Blog Posts

Gourmet Pizza around Puyallup

Is there really any food better than pizza? You can get it with just about anything on top; you can find inexpensive versions or high-quality, fine-dining versions. And that’s the kind we want to highlight today; we’ve put together a quick list of places around Puyallup where you can find delicious gourmet pizza, none of them far from Willow Hill apartments. We’ve included some reviews of the restaurants from Yelp, and you can click on the links for more information on each. Abella Pizzeria “My go to pizza place. Abella's is serving some of the best pizza in town. The salads are A+ . I always order 2 large Antipasto Salads because I love them so much. The pizza ingredients have greatly improved since I first had it years ago. The pizza is always flavorful and has a great garlicky taste to the sauce. The crust also has a great texture and flavor. Lots of different speciality pizzas to choose from. Abella special is the best. Spanish fiesta is great. Breakfast scramble is good in smaller quantities. Delivery is always on time and friendly. Wait time is usually 45 min.” — Jacob R. MOD Pizza “I'm obsessed with their pizzas. I'm not really a pizza fan but this one is really good. I like that it's thin crust and I can customize my order to my liking. You can add as much meat, cheese and veggies with no extra charge. I thought I would be intimated at the thought of customizing my own pizzas but it's pretty easy. The staff is helpful and friendly. They always greet when you come in and leave even when they are busy.” — Jan W. Cerellos Pizza “Such great pizza! I called in for take out and they were just pulling my pizza fresh out of the oven at the time I had requested. The staff was so wonderful also, very friendly and they gave my daughter free fruit snacks. :)” — Celia R. The Rock Wood-Fired Kitchen “Awesome find. Started with the garlic mozzarella bread- delicious! Shared the house salad with my spouse- regular size, perfect. Ordered the wood fire California pizza-pesto, chicken, sun dried tomatoes. Ordered a 16" , got a 12" which is a perfect size for 2. Because of the mistake they sent out a second pizza which was a 16". Taking it home. Food and service was outstanding. Outstanding service from Nautica. Very personable. Definitely recommend this place. The theme is music. Cool photos on the walls of different albums. Music playing with video on TV's. Great find!” — Beth L.

Visit Oktoberfest Northwest

It’s almost October, which means a major, annual worldwide event is about to begin: Oktoberfest! If you’ve never been, you might not be familiar with what, exactly, Oktoberfest is. To learn more, we went to Wikipedia: “Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it is a 16-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is often called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese). The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810…. The festival is held in an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called the Wiesn for short, located near Munich's centre. During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed: during the 16-day festival in 2013, for example, 7.7 million litres were served. Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods including Hendl (roast chicken), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with Brezen (pretzels), Knödel (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkohl/Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a spicy cheese-butter spread) and Weißwurst (a white sausage).” Munich’s Oktoberfest proved to be so popular that German immigrants carried it with them wherever they went around the world. Nowadays, wherever you live, you can be pretty sure that there will be an Oktoberfest celebration somewhere nearby. For residents of Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup, the nearest and largest event is Oktoberfest Northwest, held just down the street at the State Fairgrounds each year. It will run this year from October 7th through the 9th. If you’re interested in fun games, delicious food, and great drinks, check out their website to learn more.

Get Ready for the Washington State Fair

Its that time of year again in just over a week, the Washington State Fair will be starting up at the Puyallup Fairgrounds, just down the road from Willow Hill Apartments! The fair runs from September 2nd to the 25th, bringing with it a wide variety of attractions and events. Types of fun available this year include: Concerts : This years performances include Tim Mcgraw, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock & Uncle Kracker, Creedence Clearwater, Smash Mouth, Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy, Train, and many more. Rodeo : Featuring bull riding, bareback and saddle bronc riding, roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing, plus the Rodeo Parade and Cattle Drive. Rides : Rides range from the Sillyville rides for kids 32 or taller to Midvale fairground rides for everyone else, and extreme rides such as the Classic Coaster, Extreme Scream, and the Rainer Rush inverted roller coaster. Food : Whether you are looking for a juicy burger, a traditional fair scone, or something out of the ordinary, the Washington State Fair offers a variety of food options to excite your taste buds. Attractions : Unique highlights of this years fair include Discover the Dinosaurs, a unique exhibit with moving replica dinosaurs to touch and see, dinosaur riding, themed inflatables, a dino dig, and gem and fossil panning; art shows and crafting classes, including the Hobby Hall, an exhibit focusing on crafts and collecting; and the Friday Fireworks Spectacular. Animal Exhibits : Featuring the Piglet Palace, draft horse and driving demonstrations, and the Fair Farm. Art & Culture : Art shows, hands-on art instruction, giant pumpkin carving, and La Fiesta de Don Andres" a Latin cultural fair with contemporary music and performances. Shopping : With over 900 vendors at the fair, theres almost more to buy than you could wrap your head around. Whatever youre after, for yourself or for someone else, youll find it at the fair. Contests : Competitions this year include the Emerald Queen Casino Best of Fair Awards and the Ultimate Fan contest at the Ultimate Tailgate party, not to mention fairground booths and prizes in abundance! For admission prices and other information, check out the State Fairs website here .

Visit the Tacoma Comedy Club

Two weeks ago we discussed the fun of celebrating lesser-known holidays and gathered together some tasty recipes to help you all celebrate Ice Cream Sandwich Day. But were not done yet, because theres another holiday this week that we wanted to highlight for you: tomorrow, August 16th, is National Tell a Joke Day! Now you can tell a joke just about anywhere, but we thought wed help you find the funny by highlighting a local stand-up comedy venue: The Tacoma Comedy Club! The Tacoma Comedy Club is located just a short drive away from Willow Hill Apartments here in Puyallup, with upcoming shows featuring comedians like Rod Man, Kevin Bozeman, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?s Greg Proops. Shows run at eight oclock in the evening on Wednesday through Sunday nights, with a second, ten-thirty show on Fridays and Saturdays. Every other Tuesday you can attend special Comedians With Benefits shows that support local charities. You might want to reserve your tickets ahead of time, because shows often sell out fast. All members of the military, police department, and fire department receive a two dollar discount off their ticket prices, unless theyre attending one of the Friday night shows then they get in free! Sunday night shows are free to college students (dont forget your college ID), and Thursday nights are ladies nights all you have to do is not be male, and you get in free. Theres free street parking, two nearby pay lots, and a full food and bar menu. Dont forget your ID, though; the eight oclock shows are 18+, and the ten-thirty shows are 21+. Casual attire is fine, but theyll charge you an extra two dollars if you wear a tuxedo t-shirt. And if youre one of those daring souls who is looking to perform your own stand-up act, send the Tacoma Comedy Club an e-mail every Wednesday night show is open-mike, featuring performances from local comedians like you. Check out the clubs website here for more information.

The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

This last Friday saw the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, or the Summer Olympic Games, taking place this month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We hope you were able to catch the excitement (or at least watch the highlights on Youtube afterward). This years Olympic Games will be running from last Friday, the 5th, until Sunday the 21st. Rio de Janeiro is only the third city in the southern hemisphere to ever host the Olympics, and the very first city in South America. To celebrate, we wanted to highlight some of the history of the Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games were Grecian religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. The most widely accepted inception date for the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC. The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. It is generally agreed that the games ended in either 393 AD or 426, at the decree of the Roman Emperor. In modern times, many people and cities hosted games inspired by the Ancient Olympics, and many even used some variation of the tem Olympic in their titles. In 1890, after attending the Olympian Games of the Wenlock Olympian Society, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was inspired to found the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coubertin worked with the aim of establishing internationally rotating Olympic Games that would occur every four years. He presented these ideas during the first Olympic Congress of the newly created International Olympic Committee. This meeting was held in June 1894 at the University of Paris. On the last day of the Congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games run by the new IOC would take place in Athens in 1896. While the 1896 Games were widely viewed as successful, for the first decade afterward the IOC struggled to gain the traction and popularity necessary to continue the games. As their popularity gradually increased, events like figure skating and ice hockey were added to the programs. The difficulty of maintaining these events during the summer and the wide variety of other cold-weather sports that were not possible to play during the summer led to the creation of the Winter Olympic Games, with the first being held in 1924 in France. The Winter Games were held in the same year as the Summer Games until 1992, when they were moved back two years and have remained on that schedule since. We hope that all the residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup are enjoying this years Olympic Games!

Recipes for Ice Cream Sandwich Day

August isnt really a month that is known for its major holidays; July has Independence Day, September has Labor Day, but there isnt really much going on in between. But in reality, there are plenty of lesser-known holidays in August you just have to go to the trouble of looking them up and deciding to celebrate! Or better yet, you can let us look them up for you, which is what weve done. And we were delighted to discover that tomorrow, August 2nd, is known as Ice Cream Sandwich Day! Now, the quickest and easiest way to celebrate Ice Cream Sandwich Day would be to stop by the store, grab some ice cream sandwiches, and then sit out on the balcony of your apartment at Willow Hill here in Puyallup and enjoy a good book while you devour your desserts. But if you really want to enjoy the holiday, you can make your own ice cream sandwiches: pick whatever kind of ice cream you want, buy or make some tasty cookies, and combine! Or you could try out one of these tasty recipes from Allrecipes.com: Ice Cream Sandwich Cake This frozen cake is quick and easy to make; layers of ice cream sandwiches, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, and nuts make for a delicious treat! Toasted Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich The name says it all. Pick your favorite ice cream, toast your favorite variety of waffle (buy them frozen or make your own), and combine with maple syrup for a taco-like dessert. Frozen Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies Okay, its not technically ice cream in the middle, its cheesecake. But its creamy and its frozen, so were calling it close enough! These take the most effort out of all the recipes weve included here, but you can make a whole lot of them and save them for later. Who doesnt love the sound of a hand-held, cookie-shaped cheesecake? What is your favorite kind of ice cream sandwich? Feel free to share in the comments.