Category Archives: Tucson

by | December 17, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Tucson: Part Four!

     Last Sunday, I did something I’ve NEVER done before… I purchased a beer, drank a quarter of it and LEFT THE REST! I know, I don’t believe it either!

At lunch, the waiter recommended Old Monkeyshine by Nimbus. This is a VERY potent beer. I didn’t leave it because I didn’t like it, I left it because after a quarter of it, I was feeling quite fuzzy around the edges – not good when you have to go back to work.
I also had half of a roast beef and cheddar sandwich on a french roll from Delectables. I LOVE it when restaurants use white cheddar. It makes me feel a bit healthier not having all that artificial dye weaving its way through my system.
In an attempt to get back to my booth, I had to take on a powerful force of nature: crowds at a stoplight.
Aaaaaaah, here they come!!!!

     I barely survived. I hid away in the booth until it was time for dinner.
After we broke down the booth (in a record hour and forty-five minutes!!!), we went to Caruso’s for some massive portions of pasta. And bread.
Since I didn’t finish my brew at lunch, I decided to give it another go. This time I got Dirty Guera by Nimbus – nice and smooth, with a much lower ABV than Old Monkeyshine.
I ordered the “spinach ravioli” which ended up being green ravioli stuffed with cheese. Not quite what I had in mind…
     The next day we rose at 6am and headed back to Cali. We stopped for lunch at Hadley, which is apparently famous for its date shakes. I know, I’ve never heard of it either.
The place is covered with autographed headshots…
…which begs the question, do these people carry around headshots with them, just waiting for the opportunity to pass them out?
I got a small date shake – if they’re famous, you gotta try!
I was not impressed. However, if you like gritty vanilla milkshakes, these are for you!
I ordered the vegetarian sandwich topped with blended avocado and cream cheese, sprouts, lettuce and tomato. Again, not impressed.

     I finally made it back after a NINE HOUR drive and collapsed in a happy heap on the couch with a book, a cup of tea and a blanket.
It’s so good to be home.

2 Comments

Filed under blonde ale, Caruso's, date shake, David Carradine, Delectables, Dirty Guera, Hadley, Hadley Fruit Orchards, Nimbus, Old Monkeyshine, Smallville, Tucson, white cheddar

by | December 16, 2010 · 5:28 am

Tucson: Part Three!

     My mornings in Tucson consisted of lunch for breakfast. Every day. I fell in love with the beautiful Sabine’s Cafe Passe, where I grabbed panini every morning.

Roasted bell pepper, avocado slices, fresh tomatoes, lettuce and a slice of pepperjack cheese piled on top of nine-grain bread and pressed until melted.
Something else I may have to recreate at home!

     During the festival on Saturday, I had some time to go and explore a little more. I stumbled across a dance studio that was advertising a free dance show. How could I not check that out? FREE!
CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!

     All the dancing made me ravenous! I visited a local college hangout for lunch.
“We love your bum.” Definitely a college hangout.
It was packed inside, so I grabbed a New Belgium Abbey and grabbed the first seat I found.
I placed my order and spent AN HOUR waiting for it to arrive. Luckily they had plenty of photography on the walls to check out, and all of the patrons were incredibly trashed and rowdy and fun to watch.
This is the HALF-ORDER of their “Lady Madonna” sandwich. It is PILED with turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. I ate a quarter of it and was stuffed. I also demolished most of the sweet potato fries.
     We had an amazing day of sales and decided to celebrate with dinner and drinks at the hotel.
There were no complaints about the view.
We were nestled in a corner outside where we enjoyed the incredible scenery and were serenaded by acoustic guitar.
How could I not? Cadillac margarita with a sugar rim!
We started with guacamole, prepared fresh tableside with a mortar and pestle, that was full of avocado, fresh tomatoes, lime zest, jalapeno and onions.
I also can’t say no to salmon!
This nears the top of my “favorite salmon entree EVER” list. The salmon was delicate and crispy on the outside, set atop a bed of rich, flavorful steamed lentils and spinach, and covered with tangy Peperonata – caramelized bell peppers.
I might be drooling as I remember this right now. Or that could be the novocaine from my visit to the dentist…
We also split a vegan tamale pie that was filled with corn, black beans and elbow macaroni, and topped with a tamale dough, cabbage and tomatoes. This wasn’t quite as worthwhile.
I filled my plate and then cleared it completely. I also got seconds (and possibly thirds) of the salmon.

Becki was a happy girl.

1 Comment

Filed under Abbey, Arizona, Bumsted's, Cadillac, grilled salmon, guacamole, Madonna, New Belgium, Sabine's Cafe Passe, Tucson, vegan

by | December 12, 2010 · 8:38 am

Tucson: Part Two!

     We’ve had a busy two days here in Tucson! The 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair received a record number of visitors on Friday! Luckily, I still had enough time to escape the booth and wander around.

This street fair is referred to as the “flea market” by the fine artists who attend. I definitely noticed that the majority of the sales here are random trinkets that have no use.
Three dollar bracelets, anyone?
TONS of clothes!
It always bothers me when I go to a booth that sells clothing and the tag says, “Made in Nepal.” Why can’t these people sew their own clothes and sell them? I want something authentic that I can’t order online from a production factory located overseas!
     
     After we wrapped for the day, my cousin Stephanie came by to show me the not-so-dirty-and-ghetto part of Tucson. I’ll be honest, didn’t think such a place existed.
I was wrong! Steph took me to a local barbecue place, Daisy Mae’s, nestled in the hills of Tucson.
When you enter, there are dollar bills signed and stapled to the walls. Once a year, Daisy Mae’s donates all these dollars to a charity.
My beautiful cousin and the host promised me that the ribs would rock my world.
My world was ROCKED. These ribs were so tender that when you touched the fork to them, the meat just melted off. I demolished the entire plate and didn’t regret a single forkful!
It was a struggle to lift myself out of the chair after consuming eighteen thousand pounds of ribs, but I eventually rolled myself back out to her car.
Afterwards we headed to the University of Arizona campus to check out the area.
We also visited the A-FRICKIN-MAZING games/lounge area. This place was decked out with pool tables, DDR, ping-pong tables and random video games.
If you didn’t know, I am a billiards FANATIC! I used to play every weekend with my family when I was still wearing overalls, and am still in love with the game!
     Afterwards, Steph drove me back to the hotel where I ended with a nightcap and Skype-d with the family.
I have no complaints about anything in life at this moment.

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Filed under 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair, Arizona, billiards, Concannon, Daisy Mae's Steak House, flea market, Nepal, Skype, Tucson, University of Arizona

by | December 10, 2010 · 11:46 am

Tucson: Part One!

     After a painful nine hour drive, we finally made it to Tucson. We checked into a lovely hotel that has individual cottages tucked away in the mountains and headed to the show to set up.

First things first: FOOD! In order to be as helpful as possible in set-up, I must be fueled!
I strolled the streets searching for restaurants. Most of them were closed, yet all of the tattoo parlors, bars and smoke shops were still swamped. 
I just don’t get it.
Luckily I found a cute little place, Delectables, that was open for another ten minutes and they were gracious enough to seat and feed me. I asked the waitress for her recommendation and got the chicken, pesto and Brie sandwich on a french roll.
This was delicious, but somehow I’ve never been able to come to terms with the fact that I’m eating wax when I’m consuming Brie cheese. Anyone else have this issue?
Post fooding, we were serenaded by a band (I thought it was one of those listed, but they aren’t playing until tomorrow…) while setting up our tent. These guys were GOOD! I wanted to go in and listen, but had to find contentment with listening to their songs through the window. If only I knew who they were :-/
The booths are up! Time for me to crash on my lovely Tempur-pedic mattress in preparation for the long day tomorrey!
I make no apologies for my awful grammar in this post. YOU spend nine hours on the road and three and a half lifting heavy booth material, then we can talk.

4 Comments

Filed under Arizona, bar, Brie cheese, Delectables, Plush, smoke shop, tattoo parlor, Tempur-pedic, The Vases, Tucson