How's that for a non-specific blog posting title? I don't really have anything startling to report, but wanted to do a quick update.
I just did my second post at Circle of Food on the difference between baking powder and baking soda. Did you know that baking powder is baking soda plus an acid and a filler? Well if you didn't, you do now. My first post was on a subject near and dear to my heart: beer. I guess that's actually a lot nearer and dearer to my liver, but who's going to call me out on that? It's funny, but I'm enjoying the blogging and the tweeting. If you would have asked me six months ago, I probably would have said I wasn't really interested in either.
My honey and I have had a couple of food/beverage outings of note. We went to Vistas at the Tucson Hilton East and it was just plain weird. The bar didn't have a wine list, the bartender didn't seem to have a good grasp on what she was doing, and the restaurant was deserted when we arrived. A couple of people showed up for dinner before we finished our wine, but it was still kind of odd. But we seem to thrive on those kinds of things, so it's all good.
We also went to Ric's Cafe for dinner. As a member of Tucson Originals, they have a $20.09 special that we wanted to try out. Their offering is all-you-can-eat baby back ribs served with mashed potatoes and a squash medley. It also came with a pint of Fat Tire, which was just fine with me. The ribs were a little tough, a little fatty (they were trimmed sort of oddly), and the sauce was put on after they were cooked. I know that some places do that, but I like them to cook at least a little bit with the sauce on. But they were ok, as was the veg. The mashed potatoes were really good, though. They had a nice garlic kick to them, which I enjoyed. As for the AYCE part of the dinner, I didn't manage to eat more than the full rack they brough out initially. I really wanted to order more (because I like to maximize those kinds of things), but didn't have the room.
Let's see, what else? The girls took me to Beyond Bread for Father's Day lunch and it was fabulous as usual. They made me a scrapbook of pictures of when they were very young - it was just too sweet.
That was followed up two hours later with Father's Day dinner with KW's family at Zona 78. You might guess that I wasn't hungry, and you'd be right. By the time we were paying the bill, I was starting to want a little something to nibble on. Figures.
So I think that kinda sums things up for the last week or two. There'll be more to come soon!
-TFD
Thursday, June 25, 2009
0
Thursday, June 18, 2009
2
Now Posting at Circle of Food!
Hello, visitors!
I'm still going to be doing some posting here, but I'm also doing some guest blogging at Circle of Food (www.circleoffood.com). It'll mostly be about the science of cooking, with some more random things thrown in as well. If you'd like to check out my blog there, head on over to http://www.circleoffood.com/blog/food/tucson-food-dude/
Thanks!
I'm still going to be doing some posting here, but I'm also doing some guest blogging at Circle of Food (www.circleoffood.com). It'll mostly be about the science of cooking, with some more random things thrown in as well. If you'd like to check out my blog there, head on over to http://www.circleoffood.com/blog/food/tucson-food-dude/
Thanks!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
2
Nostalgia Lunch at UA Student Union
I spent a good portion of my day on the University of Arizona campus yesterday. I was a little hungry and trying to figure out what restaurant to head to for lunch when I decided to just go to the student union to see what's changed since I graduated oh so many years ago.
Turns out a lot's changed. It's a whole new building, in fact. Louie's Lower Level is gone, The Cellar is still there, but the main attraction is now Dance Dance Revolution. The selection in the food court is a little different with the exception that On Deck Deli is still there: Burger King has replaced McD's, and there's now Chik-fil-a, Panda Express, Papa John's, and a place called IQ Fresh that does wraps and smoothies. I didn't make it upstairs to check out the cafeteria, but I hear that it's a bit different as well.
IQ Fresh had the most appeal to me. The concept and restaurant itself are acutally an outgrowth of a student project in the Business College. Kinda cool. They had a wide selection of smoothies with the usual add-ins (protein, vitamins, etc), and with yogurt or sherbet. You do your ordering on a piece of paper and then take that up to the counter. Pick your wrapper (whole wheat, chipotle, spinach, white, etc), and type of wrap. I went with the Thai Chicken Lettuce in whole wheat: grilled chicken, lettuce, carrot, cuke, and bean sprouts with a peanut sauce. I would have ordered extra of the sauce, as it was a little dry inside. Overall, it was very tasty. The standout of the meal, though, were the sweet potato fries. Very crispy outside, light and creamy inside, and not greasy at all. They were really, really good, and worth the trip there.
So where's that nostalgia that I mentioned? It sounds like everything's changed, right? Well, yes and no. It was being around all of the students that really did it. Thankfully, there weren't as many as during the semester, but still enough to cause a buzz everywhere. There was also a mix of college students, admin types, and middle/high school students there for summer programs. It was a lot of fun just being around that energy and excitement, and I was glad I went by there.
If you find yourself near campus around lunchtime, stop in at the student union for a bite. Even if you're not an alum, it's a great atmosphere for a little recharge.
Turns out a lot's changed. It's a whole new building, in fact. Louie's Lower Level is gone, The Cellar is still there, but the main attraction is now Dance Dance Revolution. The selection in the food court is a little different with the exception that On Deck Deli is still there: Burger King has replaced McD's, and there's now Chik-fil-a, Panda Express, Papa John's, and a place called IQ Fresh that does wraps and smoothies. I didn't make it upstairs to check out the cafeteria, but I hear that it's a bit different as well.
IQ Fresh had the most appeal to me. The concept and restaurant itself are acutally an outgrowth of a student project in the Business College. Kinda cool. They had a wide selection of smoothies with the usual add-ins (protein, vitamins, etc), and with yogurt or sherbet. You do your ordering on a piece of paper and then take that up to the counter. Pick your wrapper (whole wheat, chipotle, spinach, white, etc), and type of wrap. I went with the Thai Chicken Lettuce in whole wheat: grilled chicken, lettuce, carrot, cuke, and bean sprouts with a peanut sauce. I would have ordered extra of the sauce, as it was a little dry inside. Overall, it was very tasty. The standout of the meal, though, were the sweet potato fries. Very crispy outside, light and creamy inside, and not greasy at all. They were really, really good, and worth the trip there.
So where's that nostalgia that I mentioned? It sounds like everything's changed, right? Well, yes and no. It was being around all of the students that really did it. Thankfully, there weren't as many as during the semester, but still enough to cause a buzz everywhere. There was also a mix of college students, admin types, and middle/high school students there for summer programs. It was a lot of fun just being around that energy and excitement, and I was glad I went by there.
If you find yourself near campus around lunchtime, stop in at the student union for a bite. Even if you're not an alum, it's a great atmosphere for a little recharge.
Monday, May 25, 2009
0
Sonoita / Elgin Wineries
Hi Food Folks!
On Saturday, my sweetie, one of her girlfriends & I headed out for wine tasting in Sonoita & Elgin. The unfortunate thing is that I ended up being the driver, so I didn't really get to taste a lot of wine. Even so, the trip was a whole lot of fun, and I found out that there are some high-quality wines being produced right here in our own backyard. All of the tasting rooms had a charge of some sort ($4-$7), but if you bring your own glass most places knock $2-$3 off of that.
The trip down there probably took an hour or so. The first winery we hit was Callaghan. They were tasting eight wines (dang!), and the tasting was $7.00 (which included a 21oz souvenir glass). It was the most expensive of all the tasting rooms we hit, but the wines were worth it. I did taste all of these wines, which was when we knew that we were defnintely going to need a designated driver. The Buena Suerte was a standout - a Cab/Petit Verdot/Merlot blend, it was a little earthy, not overpowering, but with a long finish. Oh, if aesthetics in a tasting room are your thing, you won't get any here. It's big, with stacks and stacks and stacks of white boxes. That's pretty much it.
From there, we headed about 1/4 mile down the road to Canelo Hills. The winemakers were out of town, but their pinch-hitters were very friendly and knowledgeable. Since I didn't really get to taste anything here, I'll have to rely on second-hand reviews. The Sangiovese was well received, as was the Nebbiolo Rose. The second one surprised me, because my honey isn't much of a rose fan. It had a little bit of oak to it, which was probably the clincher.
Next was Kief-Joshua. This was by far the swankiest of the tasting rooms we encountered, but there was a little too much other stuff going on there for my taste (jewelry, powdered dips, books, and other stuff for sale there). The wines were good, and we met up with a foursome that ended up being our traveling companions for the rest of the trip.
From here, it was off to the Village of Elgin winery. This place was a bit of a mess - they had about 40 wines to sample, and not a lot of guidance besides a single sided sheet with one-line descriptions of all of them to go by. All of the wines my companions tried were cloyingly sweet, even the ones they described as dry. There was also an odor of cigarette smoke in there, which seemed to be strongest by the A/C unit. I don't know if there was someone outside of it smoking or if they really needed to change the filter, but it was pretty offputting. The good news is that with our own glasses it was only $1.00 for four tastes.
By this time, my steadfast compatriots were pretty blitzed. I really began to realize that when they began singing "Let's Hear it for the Boy" at the top of their lungs in the car. I appreciated their enthusiasm for my willingness to drive, but that was more than I expected!
Then it was down the road a mile or two to Sonoita Vineyards. They also leaned pretty heavily on sweet wines, although their MeCaSah blend was pretty good.
Finally, we headed back the way we came and went to Wilhelm Family Vineyards for our last stop. Winemaker Karyl was extremely friendly and willing to share her knowledge and thoughts on winemakining. Having a very friendly weimareiner wandering around was a big hit as well. Our favorite wine there was the Kevin's Choice. This mostly tempranillo blend was lush with black fruit and a little pepperiness.
That was the end of our wine tasting tour, but we went to The Steak Out at the 82/83 junction before going home. That'll be another posting, though, 'cause this one has gone on way too long!
Happy wining!
On Saturday, my sweetie, one of her girlfriends & I headed out for wine tasting in Sonoita & Elgin. The unfortunate thing is that I ended up being the driver, so I didn't really get to taste a lot of wine. Even so, the trip was a whole lot of fun, and I found out that there are some high-quality wines being produced right here in our own backyard. All of the tasting rooms had a charge of some sort ($4-$7), but if you bring your own glass most places knock $2-$3 off of that.
The trip down there probably took an hour or so. The first winery we hit was Callaghan. They were tasting eight wines (dang!), and the tasting was $7.00 (which included a 21oz souvenir glass). It was the most expensive of all the tasting rooms we hit, but the wines were worth it. I did taste all of these wines, which was when we knew that we were defnintely going to need a designated driver. The Buena Suerte was a standout - a Cab/Petit Verdot/Merlot blend, it was a little earthy, not overpowering, but with a long finish. Oh, if aesthetics in a tasting room are your thing, you won't get any here. It's big, with stacks and stacks and stacks of white boxes. That's pretty much it.
From there, we headed about 1/4 mile down the road to Canelo Hills. The winemakers were out of town, but their pinch-hitters were very friendly and knowledgeable. Since I didn't really get to taste anything here, I'll have to rely on second-hand reviews. The Sangiovese was well received, as was the Nebbiolo Rose. The second one surprised me, because my honey isn't much of a rose fan. It had a little bit of oak to it, which was probably the clincher.
Next was Kief-Joshua. This was by far the swankiest of the tasting rooms we encountered, but there was a little too much other stuff going on there for my taste (jewelry, powdered dips, books, and other stuff for sale there). The wines were good, and we met up with a foursome that ended up being our traveling companions for the rest of the trip.
From here, it was off to the Village of Elgin winery. This place was a bit of a mess - they had about 40 wines to sample, and not a lot of guidance besides a single sided sheet with one-line descriptions of all of them to go by. All of the wines my companions tried were cloyingly sweet, even the ones they described as dry. There was also an odor of cigarette smoke in there, which seemed to be strongest by the A/C unit. I don't know if there was someone outside of it smoking or if they really needed to change the filter, but it was pretty offputting. The good news is that with our own glasses it was only $1.00 for four tastes.
By this time, my steadfast compatriots were pretty blitzed. I really began to realize that when they began singing "Let's Hear it for the Boy" at the top of their lungs in the car. I appreciated their enthusiasm for my willingness to drive, but that was more than I expected!
Then it was down the road a mile or two to Sonoita Vineyards. They also leaned pretty heavily on sweet wines, although their MeCaSah blend was pretty good.
Finally, we headed back the way we came and went to Wilhelm Family Vineyards for our last stop. Winemaker Karyl was extremely friendly and willing to share her knowledge and thoughts on winemakining. Having a very friendly weimareiner wandering around was a big hit as well. Our favorite wine there was the Kevin's Choice. This mostly tempranillo blend was lush with black fruit and a little pepperiness.
That was the end of our wine tasting tour, but we went to The Steak Out at the 82/83 junction before going home. That'll be another posting, though, 'cause this one has gone on way too long!
Happy wining!
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