Dining in Tucson

 

Dining at Raijin Ramen, Tucson

In 2014, shortly after purchasing our Roadtrek 210P we took a trek to the southwest and spent a couple of weeks in Tucson, Arizona.  We have been back every winter since then. We concluded there was a lot to like in Tucson.  Outdoor activities, museums, history and lore of the southwest including Tombstone and Bisbee, and a varied culinary experience.

Tucson became the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2015. Tucson has great food, but it's also an identity and a way of life. "What does it mean to be a UNESCO City of Gastronomy? Tucson received this distinction from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), because the food here tells a story that dates back 4,000 years."

Here is a sampler of a few of the restaurants we have recently dined at in Tucson, Arizona. These are in no particular order.  We cook most of our meals, but we also enjoy dining out with fellow travelers.  Some of our local favorites did not survive the pandemic or have undergone extreme changes as a consequence.  So, I did not include them here.  Furthermore, there are more restaurants than we have days available to dine out.  It is true that staffing issues have had a negative impact on a lot of restaurants, and recent supply chain issues have also contributed to the economic havoc and menu availability.  As a consequence, I've left a lot of restaurants off of this list because we have not had an opportunity to visit them in 2022.

Joe's Pancake House, 2532 S Kolb Rd, Tucson, is a popular breakfast & lunch dining restaurant.  Consistently fast service, very reasonable prices. Voted Best Breakfast Restaurant in Tucson.

We do enjoy Fat Willy's in the Voyager RV Resort. We make it a point to visit the resort and the Bar & Grill is an important amenity.   When we first visited Voyager, the resort owned and managed the restaurant.  A couple of years ago Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc./ Encore Resorts decided to get out of that business, spun it off and leased it.  It became Fat Willy's Bar & Grill.  It is open 7am-9pm daily and serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. (Note: hours are subject to change). Dining on the patio in the evening is a pleasant experience. 

Dining on the patio at Voyager RV Resort

Did you know there are a number of Ramen shops in Tucson? This winter we returned to Raijin Ramen at 2955 E. Speedway, west of Kolb. It is a vegetarian friendly Japanese Ramen Shop restaurant, which had been running on limited hours during the Pandemic. It is now back to normal hours, lunch through dinner. We had the Gyoza (pork and veggie pot stickers), Miso - Regular and hot sake. There are other Ramen versions as well as a spicy one.  The Miso is delicious! 

Another dining spot is Culinary Dropout at 2543 E. Grant Road.  I think of it as Comfort food with a flair. We visited recently and I had Tomato Bisque and Crusty Bread as an appetizer. I also had Meat Loaf as the entre' while G had the Famous Fried Chicken. Very tasty. The Crusty Bread is served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Crusty bread and tomato bisque

Famous fried chicken

Meat loaf

There are lots of spots for Breakfast.  In addition to Fat Willy's at the Voyager Resort we also visited Joes Pancake House and Snooze several times.

Over at Snooze 2500 E. Grant Rd there are pancakes and other treats.  I recently had Spuds Deluxe. The Grits and Shrimp was outstanding.  

Spuds Deluxe at Snooze

Grits and Shrimp at Snooze

Breakfast fruit cup at Snooze

Churro Pancakes and a side of sausage at Snooze

Smashed Avocado Benny at Snooze

We recently visited Caruso's 434 N. 4th Avenue for an Italian Dining experience:

Caruso's Italian Restaurant - 434 N. 4th Avenue - Tucson

Caruso's Special - A combination of traditional Italian Favorites: •Spaghetti ­­ •Meatballs ­­ •Meat & Cheese Ravioli Served Meat sauce, Marinara sauce, or White Garlic-Mushroom sauce

Caruso's - Lasagne al Forno with Eggplant Parmigiana

A lunch of Greek food at Opa's Best Restaurant, 4590 East Broadway, Tucson:

Opa's Gyros Platter

Opa's Combo Plate with Gyros

We do frequent Fat Willy's Bar and Grill.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.   The restaurant is in the Voyager RV Resort, on Kolb Rd south of I-10.  The bar & grill are open to everyone.  They have a full-service menu and weekly specials which include Burger Monday, Taco Tuesday and Fish Fry Friday, as well as other, holiday based special menus.

Fat Willy's - Veggie Skillet and Get-up-and-Go breakfast sandwich

Fat Willy's St. Patrick's Day Menu Specials

Fat Willy's - Cobb Salad and Crispy Chicken Salad

Fat Willy's - Reuben Sandwich on Marbled Rye

Saguaro Corners Restaurant & Bar, 3750 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, is a convenient stop when we are visiting Saguaro National Park - East.  Usually, we stop for lunch.  

Saguaro Corners- Shrimp, Cheese & Grits

Saguaro Corners - Cobb Salad

Saguaro Corners- Macaroni & Cheese

Argenziano's is a small, locally owned Italian Restaurant. 16251 S Houghton Rd, Corona De Tucson, AZ 85641 

Argenziano's Pizza, etc.

BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant at 5510 E. Broadway has an extensive menu including delicious Fish & Chips for lunch:

BJ's Brewhouse Fish & Chips

Gaslight Theater 7010 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, is a popular live theater entertainment experience, which serves food and there is Little Anthony's Diner next door:

Gaslight - Snacks during the performance

Not visited in 2022, but we hope to do so, soon:

El Corral 2201 E. River Rd, Tucson.  I had the Prime Rib with Tamale Pie. Delicious.

Poco & Mom's Cantina 7000 E Tanque Verde Rd, Tucson. Mexican Food made with 100% organic vegetables and spices.

The Canyon's Crown Restaurant & Pub.  6958 E Tanque Verde Rd, Tucson.  Full menu but also Guinness Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Bangers & Mash, Corned beef & Cabbage, and Chicken Curry.

 Locale Neighborhood Italian Restaurant & Bakery, 60 N Alvernon Way, Tucson.  100% homemade.  Wonderful outdoor dining from 11:30am.  Lunch outdoor seating fills up quickly. 

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(c) N. Retzke 2022

Central Arizona Project

 

Central Arizona Project

At the RV resort in Tucson, the weekly Lecture Series has begun.  Today's lecture was the Central Arizona Project (CAP).  These lectures are seasonal, when the RV resort is very full. 

Both G and I attended the lecture. It was informative and relevant.

I'll put a few of the slides in this post. The last slide includes website URLs for those who want more information.

The Central Arizona Project is about water management.  A number of states share in the water from the Colorado River.  The project is about the involvement of states in that sharing.  It is also about how Arizona manages the water it receives.  

There are reasons to be optimistic. However, there are also serious problems, some political. For example, Arizona is doing a very good job of managing the water under the auspices of the CAP. 

California, always big on talk, isn't doing so well. This is creating water stress in rural areas of Arizona, where California companies, such as nut growers, are moving.  They sell the land in CA, vacate California and then buy land in Arizona to raise their crops.  This is not a solution.

The current multi-state agreement about water sharing will expire in 2026. It remains to be seen to what extent California will cooperate in the formation of a new agreement of water sharing between the states.

Ariona is currently looking at a variety of means to increase the potable water available in the central area of the state.  Methods include desalination because some groundwater in AZ is brackish. California has been slow to adapt such methods, despite the ample coastline and access to the Pacific Ocean. Here's a recent article about one CA project:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/desalination-advances-california-despite-opponents-pushing-alternatives-2021-07-28/

I include the above article to illustrate the problem in CA.  It is easier to leave the state and grow pistachios in Arizona.  Of course, that puts additional stress on AZ groundwater sources.  Growing such crops is very inefficient in water use. 

(c) Norman Retzke 2022

Frigid January

 

Back in the Frigid Northland..... -5F

It is that time of year when we are happy to be at our winter lilypad.  We do get some cool nights in Tucson, but 40F seems okay, considering this morning it was 45F warmer here!  With bright sun it will be downright balmy this aafternoon,

To give the interior heat a boost in the morning I make and bake scones.  Very easy.  It is important to have heavy cream.  I mix the flour and dried fruit with the heavy cream, roll into a ball, flatten into a 6 inch diameter circle.  Then cut into 8-segments, sprinkle cinnamon sugar and bake at 350F for 25 minutes. I can sprinkle before cutting or after. 

After breakfast, we took a walk and sat in the resort courtyard.

There are always honey bees in the area.  The citrus trees and flowers attract them. On occasion there will be a swarm, but we simply avoid them.  

A walk at the Saguaro National Park - East to relax and work off a few calories

For dinner I marinated a steak from Dickman's Meat & Deli, then on to the BBQ.  Yellow squash and a baked potato as sides.  If we have coleslaw or a big salad with lunch, we skip a raw salad at dinner.

And freshly baked Marie Callender Razzleberry pie for dessert. Bake at 400F for about 70 minutes; G prefers a browner crust. Great with vanilla bean ice cream.

Sunsets are usually pleasant. 

Gaslight Theater Tucson

 

We went to see the current production.  Always a lot of fun at the Gaslight Theater!

Escaping Winter, 2021-2022

 

Saguaro National Park - East, January 14, 2022

Our trek to our winter lily pad was delayed for a variety of reasons.  

Long Island Sound, viewed from Connecticut

After a trip to the east coast, we retrieved the Roadtrek only to find that in our absence we had made a political donation; Thieves, or to use the woke term, a "disadvantaged person" had stolen, er, "appropriated" the catalytic converter.

While getting the Roadtrek repaired, we packed and prepped the condominium for winter. We run the furnace at 65F, put insulation in the kitchen window, shut off the water and drain the lines, etc. During checkout of the gas furnace in the condo, it wouldn't ignite. We needed to get that operating, and with time short available I hired a professional.  He attributed the issue to a failure of the electrical “sparker” which ignites the pilot. He didn’t have the part, a kind of “spark plug” but contacted his office to get a quote and determine availability. He also suggested that I consider a total furnace replacement, for no other reason than furnace age. Not something I was excited to do in November as winter was approaching; besides, we were supposed to be elsewhere. 

I decided to run my own diagnostics as I waited for the proposals. I concluded the issue was not the “spark” but was the pilot gas valve, which was not opening on electrical command. I determined the valve was good and the source of the problem was the “Intermittent Pilot Ignition Control”. I went online and purchased one for $98. It arrived the next day and I installed it. That solved the problem.

Was it a good use of my time? I think so, as it 1) Solved the problem for a total cost of $218 including the professional’s time, 2) Saved us the $8,500+ for a new furnace and 3) Allowed us to promptly leave for our AZ winter location. I remotely monitor the condo, and interior temperature has been a steady 65F ever since.

Condominium weather January 23

Condominium Ambient Conditions, January 23

We did eventually get into the Roadtrek and headed to the Southwest, arriving December 8, 2021.  The trip was very relaxed.  The weather was the best we have encountered since we began travelling this way in 2014.  Mild daytime temperatures, low nighttime temperatures 40-50F and easy traffic.  We avoid the cities.  

Sunset, December 8, 2021