Have you ever worried about being offered something that is “too good a thing” to be real? Cousin Lavinia and Peggy and I were driving up and down the streets of Proctor in Tacoma looking for a restaurant that was supposed to be out of this world and incredibly inexpensive. Okay, okay, so there is only one street . . . Proctor . . . and there is only three blocks of stores and such . . . we couldn’t find the restaurant that Lavina was determined to find. We even circled the blocks several times. We had some guess and by-golly ideas, and finally decided it was an older north end home that had been a restaurant before . . . perhaps several different owners and offerings. We searched for varied names that Lavinia had us try out. Just across the alley and close to Knapp’s Restaurant we found it: Crudo & Cotto. The lead Staff and owners are Giampaolo Falchetti & Kathryn Philbrook and they promise “A MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE UMBRIAN HILLS AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.” In case you are wondering, there are no Umbrian Hills here in Pierce County, nor the rest of Washington State. The Umbrian Hills mean Italy.
“Umbria is bordered by Tuscany to the west and the north, Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. Partly hilly and mountainous, and partly flat and fertile owing to the valley . . .” The next best thing beyond locating Umbria and the restaurant, was Lavinia promising us the world and getting reservations. We settled for dinner on a Saturday evening as a lead into the University of Puget Sound and the play “Our Town”.
I think at one time there were three different businesses in this once nicely cared for old house. We walked up the stairs (there is a fantastic mirror at the turn of the stairs) and took a table. We were early and the only people there. The open dining room was nicely done and the waitress was very accommodating. We double checked on the prices and had a nice bottle of wine.
Soon the food started its delivery. We had plenty of time and plenty to eat. The Smoked Fish Appetizer was perfect and went perfectly with the wine. Actually, the wine worked well for all of us.
The Tuna Tartar was absolutely perfect. I even loved the pickled yellow cauliflower.
I never tasted the Lightly Breaded Halibut, but it certainly looked good and from all comments was very, very good.
Deedee had the Codfish & Chips. I had one perfect chip. The codfish might call me back some time in the future.
The oysters with the truffle topping was very good and left room for the dessert . . . like we needed more room. I thought I would love the oysters and truffle topping the most, but when we got back I thought over the evening, next time I’ll get myself two orders of the Tuna Tartar.
The staff was informative and helpful. I will go back . . . and the special pricing? It was real.
Crudo & Cotto – 2717 N Proctor St, Tacoma, WA 98407 – (253) 292-1120
Visit the restaurant and enjoy – https://www.crudoandcotto.com/
Look for the stately yellow house.
I went to their website & none of the dishes in your article are on the menu? Do they change it daily?
This place is true gem, I live nearby and have had absolutely delicious meals on every visit. The service is always gracious and helpful in making choices on what to order. It’s one of my first recommendations to friends and family who ask about places to eat a great meal in Tacoma.
Love this place, I bet they appreciate the shout out! When you go back for the double order of tartar – I want to read about your experience. I request you use rich description, shelve “perfect” and “very good”