Choripan by Asado is located at
the Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock Street
Review and photos by Ted Broussard
Enter Through the Café
To be
perfectly honest, I don’t often think of a museum café when I’m trying to
decide where to go to lunch. Sure, if I’m there already and I’m dying of
starvation, it suddenly becomes a great choice. Otherwise --- not so much. All
that changed for me though when I recently re-visited Choripan at the Museum of
Glass, right down the waterfront. I had been there a couple of times before and
thought it was good but this time, the stars, or more likely our menu choices,
aligned for greatness.
Having
credentials like being run by the folks who own Asado on 6th Avenue helps but
the real proof is in the food. The menu has a simple formula: Choose your
protein (Uli’s Spanish Chorizo Sausage, Buttermilk Marinated Chicken, Bistro
Steak, Mahi Mahi, or Braised Tofu.) Next, choose your style: Sandwich, Bowl or
Salad. You don’t have to worry about mixing and matching because the menu has a
large selection of “standards” that pull it all together for you. Sandwich
options range from Clubhouse to Chicken, Bacon & Pesto to a ham or bacon,
egg and cheese breakfast combination and many more. Salad choices include
Chicken Yakisoba and Buttermilk Chicken Caesar with side salad offerings of
Pineapple Jicama Noodle, Red Potato or Quinoa Salad. Prices range from $7.95 for
the entrée to $10.95 with a side or cup of soup added to your main. If you’re
not up for a full lunch, check out snacks and a couple of pastries and sweets
all made by the house pastry team. Choripan features Bluebeard coffee and has a
full menu of coffee drinks, if you’re looking for a new favorite coffee shop
hang-out to linger over a book or newspaper. If you’re looking for an early
glass of wine, beer or even a MOGarita (with a nod to Museum Of Glass), you
could do a lot worse than hang out here at least till 5 p.m. when they close.
On our most
recent visit; we were very impressed with the Italian Sandwich with a side of
Roasted Pepper Soup. Both were excellent. The sandwich is composed of thinly
sliced salami and ham, white cheddar, mixed greens, olive tapenade, roasted
yellow tomato bruschetta, sliced tomato, pesto aioli and balsamic glaze all
served on your choice of perfectly grilled bread. The olive tapenade added just
the right complement to the meats and all the ingredients blended into a
singular flavor explosion. The soup tasted like one big roasted red bell pepper
went to heaven and came back as a soup. It was delicious.
Our other
choice this visit was a special of the day---Chicken Tagine. OMG, these people
know how to put flavors together! A buttermilk marinated chicken breast
beautifully grilled over a bowl of couscous with almonds, apricot chutney,
aromatic and tasty Middle Eastern spices, and my personal favorite touch,
roasted lemon slices. It was outstanding. It sold for $12.95 which is just a
bit spendy for lunch at a café but oh so worth it. Highly recommend it if it
appears again as a special.
Service is
at the counter where you order and pay but your food is delivered to your
table. Our server was friendly and helpful and even gave us the Museum of Glass
member discount (10% off) without having our card on us at the time. Environment
is modern and clean as you’d expect in a contemporary art museum. There’s an
outside seating area with gorgeous views of the Thea Foss if you want a little
natural beauty with your deliciousness.
Tacoma is
rightfully proud of our many museums downtown and you don't need a lot of other
good reasons to visit them. But if you're looking for a high quality, nearby
lunch option with or without a Hot Shop visit, consider Choripan. You can exit
through the gift shop if you choose but don't forget to enter through the café.
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