Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Caffe Diva by Karyn Zoldan
These days you either love or hate the word “diva”.
Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Diana Ross come to mind. If Diana Ross was Jane Doe, her alleged Tucson DUI would have already been history and Ms. Doe would have lost her license, been doing community service, or paying a hefty fine.
But I digress. Back to Caffe Diva. I personally think this restaurant has an identity crisis. From the name you cannot tell what it’s selling. You could assume that the owner and/or wait staff are a bunch of divas and there’s enough lousy service in this town already. I frequently drive past Caffe Diva on 2965 N. Campbell and never stop.
When an acquaintance suggested we meet at the eastside Caffe Diva (7865 E. Broadway at Pantano), I was pleasantly surprised. The surroundings are typical of the non-ilk restaurant but the food and service demand your attention. Drive by and there’s a bigger banner announcing drive-thru espresso. The banner faces east which is good signage because commuters are driving to work on that side of the street. Located on the corner, Caffe Diva invites easy in and out and on your way access.
The menu is huge but the quiche and salad combo caught my eye and the price was right. What I noticed were many different salad offerings with a mix of unusual ingredients. I opted for the Homer – a hefty fresh blend of spinach, fresh mango and avocado, grated carrots and tomatoes, and a choice of home made dressings. You wouldn’t expect home made dressings in a non-ilk coffee/bagel fast food type of restaurant.
I ordered the pickled ginger vinaigrette while the owner tried to convince me to go with the passion fruit dressing. Sticking to my whims, ginger won out (as it usually does) and the dressing was almost like an aphrodisiac. I wanted to bottle it and take it home to rub all over my body. It was like liquid ginger with bites of finely diced ginger in a semi sweetness that had an afterthought kick. The salad with dressing went pop, pop in my mouth with an explosion of flavors. The quiche was delicious too but next time I’m going to order a whole salad and probably take some of it home because servings are generous.
Lots of coffee drinks prevail along with freshly made bagels, croissants, muffins, cinnamon buns, and baklava. The owners are a husband and wife who work hard and it shows. No diva-ing allowed.
Delicious copy2go
These days you either love or hate the word “diva”.
Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Diana Ross come to mind. If Diana Ross was Jane Doe, her alleged Tucson DUI would have already been history and Ms. Doe would have lost her license, been doing community service, or paying a hefty fine.
But I digress. Back to Caffe Diva. I personally think this restaurant has an identity crisis. From the name you cannot tell what it’s selling. You could assume that the owner and/or wait staff are a bunch of divas and there’s enough lousy service in this town already. I frequently drive past Caffe Diva on 2965 N. Campbell and never stop.
When an acquaintance suggested we meet at the eastside Caffe Diva (7865 E. Broadway at Pantano), I was pleasantly surprised. The surroundings are typical of the non-ilk restaurant but the food and service demand your attention. Drive by and there’s a bigger banner announcing drive-thru espresso. The banner faces east which is good signage because commuters are driving to work on that side of the street. Located on the corner, Caffe Diva invites easy in and out and on your way access.
The menu is huge but the quiche and salad combo caught my eye and the price was right. What I noticed were many different salad offerings with a mix of unusual ingredients. I opted for the Homer – a hefty fresh blend of spinach, fresh mango and avocado, grated carrots and tomatoes, and a choice of home made dressings. You wouldn’t expect home made dressings in a non-ilk coffee/bagel fast food type of restaurant.
I ordered the pickled ginger vinaigrette while the owner tried to convince me to go with the passion fruit dressing. Sticking to my whims, ginger won out (as it usually does) and the dressing was almost like an aphrodisiac. I wanted to bottle it and take it home to rub all over my body. It was like liquid ginger with bites of finely diced ginger in a semi sweetness that had an afterthought kick. The salad with dressing went pop, pop in my mouth with an explosion of flavors. The quiche was delicious too but next time I’m going to order a whole salad and probably take some of it home because servings are generous.
Lots of coffee drinks prevail along with freshly made bagels, croissants, muffins, cinnamon buns, and baklava. The owners are a husband and wife who work hard and it shows. No diva-ing allowed.
Delicious copy2go
Salad Days by Karyn Zoldan
The term -salad days- used to refer to when you could not afford to put the proverbial meat and potatoes on the table. When I grew up salad was a wedge of iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato (from the garden when we were lucky) and from the store when we were not. And homemade Thousand Island dressing consisting of equal parts of mayonnaise or that white stuff in a jar called “salad dressing” and catsup with a tablespoon of hot dog relish. Sounds gross. Looked gross. But actually wasn’t any worse than commercially made Thousand Island dressing.
Fortunately the face of greens changed and salads are no longer (or shouldn’t be) the boring endeavors of past.
When I make salad at home I’ll open up a bag of pre-washed baby salad greens. These are a luxury in disguise. At Trader Joe’s, a 5 oz bag of Asian greens costs $1.89. A whole pound at that price scale costs around $6; my math abilities are questionable. Then I add whatever is on hand like some cherry tomatoes, cubes of cheese, a handful of nuts, maybe a dice of cucumbers or chicken. If I have berries or grapes or pear slices, that goes in too. Store bought dressing from Trader Joe’s is added judiciously and then I dig in perhaps with a glass of wine if I feel like winding down with dinner.
So when I go out and order a salad, it had better be at least as good as what I can make on my own. I admit it that here in Tucson it’s not that easy to find substantially thoughtful and creative salads. Red Sky Café is my leading contender so get your fork ready:
The ideal salad should be a dynamic combination of all food groups commingling on the plate with salad dressing that isn’t an afterthought or worse--from a bottle. Order the grilled mesquite honey BBQ chicken salad and let the flavor Ferris wheel begin. The freshest of baby field greens (vegetables) are an apt audience for bite sized chunks of white (meat) slathered with smoky BBQ sauce, crisp apple and juicy orange slices (fruit), a generous sprinkling of Gorgonzola cheese (dairy) and spiced pecans (fats) drizzled with lusty Dijon mustard honey vinaigrette (fats). Then garnished with waffled purple potato chips (starch) vertically arranged so when the salad extraordinaire debuts at the table, you almost want to salute it. The only food group missing is chocolate.
Red Sky Café – 1661 N. Swan – 520-326-5454
Check out delicious copy2go
The term -salad days- used to refer to when you could not afford to put the proverbial meat and potatoes on the table. When I grew up salad was a wedge of iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato (from the garden when we were lucky) and from the store when we were not. And homemade Thousand Island dressing consisting of equal parts of mayonnaise or that white stuff in a jar called “salad dressing” and catsup with a tablespoon of hot dog relish. Sounds gross. Looked gross. But actually wasn’t any worse than commercially made Thousand Island dressing.
Fortunately the face of greens changed and salads are no longer (or shouldn’t be) the boring endeavors of past.
When I make salad at home I’ll open up a bag of pre-washed baby salad greens. These are a luxury in disguise. At Trader Joe’s, a 5 oz bag of Asian greens costs $1.89. A whole pound at that price scale costs around $6; my math abilities are questionable. Then I add whatever is on hand like some cherry tomatoes, cubes of cheese, a handful of nuts, maybe a dice of cucumbers or chicken. If I have berries or grapes or pear slices, that goes in too. Store bought dressing from Trader Joe’s is added judiciously and then I dig in perhaps with a glass of wine if I feel like winding down with dinner.
So when I go out and order a salad, it had better be at least as good as what I can make on my own. I admit it that here in Tucson it’s not that easy to find substantially thoughtful and creative salads. Red Sky Café is my leading contender so get your fork ready:
The ideal salad should be a dynamic combination of all food groups commingling on the plate with salad dressing that isn’t an afterthought or worse--from a bottle. Order the grilled mesquite honey BBQ chicken salad and let the flavor Ferris wheel begin. The freshest of baby field greens (vegetables) are an apt audience for bite sized chunks of white (meat) slathered with smoky BBQ sauce, crisp apple and juicy orange slices (fruit), a generous sprinkling of Gorgonzola cheese (dairy) and spiced pecans (fats) drizzled with lusty Dijon mustard honey vinaigrette (fats). Then garnished with waffled purple potato chips (starch) vertically arranged so when the salad extraordinaire debuts at the table, you almost want to salute it. The only food group missing is chocolate.
Red Sky Café – 1661 N. Swan – 520-326-5454
Check out delicious copy2go
Friday, October 24, 2003
From the fire into the frying pan
For ten long months, my kitchen was in remodel hell. Don’t ask but I have a few words of cautious wisdom: Home Depot sucks and never hire the lowest bidder. Shit happened more often than not. During most of that time I had access to a borrowed microwave which sat in the middle of my dining room taking up more space than my television; a refrigerator that froze items in the refrigerator portion but didn’t in the freezer portion; and a sink with a broken garbage disposal. Since I like to cook and feel it’s a necessity because I cannot afford to eat out all the time – my sanity was perpetually on the verge of deconstructing. Life wasn’t worth living except for my trusted crock pot that plugged in the office.
Now I’m back in action and cooking up a storm. The cookbooks came back from storage and into the new built-in bookcases. I peruse them constantly like treasures waiting to be found. During the time of my kitchen debacle, my mother also died so recipes reminiscent of childhood comfort foods are finding their way to my table.
My kitchen used to be smaller than some master bedroom closets or powder rooms. It had three doors – one to the hall, one to the patio, and one to the dining room. That was one door too many. The hall door converted into a pantry where I can hide large bags of dog food and stock up on canned goods. By no means is my kitchen spacious but at least now it’s functional and very colorful with sparkling white cabinets dazzled by stainless steel hardware, vivid red countertops, and celery green walls. It somehow reminds me of being in the womb of a crisp apple. Yes, I know apples don’t have wombs but my kitchen allows me the emotional nourishment that I so crave.
For ten long months, my kitchen was in remodel hell. Don’t ask but I have a few words of cautious wisdom: Home Depot sucks and never hire the lowest bidder. Shit happened more often than not. During most of that time I had access to a borrowed microwave which sat in the middle of my dining room taking up more space than my television; a refrigerator that froze items in the refrigerator portion but didn’t in the freezer portion; and a sink with a broken garbage disposal. Since I like to cook and feel it’s a necessity because I cannot afford to eat out all the time – my sanity was perpetually on the verge of deconstructing. Life wasn’t worth living except for my trusted crock pot that plugged in the office.
Now I’m back in action and cooking up a storm. The cookbooks came back from storage and into the new built-in bookcases. I peruse them constantly like treasures waiting to be found. During the time of my kitchen debacle, my mother also died so recipes reminiscent of childhood comfort foods are finding their way to my table.
My kitchen used to be smaller than some master bedroom closets or powder rooms. It had three doors – one to the hall, one to the patio, and one to the dining room. That was one door too many. The hall door converted into a pantry where I can hide large bags of dog food and stock up on canned goods. By no means is my kitchen spacious but at least now it’s functional and very colorful with sparkling white cabinets dazzled by stainless steel hardware, vivid red countertops, and celery green walls. It somehow reminds me of being in the womb of a crisp apple. Yes, I know apples don’t have wombs but my kitchen allows me the emotional nourishment that I so crave.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Best of Tucson (Weekly) by Karyn Zoldan
Yep, I wrote these for the 2003 BoT Weekly issue that had a circus-ish theme so if you see references to beared ladies and flying trapeze you comprehend my point of reference. The area code is 520 for all venues in case you’re just tuning in.
READERS CHOICE
Best Upscale Bar Ambiance
Sullivan’s Steak House – 1785 E. River Road – 299-4275
The crossroads of River and Campbell frame all things reflecting Tucson’s wealth on the move. Deeply tanned women with perfect blonde highlights scan the movers and shakers and real estate makers while sipping Grey Goose vodka martinis in the clubby bar setting of polished mahogany wood, plush vinyl studded seating and a larger-than-life 40’s prize fighting mural around the perimeter of the room. Wealthy masculinity pervades the air along with cigarette smoke and expensive perfume—a high roller cocktail of sorts. Swing and jazzy jazz CDs blare making meaningful conversation impossible…maybe that’s the point. Every night a live jazz combo lets its fingers carouse over the keyboard. A magnet for music or an electric rendez-vous? Anything is possible.
.
Best Cocktail Menu
Kon Tiki - 4625 E. Broadway – 323-7193
Aloha. Mix a jigger of Disneyland’s enchanted tiki room with equal parts cigarette smoke infested dive and schmaltzy Tiki gods for the best known cocktail menu south of Mt. Lemmon. During the past 40 years, Kon Tiki’s reputation evolved as that special place to legally celebrate a 21st birthday (I.D. required). The fish bowl sized scorpion reigns as the most popular but the mai tai and blue Hawaii vie for runners-up. Feeling like a zombie or an Oahu island iced tea? Try the C.A.P. water; though brown in color it’s not lethal like Tucson water. Banana split tastes like an alcoholic Dairy Queen and the bartender only knows the recipe for the K.T. mystery drink. Sip on a grasshopper or alexander. No wiki wiki here. B.Y.O. designated driver.
STAFF PICKS which means these are my personal favorites
Best Mojito
J-Bar -3770 E. Sunrise Drive in the Westin La Paloma Resort -615-6100
Forget the margarita. As taste makers embrace Nuevo Latino cuisine and libations, the mojito (moe-hee-toe) sweeps the planet with the greatest of ease, the daring exotic drink on the flying trapeze. Rum is classically Cuban so take a long sip and let the lively combination sensation massage your mouth. It’s like a liquid Ricky Ricardo in a glass where you can close your eyes, swivel your hips and hear the bongo drums from another dimension. Although the Bamboo Club makes a decent mojito, the very best is served at J-Bar in a medium-sized tumbler with ice, imported white rum, sprigs of fresh muddled mint, simple syrup, a squeeze of lime and spritz of soda. Refreshing and oh so baa-baa-loo.
Best $20 Wine Tasting
The Feast – 4122 E. Speedway – 326-9363
It’s Sunday afternoon and the mister sits glued to directTV watching 89 channels of sporting events. What are you gonna do? Leave! Take your best friend and go to The Feast for the last Sunday of the month wine tasting event. In a town that’s a circus with over the big top of expensive wine tasting events, The Feast invites best affordable wine tasting for $20. Not only can you swirl and swallow inexpensive to quite pricey sips of wine but can clear your palate on more than just a mouthful of soda crackers. What makes the last Sunday wine tasting so special is the array of deliciously original snacks complementing each round of wine and an engaging narrative describing all the wines’ nuances.
Best Named Drink
Lady in Red
Cup Café – in the Hotel Congress – 798-1618
Blondes may have more fun but redheads get under your skin and we’re not talking about a rash. The memory of a red shines brightly, capturing the imagination and refusing to let go. So much can be said for this cute cousin of that lusty, clowning Bloody Mary mama -- the Lady in Red is more refined and a helluva lot more hip. She fits nicely in a martini glass which makes just about everything taste magical. Into the shapely chilled glass goes Absolut Citron vodka, Bloody Mary fixings such as tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco; salt, olives and onions. She’s not the type to guzzle or do raucous shots with but likes dancing cheek to cheek in the bluesy moonlight.
Yep, I wrote these for the 2003 BoT Weekly issue that had a circus-ish theme so if you see references to beared ladies and flying trapeze you comprehend my point of reference. The area code is 520 for all venues in case you’re just tuning in.
READERS CHOICE
Best Upscale Bar Ambiance
Sullivan’s Steak House – 1785 E. River Road – 299-4275
The crossroads of River and Campbell frame all things reflecting Tucson’s wealth on the move. Deeply tanned women with perfect blonde highlights scan the movers and shakers and real estate makers while sipping Grey Goose vodka martinis in the clubby bar setting of polished mahogany wood, plush vinyl studded seating and a larger-than-life 40’s prize fighting mural around the perimeter of the room. Wealthy masculinity pervades the air along with cigarette smoke and expensive perfume—a high roller cocktail of sorts. Swing and jazzy jazz CDs blare making meaningful conversation impossible…maybe that’s the point. Every night a live jazz combo lets its fingers carouse over the keyboard. A magnet for music or an electric rendez-vous? Anything is possible.
.
Best Cocktail Menu
Kon Tiki - 4625 E. Broadway – 323-7193
Aloha. Mix a jigger of Disneyland’s enchanted tiki room with equal parts cigarette smoke infested dive and schmaltzy Tiki gods for the best known cocktail menu south of Mt. Lemmon. During the past 40 years, Kon Tiki’s reputation evolved as that special place to legally celebrate a 21st birthday (I.D. required). The fish bowl sized scorpion reigns as the most popular but the mai tai and blue Hawaii vie for runners-up. Feeling like a zombie or an Oahu island iced tea? Try the C.A.P. water; though brown in color it’s not lethal like Tucson water. Banana split tastes like an alcoholic Dairy Queen and the bartender only knows the recipe for the K.T. mystery drink. Sip on a grasshopper or alexander. No wiki wiki here. B.Y.O. designated driver.
STAFF PICKS which means these are my personal favorites
Best Mojito
J-Bar -3770 E. Sunrise Drive in the Westin La Paloma Resort -615-6100
Forget the margarita. As taste makers embrace Nuevo Latino cuisine and libations, the mojito (moe-hee-toe) sweeps the planet with the greatest of ease, the daring exotic drink on the flying trapeze. Rum is classically Cuban so take a long sip and let the lively combination sensation massage your mouth. It’s like a liquid Ricky Ricardo in a glass where you can close your eyes, swivel your hips and hear the bongo drums from another dimension. Although the Bamboo Club makes a decent mojito, the very best is served at J-Bar in a medium-sized tumbler with ice, imported white rum, sprigs of fresh muddled mint, simple syrup, a squeeze of lime and spritz of soda. Refreshing and oh so baa-baa-loo.
Best $20 Wine Tasting
The Feast – 4122 E. Speedway – 326-9363
It’s Sunday afternoon and the mister sits glued to directTV watching 89 channels of sporting events. What are you gonna do? Leave! Take your best friend and go to The Feast for the last Sunday of the month wine tasting event. In a town that’s a circus with over the big top of expensive wine tasting events, The Feast invites best affordable wine tasting for $20. Not only can you swirl and swallow inexpensive to quite pricey sips of wine but can clear your palate on more than just a mouthful of soda crackers. What makes the last Sunday wine tasting so special is the array of deliciously original snacks complementing each round of wine and an engaging narrative describing all the wines’ nuances.
Best Named Drink
Lady in Red
Cup Café – in the Hotel Congress – 798-1618
Blondes may have more fun but redheads get under your skin and we’re not talking about a rash. The memory of a red shines brightly, capturing the imagination and refusing to let go. So much can be said for this cute cousin of that lusty, clowning Bloody Mary mama -- the Lady in Red is more refined and a helluva lot more hip. She fits nicely in a martini glass which makes just about everything taste magical. Into the shapely chilled glass goes Absolut Citron vodka, Bloody Mary fixings such as tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco; salt, olives and onions. She’s not the type to guzzle or do raucous shots with but likes dancing cheek to cheek in the bluesy moonlight.
