Sax Restaurant and Lounge

Where: 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.507.2647, www.saxon6th.com

Hours: 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Wednesday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday

Cuisine: Traditional, yet upscale Italian theme. Seafood, steak, pasta, salads, appetizers

Scene: Casual to semi-upscale dining and live entertainment. Lounge for 21+

Drinkies: Specialty cocktails, $4 happy hour martini menu. Coffee, tea, soda

Prices: $4-$24

ANNOUNCER: Many entrepreneurs endeavor to be many things to all people. The combination of restaurant and nightclub or bar/lounge/cafe and live music venue is a popular phenomenon in the land of food and cocktails. Being the newest kid on the block, Sax Restaurant and Lounge on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma continues to establish itself as a venue for dining, dancing and entertainment. A new chef and some menu changes create a need for further identity solidification. What exactly is this place? As the evening wears on at Sax and the dinner hour ends, a DJ booth or band may suddenly appear - and space for dancing may spring up.

JAKE: It was lonely in the dining room. Everyone in the bar area seemed so animated, happy and well taken care of. All of the high-top tables were occupied and people were enjoying live piano and song by Kacey Evans. Most of the bar was full, too, on a Friday night at 6:30 p.m. - while the dining room held only one other table. We later learned an inexpensive happy hour menu is offered only in the bar area. That may have had something to do with the bar's popularity. Wish we'd known.

JASON: I felt left out. There, I said it. No one came around to light our candle. I think neglected is an appropriate word for the dining area vibe - at least on this night. Furthermore, our tablecloth had food spills and crusty smears from previous dinners. Gross. However, our server, Neisha, was pleasant and informative and answered Jake's 40,000 questions without getting irritated.

JAKE: Whatever, Jason. I like to know what I'll be getting, and menus don't always tell the real story, pal. Like with our butternut squash ravioli appetizer. It sounded great on the menu but was odd when it arrived: stiff edges and no telltale golden brown signs of being in a pan. Strange. Though served on a plate with browned butter with freshly chopped sage spooned over it, I don't think it was cooked in it. It's a mystery. The sage butter was certainly tasty.

JASON: I regard sage as one of the forgotten herbs and was glad to see it used here. The ravioli had me stumped, too; the menu states homemade, but it was tough. I had to use a knife to cut it into bites. These should have been tender and very soft all over. Thankfully, the inside was creamy, delicious, buttery squash.

JAKE: Mixed green house salads were quite large, and the basket of hot sliced bread that arrived with them was a nice touch. If you like blue cheese dressing, this is the place for you. Sax's is made from the sous chef's own special recipe. I dunked everything in it - my bread, a last bite of ravioli, the chicken out of a slider. Not a typical creamy blue, it tasted of onion, olive oil, black pepper, and something else that gave it some added zing. Plentiful blue cheese crumbles are always appreciated. This is one zippy, awesome concoction. I forgot to ask if they sell it; they should.

JASON: The slider trio is part of the bar menu that's available at a reduced happy hour price if you sit in the bar. We were lucky to be allowed to get it at our table. As the name "slider trio" suggests, three small burgers arrived. The little buns were toasted lightly and encased a tomato, lettuce leaf and one selection each from this carnivore's trifecta - a juicy, hand-formed beef patty; a breaded and deep-fried chicken breast; and a crab cake full of real crabmeat. Score.

JAKE: I'm very particular about risotto. If it's too wet it can be soupy, oily and bad; if it's too dry, it's cakey and plain yuck. We took a risk and ordered Sax's seafood risotto at server Neisha's suggestion. I was thrilled to just look at it - two thumbs-up. I could see it wasn't swimming in an oil bath nor did it appear dried out. The first bite revealed Neisha had told the truth. I'm happy to report that rich and creamy carnaroli rice held plentiful amounts of halibut, scallops, prawns, and herbs. $18 is a fair price for a dish loaded with seafood. Making it doubly nice, rice was cooked perfectly, and the portion size was enough for a lunch of leftovers.

JASON: In retrospect, we should have done some things differently at Sax: either worn sweats or not eaten so much and sat in the bar.