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Stellar service and consistently good food at Toscano’s Café & Wine Bar

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Tucked away in the corner of a business park of downtown Puyallup, you will find a gem of a restaurant. Toscano's Café & Wine Bar has been serving customers since 2004, and has become the go-to spot for laid back upscale dining in the area. Sitting down at a table at Toscano's and tasting their food, you can tell owners Chef Tom Pantley and Pastry Chef Cindy Pantley put a lot of thought and love into what they're serving.

My experiences at Toscano's can be summed up in one word: service. It was the best service I've had in quite a while, actually. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable and flexible with my dining partners' special requests.

Dinner service on a Friday night meant a packed restaurant, with guests lined up at the door waiting for tables. Reservations seem to be highly recommended if you plan to dine for dinner at peak hours.

I started off dinner with a cocktail, their "Puyallup's Best Rum Drink", made by bartender Lee Zander-Conn. I'm not typically a fruity cocktail kind of girl, but this did the trick, with the tropical flavors sending me on a mini vacation.

The dinner menu at Toscano's leaves diners with plenty of promising choices, from the chef's specials sheet to the range of Italian fare packed with seafood options. Their hot seafood dip ($12.95) was the best I've had, with big chunks of shrimp and crab, served with bread. The server, Linda, recommended the martini clams ($14.95), an appetizer they are known for. With an impressive presentation in a giant martini glass and a generous amount of clams, they were unfortunately gritty. However, when this was mentioned to Linda, she took quick action and brought us another one, which was grit-free.

When it came to dinner, lemon basil salmon ($23.95) was cooked perfectly and served over a pea risotto. My brother ordered the filet mignon ($33.95), which comes with the option for additional toppings. He went with the prawns ($6.95), and was quite happy with his dinner, especially liking the cheesy mashed potatoes that accompanied the steak. Most of the dinner items come with a side of zucchini ribbons, which are lightly cooked and minimally seasoned, just the way I like my zucchini.

The relatively new lunch menu at Toscano's features some of the same entrees as the dinner menu, but with additional sandwiches and burger options. The roasted chicken salad ($10.95) was my kind of salad, loaded with herby roasted chicken, asparagus, roasted peppers and sun dried tomatoes, though it was admittedly over-dressed. I would not normally say you have to order something specific on the menu, but the Tuscan onion soup ($3.95/cup, $5.95/bowl) is not to be missed. A deep, rich broth and caramelized onions are topped with crunchy cubed croutons and a light melting of cheese, leaving me wishing I ordered the larger bowl.

While the prices can be a bit steep for Puyallup, I found the level of service and quality of the food to be worth the extra splurge. Look for Chef Pantley's ever-changing weekly specials menu, as well as daily lunch specials, special events and fundraisers and cooking classes held at Toscano's.

Where: 437 29th St. NE, Suite A, Puyallup, 253.864.8600
Hours: Open Mon. - Thurs. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m., Fri 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat. 3 p.m. - 10 p.m., Sun 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Cuisine: Italian, serving steaks, seafood, pastas, sandwiches and salads.

Scene: The crowd ranges from couples on dates to people celebrating special occasions, as well as the after work crowd grabbing happy hour. Laid back, classy casual.
Drinks: Full cocktail, beer and wine menus, coffee, tea, juices, sodas.
Prices:  Lunch prices range from $3.95 - $15.95, and dinner ranges from $3.95 for a cup of soup to $33.95 for the filet mignon.

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