Two-and-a-half pounds of local Manila clams tower above the rim of a hilariously large martini glass, its shape mirroring the outline of Mount Rainier, visible from the patio on a clear day. In the cup’s cone, a broth of vermouth with ample garlic, slivers of celery and onions, parsley and visible flecks of black pepper coats the petite bivalves. The current power-move is to request the new house focaccia, a moist, cold-fermented success from the Puyallup Italian restaurant’s executive chef — who started as a dishwasher some 14 years ago.
Those martini clams are by far the most ostentatious thing about Toscano’s, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this September.
For one, the restaurant is located in a business park off Main Avenue, a commercial road connecting Puyallup and Sumner that runs parallel with the railroad. The sign is visible only if you know to pull into the parking lot and walk into what, from the outside, looks like an office building (which it also is).
Although staff wears crisp black uniforms, collared shirts and aprons, the interior is not flashy. Custom cherry millwork surrounds the bar, which was elongated as part of a pandemic remodel. In those dark days of March 2020, I spoke with manager Sue Walker, whose team had, basically overnight, flipped from a white-tableclothed affair to a takeout operation with family-style trays of linguine and homemade meatballs and cheesecakes in a box. Over many Mondays, they also cooked what ultimately amounted to thousands of complimentary meals for first responders at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital.