The occasional collaboration between delicious pizza establishment Vero Amore and also-quite-tasty Indian food truck, the Twisted Tandoor seems to be going well, so they're revisiting their Indian Pizza Night Tuesday night from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

If you'd like to try Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer or Keema on Vero's housemade dough, here's your chance to enjoy the taste of two culinary worlds colliding. More info at facebook.com/VeroAmorePizza.

Sure, you might ask yourself why you might care about the controversy over drama at a chain of burrito places in Colorado, but considering the Illegal Pete's concept is coming to Tucson at some point, the controversy about the "Illegal" part of their name is somewhat interesting:

From Eater:

The owner of a burrito chainlet in Colorado will not change its controversial name despite serious protests. According to KDVR, Pete Turner, the owner of Illegal Pete's, wrote an open letter on the restaurant's website defending the name. Last month, activists took issue with the term "illegal" because they feel it is a negative stereotype referring to immigrants who crossed the border into the United States without official paperwork. Others likened the term to a "racial slur."

[In a lengthy blog post,] he also explains the name: Turner claims that the name is a "literary reference to a bar in a novel he read as an English major" and that pete refers to his and his father's name. Turner opens the seventh location of Illegal Pete's on November 13.

While the first question that comes to my mind isn't about the word "illegal" but more concerning Tucson's need for another Colorado company to sell us burritos (Chipotle started in Denver), it does seem like there's a lot to like about the company: they serve Niman Ranch meats, employees receive "above-average" pay and benefits (front-of-the-house new hires will start at $32,000 a year starting in April of 2015), they offer touring bands a free meal, they also have a record label which features some cool bands and comedians, etc.

But, yeah, if you're serving Mexican food and the word "illegal" is in your name, people might get a certain impression. It would seem, however - and I write this realizing my own privilege might come into play here - that some of the protestors are overblowing this a bit:

Others at the meeting likened the name to a racial slur directed at African-Americans, hanging a Confederate flag in the restaurant’s window or calling a restaurant “Smoking Lynching BBQ.”

Illegal Pete's hasn't announced a specific timetable for coming to Tucson, although all reports indicate it would be "in the next year."

With his newest restaurant concept scheduled to open in late November, a New England-style tavern called Jackson Tavern, Poppy Kitchen and Gio Taco owner Brian Metzger recently returned from a fact-finding journey across his native New England.

We asked Brian to share some of his discoveries with The Range to get a sense of what's going into the menu at Jackson Tavern.
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Of Sea Dogs and Stuffies

Question: What does a nice Jewish boy who grew up in Rhode Island, moved to the desert southwest, and opened up a downtown taco joint and a foothills restaurant do for an encore?

Answer: He opens up a New England-style tavern!

Now, that wasn’t necessarily my plan when I first discovered at the tender age of eight that I was a true foodie. But often the best life is lived unplanned, at least to a certain extent. And that’s how mine has unfolded.

I’m excited to report that the newest addition to the Metzger Family Restaurants line-up will be Jackson Tavern, a New England-style tavern that honors the central role the tavern has played in the history of American hospitality.

Growing up in Rhode Island with my twin brother, Jay, traveling throughout New England, enjoying summers with our Nana and Poppy, and devouring just about anything that climbed - or was fished - out of the Atlantic waters, I have always had a fondness for clam cakes and steamers, “chowda” (New England style, it should go without saying), lobster in whatever form, oysters of any kind, fish and, of course, calamari.

So when we made the momentous decision that a tavern would be the next creation in our family’s culinary business, we knew we had to do a road trip and go back to the very beginning.

At the end of October, my brother and I took our executive chef and partner, Virginia “Ginny” Wooters, on a classic road trip to several New England states to both harvest ideas for the tavern and to introduce Ginny to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New England.

Our plan was to hit up places I had grown up visiting, as well as newer establishments — clam shacks, taverns, seafood companies, classic restaurants, food trucks, oyster and chowder houses, inns and artists — all in an effort to try new things and see what ideas, recipes and flavors we could import back to the Old Pueblo.

• Kristen Brockell
• The Stew de Mar from Saint House

In what's a particular bummer to me since I really enjoyed the food and drinks there (RIP, to the Clement Agricole daiquiri) but even more so to the owners and staff, Saint House had their last night of service Saturday night.

Nicole Flowers and Travis Reese, the owners of Saint House, will continue to operate 47 Scott and Scott and Co. downtown.

From the press release:

Located downtown on Congress and Arizona Ave, Saint House Island Bistro and Rum Bar announced its final day of service was yesterday November 1. Open since August 2013, managing company Flowers Hospitality Unlimited and landlord 5 North 5th LLC look forward to new opportunities as diners continue to flock downtown.

Proprietors Nicole Flowers and Travis Reese confess that Cuban cuisine and island-inspired seafood served in the desert Southwest was always going to be a stretch. “We tried to do something new and different with Saint House,” said Flowers. “But the focused concept just didn’t catch on the way we planned in the burgeoning downtown marketplace.”

Saint House is one of over a dozen restaurants to enter downtown’s blossoming East End. Recently, the acclaimed James Beard award winning restaurant, Pizzeria Bianco, opened on Fifth and Congress to wide and resounding reception from Tucsonans, affirming downtown’s reputation as an exciting culinary destination.

“While Saint House was a fun addition to the block, the flurry of demand for new restaurants in downtown Tucson means change is inevitable,” said landlord Scott Stiteler.

Stiteler’s renovations of the 5th Ave and Congress block are at the center of downtown’s revitalization. “Over the past two years, we have been approached by about two dozen restaurant operators who want a chance to open in one of the historic buildings,” he said.

Stiteler added that the new hotel, AC Tucson by Marriott, scheduled to break ground in early 2015, will add additional demand to the restaurant scene.

The space that opened as Saint House in 2013 will become available during the latter part of this year as Travis Reese and Nicole Flowers travel one block away to their original roots on Scott Ave between Congress and Pennington. Flowers and Reese also own and operate 47 Scott, an intimate bistro serving modern American comfort food and Scott & Co, a speakeasy style bar specializing in craft cocktails.

“The hardest thing about all of this is having to lose our staff,” said Reese. “They are knowledgable, professional and incredibly passionate. We were lucky to have them, and know they will make their future employer feel the same way.”

The pair look forward to serving the growing number of patrons at 47 Scott, adding that they “can’t wait to see what new concept joins the East End of Congress.”

47 Scott will continue to honor ALL Saint House Island Bistro and Rum Bar gift cards.

Thankfully, there are seemingly an infinite number of places to get pizza these days in Tucson, so other than seeing Mr. Papa John hanging out with Peyton Manning on TV now and then, I don't have to think so much about that particular national pizza chain. However, with the announcement of their new limited availability speciality pizza, I have to wonder: does the Bible mention the Fritos Chili Pizza specifically as a sign of the apocalypse or are we suppose to just infer that John the Apostle couldn't possibly make sense of the visions he had of this culinary monstrosity?

From the Papa John's press release:

Whether looking for a dinner option on Halloween or the perfect tailgating meal, the limited time product is available through November 23. The pizza will feature Papa John's signature-crust, real beef, hearty chili sauce, Roma tomatoes and onions, all topped with premium cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and baked to golden brown perfection. In keeping with the tradition of a time-tested recipe, the pizza is completed with a generous portion of original Fritos corn chips for a crunchy finish.

"At Papa John's, we love offering our customers exciting pizzas that add some flavor to each season," said Bob Kraut, Papa John's chief marketing officer. "It seemed like a no-brainer to collaborate with our beverage partner PepsiCo to bring its popular Fritos corn chips snack to our pizza and combine these traditional tailgating fall favorites - chili, cheese and added crunch - with Papa John's signature fresh-dough crust."

[...]

"Papa is amazed it took 30 years to put it all on a pizza. We finally did, and we're excited that the pizza will be available for our busiest day of the year, Halloween," said Kraut.

Heist Pizza Parlour, the Aaron May artisan pizza joint which was located in the former Grandy's/Rockin' Baja Lobster/Big Fat Greek building at 7131 E Broadway Blvd, has closed after a little over than a year of service. They apparently served their last pies on Sunday and now the phone is disconnected and their Facebook page has been deleted.

Despite hearing some negative feedback on some of the food (although editor Dan Gibson gave the place a positive review in February), the staff at Heist sure did a great job and were always pleasant and fun. The concept was cool, and, hey, had some awesome names for dishes (ex. Everyday I'm Brusslin', Hard out Here for a Shrimp).

Whether you were a Heist fan or not, I think we all agree it is sad to see an independent and local(ish) restaurant that employed many Tucsonans go under.

Good luck to the Heist Family from top to bottom, and yes, it is 'Hard Out Here For a Shrimp'...

The Abbey, the foothills restaurant that had a locked-doors scare earlier this year, is now seemingly closed for good.

You might remember that in May, then-owner Brian Metzger had an issue with a lender which led to the property being seized, but eventually took care of things to reopen. However, as part of Metzger's divorce proceedings, full ownership (and many of the establishment's financial issues, apparently) transferred to Sandy Ford, Metzger's ex-wife and general manager of Playground and HUB downtown.

It would seem that the pre-ownership transfer issues were too much to overcome under Ford's leadership and we've been told that she sent a letter to investors on Monday informing them that she would be unable to keep the place open.

Sandy Ford sent out a statement about the closing, which is below the cut.

SANAR is a pop-up restaurant* that throws beautiful dinners around town. The SANAR team consists of Dave Valencia of Agustin, Brian Smith of Acacia and Bri Grateron of La Paloma. The crew is throwing their final pop-up dinner of 2014 on October 6, this time held at Reilly Pizza and Drink. We are talking ten courses for $100 a person with an option of drink pairings (an additional $30). Dinner starts at 5 p.m. To make reservations, call 302-8400 or head to www.sanarfood.com.

From what I hear these dinners are every bit of a culinary event! Why not try something new?

Here's the 10 COURSE (!!!) menu:

*Definition from Wikipedia - Pop-up restaurants, (also called supper clubs), are temporary restaurants.

If you've ever bought bread from Don Guerra then you know why his Barrio Bread business has this rabid following of people who will instantly surround the baker and baskets of wheat goodness as soon as he unpacks his truck at the local farmers' markets.

Often I'm surprised folks don't bring the butter with them when they pay, but I digress. Look, if you love Barrio Bakery, now's your chance to pay it forward. Guerra is competing for a Chase Bank Mission Main Street grant, but he needs votes and those votes have to come through Facebook. Them's the rules. Voting ends Oct. 17.

There are only 20 $150,000 grants avaialble, and only businesses with fewer than 100 employees and meet other requirements can apply. Guerra threw his name in and now he's in the running with 322 votes—but more votes don't hurt. Let's make this happen for Barrio Bread, Tucson.

Go here, pronto.

The Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance does a great job in promoting Southern Arizona: The rich history, the bounty of the farms and ranches, the diverse landscapes and, ultimately, the story of this land. The industrious non-profit has assembled a terrific tourism map that highlights everything from bird watching to various military posts, as well as an digital calendar of fun heritage events in the area. Their Heritage Foods Program is dedicated to preserving native crops and promoting the homegrown wineries. And Executive Director Vanessa Bechtol continues the challenging work of persuading D.C. lawmakers to formally designate the area as a National Heritage Area. You can learn more about the group's hard work here.

Once a year, the Heritage Alliance brings people together to taste the flavors of Baja AZ at a Harvest Dinner. This year's dinner will be in the historic environs of Maynards Market & Kitchen, where Maynards chef Jared Scott will whip up a four-course meal highlighting local ingredients State Rep. Demion Clinco will be the keynote speaker and (full disclosure) I'll be master of ceremonies. Plus: a silent auction, live music and—if last year was any indication—plenty of Southern Arizona wines and beers to sample.

It's all from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26. Tickets are $75 before Oct. 12. Get yours here.