reflection on a sculpture

In mid January, my hubby and I visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens where these lime-green glass sculptures greet visitors as they enter the urban oasis.

A winter storm was beginning to emerge from the west coast.

One element that intriques me about this photo, as I gaze on it in the quiet of my home office, is the variety of textures in the shot.

Those textures are in the rocks, wall and plants surrounding the man-made artwork. How many can you find?

local eats in Long Beach California

Ten days ago, I was enjoying a brief vacation in Long Beach, California. My husband and I like the area very much and we have extended family nearby, so each year, we try to make the time for a visit. Maybe, eventually, we will be able to spend summer weeks or a month there, but, for now, we just savor our short airplane "hops" from Tucson to LB. This time, we nixed the idea of driving back and forth to the Getty Museums and, instead, kept our mileage range short but our curiousity expanded as we tried out two new places for lunch.

Our first stop after settling into our hotel was at Michael's Pizzeria, recently opened adjacent to the finer dining restaurant (of the same name, Michael's) next door. Located in the district known as Naples, with canals, gondolas and vias named after the original city in Italy, the two lower photos show the $8.00 lunch specials--Margarita Piccola and Rotolino Carcifi. The second entree was new to us is described as "roasted artichoke wrap with melted mozarella and pesto". I watched the chef roll the dough, layer the soft, white cheese balls over the pesto and artichokes, pinch the dough together and wrap it into a small, wreath-like shape, before placing it on the paddle and into the oven. Both entrees were delicious. We let the server know that I wrote a blog and while we only order one scoop of hazelnut gelato (from the producer, Ciao Bella), she brought us a "sample". This included their homemade pistachio and two homemade sorbets: strawberry and white grape. While the mass-produced hazelnut was very good, the homemade gelato was excellent: smooth and cream like I recall from my trips to Rome and Florence. The strawberry gelato had a fresh, tart tang to it and the white grape was surprisingly crisp. Can you tell that we love our dolci as well as our pizza? So, of course, it is the first photo you see. Visit Michael's Pizzeria at 5616 E. 2nd Street in Long Beach. http://www.michaelspizzeria.com/

Our second day we went downtown to find the visitor's center (tucked into a stall by the transit stop) and on our way, saw a sign with my name on it. Of course, we had to go into the Cafe and have two iced coffees (served with iced coffee cubes which made the sweet coffee taste linger) and talked with the manager about the connection of my name to the coffee. He gave us several complimentary Fonte paper coffee cups which I packed up and shared with family members to their surprise. We went back to the Cafe, named simply for the address Cafe 301, at 301 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach and split a generous chicken and pesto panini ($6.75), served with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes and fresh greens. This is another locally owned foodie jewel I would recommend when you are in downtown LB. And the coffee has its own story at http://fontecoffee.com/ .

Out for a stroll

It's early Sunday morning and unusually "crisp" for this time of year: still only in the 50s. We savor this break from the heat and gladly put on our sweaters for a walk or stroll in the morning's gentle light. Yesterday, we walked along the Rillito River which, I must describe for non-Arizona readers, is without water for all but the heaviest of monsoons or mountain snow run-offs. This year, because the rains lingered in September, the vegetation along the banks is deep green and we spotted late blooming yellow flowers and black-eyed Susans bobbing along the mesquite and palo verde bushes. Dogs and their owners were pounding the sand and a red-tailed hawk lifted along the thermal drifts.

This morning, as I sit and write, it is the parade of our neighborhood dog walkers strolling by--some retired couples or singles, a few early rising UA students, all with a dog or two on leash, enjoying this brisk autumn air.

I am watering my lazy morning glory so that her blue blossoms will last a bit longer into this season. I think that vine has become a symbol of this year for me. It planted itself next to a dying oleander and began its climb up the dead branches a couple of months ago. It is now filling out that empty space with huge leaves and blossoms and surprises me every day with its persistence growth. I like to think its endurance represents my spirit and so I water it to keep it widening its arch across the back patio.

Is there a tree, a plant, a flower or vine that symbolizes your growth or spirit this year? And have you tended it, and yourself, well?

La Cocina Restaurant Cantina and Coffee Bar

Do you want to savor a succulent pulled pork (or pulled chicken) and gouda sandwich that my husband, the conference-traveler, says "is the best since I ate in Tennessee?" Start a meal with a soft, thin quesadilla (here served without green chilis per my request), with sides of chunky quacamole and salsa? Or you can pick another item: there are many more choices on the menu from La Cocina, located at 201 N. Court Ave./Old Town Artisans in Tucson. The owner, Jo Schneider, also owner of Bentley's Coffee and Tea which I reviewed earlier, has a gem of a location just footsteps away from the Tucson Museum of Art, Public Library and government offices and parking was easy for us to find (after 5 p.m.) on a side street.

We visited her place on Thursday night before we went to Cinema La Placita. It was a lovely early autumn evening so we sat outside and enjoyed the golden light in the plaza and watched the trees change color as the sun set. As darkness unfolded, twinkling lights came on and so did local musician Stefan George who played his acoustic guitar and sang vintage ballads to us and others gathered for a fine meal. La Cochina offers gluten-free menu options, a wide range of veggies and protein in the form of chicken, tofu and tilapia. Her breads (such as the ciabatta which my hubby said "hugged the pork perfectly") comes from the Tucson Bake House.

Service was attentive, friendly and paced so that we could enjoy the music and our meal. If I had wanted to, I could have leisurely shopped the galleries and shops, but I will do that on another night. We saved room for dessert and so glad we did: a fudge-icing brownie that Jo described aptly as "chocolate on steroids." She told us it was a homemade recipe and the "birthday cake of choice" by her two sons.

Jo is dedicated to making La Cocina a downtown foodie success and she is open seven days a week with brunch on Sundays. Her commitment to the Tucson community goes back thirty years and we Tucsonans and visitors need to do our part to keep this gem glowing in downtown Tucson. So visit La Cochina next time you are in the area and say "hi" to Jo as you settle in for a taste from her kitchen.

footloose

Next week Cinema La Placita will be showing the movie, Footloose http:////en:wikipedia.org/wiki/Footloose_(1984_film)) at 7:30 p.m. La Placita is located at the corner of Broadway and Church and the movies are shown in the plaza area. Chairs are provided, or bring your own. There is a grassy knoll and Gazebo where families with young children are encouraged to picnic. The cost for the movie, including popcorn, is $3.00 per person and all proceeds go to rentals for the movies and the refreshment. There is a Cafe open where you can purchase burgers and sandwiches, ice cream and sodas.

I will be posting an interview of the founder of this fun community event in a couple of weeks. Erika O'Dowd started the Cinema 11 years ago as an adaptation of Monday night movies held in Bryant Park in New York City where she lived for five years. In addition to the pleasure of watching a classic movie, patrons experience two intermissions during the movie where conversations with each other--particularly to meet the person sitting next to you or standing near you as you wait for popcorn--help create a friendly Tucson culture.

My husband and I have seen two movies this summer and felt that taking time off on a Thursday night--grabbing a bite to eat downtown (there are now many more choices downtown, depending on your budget and menu interests) and enjoying a movie under the stars--is a terrific way to begin the weekend a bit early.

The movies are shown every Thursday, beginning the first week of May and ending the last week of October and even when rain threatens (as it did when we saw, ironically, "Singin' in the Rain" in July), the movie isn't canceled until significant raindrops begin to fall. Even then, if the crowd is willing, they rearrange the chairs so that the screen is protected and the show really does "go on"!

So join us next week at Cinema La Placita and dance Footloose with the movie and music.

sparkroot lunch

This is a shot of my recent lunch at Sparkroot Coffee Bar + Fare (sparkroot.com). As I mentioned in earlier posts, the first two times I went to Sparkroot, I was almost overwhelmed by all the "eye candy" in the two-story space that overlooks Congress and Fifth. From the view East, I see the Rialto Theatre and cars pass by with regularity in the a.m. and early afternoon. That location and view give Sparkroot a sense of being in energetic movement and the decor of Sparkroot enhances the feeling.

A bicycle hangs by the South facing door; a mural of a motorcylist is on the East wall. Retro touches include a "jukebox", a waste can with a vintage sign that says "THINK", a bamboo tree growing from the first floor with natural rocks encircling its base, 1950s circa college chairs (I think my College of Education at the UA still has some scattered around in Research Assistants' offices) set by narrow wooden tables...to name just a few of the objects du jour that pop open my eyes as much as the Blue Bottle coffee may do. Even the unisex restrooms have photos or 33 rpm records as eyespots while you take a break from the luscious teas (I had both lemon souffle and mint, served in mason jars) or coffee. Sparkroot is a name the owner, Ari, made up and by the counter, in the floor, are roasted and unroasted coffee beans under glass along with an "aerial shot" of coffee bubbling in an oversized coffee cup. I felt like I wanted to tap dance on the glass just to see if the coffee beans moved, but I didn't give it a try.

The menu is still a work in progress and it's fun to watch the cook at the counter prepare meals which I would describe as artisan and artful. My breakfast trip was light with granola with walnuts and pecans. The lunch pressed sandwich which you see in the photo is of fresh bread (from The Bake House), spinach, chevre cheese and artichokes. The bread was crunchy but smooth in texture and the overall taste of the elements were light to taste but filling. My husband, who took the photo, also had a pressed sandwich with welsh chedder and English cucumber. He described it to me as "chewy and full-bodied." A pickle comes as garnish with the sandwiches.

The eating atmosphere is pleasant and not rushed. Having sat both upstairs and downstairs, I would recommend either for conversation and/or people watching--but upstairs I definitely got more of the sense of the urban traffic outside. At night, with the lights from cars and the streets, I would expect the scene to be urban cool--but I haven't tried it yet at night so I will let you know when I do. My husband, who works in the safety field, answered my question about the exposed beams: "they have foam sprayed fire proofing", he told me. A good thing to know if you are worried about safety but to a person such as I am who is more interested in visual design than safety, the gray foam made an interesting textural contrast with the airplane propeller-like fan that shines as it spins from the high ceiling.

Each time I go in (and I will again, as they expand their menu to include, I hope, a morning frittata), I find something new to both eat, drink and/or look at--so Sparkroot works for me as a place to both "spark" my day (or night, for the evening guests) and "root" myself in the downtown Tucson scene.

Audubon Room casual dinner at Arizona Inn

As I noted in my earlier, brief posting, my son is sous chef at the Arizona Inn (www.arizonainn.com), so I have a bias inherent in my review. Nevertheless, when I go to eat, particularly at the end of a hot and emotionally intense day as we had on August 21, I want these elements in my my eating experience:

1. Quiet enough ambiance that I can talk with my husband and not raise my voice
2. Comfortable seating and lighting
3. Servers that are pleasant to talk to and who know the menu
4. Wide enough selection on the menu so I feel like I can make choices between what I really want to eat, can afford and maybe should eat for healthy-eating reasons
5. Related to #4, ability of the restaurant to split a meal without a $2.00 charge (I never understand what that $2.00 is to cover--an extra plate?)
6. Last, but not least, good quality food.

When I go to the Arizona Inn, I know all of those elements are "covered." When I choose to go to the Audubon Room, I have two other benefits:

7. Causal dress/attire
8. Live music that matches #1.

So, on to the details for #4, #5, #6. My husband I have had a pretty good arrangement with sharing a meal and still having stomach space to enjoy a shared dessert. That's the plan we use when we eat at "the Inn." We shared (and the sharing was ample for each of us), a seasonal green salad with blood orange vinegarette, slivered almonds, mandarin orange slices and smoked fennel. I am a late bloomer when it comes to enjoying salads, and not just eating the greens because I am supposed to, yet this salad is one that I could have made an entire meal of--with the crunchiness of several sea salt brushed rolls and butter. But we had ordered a shared entree to also enjoy so I limited myself to savoring one roll and butter with the salad.

The entree was a roast beef sandwich with brie and creamed horseradish on homemade garlic bread,served with a side of white truffle oil potatoe salad which was dotted with scallions and red peppers. Each element complemented the other in my mouth. I was surprised that I did like the addition of the creamed horseradish which, correctly, my son said would not be bitter and overpowering as I have tasted it from the jar at home. Instead, somehow, the horseradish, brie, beef and wonderful (thick, crusty yet easy to chew) garlic bread created a harmony of sweet tastes to my tongue.

As we ate, we enjoyed the gentle conversations around us and the the heart-lifting piano music that echoed through the green, gold and cream accented room. I enjoy sitting at a table close to the bar and like to watch the ballet-like movements of the bartender as he (or she) pours colored fluids into different shaped glasses for the enjoyment of the customers. We rarely go beyond a selection of lemonade (always fresh and tangy at the Inn) or the mix of it with an iced tea, a la Arnold Palmer. It may seem like a small detail, but at the Inn, the Arnold Palmer's are so perfectly mixed the drink comes to the table with the two beverage colors blended like a Rothko painting.

We take our time at the Inn and so, after the entree has settled and a few more songs are played, our dessert of mango raspberry sorbet arrives in three scoops shaped like light orange tennis balls, garnished with strawberries and two hazelnut rolled cookies. Sometimes sorbet can be icey and crunchy but not at the Arizona Inn. Consistently, the texture is smooth and almost creamy although no cream is used in the recipe. "It's the equipment and knowing how to use it," our server, Tom, tells us when we inquire about the texture.

When we left the Inn, the sunset outside was beginning to dim, but our spirits were much higher than when we entered two hours earlier. We felt not only fed, but cared for--nourished by the food, the service, the song-filled music and the historic feeling of being a part of Tucson that has endured for decades with classic style and contemporary hospitality.