Pie for the Masses at No Anchovies!
Pizza aficionados and novices alike are in for an experience at No Anchovies - just pull up a barstool, bench or lawn chair and try pizza as an art form, sans anchovies.
Midtown Tucson is home to nearly 37,000 graduate and undergrad students at the University of Arizona's 378-acre campus. The school educates, houses and entertains the student body, but many venture slightly off-campus to enjoy some of the most unique cuisine in town, and Tucson's grown-ups should consider taking a cue from the flip-flop-clad college crowd.
In Main Gate Square - just west of campus - No Anchovies! Gourmet Pizza serves up giant slices of one-of-a-kind pizza. While traditional toppings like pepperoni and sausage are popular menu items, this small, eclectic campus eatery is best known for its "specialty" pies.
Customers can try everything from the tabano - which comes with thick slices of fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, chunks of fresh tomato and large, fragrant basil leaves - to the popular hot wing pizza, with chunks of chicken marinated in wing sauce, with mozzarella, blue cheese and ranch drizzled on top.
The potato pizza is adorned with provolone cheese, thick red potato slices, bacon, cheddar cheese and green onion; while the chicken teriyaki pie is topped with mozzarella, teriyaki-marinated chicken breast, bell peppers, green onions, sesame seeds and thick, sweet teriyaki sauce.
Other favorites include chicken parm - No Anchovies!' ode to breaded parmesan chicken in pizza form - barbecue chicken, spinach tomato feta, spinach delight (with spinach, tomato, onion, artichoke, black olives, extra virgin olive oil, and roasted bell peppers and onion), Hawaiian, and many more.
For those not in the mood for peculiar pizza, No Anchovies! also serves up fresh, generously sized salads, hot and cold sandwiches, and appetizers. The restaurant also boasts a full bar, offering daily drink specials and featuring locally brewed Nimbus beer on tap, plus more than 50 bottled varieties.
Browse the menu online at www.noanchoviespizza.com, or drop by for a meal in person: 870 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719. (520) 623-3333
Tucson Shopping
My favorite thing to do in Tucson is definitely to go shopping! I really enjoy spending time with my friends when they come to visit, especially going to one of the shopping malls and having a nice dinner at a restaurant. Vivace is one of my favorites, which has a delicious crab-filled chicken breast. For me, shopping is a great way to relax and change my daily routine, but there is always something going on in Tucson: festivals, dance presentations, conferences, symposiums, and so much more. So, no matter if I want have fun, relax, or learn new things, Tucson offers me a wide variety of stuff to do.
A Patagonia Gem: Velvet Elvis Pizza Company
On a holiday weekend last summer, my husband and I headed south for the annual Sonoita Rodeo, and made a side trip into Patagonia for lunch. Sixty miles south of Tucson, in the tiny town of Patagonia, the Velvet Elvis Pizza Company crafts delicious, unusual pizzas from fresh, house-made ingredients. The pie is fantastic, and the kicker - most of the menu options are healthy (or, not so unwholesome as your typical slice)!
Both the pizza and the red sauce recipes at Velvet Elvis are 70 years old, and originated in an Italian pizzeria in Brooklyn. But since 1998, chef and owner Cecilia San Miguel has made Patagonia the home of Elvis' tasty pies.
Velvet Elvis is a small adobe building just inside Patagonia city limits, decorated in earthtones, with a small garden patio out front. We ate inside, where the walls are colorful tributes to the Lady of Guadalupe, and diners seat themselves at large tables that sometimes require dining with another group - a great way to get to know your fellow diners!
In addition to serving pizza, Velvet Elvis also specializes in raw juices, fresh organic salads and vegetarian soups. We were definitely there for the pizza, but we started with a couple of glasses of Limonada Rosa - limeade made with freshly squeezed limes and hibiscus. It was brightly colored and tart, and incredibly tasty on a hot day.
The "Designer Pizza" menu was deep and really unique, with pies like "El Mariachi Blanco," topped with green chili and jalapeno cream sauce, capers, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, garlic and sundried tomatoes. The "Inca Quinoa Pizza" - which requires 24 hours notice to order, is a deep-dish work of art, with a quinoa-flour crust, fresh vegetables and cheese.
However, we settled on the "Pancho Villa" pizza - a concoction of Elvis' famous red sauce, house-made beef chorizo, fresh tomatoes, yellow onion, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, and asiago and mozzarella chesses. A word of warning for the weak of tongue - this is one spicy pizza! The fresh jalapenos are eye-wateringly spice and there's a few in every bite, but for those who like it hot, this pizza will leave you craving more. (You'll definitely need a refill or two on your limonada to put out the fire in your mouth, though!)
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano recently named Velvet Elvis Pizza Company an "Arizona Treasure," and I couldn't agree more. The next time you're headed to wine country, start out with a slice or two from Velvet Elvis.
Free Wine Tasting
Every Tuesday night in the summertime (until November) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., the bar at Hacienda del Sol's "The Grill" opens up its enormous wine list to the public, free of charge.
What better way to kick back after work than to pull up a seat at the Grill while Hacienda's sommelier and director of wines, Dan McCoog, makes a few selections from The Grill's 2,000-plus wine list, and pops the cork for experts and novices alike?
The small bar at The Grill can get crowded on wine tasting nights, but the Terraza del Sol - a roomy outdoor patio adjacent to the bar area - catches the overflow. Wine tasters line up at the far end of the bar for a splash or two of McCoog's choices, and for a quick, easy-to-understand explanation of each pour.
On my last Tuesday night wine tasting, McCoog showcased four wines - three reds and one white. The crisp white - a 2006 California Sauvignon Blanc by Geyser Peak - was fruity with hints of melon, and made for a refreshing wind-down on a hot night.
The second of McCoog's selections was a smooth 2002 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, with traces of florals, plum and cherry. Third up was an Italian Barbaresco: A 2000 Castello Di Nieve "Santo Stefano." This Northwestern Italian wine was earthy, with deep flavors and a tannic finish. This was new to me and an amazing find I probably would've never tried on my own.
Lastly, McCoog poured a 2001 Napa Valley Meritage - Juslyn "Perry's Blend." This full-bodied red was fruity, woody and well balanced, and made a great end to a relaxing night of new wine.
To clear the palate between wines - or heck, to just enjoy - the bar and Terraza del Sol serves up a great selection of gourmet fare. From Prosciutto di Parma-wrapped Figs with Toasted Walnuts and aged Balsamic ($8) to Fois Gras Toast Points with Truffle Oil ($14).
Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort
5601 N. Hacienda del Sol Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 299-1501
Free wine tasting: Tuesdays from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Now THAT'S a Margarita!
Tucson is a Mexican food town. It's really no surprise, since we're just an hour or so north of the Mexican border. Lucky for us Tucsonans, we get to experience some of the most authentic and fantastic Mexican food in the country, right in our own backyard.
There are hundreds of Mexican restaurants in town, and some have trouble standing out from the rest. But the margaritas and carne seca at Leo's Mexican restaurant have made a name for themselves among us Leo's devotees (warning: both are genuinely addictive).
It's not easy to find Leo's - it's literally hidden in a small strip mall on the southeast corner of Speedway and Rosemont - but once you do, they'll seat you quickly and get a menu in your hands in no time.
The first order of business is to order a house margarita. I'll be honest - I'm typically not a big fan of margaritas. I generally stick to wine and beer and shy away from the rest. But all it took was one of Leo's margs to make me change my tune. It's strong - one is plenty! - but it tastes fantastic, and it goes great with the most popular food item on the menu: carne seca.
Carne seca is dried beef flavored with garlic, lime and spices. It's typically served dry, but at Leo's the carne seca is moist, smoky, and incredible. You'll crave it in your sleep.
Every time I eat at Leo's, I get the same thing: A house margarita, and a carne seca cheese crisp with all the fixings (green chiles, fresh tomatoes and onions, cheese, guacamole and heaping bites of carne seca). If you ever give Leo's a try, I'd suggest starting with that.
Leo's Mexican Restaurant
5114 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 325-9180
A Taste of Real Ranching
When you think of horseback riding at a dude ranch, you probably imagine sitting on top of a scraggly animal, plodding along in a nose-to-tail procession at a snail's pace. But as I recently learned at White Stallion Ranch just north of Tucson, the riding is anything but.
Imagine galloping at high speed into a herd of steers, cutting three from the herd, and maneuvering them into a small pen with the help of two fellow "cowboys." At White Stallion, you can do that on your very first day!
A few months ago, I saddled up with a group of city slickers for a day out on horseback. I started out by filling out an information sheet with my height, weight and riding experience. Based on that information, the good folks at White Stallion chose a horse that would be "mine" for the duration of my stay.
Ranch hands saddled up my group's horses and met us in a corral, where we mounted up and got our basic instructions from owner Russell True.
My equine companion for the day was a chestnut cowpony of mixed breeding - Tequila - who'd come to White Stallion from a cattle outfit in Mexico. (A big 3-ring binder in the front office gives photos, details and backgrounds of all of White Stallion's beautiful horses.)
Our first order of the day was the "slow ride," a pretty typical slow-moving ride through the ranch's desert acreage in Marana (northwest of Tucson), to help the uninitiated get to know their horses. We did have a few in our group who'd never been up on a horse before, and our guides helped them get comfortable in the saddle.
Once everyone proved they could handle the basics of "giddyup," "whoa," and "don't eat that cactus," we headed to a big corral half-filled with steers.
This was "team penning" - the goal of which is to drive three cows at a time into a pen, as fast as possible. There are no prizes, but the winners get to take home both pride and the bow-legged swagger of the saddle-sore.
After passing a quick test to make sure my group could spur our horses into a gallop, as well as turn them quickly and stop on a dime (well, a quarter...), the real fun began. Russell True himself, along with two of his ranch hands, demonstrated a proper, speedy round of penning.
In a nutshell, three riders line up along one side of the rectangular pen, at the opposite end from the cattle. All at once, the riders gallop toward the cows, and the "cutter" of the group selects three from the larger herd, which the other two help drive into a small three-sided pen near the middle of the corral. Russell and his staff are on hand for support in getting the sometimes-ornery cattle into the pen. When the last steer is in, time is up!
Each team of three riders gets three chances to prove their best penning time. My group's first time was well over a minute, but by the end, we'd honed our skills enough to clock a fast 39 seconds!
Seasoned rider or not, team penning at White Stallion is a great way to experience a taste of real life (and work) on Russell True's authentic working dude ranch.
