I recently had the distinct pleasure of joining two travel writer friends of mine for dinner at one of Tucson's newest culinary hotspots, Harvest, located in Oro Valley. Let me preface the experience by saying that even before they opened the doors, Harvest was bound to be a success.  It's owned by the same gentlemen who own Hacienda del Sol and Zona 78. These guys know their food and wine, as does the co-owner, executive chef and other family members that oversee day to day operations. 

So, Harvest is a family affair. Love it! The restaurant's hook is that the menu features "carefully selected local, domestic and fresh ingredients." Love that too. So far so good! I couldn't wait to give it a go.

One of my dinner partners was a food critic and restaurant reviewer, and the other was a very well published travel writer/blogger. These girls know their food, and they're a tough audience to please.  But Harvest had us all pleased as punch and rubbing our bellies in delight and astonishment at how much we ate. We just couldn't stop, as everything was so good!  All that we ordered we ate family style so nobody would miss out on any flavorful experience.  So in the end, we three tasted:

• Handmade Gnocchi - harvest sausage, wild mushrooms, sunchokes, parmigiano-reggiano
• Harvest Empanadas - double check ranch organic beef, black mission fig, green olive and chimichurri sauce
• Classic Caesar salads - romaine hearts, oven dried tomatoes and white anchovy vinaigrette
• Cinnamon brined country pork ribs - roasted sweet potato, haricots verts, caramelized onions, grilled corn, cinnamon chili butter
• Lobster Mac'n Cheese - cellentani pasta, lobster fume, broccolini, tomato confit, leaf basil
• Harvest Brownie - coffee ice cream, cherry compote, caramel sauce

I told you we had a lot of food! I don't kid around when it comes to my culinary adventures. Even as a writer, I have a hard time putting this experience into words. It was amazing; a treat for the senses; and definitely a dinning experience I won't soon forget. Though we sampled just a few items, I'm absolutely positive everything else on the menu is just as delicious and fresh as what we tried.

I try not to pick favorites of anything. But, if I had to do so, I'd say that the handmade gnocchi was definitely my favorite item. In fact, I blush to admit that I've been back since this dinner with a friend, seeking specifically, that gnocchi!

If you're in Oro Valley, or heck, even if you're not, please make a point of heading to Harvest for lunch or dinner. They're open seven days a week.  Harvest absolutely hits the mark on every level: Food, atmosphere AND service. It's especially perfect for those of us who do everything we can to support local farmers, ranchers, and non-chain restaurants.

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Today I ate lunch on the fly and spent my "lunch hour" at the Tucson Museum of Art. I work downtown so it's just a short walk over historic surface street overpasses and through some city squares to TMA.

Once in the cool lobby, I flashed my Tucson Attractions passport and received half-off the admission price and paid only $4! You can get your very own passport here.

The latest exhibit at TMA is The Arizona Biennial ‘09.  I had been a periodic visitor to TMA until I saw the last exhibition, Trouble in Paradise. Well, actually, I went and saw it three times.  I really liked it and got into the permanent collection through these visits.

Now, I have vowed to return, at least, to see every new exhibition. The Biennial holds a particular spark of interest for me because a good friend of mine, Herb Stratford has a piece in it.

The description of the Arizona Biennial '09 is "Highlighting the trends of contemporary art in Arizona." Well, I'm not a big contemporary art fan, but I gave it a go.  The Juror, Tim Rodgers, Ph.D. Chief Curator at New Mexico Museum of Art makes an opening statement about the opposition featured in the show; dark/light, funny/serious, sensitive/ironic. 

The exhibition was really an adventure for me. I saw things I loved and things I didn't love so much.  Most importantly, I saw things that made me think, made me smile, and made me return for a second glance.  Pieces included depictions of "Famous Facial Hair" to "Cloned Cell Study".  Most surprising to me were my two favorites. A piece using only shade variations of scarlet red called "Full Scale Red" by a Tucson artist named Carrie Seid and a giant digital print of morning cereal called "Trix."  Seid's piece actually seems to have life. It's amazing how someone can lay down variations of one color that make the painting appear to follow you. Don't laugh at my second favorite. It was stunning! It made me feel young, hungry, and buoyant at the same time.

I'm not an art expert, but I know what I like and I enjoy the Tucson Museum of Art. The temporary exhibits are always interesting and the permanent collection is always great to visit over and over. In particular, I love the giant "Bridge to Nowhere" piece downstairs.  I learned that this painting was actually featured in a movie called Life Stories that was directed by Robert Di Nero! Hands down, though, I will return time and time again to the Louise Serpa photographs in the Art of the American West section in the Goodman Pavilion.

I never thought I'd be a regular to an art museum, but here I am, a convert. If you haven't had the chance to, please stop into the Tucson Museum of Art. There is plenty of parking and it's in a very cool area downtown. There are amazing restaurants all around it. The first Sunday of every month is FREE admission. AND, you'll become a fan; a passionate fan at that! I did!

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My friend and colleague recently moved from Tucson to Denver (I know! There's no accounting for taste!). Like everybody else that knows her, I wanted to take her out to dinner one more time before she left and gave her a pick of any restaurant in town. Over the two years that I've known her, my friend and I have eaten at (literally) hundreds of Tucson restaurants. We have introduced each other to many new and exciting places that quickly became favorites. (After all, there are so many to choose from in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Green Valley, etc.)

It was no surprise to me that she chose El Charro for our little celebration. It was, however, a surprise that she chose the new location in Oro Valley, rather than the downtown location which we had deemed a mutual favorite.

Neither of us had been to the new location but were very interested in checking it out. We were both very impressed with the ambiance. It's huge and beautifully decorated! The service was absolutely outstanding and the food; ahhh, the food was just as fantastic as it is in the downtown location. Luckily we were relatively successful at not filling up on the salsa and chips (which is quite a chore as the salsa is absolutely addicting). For dinner, my soon-departing friend had the Topopo salad and I had the Flautas Famosas. My friend even ordered a special little concoction for a dressing, which was presented to her perfectly. I, as usual, ignored my fork and knife and dove into my guacamole-sauce covered chicken flautas with my fingers. After all, flautas are finger foods, right?

After the salsa and chips, an amazing dinner, a couple of beers and margaritas, we decided not go be too gluttonous and order desert. (Was it too late to not be labeled gluttons?) 

This was indeed, a bitter sweet dinner, but one my friend and I will both remember. I'll miss our dinners and lunches together, but am so glad that our little celebration/commiseration dinner was so perfect in every way. Great company, food, service and ambiance; who could ask for more?

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I had the good fortune of being invited to an off-site team meeting that was to be held at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Being the animal and nature lover that I am, I was thrilled. I had no idea what an amazing adventure I had coming! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing scenic drive through Gate's pass as you come from downtown Tucson into the Saguaro National Park. It's stunning; a wonderful prelude to what is in store at the Desert Museum. Before our meeting, our host invited our group to see the Running Wild; Fur, Feathers and Scales presentation in the cool Warden Oasis Theatre. The 20-minute program was aimed toward a younger audience, but enjoyed by all, for sure. Live critters were brought out and even presented for some of the audience members to touch. There was an educational multimedia slide show that also presented us with some trivia questions, which the presenter answered for us. Skunks, snakes, spiders and macaws were all part of the show (and the education process). It was so much fun to hear kids AND grown-ups, including my colleagues, shouting out answers and marveling at the beautiful creatures as they "ran wild" during the show.

As great as this all sounds, it's not even the best part of the day! After the Running Wild show, we headed to some amazing meeting rooms with gorgeous panoramic views of hillside after hillside covered in saguaros. We had a very nice lunch and productive meeting followed by our own private Raptor Free Flight program demonstration! WOW. It was so fantastic to see these amazing owls and hawks take flight right in front of me. Now here's the kicker! We got to call and release the female hawk ourselves! I got so excited when I heard this my eyes welled up with tears! Could it be? After years of watching these majestic birds float around the desert air, I was actually going to get to hold one in my hand? YES!

A keeper placed a little hawk treat (meat of some kind) on my glove, turned me around, and had me hold my hand up to call the beautiful, feathered creature. I was absolutely awe-struck to see her flying toward my hand. I felt like I was going to cry at the beauty of her as she swooped down and grabbed her treat. She was so light; no more than two pounds!  Next, I was to turn around with my arm extended, while she stood on my hand, and let her set off to another keeper calling her across the room. In an instant, with the slightest "swoosh" of feathers, she was gone. It was a brief encounter, but it will remain one of the most truly amazing things I've gotten to experience.

I know that not everybody will get to have this exact opportunity. But if you're an animal and nature lover too, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is a "must see" for you. Catch a Raptor Free Flight and the Running Wild programs between visits to lions, javelina and bears! I guarantee that anyone, no matter what your age, will learn something and be awestruck at some point during a visit to the Desert Museum. Check it out! www.desertmuseum.org.

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