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!

Verrazanos Italian Restaurant

28835 Pacific Hwy S, Federal Way
www.verrazanos.com

Even without the delicious food, well-rounded wine list, and pleasant service, Verrazanos is the best restaurant in Federal Way. The town has something like 8 miles of waterfront and this is, to my knowledge, the only restaurant which takes advantage of that fact. With large, west-facing windows and a spacious deck, Verrazanos offers a spectacular view of Poverty Bay, Maury Island and the Olympic Mountains. As you can imagine, this is a popular spot in the summer for people who want to dine al fresco. Verrazanos deck is one of my favorite places to be on a summer evening. In the winter, the view is just as great from inside the warm, rustic interior of the restaurant.

But did I mention the delicious food, well-rounded wine list, and pleasant service? Even when they are busy, the servers are courteous and friendly. Their wine selection is great, featuring a lot of Italian wines, as well as some great west coast options.

With all this going for it, the food could be bad and I'd still eat here. But the food is great. It's heavy on seafood, steaks and Italian comfort food like eggplant parmesan, spaghetti, and risotto. They also make fantastic personal sized pizzas and have really nice salads. However, I could not write a review of this restaurant without mentioning their cannoli. It is so good. Really good. Slap your mamma good. Leave the gun, take the cannoli good.