The ownership team of Shawn and Emily DeCicco and Dennis and Taressa Krumwiede quietly opened The Loose Wheel Bar and Grill Wednesday, March 31, in the former 6^th Ave Bar & Grill spot. The couples have a history in the local hospitality business. The DeCiccos currently own Puyallup's Summit Pub. Shawn's stepfather owned Nifty Fifties. Taressa worked at Nifty Fifties for 11 years. And the Krumwiedes own three coffee shops in Puyallup and Orting.

Shawn and Emily and Dennis and Taressa are looking to entertain you with this venture.

"Our whole goal is to find out what customer want and give it to them," explains Shawn.

What customer will receive is nothing short of a rich friend's rec room: pool tables, darts, flat screen Golden Tee, Pop-a-Shot, foosball, Atari Missile Command and Ms. PacMan 25 cents table top games. The game and racing will be on 20 flat screen televisions. And 58 pull-tab games await the gamblers.

The ownership team will experiment with live entertainment options - karaoke, open mic, jam night, live bands, art and pool leagues - until they find the right combination. Stay tuned.

The Loose Wheel lets it loose in the kitchen serving lunch and dinner daily with a weekend breakfast on the horizon. Here are a few of the dishes:

Deep fried pickles featuring dill slabs hand-breaded in just the right amount of panko/spice blend with a delicious honey mustard dip;

Hand-dipped pressure fryer chicken and hand-cut jojos with Seattle's Marian Davis custom tangy and savory barbecue sauce rising shotgun;

Six different wing types - the mild to hot recipes are the collaborative effort of owners and staff.

"Bars don't really do dessert, but we wanted to; the deep-fried Twinkies are so good," says Shawn with a chuckle. The Loose Wheel also drops Oreos, Snickers, and ice cream in the deep-fat fryer.

And for those who can throw it back Bubba in the kitchen serves up The What Were You Thinking Burger - a gut busting gastro challenge of two pounds of burger, half a pound of bacon and the usual toppings laid between two actual grilled cheese sandwiches that act as buns. If that isn't enough, it comes with two pounds of jojos ($18.95). It's free if you put it away in 25 minutes.

Bartender Peter Hernandez points out the 21 beer taps with 15 micro brews.

The Grand opening celebration will be Saturday, April 10 at 8 p.m. The Funky Monkey will broadcast the event live while the Miller and Jager Girls mingle. Drinks and food will be discounted. And expect giveaways, too.

Shawn anticipates it'll be one hot party.

"It's not about us making money; it's about making friends," he adds.

[The Loose Wheel Bar and Grill, daily 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., 4-7 p.m. daily happy hour, 21 and older only, 6108 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.301.1647, www.theloosewheel.com]