The new Paradise Bakery and Café on the corner of Oracle and Wetmore roads opens tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 13.

This development takes a bit of the sting out of the closing of the Bagelry over on Campbell Avenue, being that Paradise Bakery and Café will carry all sorts of bagels and sandwiches made from those bagels. Is it just me, or are there frightfully few places to get really good bagels in this town? Perhaps this store will help fill that void.

Artisan breads, brownies, cinnamon rolls, muffins and cookies that come fresh from the oven every hour, on the hour, will also be available. Writing this is making me very hungry.

We hear a rather large assortment of soups and salads are also on deck, and that any soup can be ordered in a bread bowl, which is awesome. There will be smoothies and espresso drinks, too.

I don't know I missed this yesterday, but of all the tributes to first responders, the military at home and abroad, and America in general, this seems like the most heartfelt and - dare I say - the most important.

[HT: Gawker]

I have not done a scientific analysis of the various all-you-can-eat Asian eateries in town, but I’m pretty sure this is going to be one of the bigger ones. I’m attempting to get in touch with owner Lian Liang, but no luck so far. We’ll let you know when we learn more.

This one breaks my heart: The Bagelry at 2575 N. Campbell Ave. has apparently closed. I'd noticed that there were chains blocking off the driveway for some time, but I just called their number and it's been disconnected. I noticed a lot of furniture stacked up inside when I drove past it early this morning as well.

While there's always a chance that a place is closing temporarily, a disconnected phone almost always signals closure. There's a boarded up window at the place, too.

Such a bummer. It always stings when little mom-and-pop joint like this closes, especially a super-old bagel joint with a drive-thru. You will be missed, Bagelry.

This, and the fact that the rest of the menu full of flatbreads, inventive meat dishes, salads and other items inspired by British and American pub fare, is why I am quickly falling in love with Union Public House, which is expected to open by mid-October in the old Acacia spot at St. Philip's Plaza.

My prediction is that this restaurant is going to blow Tucson away. Everything from the food to the interior design is being approached with amazing attention to detail. That is all.

Owner Jaime Arrieta is all smiles, and a total cycling fanatic. His initial plans were for a bicycle-powered coffee outfit, but he spotted a 1964 Kaiser Jeep while cycling through an alley one day. It wasn’t long before he contacted the owner, shelled out a few hundred bucks and busted out some tools to make his little coffee operation a reality.

"I used to ride by this spot all the time and I always thought, 'Someday I'm going to open a coffee shop for people who love to ride this path as much as I do," said Arrieta.

Peddler on the Path - which celebrates its fourth anniversary in November - is a hub of activity on most mornings, which is exactly what Arrieta always hoped for. He’ll hold your keys if you’re heading out for a ride on the nearby Rillito River bike path, and he's got a stash of patch kits for cyclists who need them. He’ll also hold a cold bottle of water for runners if his truck happens to be on their route.

When asked what motivates him to climb into the tiny truck each weekend, despite triple-digit heat or foul weather, Arrieta looks away for a few seconds. It’s almost as if such a question is beyond the scope of his dedication to the cycling community. “You should see how happy people are at these events when they come riding past at 5:30 in the morning and they see me, and I’ve got hot coffee.”

For more information check out Peddler on the Path’s website over here.

• Jaime Arrieta is the man.

A new Italian eatery called Mad Mario’s Italian Deli opens Friday in the old Asian Sandwich Deli spot at 1710 E. Speedway.

I spoke with owner Mario Johnson yesterday and he bowled me over with his friendliness and sense of humor. The guy is a hoot, and he says his restaurant will be far from a ho-hum deli operation.

“You know that fish market in Seattle where they throw around fish? Here we’re going to be throwing around salamis,” said Johnson. “We are nuts over here.”

As his laughter subsided a bit, Johnson continued: “The concept is Mad Mario’s because I’m a little nuts and I’m a little mad at the economy the way it is, so I had to create my own jobs and jobs for others, too.”

All of the meat and cheeses will be cut to order, and will be available as sandwiches or by the pound. The place is also using bread from La Baguette Bakery, the French bakery at 1797 E. Prince Road.

Chef Aaron Hilliard — who once worked at Sabra Mediterranean Restaurant — has also been brought on board. He’ll be helping with the meat sauces, marinaras, alfredos and other items on the menu.

Johnson worked for the food distribution company Sysco for 22 years, which taught him a thing or two. “You gotta give your customer a sense of value. We keep our prices low and our quality way up. If I need to take a loss to make repeat business, I’m willing to do that.”

Mad Mario's will only offer take-out at first, but seating will be added soon. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. Call 325-3258 for more information.

Cool! Free stuff is always good—Eegee's is giving out free original (not even small!) orange eegee's today in honor of their 40th birthday.

No wonder the chain had such a drastic makeover. Midlife crisis, anyone?

Gelato/coffee spot Cafe Italiano, which TW editor Jimmy Boegle mentioned in a dessert feature at the end of 2009, is closing, as announced by a post on their Facebook page:

Sadly we are announcing the closure of Cafe Italiano. We want to express our sincerest thanks to all of our dedicated customers who supported us as a local business over the last 2-1/2 years. Due to economic conditions and our landlords inability to assist us during this difficult time we have been forced to say goodbye.