Noshing Around: Tucson dining and beyond

SWF Seeks Apple Pie for Memorable Encounter by Karyn Zoldan

Practically all my life I have been searching for apple pie like my bubbie (grandmother) used to make.

I don’t know what made that apple pie so memorable. Both my brother and I have spent our adult lives searching for this apple pie in more modern and glorious settings to no avail. In my grandmother’s capable and experienced hands, she mixed and kneaded the dough laying it neatly in a tin pie pan cutting off the extra.

Maybe apples tasted better than today and perhaps that was the key to apple pie perfection?

Peeled and sliced apples were mixed with just the right amounts of sugar and cinnamon and just maybe a squirt of lemon juice. Since we kept kosher and the separation of meat and dairy ruled, no butter or dairy products were used in the pie’s preparation. Then another crust covered the apples and a fork was used to seal the crust as well as to prick holes in the top crust so it could breathe and steam the apples.

One day I found the recipe and it was just a list of ingredients – flour, Crisco, water, apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Typical of my grandmother and mother’s fashion, there were no amounts listed. So what was the secret?

Today I ate lunch at the B-Line on 4^th Avenue in Tucson and my friend and I shared the apple pie with a teaspoonful of real whipped cream. This slice of pie heaven was the closest I’ve ever come to bubbie’s apple pie.

Some apple pies drown in cloying sweetness but the B-Line’s version lets the taste of crisp apples shine through. And the crust held its heavenly own. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being bubbie’s apple pie – this was an 8. Since most apple pie attempts have never surpassed a 5, the apple pie buck has just stopped here at B-Line.

The B-Line is located at 621 N. 4^th Avenue; Tucson, (520) 882-7575.

10 Tucson Restaurants that I Frequently Patronize by Karyn Zoldan

Here are some of my favorite everyday Tucson restaurants that I enjoy and hope to keep enjoying through 2005.

Most restaurants don’t have very good coffee but the Cup Café at Hotel Congress serves Arbuckle Coffee and really good omelets and other egg dishes. If you’re not too hungry the slice of bread with an egg in the middle satisfies.

Beyond Bread also has a $3.75 breakfast before 10 a.m. where you can get an egg sandwich on artisan bread or an omelet served with potato pancakes and more delicious bread. I usually ask them to omit the potatoes and I’m still more than satisfied. Coffee is unlimited and decent.

For a country Japanese meal I go to Yoshimatsu. I so enjoy their ginger tofu bento box ($6.50) served with brown rice and other vegetable sides. Sometimes I order a Japanese beer or glass of plum wine. One of these days I'm going to try their Japanese pizza.

Sushi Ten also has a ginger tofu bento box of sorts but it’s different yet still delicious. I think the tofu is more fried at Sushi Ten. Either way, it’s a good way to eat more tofu but I wish Sushi Ten served brown rice, the low glycemic rice.

Once some guy wrote to me thru my Tucson Weekly address and we got into a discussion about Mexican restaurants. Apparently he travels to Tucson on business and likes the Mexican variety. Being from Chicago, he praised Rocco’s for as good as it gets Chicago-style pizza. I don’t eat pizza too often but one of my former East Coast friends raves about Rocco's pizza and I've watched her devour an entire pie. I have enjoyed their antipasto salad and a side of meatballs washed down by cheap Chianti on many occasions.

In 2005 I’m going to try to drink more tea and so I’ve started going to Seven Cups. I think I’ll work my way thru the menu. It’s a bit pricey for a pot of tea but the setting is restful as long as people don’t talk on their cell phones.

My favorite coffee joint is Raging Sage. Roger Sliker and family do it right from the free trade expertly roasted coffee to the creative menu of pastries. Nobody does a scone better than Raging Sage. My only wish is to come further east.

Although I think most of McMahon’s restaurants are pretty mundane, I do like Firecracker for happy hour. They do Pacific Rim fairly well and with half-priced appetizers and $1 or $2 off drinks, it’s a steal of a deal. Bamboo Club has a similar offer but sometimes going to Park Place is a hassle and I prefer the intimacy of Firecracker to the stupendous din of Bamboo Club.

Make a bee line to the B-Line on 4^th Avenue. It’s a neighborhood kind of place that I wish were in my neighborhood. When my food writer friend was visiting from Boston we ended up at B-Line and she raved, no make that RAVED about their cherry pie. Everything is priced just right-on. My favorite is the tortilla soup with half tuna salad sandwich ($6.50) and a glass of good wine. I think Food TV’s Rachel Ray liked their cherry pies too.

Back to my neighborhood or near enough and back to Feast. I haven’t gone that much until recently and I like it and want to go more often and maybe it can be my hangout of sorts where I can just go alone sometime, sit at the captain’s table and enjoy a comfortable dinner or a beautiful golden setting. Their new addition was definitely worth waiting for.

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