The Huckleberry Club, a new bar from a group of Tacoma industry veterans, opened this fall with a menu full of fried potatoes nearly the size of Nerf footballs. The tubers arrive at the Hilltop address in boxes 40 deep, each in the one-pound weight range.
Under soft pink and purple lights and lava lamps, black ceilings and walls with color accents of music posters and planters with disco balls, you can take a seat in a few pinball machines in the front or in the sofa with several tables. The bar offers high seating and some standing room, plus a few televisions. It’s the kind of place where you can be alone, be with friends, be a carnivore or vegan, want a snack or a meal, sip on a top shelf tequila or a Rainier tallboy.
“It was important for us to remain approachable,” says JaimeKay Jones, about atmosphere, offering and price.
The ownership team includes household names from the Tacoma bar and restaurant scene, dating back to the original Top of Tacoma days in the late 2000s. (The McKinley bar changed hands again this summer.) JaimeKay and Jason Jones are back, together with former top manager Greg Rodriguez, his partner Magdalena Ramos and Joy Wyrick.
The Huckleberry Club opened in Hilltop in late September. Owners Jason and JaimeKay Jones (left) with Joy Wyrick (back right), Greg Rodriguez and Magdalena Ramos (center) wanted to create an accessible, everyday neighborhood bar.
They took over Broken Spoke, a combo beer bar and barbershop, on Martin Luther King Jr. this summer. Way 1014. They kept the basic footprint, but the space has been transformed by the touches of old friends who know how to build a successful bar. Both played key roles in Top and the Joneses’ Marrow, which opened in 2011 in what is now Wooden City.
“It helps that you’ve done it before,” says JaimeKay Jones.
In short, their mission with THC is – just like in other locations – to create an everyday meeting place in the neighborhood.
WHY POTATOES?
The entire menu is gluten-free – a decision that made sense when they opted for potatoes.
The decision was threefold. First, they had a limited budget and did not want to invest in upgrading the existing kitchen in a building they were renting. They also wanted to do something different: no pizza, no tacos, no burgers or sandwiches.
“Something creative,” Jones said, “but in a room the size of a food truck.”
Also: “Greg and I Love fried potatoes.”
THC uses 1 pound of Northwest Russets for their fully loaded potatoes. The Lemmy is one of several meat-free options, with black beans, slaw, avocado sauce, candied jalapenos and pickled red onions.
She described the menu, which includes esquites-style corn, pan-sized nachos and hearty salads, as simple but thoughtful. They prepare all dressings and sauces in-house. Anything that’s already vegetarian can be made vegan – they have plant-based butter and sour cream, and they make a vegan cheese with a secret recipe that they would only reveal, without cashews, a common staple substitute.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Wyrick said, and she eats real cheese, like the house Tillamook cheese sauce.
Lore says that Russets, a prized possession of the Pacific Northwest, became the fried choice because of their thick skin. According to some historical accounts, Idaho-bred Russets crisscrossed the country thanks to the Northern Pacific Railway, and their fried forms were championed by the owner of steakhouses in Chicago and New York in the early 20th century, Dario Toffenetti. As for when they embraced extra layers of cheese, meat, sour cream, scallions and everything else a smart cook could think of – well, that’s more mysterious.
THC splits the pudding in half and bakes it with butter. Out of the oven they are layered with all kinds of accessories ($10-$14). When they come to the table, in a round paper bowl on a brightly colored tray, they tower several centimeters. The only question is how to dig in and whether to share.
The Cheesy Cobb Crunch esquites-style corn contains crema, mayonnaise, butter, scallions and Hot Cheeto dust.
In addition to those with braised beef, chorizo, shrimp or bacon, four options skip the meat for broccoli and quinoa, black beans, vegetable chorizo or corn. Slaw, cheddar, candied jalapenos and pickled red onions are plentiful.
Corn ($6-$7) is tossed in butter with corners of mayo, crema, cotija and various textural finishes like Hot Cheeto dust and cracker nuts. Salads ($13) are substantial and served with fun dressings that match the theme, such as basil-serrano ranch and tamarind-tahini. Nachos ($13) have similar fixings to the potatoes, but on fries, of course.
A short cocktail list includes a mule and margarita, an old fashioned with blueberry, maple and mezcal, and a punch with blueberry syrup. Again, prices are very reasonable, topping out at $11.
The name comes from the owners’ own friendships.
“It’s a term of endearment,” Rodriguez said. “We all called each other Huckleberry.”
Find a pinball machine and a banquet with front seating. The bar has high tables and a few TVs.
“Our main goal is to be inclusive,” said JaimeKay Jones. “We want it to be comfortable, a place where you can hang out, have an NA, play pinball, eat a potato.”
In other words: you too can become a member of The Huckleberry Club.
THE HUCKLEBERRY CLUB
▪ 1014 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253-300-8340, instagram.com/the_huckleberry_club
▪ Daily 4pm – late
▪ Details: new neighborhood bar with pinball, potatoes, salads and esquites (food $6-$13), plus occasional specials; full bar (house cocktails $8-$11)
