the food we tried. The café itself is tiny, with only about six tables, but the owners are so friendly and the close quarters made for some cozy time with another couple with whom we wound up playing trivia from the Coffee News. My only caveat is this, plan to do laundry and wash your hair right after you eat here – the smell of the fryer really lingers. You can also get takeout from them and avoid the issue altogether but either way, the food is totally worth it.

Shorty's Grub House

34417 Pacific Highway South, Federal Way

www.shortysgrubhouse.com

Update: Shorty's has moved from the Federal Way location to Black Diamond.

I love barbecue.  When I was in college, my girlfriends and I one time drove for more than three hours to get to our favorite barbecue restaurant in a town 180 miles away.  The trip wound up involving crazy shenanigans and became much more complex, as these things often do, and the three of us girls wound up spending the night in a dive motel with no heat and had to huddle together in one bed with our coats on and a fifth of Old Crow to keep warm.  Classy, I know.  The point is that these girls and I are devoted to our barbecue and in fact, one of them went so far as to have her wedding catered by a barbecue restaurant.


Meatloaf Sandwich

You can imagine my joy when we discovered Shorty’s Grub House here in Federal Way.  This is the sort of place you walk into and know they will have good food.  It’s in a pretty barebones building on Pac Highway with a big pink pig fashioned out of a steel drum in front.  The front door sticks and for a moment, I thought it was locked until I heard the owner of the restaurant calling to me to pull harder.  When I made it in, he said, “You really have to manhandle that thing.”  Yes.  I looked around the restaurant and surveyed the trappings.  Rolls of paper towels on the tables: check, menu written on a giant chalk board over the counter: check, table devoted solely to holding the condiments, including three different degrees of hot sauce: check.  In addition, there was a Tonka truck just waiting for little hands to play with, much to my daughter’s delight. 

While I tried to decide what to eat, I was assured by the owner that everything is delicious.  I have no doubt.  I eventually ordered the meatloaf sandwich which is smothered in grilled onions and their grubbin’ sauce – the same barbecue sauce that all of the barbecued meat wears.  It’s served on grilled sourdough bread.  I also had a side of their three-cheese macaroni and cheese and I couldn’t resist trying the sweet potato hash as well, which features sweet potatoes, russets, garlic and onions garnished with cinnamon.  The sandwich was delightful – warm and soft and literally dripping with sauce.  I set to work on it and didn’t come up for air until it was gone.  Meanwhile, my two-year-old was enjoying the macaroni and cheese, which was exactly what you want the macaroni and cheese at a barbeque restaurant to be.  It has fat noodles, a light crumb topping and a blend of cheeses to make it just zippy enough but still pass as comfort food.  The sweet potato hash was a happy surprise and was a great blend of sweet and savory.  I should also mention that they do breakfast as well and after peeking at that menu, I’m sure that I will find something to love at Shorty’s any time of day. 

Rest assured, the next time my college pals are in town, I will take them straight to Shorty’s Grub House, a convenient 4-mile drive from my home.