While we lust after the dishes on our list, we mourn the restaurants that have come and gone.
Of course there are the high-end restaurants that were special treats: Janos, Ventana Room, Anthony's in the Catalinas, Charles and the Tack Room, among them. But there were so many others that stick in our culinary memories, as well.
J Bar, the low-cost neighbor to the upscale Janos, offered a bistro filet —slices of tender beef with chimichurri sauce — we'll never stop longing for.
Austin’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream — in its original Broadway Village location — had the thickest, creamiest milkshakes in existence.
Fuego Restaurant on East Tanque Verde had a Fuego combo appetizer that included fresh shrimp, chorizo and sea scallops drenched in tequila and ignited table side. The fare by chef/owner Alan Zeman, who launched the Southwestern cuisine trend, is missed daily.
The Big A on East Speedway served grilled burgers that were juicy, packed with flavor, and dressed up in different styles — we were partial to the No. 6, a burger topped with Caesar salad.
The French Quarter was really more of a bar, and you could hear some fine blues there. But what we really loved: warm, sugary beignets.
Katherine's was a sunny cafe on North Campbell Avenue that had, just inside its entrance, a revolving carousel of the most luscious desserts. When it closed and Le Bistro moved into the space, that carousel remained, slowly twirling and tempting. Alas, Le Bistro, too, is now gone.
Cafe Magritte was one of the first to move back into downtown. It was hip and tasty — we still remember the Bleu Hearts appetizer, a platter of chopped artichoke hearts and prosciutto in blue cheese sauce, topped with seasoned bread crumbs and baked until bubbly.
El Rapido was a tiny restaurant in downtown which offered only take-out and was open weekdays just until 3 p.m. Lines would form about 11 a.m. — hungry souls desperate to get a taste of the tamales or a bite of the burros.
Ye Olde Lantern on North Oracle Road and the Iron Mask on East Grant Road were old-school restaurants that served rich, heavy dishes that were indulged in on birthdays and anniversaries. They both had a gentility — and the Iron Mask had baked Alaska that was wondrous to a child celebrating 10 years.
Cafe Terra Cotta, at St. Philip's Plaza and then East Sunrise Road, was filled with art and cool people. And scrumptious food.
Two short-lived restaurants, Linen in Casa Adobes Plaza and Stone Ashley in the old Pond mansion, were sublime. The memory of the poached-in-butter lobster we dined on at Stone Ashley more than a decade ago is still fresh.
Presidio Grill on East Speedway near Country Club had a cool vibe and food that rarely disappointed.
Boccata Bistro Cafe at East River and North Craycroft roads offered French-accented fare that never disappointed — except when it finally closed.
Penelope's — first on East Speedway and then on North Swan Road — was the first we remembered to have a prix fixe menu in Tucson. And never once did the French fare let us down.
Eric’s Ice Cream — now 1702 serving pizza and beer — owner Eric Lepie once gave us the recipe for his creamy, cold cucumber dill soup, spouting off ingredients that were jotted down on a napkin. No amounts, just haphazard ingredients and directions like "take yesterday's salsa." A fun, one-of-a-kind place run by a fun, one-of-a-kind guy.
