3 restaurants now open for hungry Tri-Citians. Plus, mini Taco crawl
A one-day Taco Sprint in October blends the best of the Tri-Cities: Tacos and charity.
You can sample tacos from four vendors while raising money for Boys & Grils Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.
The Pasco Taco Crawl Committee is holding the “sprint” on Oct. 5.
The $5 punch cards are available online and at Pasco Specialty Kitchen, 110 S. Fourth Ave.
Participants are eligible for a taco from each vendor, and admission to a beer and margarita garden hosted by Out and About, 327 W. Lewis St.
A dollar from each beverage sold will go to charity.
The event is noon to 7 p.m. Vendors are within walking distance of one another.
Southridge Dugout is open
Southridge Dugout Bar & Grill, a sister to the Dugout locations in Richland and Pasco, is now open near the Canyon Lakes neighborhood.
The 21-and-over restaurant offers full bar service and a variety of regional craft brews and some old favorites on tap. They also serve up lunch, dinner, Taco Tuesdays, Ladies Night on Wednesdays and major sports events on numerous TV screens.
The menu is a basic but tasty selection of burgers, wraps, sandwiches, pizza and finger food.
Construction on the 4,058-square-foot restaurant began last spring at 4810 S. Hildebrand Blvd. next to the roundabout. And it’s opened in time to enjoy some of the last warm days of the season on its generous patio.
Follow the restaurant on Facebook @southridgedugout
Cocktails, coffee coming to The Parkway
The growing popularity of The Parkway in Richland is attracting more interest.
The old building at 702 The Parkway next to the newly expanded Frost Me Sweet restaurant and bakery will soon be replaced with a Moniker Cocktail Bar, a coffee shop and an office building.
The city of Richland expects construction to wrap up by the end of the year, with expected openings in early 2020.
Chapala Express 2
Chalala Express 2, helmed by Christian Godinez, 22, is now open in the former Chico’s Tacos spot on Columbia Center Boulevard.
It moved down the street to replace the popular Chico’s after it closed in April.
Chico’s, which owned the 2,800-square-foot building, and Thomas Lin, who owns the land, chose Godinez to take over the prominent corner across from the flashcube building at the intersection of Columbia Center and West Clearwater.
Godinez opened his first Chapala Express on Columbia Center when he was 19 and took a few months to convert the space and expand his menu.
El Fat Cat Grill reopens
El Fat Cat Grill reopened Friday after closing for six-plus weeks for a major expansion that will speed up service, enable the popular food “truck” to cater customers who use Door Dash and centralize food prep on site.
Owners Jenny and Felix Sanchez closed to swap out the old trailer with a larger one and to spruce up its quarters at 539 N. Edison St., behind Edison Car Wash, with colorful touches by local artists.
El Fat Cat serves traditional Mexican favorites with Thai and Asian influence.
Follow it on Facebook @ElfatcatGrill.mobile
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 12:21 PM.