missed connections

I have many admirers all around the world. But I still get excited when I discover new ones, especially secret ones. So I was thrilled several days ago when a friend told me I had made the missed connections page on craigslist.

How do I know it was me? Suffice it to say it was pretty damn obvious. Then there was a copycat admirer a couple days later. And then there was...this misguided fellow.

So the last one was obviously fake. But I welcome the attentions of the other two with a mixture of flattery, curiousity, and wariness. Just who are these people, and why have they taken such a sudden interest in me?

Guess I'll be updating the blog more often.

Mini-Review: Lindy's on 4th Avenue

For decades, mankind has strived to create the perfect burger. In modern times there are two schools of thought. There's the upscale approach, popularized by places like Zinburger, that insists on Kobe beef, fancy oils, and only the best ingredients. And then there's places like Lindy's, which take a simpler approach. They don't beat an eye at using potato rolls from Safeway or even, shudder, frozen patties. And yet they still manage to turn out sublimely tasty burgers, as good if not better than their hoity-toity competition.

Lindy's is parked just south of 6th St. on 4th Ave., smack in the middle of the bar scene. Inside are various objets d'art created by local artisans. There's beer on tap and a sports game on the flat-screen most nights. The menu is filled with lavishly-topped, cheekily-named dishes. The Mac n' Cheese Burger is a favorite: it comes slathered with tiny macaronis, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The Dirty Sanchez is the perfect hamburger for spicy lovers: it's loaded for bear with jalapenos, pepper jack, guacamole, and chopped green chiles. It's one of those burgers where every bite is laden with juicy, spicy goodness. Its main disadvantage is that it tends to be quite messy. A side effect of all that guacamole is that it tends to expel quickly onto the plate. All the better for the fries, one might counter. Lindy's fries are decent, but unexceptional, and probably pre-frozen. The main attraction here are the burgers.

Not in the mood for a sloppy burger? Stumbling back from the bars and craving a quick bite? Lindy's has you covered: their corn dogs are excellent and cheap. For under $2 they sell Coney Island-style dogs crisped to perfection. They're the perfect impulse buy.

Lindy's claims to have the best burger on 4th Avenue: a modest claim, yet well-founded. They might even have the best burger in Tucson.

Shrimp Toast

This was Christmas Eve dinner at Cafe Pacific, my favorite Chinese place in Tucson. Near as I can tell, Cafe Pacific is run by two people, and they run it like clockwork. This is one of their unique concoctions, a delightful appetizer that combines two of my favorite things into one delicious, tasty morsel. It is a fusion of fish and bread that looks both adorable on the place and yet slightly unnatural, like a specially bred fish you might find in Willy Wonka's artificial sea.



om nom nom nom

Mini-Review: Tucson Tamale Company

The strip mall at 2545 E. Broadway is a cursed spot for restaurants. Ever since my favorite Chinese-Vietnamese place, Hoa Mai, closed there three years ago, I've seen one restaurant after another move into the area and then fail within six months. Tucson Tamale Company opened last month, in the spot next to the former Hoa Mai (now Sabor, a Mexican seafood place, which is apparently closed as well). Based on some positive press it had received on a local radio show, I decided to check it out.

Inside, the shop is spartan, like a cafeteria. Each table has a special husk bucket for easy husk disposal. There's a dry erase board listing the daily specials. The staff is extremely friendly and enthusiastic; the owner gave up a job in the financial services industry to start this business, and it's clear that he loves what he's doing. I chose the combo meal: two tamales of my choice plus a side for $6.75. I chose a pork tamale with green chile, a shredded beef tamale, a side of spicy black beans, and the hottest salsa available. One of the chefs asked if I wanted to try the OMG Arizona, their hottest tamale, and I acquiesced. Both tamales were perfectly steamed, with a light, sweet masa that yielded gently to my fork. The pork was delicious, but the OMG was the real standout. Filled with chopped habaneros, it was sweet and significantly hot, but not inedibly so. Habaneros have a sweetness that is often overlooked by most chefs, but this tamale really nailed that sweet/hot balance. And the black beans were the perfect side: moist, spicy, with just a bit of sweetness.

Overall, I was very impressed with Tucson Tamale Company, and I hope it lasts longer than its predecessors. I still miss Hoa Mai, but TTC mitigates the loss just a little bit.

Taking the I out of TIA...

...leaves us with just T&A?

Sorry, couldn't resist. But Aeromexico just suspended its weekly flights to Hermosillo, Sonora, leaving Tucson International Airport with no international flights.

Sign of the times.

Man Shoots Dog

In light of the tragic death of Tucson Police Officer Hite, this Daily Star headline strikes me as a little ghoulish:

Tucson Police Officer Fatally Shoots Biting Dog

At a quick glance, it reads like "Tucson Police Officer Fatally Shot." Maybe this wasn't the headline writer's intent, but to me it seems crass and calculated.

Bistro Phillipe - Mini-Review

Located on the burnt and buried corpse of the execrable pan-Asian clusterfuck Firecracker, Bistro Phillipe is the newest part of Bob McMahon's Tucson restaurant empire. I was looking forward to trying it. It would be nice to have a good French restaurant so close to my apartment. And although none of Metro's previous restaurants have blown me away, Old Pueblo is reliable and McMahon's serves a decent slab of beef. (For now I'll just pretend Firecracker never existed.) Sadly, Bistro Phillipe left me quite disappointed. Granted, it's been open only three weeks, and I expect it will improve as the staff gains experience, but I can't recommend it just yet.

The fluorescent hues of Firecracker have been replaced with a simple, clean red-and-white color scheme with vaguely Art Nouveau flourishes on the mirrors. Sadly, the dingy checkered upholstery on the couches in the main dining room remains. Red awnings bearing the names of various French wine-producing regions line the hall. I can only assume the fleurs-de-lis, tricolor flags, and Jerry Lewis photos are on back-order. When we arrived, the hall was about 2/3 full, mostly with elderly couples, and the bar was mostly empty. Our friendly waiter sat us and brought a warm loaf of bread with truffle oil (more oil than truffle). The waiter was still somewhat unfamiliar with the menu, and couldn't explain to me what a "hanger steak" was (hey, I'm no butcher). So I went with something safe and ordered the pepper steak with a side of caramelized carrots and a crepe with mushrooms, cheese, and leeks as an appetizer. My companion ordered a duck meat pie with a side salad and French onion soup.

And so we waited...and waited. Twenty minutes later, our appetizers arrived. The presentation of the crepe was unique, to say the least: flat as a pancake, it resembled more a soggy quesadilla than the cylindrical delicacy for which the French are known. Apart from its questionable visual appeal, it was tasty enough. The same cannot be said for the French onion soup, which was undercooked, lukewarm, and thin.

The wait resumed for our entrees, for at least another thirty minutes. Our waiter was polite and professional, but appeared only infrequently at our table, and showed little interest in refilling my wine glass. When the pepper steak arrived, however, it did not disappoint. The filets were seared and seasoned to perfection, and the sauce was rich yet unobtrusive. One of the filets was slightly less medium rare than the other, but not so much that it lost its moisture. The duck meat pie was sweet and succulent, although the crust was uninspired; it resembled one of those prefabricated crusts one finds in the pastry aisle at A.J.'s. I might have sampled the desserts but my companion was not interested in remaining any longer.

Bottom line: Bistro Phillipe knows how to put together a meat dish, but if I want a decent filet I'll just go to McMahon's across the street. Chef Phillipe Trosch may have earned a five-star rating at the Ventana Room, but he's got a ways to go before he earns my repeat business.

Tucson's GOP Elite

I sat behind Jim Kolbe and Tim Bee at Starbucks today.

One expects to see them buried in some secret north Tucson bunker discussing strategy. But instead they were just a couple of average Joes as (apparently) clueless about the direction of Arizona politics as the rest of us.

If there are plans in motion for McCain to resign and present a successor to his Senate seat, these two don't appear to be in the loop.

Zinburger - mini review

Zinburger opened last month in the spot formerly occupied by Bistro Zin, on River Road west of St. Phillips Plaza. Like its predecessor, Zinburger is owned by Tucson-based restaurant powerhouse Fox Restaurant Concepts. Unlike its predecessor -- a ritzy contemporary cuisine joint -- Zinburger focuses on burgers and shakes. Or to put it more accurately, burgers and shakes with that gilded, upscale, au courant gloss that Fox RC is so famous for.

Zinburger is essentially a more focused version of Fox's late Metro Grill, which was also heavily burger-oriented. Pastoral pictures of cows line the walls, and a stylized cow logo sits perched over the entrance. Small flat-screen TVs tuned to various sporting contests are spread across the dining area, concentrated near the bar. The place was packed when we arrived at 6 pm. The hostess ushered us to a common booth area that was slightly cramped. Our server was friendly and attentive, although service in general was quite slow; I suspect the staff is still working out the kinks of their floor service.

The menu is simple and uncomplicated. Burgers and shakes are the keystone, supported by an array of sides. I chose the Kobe burger with wild mushrooms and cheddar cheese, and omitted the mayo in favor of maple bacon from the extra topping menu (extra toppings are $1 each and include jalapenos, bacon, mushrooms, and BBQ sauce). My companion chose the Samburger with American cheese, maple bacon, and thousand island dressing, and added mushrooms. As a side I selected the double truffle fries (truffle aioli and truffle oil). I chose to forgo the shakes (which looked imposing and delicious) and ordered a beer instead.

The burger was marvelous: a perfectly-prepared, half-pound patty of Kobe beef, cooked medium rare, and bursting with flavory, meaty juices. But at $13 (plus $1 for the excellent maple bacon), it damn well better be. (The Samburger is priced at a more reasonable $10.) The truffle fries were equally marvelous, deeply fragrant and rich. Once again though, at $5 a basket, there's little margin for error. Each hamburger is presented well, with a heaping of pickles and container of ketchup.

Overall I was quite pleased with the food, less so with the prices and slightly sluggish service. I am anxious to try those shakes, however. Perhaps alongside a second helping of truffle fries.