I haven't been to church in years; when I go, it's once a year to the Tacoma Greek festival at St. Nick's. The Orthodox Greek church at So. 15th and Yakima Ave. has hosted the annual event for 59 years, only missing the last couple due to the pandemic. The yearly Tacoma tradition is back; sitting at shared tables with friends and fellow Tacomans, celebrating Greek culture and food, and yelling "OPA!" together felt great.
The food stall I visit first every year serves grilled Greek sausage, loukaniko, and the meat on a stick favorite, souvlaki. I was hyping the loukaniko to the person in front of me who had never had it before. I was talking about its orange peel and fennel flavors; the person serving overheard me and told me the company that made them was out of business, and these sausages were a new recipe. Slightly spicer without that unique flavor, its still a good link worth getting along with the lemony oregano-flavored pork souvlaki. After being grilled, both skewers are dunked into olive oil, sprinkled with herbs, and served on bread.
The gyro line is the longest; skip past it and go inside, where they sell three appetizers. The meat and rice stuffed grape leaf dolmathes in a creamy lemon sauce, the savory spinach-cheese puff pastry spanakopita, and maybe the best of the three; tangy feta puffed pastry snacks tiropitas. The gyro is fine, but these three are worth the wait.
Our only regret was not getting the pastitsio, the Greek-style lasagna with layers of pasta, meat sauce, and a creamy bechamel sauce. Next year, you better believe it will be the first stop when the tent opens.
After all this delicious savory food, hit up the Loukoumades stand for some sweet relief, golden dough balls fried up golden brown, drizzled with a citrus honey syrup, and liberally sprinkled with cinnamon.
The baked goods highlight the food offered at the festival; I imagine an army of grandmas in the church basement cranking out an assortment of treats. We all shared the ouzo cake, the simple orange-flavored cake moistened with famous Greek anise liquor, honey-drenched baklava, the kourabiedes cookies topped with an avalanche of powdered sugar, and my new favorite Kataifa, similar to baklava but with a crunchy shredded pastry shell; the perfect way to finish a Greek feast.
My Greekfest reel on instagram
OysterFest
Another annual festival that's been on hiatus during the pandemic is OysterFest in Shelton, WA; since 1982, oyster lovers have been gathering to celebrate Mason county's most delicious export. Back this year and hopefully for many to come, OysterFest is an authentic slice of Washington state.
My favorite stand was the Boy Scouts serving BBQ oysters, not only for the incredible oysters cooked over charcoal and drenched in garlic butter but for the infectious spirit of the crew working together and having a great time. They put on a performance surrounded by hungry onlookers waiting patiently, working with live fire, smoke, and popping oysters, all with a cheerful call and response of "HOT BUTTER COMING THROUGH!" Grilled oysters are reminiscent of the style I ate as a kid in the S.C. Lowcountry; the smell of fire with friends and family gathering around eating oysters made me very happy and reminded me of when we would have an oyster roast every fall.
Of course, a trip to Oyster fest wouldn't be complete without eating raw oysters on a half shell. Ice cold, briny, and clean-tasting oysters fresh from local Taylor farms, perfect with just a drop of tabasco hot sauce.
Another can't-miss item is the Oyster fritters. Chopped oysters deep fried in a slightly sweet batter that could be krusteaz pancake mixed with beer. They are damn good by themselves and unbelievably delicious slathered with the sweet chili sauce at the condiment table.
There were plenty of non-oyster seafood options. Some of the best include the decadent bacon-wrapped grilled scallops on a stick in beurre blanc sauce, crunchy sweet and savory coconut fried shrimp, and shrimp gumbo touted as a cure-all by the rowdy and fun volunteers slinging it.
Both festivals were top-notch, with enthusiastic volunteers, fantastic food, and good times. The first weekend of October is one to watch on your culinary calendar; see you out there next year!
Oyster 🦪 Festival!!!