Pastiche Modern Eatery introduces the Whiskey/Whisky Club. First meeting is tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. Reservations required.

And have you checked out Pastiche's Bedrock Chop? Three and half pound Rib Steak Chop, rosemary demi-glace, chef’s vegetable selection. It appears a bit pricey at $44, until you consider that it can feed a family of four.

Donna DeConcini gave us a call today to let us know about her newish farmers’ market that’s held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., every Friday and Saturday, at 8995 E. Tanque Verde Road, on the northwest corner of Catalina Highway and Tanque Verde Road.

Items sold at the organic market include produce grown on an ultra-small scale in backyard gardens (salad greens, eggplant, spinach, sweet peas, beets and onions), chili rellenos, tamales, meat from San Rafael Valley Natural Grass-Fed Beef, eggs, organic dog biscuits, spice blends from the Doc Kendrick Spice Company, goods made or harvested by the Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network and wares crafted by local artisans. Green chilis, garlic and bell peppers are also roasted regularly.

The market holds a rummage sale the last Saturday of every month, where local groups are welcome to sell goods or collectibles. Call 982-2645 for more information.

• Good things are afoot when the menu board looks like this.

Today was my day off from the Tucson Weekly and the weather was heavenly, so I rolled out to check out the wonderful road-food scene blossoming in the Flowing Wells/Wetmore roads area.

My first stop was the new barbecue stand called the Mesquite Pit at 1075 W. Wetmore Road. It's a lunch truck with a tarped seating area covering two tables, eight mismatched chairs and little else.

Bob Bjorke runs the place, and we sat for a while talking about his 18 years in the barbecue business. He smiles a lot and is damn proud of the food he serves. His company, the Mesquite Pit Catering Company, has catered events for everyone from the Pascua Yaqui tribe to the Carondelet Health Network. He smokes his meats "slow and low" using mesquite wood. His food is good, and his friendly personality

A new wine store called VinTabla Wine and Fine Spirits has opened in Suite 144 of Dove Mountain Center (12130 N. Dove Mountain Blvd, Marana).

The store specializes in low-production boutique wines, fine spirits, esoteric beer, cigars and artisan cheeses and meats, said Lucas Gutierrez, the sommelier in charge of the store. There's also a tasting room where customers can sample wines prior to purchase.

"It is going to be the most unique and esoteric example of wine in the area," Gutierrez said. "You will not find a finer wine selection in the Tucson area."

Master sommelier Laura Williamson—who is part owner of the store—will also play a part in the business. Williamson is one of only a handful of female master sommeliers in all of North America.

The store is currently open, but not fully stocked. Gutierrez said he plans on holding a grand opening in about a week.

Hours: Noon to 9 p.m., daily. Call 382-1190 for more information.

Massimo Tenino, the owner of Tavolino Italian Restaurant at 7090 N. Oracle Road, is moving his well-reviewed restaurant to the former VinTabla location at 2890 E. Skyline Drive, just across the street from La Encantada.

Tenino said yesterday that he’ll close the Oracle Road location when the move is complete, ending a six-year run at the place. Diners will find the same quaint atmosphere and a similar but expanded menu at the new location.

“I get a lot of people that say, ‘When we come to Tavolino, we feel like we’ve been transported to Italy,’” said Tenino. “We want to transmit the same feeling at the new restaurant as much as we can.”

A bigger, better-equipped kitchen will allow Tenino to expand the menu beyond what he was capable of doing at the original location, and an open kitchen will let diners watch fresh pasta being made. Tenino also wants to add a salumeria where guests can watch prosciutto, cheese and salami being sliced for appetizer plates.

Wood-fired pizzas will be available for lunch and dinner (they’re only on the lunch menu at the original location), and a rotisserie will be installed to produce slow-cooked chicken, pork and duck. A private dining area and deck will also be available.

Tenino will also make use of the ample bar area at the location, where he’ll offer a special menu of pizzas and appetizers.

He hopes to have the new location open by the end of March.

• Combo Plate For Two: Ribs, pulled pork, chopped brisket and sausage

While running some errands on the east side yesterday, I finally made it over the Hog Pit for lunch and have to say that I did indeed end up with some messy fingers. I ordered a smoker combo that included baby back ribs, pulled pork, chopped brisket and sausage and I loved every bite. (Quite a bit came home, in case you're worried about my diet, and it was great for dinner later in the day.) The meat was tender, the ribs were meaty and the sauce is rich and sweet.

My bartender, Lily, was as friendly as they come, even though she had to deliver the bad news that they were out of the sweet potato fries. But the side dishes I did get to sample, including hog beans (which include traces of pulled pork), were all fabulous. And the corn bread, advertised as the "Best Corn Bread Ever," didn't fall short of that mark.

With all the big-screen TVs and cold beer on tap, it looks like a great place to watch a game, too. I'll be back!

El Coqui, the new Puerto Rican restaurant at 5443 E. 22nd St., is open for business. We just stopped in for a Malta India, some tostones rellenos (yummy stuffed and fried plantains) and a little private chair dancing to some wonderful hip-shaking music that had a few other heads in the place bobbing along too.

The place just opened, so don't expect seamless service. They were still trying to get the cash registers to work properly today. That said, we were treated like royalty. One employee, who wasn't even waiting on us, even took a few minutes to explain the use of plantains in Puerto Rican food and how our dish was prepared. What a guy!

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Call 790-5357 for more information.

Gustavo Arellano, the writer of the Ask A Mexican column, is out with another video version of his column. We featured his return to video previously on The Range and this week he puts off answering questions to eat food from Taco Bell.

Good morning, Monday! Time to celebrate.

The U.S. is lifting a 21-year ban on haggis. Read all about it right here.

Chef Miciah Beard - of Bob's Steak and Chop House at Omni Tucson National Resort - beat Chef Ramiro Scavo of Zona 78 and Harvest Restaurant to take home the title of Iron Chef Tucson 2010.

The competition took place on Sunday, January 17, at Desert Diamond Casino.

Beard said the competition's secret ingredient was pork bratwurst. He used it to prepare Pacific Rim-inspired dishes - which he described as a fusion of Asian and French cuisine - in an attempt to set himself apart from his competitor.

"Scavo doesn’t do Asian," he said. "And pork is a staple of island food, so it wasn’t hard to incorporate it in that style of cuisine."

He started off with an island-style sweet, hot and sour soup with a light broth, fresh vegetables and bratwurst, followed by shrimp mousse with bratwurst that was skewered with lemon grass, crusted with macademia nuts and served with a sauce made from ginger, pineapple and Stella Artois beer (Stella Artois beer, an event sponsor, had to be incorporated into one of the dishes).

Next were egg roll wrappers stuffed with purple Peruvian potatoes, sweet potatoes and bratwurst and served with an Asian-style brown sauce made from reduced veal stock, soy sauce and garlic. The grand finale was a roasted onion stuffed with rice, mixed vegetables and bratwurst, with a honey-tomato-chili gastrique on the side.

This was Beard's first cooking competition. He said some of the dishes he created at the competition will be worked into the menus of banquets catered by Bob's Steak and Chop House, and that some items may also show up from time to time at the restaurant.

Of winning the competition, Beard had this to say: “I was overwhelmed. I almost wanted to cry. I was very happy. I’ve been cooking for 18 years and as a kid I always wanted to be on Iron Chef and I was very proud to do it in Tucson, because I am native (to Tucson)."