As a professional food writer I eat a lot of stuff — new stuff, old stuff, crunchy stuff, crazy stuff, stuffed stuff, empty stuff — but for this list I wanted to focus ...
2017 was a definitive year in the Tucson restaurant scene, where we said hello to high-profile concepts like Sam Fox's Culinary Dropout, but also saw entire neighborhoods transform practically overnight. I for one never expected Fourth Avenue to be cool again, or take any kind of picture inside the Pancho Villa's building, let alone a fussy plate of gourmet tater tots.
The Warehouse Arts District nearby just exploded this year, with half a dozen funky concepts like a Wes Anderson wine bar The Royal Room and Bianco-style pizza place Anello that gets it right in every way. Up north Southern food was trending hard, with the openings of Bird and Sazerac, which sadly didn't make it til the end of the year.
Surprisingly, I struggled to make this list diverse. I don't know if that was a fault of my own, but for 2018 I'd love to see some stellar Asian food, or some smaller concepts that push the boundaries in a quiet way. Also I'd love to see a food hall, just one of them! We're getting closer, I think?
But for now, here's some yummy stuff I ate. Besides tacos. They don't need to be on a list, we just know they're there. 🌮🌮🌮
Dutch baby from Teaspoon
This is a Dutch baby, also known as a German pancake, or a Dutch puff. It is sweet and moist and spongy, irresistible.
I'd like to be permanently stationed at a window table in Teaspoon, sipping bottomless mimosas and eating this wonder (but instead I'm sitting on my bed with a cat in my lap). Mary Grzegorski's pastries inspire a longing in me, for sweet lemony sugar. Her Dutch baby is a crispy pancake with a syrupy soft center, kept perfectly warm by the cast-iron skillet it's served in. There's a reason this trendy treat is all over Pinterest. It's just, perfect ...
Tallboys Tots
Green chile and pickled red onions give this tots plate a Southwestern twist.
I didn't really order tots at the Grill. (I got the French fries, 'cause that's what you weren't supposed to do.) But even so, this dish at Tallboys fills me with nostalgia for the little hipster foodie hiding inside of me at 19. It's $10 yeah I know, but this is really more of a meal than side. What kind of meal, I'm still not sure. It's definitely not vegetarian (it has bacon) and it's not really breakfast either, although it has an entire egg. Ah yeah, stoner meal. That transcends definitions.
Poke bowl from Jimmy's Pita and Poke
Choose from ingredients like edamame and crab salad at Jimmy's Pita and Poke, formerly Eat-A-Pita at Main Gate Square.
2017 was the year of poke, the Hawaiian rice bowl that tastes like salad and sushi at the same time! Tucson was swimming in poke spots this year. But surprisingly, my new favorite is a pita restaurant on University Boulevard? The owners of the newly-Christened Jimmy's Pita and Poke bowls enlisted a sushi chef to prepare the ingredients like fresh tuna, seaweed salad, edamame beans and more every morning. These aren't pre-made bowls, you pick your own fish and veggies from a big list. So get the crab salad, it sings.
🍣 Four more spots to get poke here.
Bianca pizza at Anello
The Bianca (white) pizza was the clear favorite during a recent dinner, with a generous slather of Mozzarella and Ricotta cheese, $12.
It was a tossup between the minimalist pies at Anello and their northside Neapolitan cousin Fiamme. I love both, but ultimately went with Anello because it feels like the pizza place Tucson has needed since Bianco departed. You can't go without getting the daily vegetable plate, sourced from local farms and roasted to perfection in that gorgeous domed oven. (Best bite of pumpkin I ever had.) But for pizzas I preferred the white Bianca with a hit of chiltepin chiles. That perfect flaky crust is smothered in Ricotta cheese, enough said.
Picoso chicken torta from Rollies Mexican Patio
The picoso chicken torta at Rollies Mexican Patio is like a Mexican version of the fried chicken sandwich.
I wanted to put a newcomer on this list, mostly because this place is just the coolest ... Rollies Mexican Patio opened last week on South Twelfth Avenue, near the original BK and El Guero Canelo. I never thought I'd tell people to travel down there for a fried chicken sandwich, but here we are. It's the best fried chicken sandwich I've had since Bakesale Betty, and it's not even a real sandwich. It's a torta (with spicy habanero coleslaw). Make sure to get it "cochi" style with bacon for an extra dollar. You eat meat, right?
