Wednesday, August 19, 2015
If you don't think mole deserves an entire meal dedicated to it, then you probably don't know how varied mole can be, offering regional diversity by incorporating local ingredients and traditions. That, or you hate flavor. For everyone else, Reforma Cocina y Cantina is offering a unique dinner honoring both mole and mezcal—two of Mexico's finest imports.
The four course dinner kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, offering sweet and savory flavor combinations paired with mezcal from a handful of artisan distillers including Mezcal Vago, Xicaru and Del Maguey. The full meal is $65 with everything included. Reservations are required and you can make yours by either e-mailing your party request information to [email protected] or calling 867-4134.
And, if you aren't sold yet, check out the night's planned menu:
Tags: reforma , tucson , restaurant , mole , mezcal , dinner , event , mexican
Monday, August 17, 2015
It's time once again to join the Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance for a full day of handmade salsas and inventive tequila cocktails. On Saturday, Aug. 22, more than 50 participants will provide food and drink to crowds at the La Encantada Shopping Center (2905 E. Skyline Dr.), competing for several different titles in the annual competition.
More than 30 restaurants and purveyors, such as Boca Tacos, Reforma, Calle Tepa and Chilttepica, will compete for salsa honors including best hot salsa, best alternative salsa and best overall salsa. Bartenders from nearly 20 restaurants will also be battling it out with tequila-based cocktails. Last year, Armitage Wine Lounge took the top spot for salsa, while Pasco Kitchen's Father Kino won first for cocktails.
It isn't all about the salsa and tequila though. Small bites from [Popped], Sonoran Sno Cones, and more can be paired with non-alcoholic drinks from Dish for Dosha and Tohono Chul Garden Bistro. The event, which runs from 7 until 10 p.m., will also feature other heritage Mexican spirits like bacanora and sotol, as well as a limited selection of beer. Tucson's Santa Pachita and the Folklorico Ballet of Nogales will be performing.
Tickets for the Salsa & Tequila Challenge are available online in advance on the SAACA website for $50, along with a full list of participants and more information. Limited day of ticketing will be available for $60 as well. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Food Bank of Southern Arizona and SAACA’s arts therapy and education programs. It is a 21 and over event.
Tags: salsa , tequila , challenge , tucson , culinary , event , calle tepa , reforma , pasco kitchen , chilttepica , boca tacos , dish for dosha , la encantada , saaca
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Whether it's chef team-ups, kitchen takeovers or maker mash-ups, there's nothing better than when two local joints collaborate on a special meal to offer tastes of what both do best, and Union Public House (4340 N. Campbell Ave.) and Pueblo Vida Brewing aim to do just that on Monday, August 17.
While Union will take on four courses and the hosting duties, Pueblo Vida will contribute four different local microbrews for the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. You can expect pairing such as a Bavarian hefeweizen with an array of cheese or a breakfast stout with Yellow Brick coffee ice cream. The meal is $55 including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and you can save your spot by calling 329-8575 or e-mailing your party information to [email protected].
Now, without further ado, here's the Union and Pueblo Vida collab menu:
Tags: union public house , pueblo vida brewing , tucson , restaurant , dinner , event , craft beer
The event will feature tours of the garden and a silent auction sale of native trees, plants and seeds. Breakfast will be served at the newly re-opened Sosa Carrillo Fremont House (151 S. Granada Ave.) with a shuttle running from the breakfast to the garden grounds at 929 W. Mission Lane so attendees can see just what the garden has accomplished. The Mission Gardens, which are run by volunteers in conjunction with the nonprofit Friends of Tucson's Birthplace, will be honoring Gail Castañeda for her work in safeguarding the garden.
The morning menu will offer huevos con nopalitos or chorizo, papas en chile, frijoles, calabacitas, Sonoran white wheat tortillas, Pico de Gallo fruit cups, horchata and limonada. You can chose to dine from 7 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. The event is $45 at the door or $40 with advance reservations. Children 5 to 10 are $15 and kids under 5 eat free. You can RSVP for the event by calling 777-9270.
Tags: mission gardens , tucson , birthday , anniversary , heritage , plants , seeds , auction , breakfast , friends of tucsons birthday , nonprofit , volunteer , native
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
The Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress continues its 25th birthday celebration with a throwback special: the Maximilian, a roasted turkey melt with asadero cheese, avocado, chipotle line crema and New Mexico green chiles on a croissant. Available through Aug. 16.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
It's no secret that one of Tucson's top food trucks and also tastiest purveyors of Indian cuisine are all one thing called Twisted Tandoor. What you might not know, though, is owner Mukhi Singh is planning to turn his popular roadside eatery into a full blown restaurant.
According to Singh, Twisted Tandoor just penned the documents to open Twisted Tandoor at 427 E. Limberlost Dr., just west of First Avenue.
"The idea was to open a small cafe/restaurant in midtown," he says.
In terms of food, he says to expect all of the old favorites like spicy lamb curry and flaky samosas that they served on the truck with some new additions.
"The truck was very limiting in terms of what we could do," Singh says. "We'll have all that we have on the truck at the restaurant, but hopefully do a lot more."
At first, Singh says the plan is to open for carry out orders to ensure the new staff is trained properly. Once they are, he says Twisted Tandoor will open for lunch and dinner service as a small restaurant. The first phase of the opening is planned to start as soon as the middle of September.
"We want to grow slowly, but steadily at first," Singh says.
To stay up to date with Twisted Tandoor's progress, or to simply find out where the truck will be until then, follow the food truck on Facebook.
Tags: twisted tandoor , new , location , midtown , tucson , restaurant , indian , food truck , brick and mortar , mukhi singh , samosas , curry , Image
Monday, August 10, 2015
There isn’t any sushi in downtown Tucson since On a Roll closed off Congress Street in July and there definitely isn’t any ramen. But that’s all about to change with Goodness Juice Bar owner Brandon Katz’s newest venture. Obon, a casual Japanese fusion dining spot located in the former Gio Taco space, will offer both ramen and sushi, but that’s just part of the story.
Katz says the name Obon comes from a traditional Japanese Buddhist festival celebrating family and your ancestors that includes drinking, dancing, eating and more. Similarly, Katz says his new restaurant is designed to draw large parties with “family style” Japanese fare.
In the kitchen, Paulo Im crafted a menu featuring three ramen options, nine specialty sushi rolls, a menu of traditional and modern nigiri, crudos, steam buns, noodles, salads, limited entrees, tempura and even bibimbop. The ramen is available with traditional tonkotsu (pork), shoyu (soy) or the house ramen, which offers a blend of both broths. The rolls blend veggies like asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, cucumber and more with fresh fish and shellfish.
“I’m excited to get back into sushi because sushi is what I know,” Katz says, referring to his work with Ra Sushi in the past.
Katz says the restaurant will also cater to late night crowds with a limited menu running until midnight and a walk-up to go ramen option available on the weekends until 2:30 a.m. He also wanted to draw the business crowd in with happy hour
“Downtown has been missing a place for a light bite,” he says. “We’ll be able to offer a cocktail and a snack.”
Behind the bar, Katz enlisted former Scott & Co. bartender and ex-sushi chef Matt Martinez to create a list of cocktail offerings that could both be executed quickly but still offer unique and inventive flavors. One such option is the housemade shiso green apple soda with shochu, which will be available bottled and on tap. A list of sake, Japanese and Taiwanese whisky and classic ramen-paired beers Kirin will also be available.
“What I’m really focusing on is creating a unique and personalized experience for each guest at the bar,” Martinez says. “That and offering a comprehensive spirit list that made sense with the menu.”
Obon will open at 350 E. Congress St. at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, just two days before the Obon celebration kicks off in Japan. For about a week, Obon will only be open for dinner, but after that, you can stop in to try out the new casual in vibe, upscale in décor spot for lunch as well.
“This corner desperately needed a Japanese restaurant,” Katz says. “We’re excited to be here because it’s the gateway to downtown.”
Check out the Obon menu:
Editor's Note: This post has been updated to reflect new information regarding Obon's hours.
Tags: obon , brandon katz , paulo im , matt martinez , sushi , ramen , downtown , tucson , restaurants , opening , new , steam buns , japanese , cocktails , craft , sake , japanese whisky , Image
Friday, August 7, 2015
There's quite a bit going on off Hoff Avenue these days. You might have thought of the small side street just east of Fourth Avenue as an alley, but with the recent openings of both Ermanos and Public Brewhouse, the tucked back street is starting to take shape as something more.
To celebrate, the new beer-centric spots will be joining forces to put on Two Nights of Entertainment at the Tophoy on August 14 and 15. Combining bikes, bands, beer, food and more, the two day event will pay homage both to what the space was and what it has become.
According to Ermanos owner Mark Erman, the Tophoy building, which now houses Ermanos, Saywell Designs, the Bookstop and more, was built in 1926 and was home to many different businesses including Frozen Pure Ice Cream and Schneider's Grocery. After Stephen Paul of Arroyo Designs and Hamilton Distillers moved his distilling operation to a larger space, Ermanos and Public moved into the newly vacant spaces. Although both buildings were built out for their new businesses, original wood and brick were preserved and repurposed to keep the history of the space in tact.
With all of that in mind, Two Nights of Entertainment at the Tophoy will offer a pop up bike tune up shop, yard games (giant jenga, cornhole, etc.) courtesy of Bookmans, the Seis and You Sly Dog food trucks, and bike raffles from of New Belgium Brewery (cruiser) and Ordinary Bike Shop (fixie). A pop-up cocktail bar put on by Burger Brothers' Parker Arriaga will be serving up specialty cocktails including:
- Hemingway: Arizona distilling company desert dry gin, cucumber, mint, lime, soda, simple syrup
- Eegeerita: 3 amigos blanco tequila, lemon eegees, rimmed with Mexican candy
- Not for Nothing: High West double rye, mint, peach, bitters, lemon, ginger
- Earl's Long Island Iced TeaEarl Grey black tea infused vodka (Sun Liquor UNXLD), peach/lemon simple syrup, soda, lemonade.
Best of all, while there's no cover fee, a quarter of every dollar spent will go to benefit the Living Streets Alliance in their efforts to make Tucson a more bike friendly place to live. Access to the event will be via Hoff Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets.
Tags: two nights , tophoy , tucson , events , music , food trucks , local , craft beer , cocktails , living streets alliance , bicycle , ordinary bike shop , pee wee's big adventure , movie , free , logan & lucille , billy sedlmayr , hey bucko , dj , raffle
Although I've already rounded up some of my favorite spots to drop in for happy hour downtown, those definitely aren't the only spots in Tucson where you can enjoy some evening eats on the cheap. Through the end of August, Acacia Real Food & Cocktails is serving up a Sunset Menu every day that will include a three course meal for $30 plus tax and gratuity.
Here's what's on the menu for August:
Sunset Menu (choose one from each course)
Course one
-Onion soup gratinée
-Bermuda and sweet white onion, leeks, beef and chicken broth, crouton, Swiss and parmesan
-Summer field greens, artichoke, tomato, carrot, roasted corn, cured olives, feta, toasted pepitas and an herbaceous vinaigrette
Course two
-Bronzed Scottish salmon with braised fennel risotto, braised spinach, balsamic grilled asparagus, olive oil poached baby plum tomatoes and dijon-honey mustard
-Top Knot Farms pan roasted chicken with mushroom jus, garden harvest vegetables and red potato mash with horseradish
-Roasted garlic custard with fennel risotto, crisp scallion polenta cake, balsamic grilled asparagus, sweet peppers, zucchini, Portabella and garden harvest vegetables
Course three
-Key lime pie
-Dark chocolate decadence with bumbleberry coulis
You can take advantage of this end of summer special by heading into the restaurant, located at 3001 E. Skyline Drive, any day of the week from 4 until 6 p.m. The restaurant also serves happy hour daily from 4 until 7 p.m. For reservations and more information, visit the Acacia website.
Tags: acacia , tucson , restaurants , summer , dining , special , event , sunset menu , albert hall
Monday, August 3, 2015
Get a taste of island flavor mixed with a bunch of local brews this Thursday, August 6 when Playground Bar & Lounge (278 E. Congress St.) hosts a luau-themed party. The bar off Congress will be roasting up a whole pig for the event and Dragoon Brewing Co. will be on site serving three different beers to try with the pork.
The pig itself will be marinated for a full day in a special blend of spices and Dragoon's IPA. After that, the pig will slow roast for about eight hours. Plates of pork will be served at the event with elote, pineapple slaw and one additional side. For dessert, HUB's vanilla ice cream will be scooped up alongside a tropical coconut pineapple cake with Dragoon's Ojo Blanco braised pineapple.
While Dragoon brews make a pretty strong food menu presence, you can also expect to find both the IPA and Ojo Blanco, along with the session ale available at the event in full pint form. The brewers will also be at the event to chat about their tasty creations.
$40 gets you a plate of roast and three pints. The event runs from 7 until 11 p.m. Seating for the event is limited and reservations are highly encouraged. You can make your reservation by e-mailing [email protected] with “Dragoon Hog Roast” as the subject, including your name, phone number and the number in your party.
Tags: playground , tucson , bar , pig , roast , luau , hawaiian , dragoon , local , craft beer , event
