Dirty Oscar's Annex — Restaurant in Tacoma

Following another exciting 90 minutes of what ended up turning into a physical torture session instead of therapy, it was off on a new dining adventure. We had driven by Dirty Oscar’s in our dining search. Today was the day we decided to see what they were all about.

There is a huge sign as you enter saying you must be 21 and you must show ID. Sadly, neither Ray nor I were carded which I suppose must mean we do look old enough for them to be positive we are above legal drinking age.

We were greeted warmly and seated immediately. Menus and drink specials were left for us to peruse while the bartender attended to other customers.

Breakfast is served all day and there was more than one option which caught my eye. Ditto with lunch but I decided on breakfast, specifically chicken and waffles.

The waffle comes stuffed with bacon, sweet seasoned butter, syrup and three pieces of chicken. The pieces are a breast, thigh and drumstick. I asked if I could substitute the thigh and drumstick for two chicken wings. I was told no but I could have two chicken breasts. SCORE!!!! Oh yeah!!! Order placed!!!

Ray ordered the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. He opted for the Rosemary fries, over regular fries, which cost $1 more. We both ordered coffee. We were happy to wait while a fresh pot was made.

Our food arrived and WOW!!! My chicken breasts were huge, boneless with a tasty, crunchy, slightly warm (spicy) coating, and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. I was a little skeptical of the powdered sugar but it was a beautiful enhancement!! The chicken was tender and juicy. The waffle was loaded with bacon, and was still light and crispy.

I requested a second plate so I could move my chicken and butter and cover my waffle with syrup. The plate wasn’t big enough or the chicken was too big to move to the side. Both were acceptable dilemmas. I was only able to eat one of the breasts. I took the other one home.

Ray’s sandwich had good flavor but was a little on the dry side due to a lack of au jus or condiments. The fries were thick and crispy but Ray learned Rosemary is not necessarily his liking. I tried to talk him into ordering the Garlic Parmesan fries but he passed, regretfully. He ate the other half of his sandwich for dinner last night. I made up a horseradish, mayonnaise mixture for him to use, and he said that worked well.

The bartender was friendly, attentive and cheery as she greeted and waited on everyone. Our food was excellent, and I personally complimented the cook for my meal.

We will definitely return!!! The dilemma will be whether I venture into a different menu option or stay with the chicken and waffle. Another...

Listen!!! Dirty Oscars is that spot. Good food, good drinks, good service and 21+ ONLY. They do check ID’s so bring it. The menu had lots of options. They had no problem making substitutions for me. I don’t eat pork so when I find a place that will take the bacon or sausage out I’m happy. It’s a lot of places that won’t do it so that’s a bonus in my book!!!!! Got the Parmesan Tots for the appetizer and who would have thunk it! Cheesy and potato-y at the same time. Them tots was delicious without sauce, with sauce and even with ketchup. I love them and could see my self ordering them every single time I go or in the area! Steak and fritz. The steak was delicious. It had some garlic butter on top and was cooked to the medium I requested. After having the Parmesan tots the fries were just fries. They were fresh but they were just fries! I’d definitely order it again. I did get a side of scrambled cheese eggs that are not pictured because as soon as I tasted them they were gone. Didn’t stand a chance. I don’t know what kinda eggs they got back there or how they cooked em but those eggs were the best most simplest eggs I’ve ever had in my life. I placed a to go order for more eggs they were so good!!! Next up is the chicken and waffles minus the bacon stuffed waffle. Got the regular waffle. It came with 3 pieces of fresh fried chicken. Fried golden brown, seasoned very well and came out piping hot. Had to open the chicken up to let the steam out. It was so good. Did the taste of the chicken by itself 1st and then did a bite with the waffle and syrup. I think this is a winner! It’s chicken and waffles done right! And I’m not from here I’m from the south so there you go! The ladies that waited on us and served us were friendly and very attentive. If I finished my drink they were right there with a refill. I noticed the same attentiveness with the tables around us as well. They even chatted and laughed with us. I appreciate that. The place wasn’t packed when we went but they had a steady flow of customers in and out. To sum it all up Definitely plan on going back. Already planning my next meal. Might even become a regular for those tots!

Oh parking. It’s street parking. May have to drive around a bit to find a spot or take your chances parking in another places...

TLDR: Served raw sausage and did NOTHING about it. Served bone-in chicken on a sandwich. Everything was beyond bland. Go anywhere else for food and it will be better.

Full Review: My experience was very disappointing; I was looking forward to all of the good food I saw reviews for, but sadly that wasn't my experience.

I went for brunch in a party of four, the wait was typical for a Sunday. Once seated, our drink and food order were taken in a timely manner. Then the food arrives and disappointment starts. All four of us ordered different meals (pork tatchos, moco loco, chicken in a biscuit and biscuits and gravy), and all but the tatchos were VERY bland. I trust the kitchen to flavor things, but I wish I had salted and peppered my chicken sandwich and gravy. In addition, their prices are a little higher and the serving sizes are smaller, that's fine IF the food is good. The food was worse than something you'd get at Shari's.

And then 3 things happen that take this from a 3 star review to a 1 star. First, the chicken in my chicken sandwich is bone in. So I went to take a bite of sandwich to hit BONE. Big safety issue. Second, the sausage in the moco loco was raw, and I mean half of it was pink and mushy. Bigger health and safety issue. Third was how the raw meat was handled.

We tell the waiter it's raw, he rolls his eyes (not as us, but at the kitchen staff cause he knows who did it), and heads into the kitchen. He comes out, says that the person responsible will get yelled at because he keeps making this mistake. He also shares that this cook has been sending out raw chicken too. That was all of the action done about it. He wasn't taken off the grill (we could see him), they didn't really apologize well for it, and they didn't comp anything off the bill. If you have a cook consistently under cooking things like pork sausage and chicken, he needs to not be cooking those things. I don't care if he is yelled at, I don't need to know. I need to know that if I choose to come back (which now I won't), that my food is going to be fully cooked.

So, if you choose to go, go for the drinks but stay away from food if you want flavor at all or fully...