Parade magazine calls the Sonoran hot dog "America's wildest wiener" in this article about the country's top hot dogs:

America’s wildest wiener is the Sonoran hot dog, sold by street-corner vendors throughout Tucson. A bacon-wrapped all-beef frank, hoisted hot from the griddle, gets loaded into a soft bun from a Mexican bakery and is outfitted with chopped tomatoes, a scattering of pinto beans, onions, a line of mustard, an artistic squiggle of mayonnaise, and a ribbon of hot sauce. On the side comes a roasted guero pepper, customarily wrapped in its own tight skin of cooked bacon and sometimes stuffed with cheese. For refreshment, drink a tall glass of the cool, sweet rice drink called horchata.

Boca is the brainchild of Brian Mazon—whose family runs Papagayo Mexican Restaurant and Cantina—and his wife, Maria Jose, who is the executive chef of the new eatery. The couple spent some 13 months renovating the building and getting all the permits in line before quietly opening to the public three days ago, said Mazon.

“We took the outside taco stand and took it inside,” said Mazon. “We’re very happy with what we got.”

There are 15 different tacos in all, ranging in price from $2.50 for a carne-asada version to $3.95 for one made with certified Angus beef. Other fillings include barbecued pork, octopus grilled with onion and garlic, salmon in a tangerine-orange-lemon marinade and a vegetarian mixture of mushrooms, serranos and cilantro.

Mazon said the tortillas are made in house and cooked to order, and that the tacos are a bit on the hefty side. “Two tacos is a meal,” he said.

More appetizers and desserts are on the way, but for now, Boca serves deep-fried arroz con leche on a bed of chocolate ganache and topped with cinnamon, caramel and fried tortilla strips. Boca also serves beer and liquor, and will continue to expand its tequila selection until the bottle count reaches 100, said Mazon.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Wednesday; and 10:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Call 777-8134, or visit their Facebook page for more information.

The owner of the Sausage Shop Meat Market at 1015 W. Prince Road just faxed me his menu, and I am experiencing conflicting emotions.

I am thrilled to know there’s a family-owned place that sells more than 100 different sausages and 53 sandwiches, but how did this place escape my notice until now, even though it’s been open since 1984?

Hmmmm, maybe it's because some people have been keeping secrets to hoard this little gem all for themselves! From one online review:

This little place has been doing business quietly in the corner of the Blue Haven Pools shopping center just West of Lowery's hardware for many years. I found it a couple of years ago. I kept it a secret till now. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

For shame!

Owner Kent Koecheler makes everything from Hungarian kolbaz to Cajun boudan, and it doesn’t stop anywhere near there. He also dry cures beef; custom cuts steaks; makes three types of bacon—and if it’s made out of meat there’s a good chance he can either provide it or point you to who does. He’s especially proud of his brat that includes everything that comes with a hot dog at a Chicago Cubs game, including the beer. I’m really proud of him for that, too.

And then there are the prices. Most sandwiches are $6, and some are only $5. From what I've read, the place is a madhouse between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., but you can also call your order in, and they’ll have it ready for you when you get there. Call 888-1701 for more information.

A new restaurant called Joe Mama’s Grill will start slinging fast-casual fare next week at 4230 N. Oracle Road, Suite 100.

Sean and Krista Kanter, a husband-and-wife duo who have spent most of their adult lives in the restaurant business, expect to open the eatery on Friday, May 28. It’s not their first restaurant venture, and to say it’s been a roller-coaster ride is not only a worn-out cliché; it’s also a bit of an understatement.

Sean and Krista met while working at a Tony Roma’s in California. They bartended and did catering gigs for a while, got married and decided to open a Jersey Mike’s Subs franchise in Simi Valley. After a bit, they sold it at a profit, built a beachside housing development in Costa Rica—and watched their dreams evaporate during the recent financial crisis. They eventually found themselves, their two kids and everything they owned packed into a 1995 Isuzu Trooper headed for Tucson.

Joe Mama’s menu is full of breakfast, sandwiches, salads and a very nice assortment of yummy sounding stuff ranging from the simple to the somewhat adventurous. The Southwest eggs Benedict come with pesto hollandaise (also available on a burger) and jalapeño cornbread. The fish tacos made with blackened halibut and handmade corn tortillas sound nice. And I could care less how the “muffcakes” taste; I’d order them just so I could say it and giggle to myself.

I will also be naming my next cat Mr. Muffcakes, if anyone cares.

Sean said patrons will order at the counter, get their drinks and sit down while their meals are cooked and delivered. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., daily.

Mike Joseph owns the new hot dog shop Bubby’s Chicago Style at 9190 N. Coachline Blvd. I typed the restaurant's name into Google and found a cached flier with the following printed on it:

Bubby’s Chicago Style is the realization of my lifelong dream of opening a hot dog joint. As a kid growing up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, I knew of every hot dog stand within shouting distance: Tommy Tucker, Tasty Pup, The Works, Poochie’s, Hot Dog Island, and Gene & Judes,’ to name a few. I knew Tasty Pup didn’t use Vienna hot dogs, but I could get there on foot in case I needed a fix. I’m not sure what the draw was for me, but I knew I craved the dogs.

No hype. No weirdness. Just a man with a dream to open a hot dog shop. I find that simple and comforting.

“We use a quality, all-beef hot dog, a steamed, poppy-seed bun and fresh, cold ingredients,” Joseph said this afternoon. I tried to derail this matter-of-factness with some meaningless journalism questions, but Joseph wanted nothing to do with it. His business, it seems, is serving hot dogs, not talking about them.

Bubby’s also serves hamburgers, sausages and hand-cut fries. A number of toppings hailing from the Windy City are available, and the prices are in the $4 to $8 range.

Click here for more information.

• Andrew Zimmern poses with the staff at El Charro Cafe

The Travel Channel recently sent us some pictures of Andrew Zimmern dining at the downtown El Charro Café location, 311 N. Court Ave., and Maico, over at 835 E. 22nd St. Just last night I watched Zimmern eat grilled snakes, snake eggs, blood cake (made from congealed animal blood), lungs and fermented slime that looked like a fuzzy jello jiggler. One wonders how El Charro’s sun-dried carne seca and Maico’s delicious birria will measure up when the episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern airs on Monday.

• Zimmern dips into the birria at Maico.

Also in televised food news: Bobby Flay was apparently here last weekend, and he also dined at the downtown El Charro Café, according to my Twitter account. Flay has a flare for Southwestern cuisine, and the word is that he was here to take on Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe in a chorizo throwdown. That could make for a great matchup, and we are sincerely hoping that the Mosaic Cafe kicks the holy living shit out of Flay—figuratively—during the competition.

(Note: While we do earnestly hope that Bobby Flay loses the competition, we would like to thank him for not boycotting Arizona. That is all.)

I just got off the phone with the spokeswoman for the new Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen at 7850 N. Oracle Road, in Oro Valley, and she says it’s open for business.

In this week’s Noshing Around I reported that Picazzo’s wouldn’t be open until June, which was what the spokeswoman told me when we spoke a couple weeks back. She said today that things came together much faster than she had anticipated, and that she's been slammed with business ever since the doors opened.

Anyway, we wanted you to know that Picazzo’s is open. We’ve already gotten e-mails offering glowing reviews of their gluten-free options — all pizzas can be ordered regular or gluten-free — and a restaurant manager said 90 percent of their ingredients are either organic or natural. The eatery also offers non-dairy cheeses for people who are lactose intolerant.

A new Jamaican eatery called CeeDee Jamaican Kitchen is holding its grand opening this weekend.

Francesca Samuel, a spokeswoman for the restaurant, called today to say that Cardell and Deon Harrison, two recent transplants from Brooklyn who were born in Jamaica, are opening the eatery at 1070 N. Swan Road. She said the grand opening—which will feature music, food and drinks—starts at noon, Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16.

On the menu: Oxtail; jerk chicken; steamed fish; curried goat, beef and shrimp and other island dishes. Samuel also mentioned a curious dessert called potato pudding that we are officially dying to try.

Call 795-3400 for more information.

The owners of Sleeping Frog Farms say they’ve purchased a 75-acre piece of property near Cascabel that they’re converting into an organic farm.

It’s fun to ponder how much food Sleeping Frog Farms—which we wrote about last year—will be able to grow on that much land. They farm on about an acre up at 1801 W. Overton Road and raise enough vegetables there to run a community-supported agriculture program and supply several local restaurants and farmers’ markets with fresh, local vegetables each week.

Debbie Weingarten, who runs the farms with Adam Valdivia, C.J. Marks and a number of volunteers, said the new property used to be a goat and ostrich farm—which means there’s an abundance of fertilizer. They’ve already tilled up a couple of acres, and aren’t wasting any time getting vegetables in the ground.

Weingarten said vegetable production will initially quadruple; egg production will quintuple; and that “endless possibilities” have opened up. Right now, they’re growing sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, summer squash, eggplant, okra, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, leeks, potatoes and basil.

Check out their website here.

The Hut, the tiki-themed bar at 305 N. Fourth Ave., will soon be home to a funky, island-themed restaurant that will operate out of a 1970s Airstream trailer.

Tiki Tim’s Grill is still under construction, says owner, chef and builder Timothy Stevens, but should be up and running sometime this summer.

Long-time patrons of the Hut may remember that Stevens once ran what he calls an “illegitimate hamburger stand” at the bar several years ago. He started off small, but people went crazy for his gourmet burgers, and word spread. That was a good thing—until the Pima County Health Department caught wind of it and shut him down.

Stevens, who has a culinary degree and more than 10 years in the business, is getting permitted, inspected and licensed this time around. He bought a 20-foot Airstream trailer and converted it into a kitchen (he’s weeks away from completion), and the health department has already signed off on the menu.

“It’s going to be a sight to see,” said Stevens.

Tiki Tim’s Grill will serve a menu inspired by surf and island culture. Burgers will be topped with grilled pineapple; salads will be filled with tropical ingredients; and foods from Guam, Tahiti, Jamaica and other island locales will eventually find their way onto the menu.

He’ll also sell hot wings, hot dogs, salads and grilled pizzas. The eatery is expected to open around happy hour, Thursday through Sunday.