Tucson offered a smorgasbord of culinary delights after months spent in places where restaurants are few and far between, and where our lunches often consisted of nothing more than a chewy bar to hold us until dinner. These are the standouts that made us feel human again.
Note, we didn’t use our camera’s flash because we didn’t want to disturb other diners, so most of our photos are dark. Consider it “ambiance.” We’ve added some media photos when ours were just TOO gloomy.
With Ruthie in tow, our meal was taken in the lovely courtyard at the back of the restaurant, where lush greenery and live music took us from the dry desert to a place of relaxed enchantment. It really did feel like an oasis in which to enjoy a superb meal.
We started with cocktails – gin-based Occidental for Susan and Barrio Negroni for Simon – and paired them with a shared Oyster Mushroom Tempura, a plateful of big, beefy mushrooms with a delicate flavor, lightly coated in crisp-fried tempura, on a bed of pickled melon and green papaya salad.
Simon had the Herbs de Provance Crusted Sea Bass, featuring a lovely fish from the Sea of Cortez, with three sharp, briny mussels so soft they were almost like ceviche. Alongside was a single grilled corn panisse (like a polenta, deep fried and made with chickpea flour) which added a distinct, fresh flavor.
Susan opted for the vegetarian Glazed Delicata Squash, a succulent combination of one-half of the aforementioned squash, cut lengthwise and still in its rind, glazed with maple and pomegranate, generously topped with tiny black lentils and surrounded by a bed of red pepper ajvar and herbed lemon yoghurt. Half of a deep-fried artichoke heart added a crunchy counterpoint.
One of us can’t resist dessert after a great meal (Simon. It’s Simon), and in this instance he couldn’t decide between two: the Orange Date Cake (moist cake with a crumble top sitting on citrus cream, with smoked caramelized banana, and fresh fruits) or Every Part Of The Corn (pillowy corn flan, crisp blue masa atole, nixtamal cracker, caramelized corn silk, and mulberry gastrique), so he got both. Of the two, we agreed we could eat the Orange Date Cake every single day for the rest of our lives.
Simon loves a big breakfast. Susan prefers a light start to the day. Located in downtown Tucson’s Hotel Congress (built in 1919 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places), Cup Café delivered both, with reasonable portions of healthy food that didn’t overwhelm our digestive systems.
Susan had the Quiche du Jour, which delivered a power-packed punch of Mediterranean flavors through its blend of olives, feta, sweet peppers, onion, and spinach enveloped in soft, airy egg, with a crisp crust. Mixed greens in a tart vinaigrette, with sliced strawberries and slivered almonds, added a sharp contrast to the mellow quiche.
Simon opted for the luxury version of avocado toast with his order of Barrio Toast. Smashed avocado, grilled tomato, and two poached eggs topped toasted bread (locally sourced at Barrio Bread bakery), and the same mixed greens were served on the side.
We sat on the patio with our dog, but the restaurant inside is pleasant and sort of Aztec-ey. Under other circumstances, we would have planted there and lingered for quite some time.
(Photo Credit: Jackie Tran, Baja Cafe)
When a restaurant’s signature dish is the Snickerdoodle Pancake, you know you’re in for some creative dining.
Simon went for the Classic Huevos Rancheros and Susan had another house specialty, Corned Beef and Eggs.
(Photo Credit: Jackie Tran, Baja Cafe)
The corned beef was actual chunks of meat, not the shredded stuff with machine-chopped potato squares, proving it was made in-house with the kind of love and attention that shows in its taste.
(Photo Credit: Jackie Tran, Baja Cafe)
Both dishes were so hearty we didn’t eat again until dinner at 7 p.m., and even then we only had bread and cheese. The breakfast of champions!
After recovering for a few days from all the great food we’d eaten, we ventured out to this delightful establishment, having skipped lunch so we’d be ready for a big meal. We sat on the patio, but had we been dog-free we would have dined in the elegant, busy dining room, with its air of refinement we’d been missing from home.
Susan uncharacteristically ordered a starter when the smokey Grilled Artichoke with aioli proved too tempting. It was so beautifully charred, the aioli was left untouched. Simon went for cold smoked salmon with chive crème fraiche and potato galette.
Pasta is pretty much a once-or-twice-a-year thing for Susan, but our server promised the Spinach Pappardelle (roasted chicken slices, melted tomato, pine nuts, grana Padano) would not be huge and overwhelming. Thank goodness, because, oh, the lusciousness of that nutty, tomatoey dish!
Simon was on a seafood kick, and chose Lemongrass Skewered Scallops on a bed of “forbidden” black rice, with sautéed snap peas and soy butter, which left room in his belly for sweet, silky Banoffee Trifle. We both left feeling we’d been royally treated.
Everything we’d eaten so far was excellent, but our final day in Tucson hit every “right” note for us. We’d been wanting something authentically Mexican, and with a line out the door, Seis Kitchen was the perfect choice.
Diners place their orders at a window, then they’re directed to a table in the courtyard. When it’s ready, their meal is delivered to their table and the joy begins.
It will be obvious to those of you who know us that we didn’t order all of the food we tried. Let’s just say some kindness came into it via Visit Tucson, and the restaurant pulled out all the stops to ensure we had a taste of what they do best (cue the Garrison Keiler phrase, “All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” Everything Seis Kitchen does is “best”).
House-made tortilla chips with two fresh salsas and guacamole kicked things off, and then plates of tacos began to arrive. We sampled sweet chili-marinated pork with pineapple; smokey chipotle chicken with avocado, crema, cilantro and queso fresco; and marinated flank steak with pico de gallo and queso fresco.
Three more tacos showed up, one filled with beer-battered avocado, cilantro, cabbage, and cheese (don’t argue with me; get this one no matter what else you try); slow-cooked pork with pickled onion and avocado salsa curd; and Mexican beer-battered fish with the same toppings as the avocado.
Strawberry-Lime Fresco and the creamy deliciousness of Horchata (with a seasonal Pumpkin Spice Horchata follow-up) washed it all down, the scrummiest churros we’ve ever had ended the meal, and oh my lord god sweet baby Jesus, did we enjoy every bite! If we lived in Tucson we’d each weigh five tons, because we’d eat there every day.
This is a long blog, and if you’ve made it this far you’ve done well. If you made it this far without heading to the kitchen for something wonderful to snack on as your belly rumbled, you’ve done even better.
Tucson is the place for a fine meal, and while our photos are lousy, our memories of those outstanding restaurants are brilliant.
Veness Travel Media 
And now beans on toast tonight doesn’t sound so exciting……
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LOL!
Simon’s getting mushrooms on toast this morning, so the decadence is over.
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Just add some avocado, queso fresco and salsa and you’re all made up!
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