Local Eating during Independent's Week

This week LocalFirstAZ is celebrating independents (get it: for Independence Day) and one of our favorite ways to comply is by eating local.  We actually eat local most of the time when we go out, but this week, we are focusing on dining at local restaurants and/or food trucks..

Friday, we had dinner at La Hacienda www.LaHaciendaTucson.com

Saturday, for lunch with my 95 year old dad, we were at Lucky Wishbone for chicken and shrimp www.luckywishbone.com .

To lighten our load, at an early Saturday dinner, we stopped by the reopened Rincon Market and enjoyed their salad bar.  NOTE:  Their grand opening is all day 6/30 www.rinconmarket.com . 

 

 

Sunday, we are eating in, and Monday we will be doing a picnic on Mt. Lemmon and stopping my the cookie place in Winterhaven.  Who knows what Tuesday will bring, but Wednesday we will be at the localfirst mixer at Alfonso Oil Company on N. Oracle, chomping on bread, cheese and olive oil.  My guess is that local wine will also be available www.localfirstaz.com .  Through localfirst you can also get a $5.00 off summer discount card at many local businesses, including restaurants.

Tucson has no shortage of great local places to eat, including the Food Truck Round-Up and the Food Truck Rally. 

 So, please consider, eating local, especially during the summer!  And check out the upcoming event at http://facebook.com/dohappytoday

Holiday and Happiness Bright Spots

This sculpture, made of horse shoes, stands in the sunlit shadows as you enter Hacienda Del Sol Resort.  We had a wonderful lunch on patio on New Year's Day and I even indulged in a mimosa!  The resort offers four star meals and also opens up to blues and jazz on the weekends, so check out their schedule (and online menu) for a happy way to begin 2014.  www.haciendadelsol.com

On New Year's Eve, we ate at the Olive Garden with my dad and that was a nice meal for him, satisfying his Italian taste buds.  But what wowed us was our first visit to was the authentic gelato(smooth, light and not served in the garish "super size" of Frost).  My dad swooned over the lemon cheese cake and Mark and I slowly savored the chocolate caramel sea salt (my choice) and Mexican Chocolate Coffee (his).  They cater and have a cute dessert cart to bring to your events.  Fresh gelato is made twice a week at the welcoming café in Williams Center.  Check them out at www.tazzinadigelato.com

Just to wrap things up for this New Year's Post, here's a graphic of happiness for you to enjoy.  According to the 2014 Calendar developed by Henry S. Miller, January is the month for hope and plans.  A friend of mine added "intentions" and I like that addition as well.  What about you?

Bentley's for Lunch: Our "get out of the computer cave" BrightSpot

One of the challenges of working at home is getting out from the "computer cave" (i.e. home office) and reconnecting with the world.  I have found myself slipping into a more solitary mode the past few weeks and, as a result, my mood shifted to match with our partially cloudy skies.

So, today, I purposefully said to my spouse, "We are going out to lunch today.  Where do you want to go?"  A friendly spot, just south Mountain Ave. and east on Speedway, is Bentley's where we know we can get an affordable and tasty lunch and order from a selection of specialty teas.  Lately, we have been adapting to our budget and waistlines and split a meal.  Here's today's special for lunch: turkey (on multigrain from Small Planet Bakery) with provolone, sprouts, lettuce and Roma tomatoes.  We ordered a side salad and, for $1.00, added a second side of fruit.

All elements were fresh and plentiful. The total was $11.00 and it was enough for both of us.  (And, we confess, we also split a fudge brownie/not pictured which was tasty to the last smooth crumb).  The energy in the room elevated our spirits: two toddlers were flitting around like butterflies, conversations were animated and, as always, the parade of patrons is worth an extended time for viewing.  Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea is also a member of Local First Arizona, so make sure you take time for stopping there and supporting one of the first local cafes in Tucson.

http://www.bentleyscoffeehouse.com/

Summer Food Fun at Jax Kitchen

In the local newspaper's food section last week, I had read about the chef's fried chicken and thought we would try it at one of her restaurants, Jax Kitchen www.jaxkitchen.com .  It is located in the same strip mall as the Alphagraphics office on North Oracle where we had just picked up the new book, Writing at the Paradise Cafe.  When we got the menu, we discovered that the fried chicken is only served at The Abbey on the eastside of town, so we had to adjust our expectations.  We did and still glad we took a chance on a new-to-us, but really five year old locally owned fun food place.  I say "fun" because they use that tag on their business card and, although it took me a few minutes to connect the "jax" with the vintage "jacks" ala childhood sporting game I used to play with my cousins, the ambiance was relaxed (flip-flops accepted), casual and the orange/black decor (with light green touches) made me smile. Another smile came as I walked to the restroom and scanned the black and white and color "snapshots" hanging on a clothesline-type wire and "clipped" on with office clips. The bar is open and connected to the seated tables but the noise wasn't unacceptable for early eaters such as are.  We also were able to  enjoy a 1/2 price appetizer.

The bar: 

Here are the photos and descriptions of our items.

Homemade chips from russet potatoes and seasoned with garlic and celery salt.  A yummy, crunchy surprise:

 

Bread, from a California bakery (wish they would "buy local"--we have great bakeries in Tucson), served with garlic infused olive oil andsea salt, seasoned with chives and parsley:

 

 

An appetizer we loved: baby artichokes flash-fried in buttermilk batter (the same batter as the fried chicken), seasoned with parmesan and chives and served with lemon aoili (note: another "fun" detail--the artichokes served in small mason jars and wrapped in crinkle paper):

 

 

Mark enjoys soups and so tried the chicken and green chili with cilantro and goat cheese bits.  The broth was seasoned with garlic, shallots, celery and bay leaves.  He loved it.

 

 

We split the entree--pan-sheared rainbow trout with orzo pasta and bacon, served with hericots verts, a sauce of blackberry gastric, fennel fronds, julienne-cut Fuji apples, blackberries and truffle oil.  Absolutely divine--and, as you look at this picture, it's a half portion!

 

 

Bon Appetit at Jax Kitchen!