Before I left for Arizona, I put out a call to my Tucson friends to give me their favorite places to eat in the city that wasn't Eegee's (because I was already going to go there). They, honestly, did not disappoint me and gave me way more suggestions than I had time to eat at. That's okay though, because I had a list of options for wherever I was, and I appreciate that.
When we lived in Tucson, we were very close to a couple of places, and one of my favorites was a 50s-style diner called Little Anthony's Diner. Needless to say, they had a lot of new stuff on the menu, including these enormous, ridiculous milkshakes. You know I had to try it out.
This is called the I Want S'more Rama Lama Ding Dong Shake, because it had toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, and a full Ding Dong on it. It took 20 minutes or something to make and it came with a sparkler like it was my dang birthday. I was all in.
Eric and I did our best to take it down, and we did a pretty good job, but there were still some casualties, because we still were trying to also eat food we ordered. Eric had the Hatch Green Chile Cheeseburger and my mom and I split Elvis's Favorite - a fried peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich with honey and fries.
Almost, literally, across the street is an Eegee's, a local chain that serves hoagies and specialty drinks called Eegees that are like a cross between a Slurpee and a Slushy, but made with real fruit. Everyone wanted strawberry (the best one, in my opinion), so I just got the biggest one they serve. Do you think it's big enough?
Yes, we did go straight from dinner to get take-out from somewhere else, because we ate really early and I knew we'd be hungry later, but wouldn't want to go back out. So, here's my turkey sandwich, too. I thought in 20 years, my brain would have remembered it being way better than it was, but I wasn't disappointed with it either. I wolfed down my half at 9pm while checking email and uploading photos.
I had looked up best places for brunch in Tucson and my Facebook friend Liana recommended LaCo, which I was already looking at, so I knew that was going to be a winner. They are right downtown, so easy to find and close to a bunch of things. We took a shady table in their courtyard and were served by a woman who had a very Portland vibe about her. She used to live here, so that made a lot of sense.
I ordered the Potato Tacos, which were veggie soft tacos with tater tots in them. They were so good. Eric got the B.A.T. L.E.G. sandwich that was bacon, avocado, tomato, lettuce, fried egg, and herbed goat cheese, with balsamic reduction served on sliced sourdough.
My high school friend Kate mentioned a ton of places, including a BBQ joint called Brother John's that's on the outskirts of downtown and has been awarded Best BBQ in Tucson. We had eaten a lot of heavy things, so we went a bit light here. Eric got the Wedge Salad with brisket.
I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Salad and my mom decided on the Potato Skin with pulled pork, which turned out to be half a baked potato heaped with meat and cheese. All of it was awesome and I can see why they are highly recommended.
You know I love a good brunch. Liana also recommended checking out the Mercado, which is a block of independent shopping and eating establishments, so one morning we headed over, got an awesome coffee at Presta Coffee and then walked across the courtyard to order and snag a table at Seis Kitchen. All the restaurants share the outside seating, but there's quite a bit.
My mom just got a bean and cheese burrito, but Eric ordered the Chorizo and Potato Breakfast Tacos, while I got the Plato Mixto - eggs scrambled with cheese and green chiles and bacon, beans and breakfast potatoes, served with tortillas. I could only eat half of it, so I took the rest to go and enjoyed it the next evening while we were watching a movie.
While looking for a place that was open after 7pm in Oro Valley (where we were staying) and not driving 30 minutes to get there, Eric picked a place down the street called Harvest Restaurant. It had outdoor seating, and we sat in the area that was covered, but still sort of outside. We were able to get in on happy hour and view the sunset, too.
We got the Arancini risotto balls (above), I ordered the Short Rib Tacos, Eric got the Short Rib Nachos, and my mom ordered the Sweet and Salty Salad - chopped kale & roasted butternut squash in maple balsamic dressing w/ candied pecans, brie cheese, craisins & diced apples. Everyone swooned over their food.
We had a lot of food, but there were two desserts that were specials that sounded fantastic and we asked the waiter to choose his favorite. Between the Coconut Carrot Cake and the Peppermint Cheesecake, he recommended the carrot cake, so we ordered one to go. It was beautiful, but we didn't realize until we opened it later that it was half pineapple. Citrus does not like me. I loved it, but I also had the worst heartburn that evening. If that's not an issue you have, I'm envious, but I also recommend that cake.
It felt like we spent a lot of our time walking and eating, but that's okay. We had a great time doing both. I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of our dining adventure. I'll be following up soon with things we did on our trip.
What are your favorite food cities, or even just your very favorite restaurant (and what do you order there)?
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