Monday, July 6, 2015
You may have noticed mesquite pods ripening on the trees around Tucson. You might have even joined the Desert Harvesters at Mercado San Agustin to learn how to mill mesquite into flour. In any case, you can deepen your knowledge and appreciation for the mesquite pod even further by heading to Loews Ventana Canyon for a chef-led cooking class all about mesquite.
Loews' executive chef Ken Harvey will be showing attendees at the class how to find and harvest mesquite. Then, he will instruct the group on how to prepare four dishes and one drink with the pods. The event's menu includes:
-Mesquite pod agua de cebada (barley)
-Mesquite pod Italian sausage and corn bread custard with cebeda
-Mesquite pod crusted crab cake, celeriac remoulade and garden herbs
-Mesquite pod hand tossed pizzetta with duck confit, ricotta, fresh heirloom tomatoes and arugula
-Mesquite apple fritters with vanilla ice cream, torn mint and chocolate sauce
The mesquite pod class takes place at the resort in Ventana Canyon located at 7000 N. Resort Dr. on Saturday, July 11 beginning at 2 p.m. Then, on Aug. 15, you can learn about barbecuing and mixing cocktails with prickly pear from Harvey. Both classes run at $35 per person and space for the events is limited. You can reserve a spot by calling 299-2020 ext. 5107.
Tags: mesquite pod , desert , sonoran , prickly pear , cooking class , tucson , loews ventana canyon , jose salas , ken harvey
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
I'll admit, before I clicked, I had a strong feeling the anomalously-in-just-Tucson Eegee's would pop up on the top 12 list, and there it was. That's because it seems most people, including the chichi "foodies" and even the governor (who seems to hate most good things like education and human rights), dig the occasional visit to Eegee's.
Thrillist had this to say of our favorite place to grab a flavored icy treat with a side of crinkle fries:
A sandwich chain with the same density in the Tucson metro area as Subway has in... well, the rest of the country, eegee’s is a sandwich & slushie chain with an extensive menu of subs and frozen fruit drinks (or “eegees”) to wash them down with, even though the consistency of the slushies makes them more like a dessert than a drink. It's also famed for its ranch-topped fries, which are crowned with imitation bacon bits and more than inspire imitation.However, Tucson has other chains worthy of expansion. After all, even Phoenix decided it was time to adopt El Guero Canelo and we can't blame them. What other Tucson chains do you think should've made the list?
Tags: eegee's , tucson , fast food , chain , single-city , thrillist , list , best
Graze Premium Burgers, which is arguably Tucson's top spot to get a burger, is offering folks in the Old Pueblo a deal for sticking around all summer. Like the monsoon rain, their meal deal will offer you (and your wallet) a little relief as the season wears on.
From now until August 31, you can get a regular burger with fries and a drink for $7.50—a meal that'd normally cost $2 more. Should you so choose, you can make it a chicken or veggie burger for a buck more or a double for $2. As with all Graze burgers, which are made from 100 percent Niman Ranch beef, you can jazz up your burger with ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, relish, grilled onion, grilled jalapeño and grilled mushrooms in addition to the lettuce, tomato, Graze sauce and red onion that come on the burgers typically. Bacon, cheese and a fried egg are also an option for an up-charge.
On the side, crisp Kennebec potato fries, fried up Belgian style, can be dipped in a range of sauces like sweet red chili, curry ketchup and Sriracha mayo. To drink, Graze offers Maine Root sodas, made with real cane sugar, and iced tea.
Graze Premium Burgers, located at 2721 E. Speedway Blvd., is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Tags: graze premium burgers , niman ranch beef , fries , maine root soda , meal , deal , summer , special , tucson , restaurant
Monday, June 29, 2015
If you've ever looked down wistfully at a root beer float and thought, "Gee golly, I sure do wish this was coffee instead of pop," you're in luck because Presta Coffee Roasters is offering up a float-like combination of ice cream and espresso called an affogato.
The coffee special offers up your choice of single origin espresso, which right now is the Sidamo Guji from Ethiopia, or the special Presta espresso blend, which mixes 75 percent Columbia Valle de Cauca Supremo with 25 percent Ethiopia Guji Adolaa Andararaa. The blend offers a consistent full-bodied espresso with heavier and more caramely notes. The single origin will have more delicate, clean and straightforward flavors, with this particular bean being fruity and bright. However, the single origin bean does rotate to offer tastes of different coffee-growing regions.
As far as the ice cream goes, a scoop of Straus Family Creamery chocolate or vanilla (depending on which they have on hand) adds an addictingly creamy and sweet flavor to the drink, offering an unique alternative for folks who enjoy iced mochas or vanilla lattes but are looking for a little more complexity in their espresso flavors. Since Presta switched to local milk purveyor Danzeisen Dairy for their lattes and cappuccinos overall, you can still enjoy Straus milk in ice cream form with this dessert-drink hybrid.
Presta Coffee Roasters (2502 N. First Ave. #100) is offering up affogatos for $3.75 Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Tags: presta coffee roasters , espresso , ice cream , affogato , tucson , straus family creamery , single origin , Image
Friday, June 26, 2015
Once you've had soul food, and I mean really good soul food, it always sits in the back of your mind. You think about creamy grits and crispy fried chicken. You try to go to places that offer up Southern specialties, occasionally met with high-priced items that are, well, less than soulful.
If you're looking for your fix here in Tucson, never fear. The new restaurant attached to the Afro-American Heritage Museum on Park Avenue is happy to oblige. Owner James Williams, who was the brains behind Jack's Original BBQ's most recent iteration, chats up tables between orders, making sure customers are happy.
With large, fluffy and lightly sweet waffles for $3.50; your choice of chicken thighs, breasts, wings or drumsticks ($1.75 - $3.50); and any combination of those things thereof, customers do seem to be pleased with the price for quality at J&K Heritage Museum Cafe.
I'm a thigh girl, personally, which, along with a waffle, can and should be slathered in both hot sauce and syrup. The fried chicken itself has a perfectly crispy, crunchy coating that's salty and has been kicked up with a heavy dose of what tastes like Old Bay. Inside, the meat is moist, falling off the bone in the best way.
Then, there are the grits ($2.50). Williams explains, beaming with pride, that his grits are cooked down for so long and with so much butter that they're as creamy as they should be. Eggs and fruit can also be served on the side. However, I will admit I was pretty disappointed to see that J&K doesn't serve my favorite soul side: mac and cheese. I've been searching for a mac that's cheesier than it is creamy, while still being smooth and comforting, and it's hard to find it anywhere that isn't gussied up. I was hoping it would be at the endearingly modest southside restaurant.
Tags: j&k heritage museum cafe , tucson , southside , chicken and waffles , james williams , charles kendrick , fried chicken , grits , soul food , barbecue , mr. k's , Image
Someone recently called me an "insufferable chicken wing snob." They're not wrong—chicken wings were the only thing I would order at restaurants until, oh, probably around middle school.
Point being, I've eaten quite a few wings in my day. Hell, I still want them to be my main course most nights. Obviously, this fowl affection means I have some pretty strong feelings about which Best of Tucson® Finalist should win.
But this is for you to decide, not me.
Now, I want you to make an educated decision here. Think about your plans for this weekend. I'm having a hard time imagining how those plans would be made worse by adding Chicken Wing Taste Test 2015.
So, give our finalists (1702, Brushfire BBQ, Proper, Rocco's Little Chicago, Wings Over Broadway—all selected in the first round of Best of Tucson balloting, of course) a call, bring home a stack of wings, and find out for yourself which ones are the most delicious. Then go fill out at least 30 categories (including Best Chicken Wings on Page 8, obviously) of your Best of Tucson® ballot.
Don't let me down, Tucson.
Tags: insufferable chicken wing snob , best of tucson voting
Thursday, June 25, 2015
I wasn't super pumped to have my browser window land on the Playboy page this morning, especially after widespread accusations from former live-in bunnies the ol' Hef treats his myriad of girlfriends like pets (or worse). However, like a newly married man who just can't quit the boob magazine, my defense is that I'm just reading it for the articles.
One article, specifically, gave a little bit of love to Tucson's very own distillery, Hamilton Distillers. The list of each of the 50 states' top distillers called out the locally-made mesquite-smoked to represent the Grand Canyon state:
Whiskey Del Bac DoradoYou can buy a bottle of your own at the distillery (2106 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite #103) or over at Plaza Liquors (2642 N. Campbell Ave.).
After years of building furniture out of native mesquite wood, Stephen Paul became obsessed with creating a single malt whisky using barley smoked with mesquite instead of Scotch’s traditional peat. So he taught himself distilling, bought a still and some local barley, and created Whiskey Del Bac. The Dorado version tempers the campfire-smoke flavor with a bit of barrel aging.
Tags: whiskey del bac , tucson , mesquite , dorado , playboy , best distillers , hamilton , Image
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Fast food joints have a place in our culinary history, if we like it or not. Some would say it started as far back as 1921 when White Castle opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas. Others say McDonalds, the Mac Daddy of fast food, was the originator in 1948.
Whatever its true origins, perception and quality of cheap burgers, fries and shakes delivered through a convenient window, have declined. The crusade against GMO foods and low quality ingredients is being fought alongside the growth of the vegetarian, whole foods evolution.
Too much sugar. Not enough quality meat. Too many calories. Too many underpaid employees.
McDonalds has felt the greasy weight of these complaints, closing 350 of their struggling restaurants in mostly the United States, Japan and China this year.
The call to make healthy eating more normative is one many of us can stand behind, but sometimes it’s only feasible in concept.
Whether its good or bad, the system in which many Americans eats is based on convenience, late hours and low costs. If families, especially low to middle income ones, are going to be convinced to make the switch to vegetarian or partially vegetarian diets, they have to have an option comparable in price and ease.
In comes a slowly, quietly growing idea of making vegetarian food as easy as pulling up to Burger King’s drive through window late at night. Outside Arizona, vegetarian fast food is gearing up to be supersized.
Tags: Vegetarian , Fast Food , Amy's Kitchen , Earth Burger , I want a veggie burger covered in cheese please
On Saturday, June 27, Splash is hitting La Encantada to present a night full of fashion designers, community art projects and a grip of food and drink samples for attendees. This year, the Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance will be featuring 20 local restaurants that will offer up tastes of many different cuisines, some offering colorful cocktail pairings. There will also be eight different brewers serving up drinks to keep attendees interested while browsing the many different pieces of art on auction at the event.
Here are some of the dishes you can look forward to:
Tags: saaca , splash , la encantada , events , tucson , charity , art , auction , restaurants , north , ra , reforma , ermanos , cocktails , beer
Monday, June 22, 2015
We Tucsonans know that the best Mexican restaurants north of the border are found right here in the our town, but it was not until recently that the vortex of sabor Mexicana was identified with “The Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food”! With the skill of a corrupt redistricting commission, all of the best Mexican eateries were gerrymandered into one district!
Of course, the identification of the “Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food” is a challenge to lesser regions, the likes of which cannot hold a candle to the eateries of the Old Pueblo, but it also is an opportunity for us locals to take a look around and see if we missed something special, or to reconnect with some with some old favorites.
To that end, the foodies at the "Wake Up Tucson!" radio show have joined with Gray Line Tours to create the first ever “Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food! Tour”. The tour starts at El Mercado San Agustin at 5:30 p.m.. The plan is to be done by 9:00 p.m,. The organizers offer three guarantees: 1, You will bring goodies home with you; 2, You will eat amazing food; 3, You will have new places to take your friends the next time someone asks, "Where are going to eat tonight?"
For more information, or to book your reservation, call Gray Line at 622-8811.
Tags: Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food , Mexican food , Wake Up Tucson! , Gray Line Tours
