Food

The Phantom of the Diner — On Edible Art, an Introduction, Part the First

Oly Arts is happy to announce the beginning — joyfully starting in September 2026 — of a new column of culinary and artistic delight, “The Phantom of the Diner,” by a mysterious and erudite writer who identifies only as The Phantom, and who asserts that “There simply must be some right perspective in the world, … a hierarchy of principle and right order to our existence, even in our world of postmodern relativity.” So welcome, dear reader, to the world of The Phantom.

The Phantom

A mysterious and erudite Oly Arts columnist. Articles

LoveOly SummerFest Brings Summer Fun

The purpose of LoveOly, in its third year, is to bring people together and promote downtown. “I love it that we bring the community together right when kids are fresh from the school year,” said Desiree Freeman, executive director of the Downtown Olympia Alliance, which organizes LoveOly. The family-friendly event comes to life June 20 to 22.

Tacoma’s Ground to Sound Festival Makes Art and Conversation Out of a Vital Ecological Concern

If you enjoy a good old-fashioned multi-disciplinary arts party, including more than a dozen zero-budget film productions by local artists, the Ground to Sound Arts Festival in Tacoma might be your lucky festival. Co-sponsored by Foster’s Creative and the City of Tacoma, the Ground to Sound Arts Festival began last year with local artists creating original short films highlighting the problem of untreated water and trash and its journey to the Sound in documentary form. This year there will be a Music Open Mic, film and art, a Literary Reading and Open Mic.

MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival Celebrates a Multifaceted South Sound Community

MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival at Tacoma’s Wright Park on July 27 and 28 is a weekend of multicultural music, dance, art, crafts, and cuisine, with an evening movie in the park and a Kids Zone and sprayground. The festival will see a visit from the Mobile Teaching Kitchen, which will provide a preview of culinary courses available through Metro Parks Tacoma.

LoveOly SummerFest 2024

By John Longenbaugh This is on page 8-9 of OLY ARTS Summer 2024 print edition. Ah, summer. The time of year when what you want isn’t just one good thing, but a bunch of them sort of bumping into each other in an exciting fashion. Take the words “Love,” “Oly,” “Summer” and “Festival”— four fine …

Read more

Olympia Distilling Company Offers New Artesian Vodka

By Molly Gilmore It’s the water. The familiar slogan of Olympia Beer applies just as well to the new Olympia Artesian Vodka, according to distillers Lesa Givens and Ray Watson. The duo, partners in life as well as in the Olympia Distilling Co., are using artesian well water to make the vodka — the same …

Read more

Uptown Grill Promises Great Food, Good Time in Downtown Olympia

By Melinda Minton Michelle Nurmi and Pedro Gallegos are no strangers to the restaurant scene. With over 50 years’ combined experience in downtown Seattle restaurants, the duo has now taken root in Olympia. “I had Pedro come down just  to get his opinion on the kitchen and hear  his thoughts because I respected  his  opinion,” …

Read more

© Copyright Oly Arts, all rights reserved 2015-2026