Where to Eat in Tucson, AZ

Contigo

Amazing Latin food in a lively atmosphere, this is a great restaurant. I dined alone and sat at the bar which allowed me to chat with the super friendly bartenders and other restaurant patrons. The food was fantastic, especially the featured tuna ceviche and the elote.

Tuna ceviche with Peruvian potato chips

Tuna ceviche with Peruvian potato chips

Be advised, the ceviche is huge.

This dish was amazing.

This dish was amazing.

Their elote (grilled corn with lime aioli and contija cheese) is a necessity.

The arepas sampler.

The arepas sampler.

Continuing the trend, the arepas were good, but enormous.

 

 

 

 

 

Although Contigo offers a (slight) discount for three arepas, you really only need one if you’ve had an appetizer. The pollo arepa would be my first choice, featuring a great meat to condiment ratio, and the right amount of spice. A great place to get Latin food that is not the typical “Tex-Mex” variety.

Price: $$$

 

Feast

A great restaurant, it looks a little tacky on the outside thanks to their neon sign. Do not be dissuaded. The food is delicious and well-prepared. Their menu changes fairly frequently and I opted for the specials on the night I dined: savory lobster bread pudding, venison steak, and lemon madeleines.

The lobster bread pudding was epic.

The lobster bread pudding was epic.

The lobster was a great choice, but very rich and heavy.

Medium rare venison loin.

Medium rare venison loin.

Luckily the venison was lean and served with simple yet delicious grilled vegetables.

Delicious madeleines.

Delicious madeleines.

The lemon madeleines with blueberry curd were fantastic. Light and fluffy yet crispy and chocked full of sweet and tart flavor, they were the perfect way to end the meal.  This is a very solid restaurant serving a European fusion style fare that is a bit hard find elsewhere in the Tucson area.

Price: $$$

 

 

 

 

Poppy Kitchen

Great for brunch or dinner with fantastic views of Tucson and attentive service, this restaurant is a winner. Again, the menu changes frequently as it’s based off seasonal availability – a good indicator of fresh locally sourced food.

Heaven on a plate.

Heaven on a plate.

While dining there, the Seared Filet of Beef is not optional. This decadent dish includes a six ounce filet topped with melted brie and served with an amazing lemon potato gratin and balsamic drizzle. The flavor combinations are stellar.

A solid start.

A solid start.

My beet salad was an excellent start to the meal and the beignets were a delightful end.

A nice way to end the meal.

A nice way to end the meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The real star of the show was the beef filet. This restaurant is located on the Westin La Paloma property. While fantastic for hotel guests, it is a bit of hike for anyone based in downtown Tucson; though this does provide a great excuse to get out to the foothills and soak up the desert ambiance.

Price: $$$

 

Prep & Pastry

Although they don’t serve dinner, Prep & Pastry is a good choice for all your other meals. I stopped in for lunch and fell in love with the space.

My future home may look like this.

My future home may look like this.

The interior is filled with light and decked out in a modern-rustic design scheme. Luckily, the food lives up to the local hype. My Cuban sandwich was fantastic – as any sandwich with duck confit should be.

Delicious.

Delicious.

Salty, juicy, and savory with a little tartness from the mustard and pickles, this sandwich has my number. Combined with a good glass of iced tea – I was in heaven. Most locals that work or live in the northeast area of Tucson (Catalina foothills) rave about Prep & Pastry. Stop in and see why.

Price: $

 

 

 


 

Pricing key based off one course for lunch and three courses plus two alcoholic drinks for dinner all including tax and 20% tip:
$ – under 20     $$ – 50 and under      $$$ – 75 and under     $$$$ – 100 and under          $$$$$ – Over 100 – Break out the high limit credit cards – this is a special occasion restaurant

 


 

 

Fried Green Tomatoes in Savannah, GA

 

Ever since their national introduction via Hollywood in 1992, fried green tomatoes have had a deep, historical association with the American south. Before the explosion of its movie namesake, the crisp-coated unripe tomatoes were not considered an essential component of Dixie fare. The movie spurred consumer demand, effectively creating a new market out of thin air. This is not to say that the film “Fried Green Tomatoes” created a new dish. Fried green tomatoes have their roots in Jewish cooking and eventually spread to the Midwest and Northeast. The supposed staple of the South was served infrequently throughout America before 1992, becoming an integral part of southern culture after the movie’s release. Southerners experience a collective amnesia surrounding the origins of this food, with several menus and culinary blogs concocting elaborate creation tales.

Southerners have varying tastes but strong opinions on adaptations of this fare. Attempting to find the best representation on a recent visit to Savannah, Ga., yielded an overwhelming amount of different recommendations. Savannah is a restaurant town, and each one has their particular take on this frittered fruit. Uncovering the secret behind a good fried green tomato was more straightforward. Polling numerous native southerners on what determines the success of this dish resulted in one resounding answer: the batter. People discussed the crunch, consistency of breading, and overall lightness or heaviness of the crust. John, of Liquid Sands Glass Gallery and a southern native, waxed poetic on “…their candied sweetness and their crunch.” Kim, an employee an esteemed Savannah hotel, referred to the “…light, crunchy breading,” used at several waterfront restaurants as her favorite feature of this meal.

In the south, a green tomato is an un-ripened tomato. Some heirloom varieties are naturally green when ripe, but the creation of this dish calls for young, beefsteak tomatoes that have never turned red. Traditionally, slices of this adolescent fruit are dunked in a buttermilk and egg mixture, coated in a cornmeal and flour mixture, and then skillet fried in hot vegetable oil. Toppings vary, with most recipes leaving the main ingredient unadorned; however the enthusiasts interviewed in Savannah strongly recommend a sauce or chutney to pair with the star attraction.

After sampling different variations of this dish across the city, one preparation stood out. Belford’s is frequently cited as a top contender for the title of Best Fried Green Tomatoes in Savannah. Head chef Chris Adgate explains that Belford’s tomatoes are soaked in buttermilk for “…at least four hours before cooking.” Following this marinade, the fruit slices are coated in House-Autry Mills breading, an ingredient with deep Southern roots, before deep frying at 375 degrees. Adgate instructs his chefs to “… fry them till they’re done,” a process which usually takes about four minutes. Once removed from the fryer, the tomatoes are topped with a fresh, herbal arugula pesto and a side of spicy and creamy pimento cheese. The combination of House-Autry breading and deep frying instead of skillet frying results in an interpretation unlike any other in town. Rather than a coarse and textured exterior, the breading on these tomatoes is smooth and light. The clean flavors of the arugula pesto cut through the decadent, crispy breading while the cheese adds an unexpected kick.

Belford's Fried Green Tomatoes

Belford’s Fried Green Tomatoes

John, a waiter at Noble Fare, and a self-described connoisseur of this dish, recommends several tips to ensure a successful at-home preparation. A double batter helps provide the desired crunch, and making sure the oil is hot enough keeps tomatoes from getting soggy. While toppings and sauces are important, “… batter is key,” and Fuller’s top piece of advice is to “…choose a good breading agent.” While Belford’s uses a finely milled breading resulting in a lighter, smoother coating, Fuller recommends Italian breadcrumbs. This approach is used by a number of Savannah restaurants, with panko or coarse Italian breadcrumbs replacing the traditional textured cornmeal. Vic’s on the River employs this technique, combining a golden fried panko coating with ripe tomato relish, fresh goat cheese, and mild green onions on top of traditional southern grits. The thick tomato slices are coated in an egg wash followed by panko and then skillet fried. While very tasty, the breading on Vic’s interpretation seems heavy and gummy compared to the exceptionally light coating at Belford’s.

Vic's Fried Green Tomatoes

Vic’s Fried Green Tomatoes

All across town, chefs are making the dish their own with innovative batters and toppings. From beer-batter to shrimp remoulade, each tries to put a unique spin on this Southern ‘classic’. The South may not have created fried green tomatoes, but it has perfected them.