Tucson has probably hundreds of little sandwich and salad shops,
both locally owned and chain restaurants, yet I always return to my
four or five favorite haunts, reluctant to try out anything new, lest
it pale in comparison to my good-old standbys.
My experience at Create Café, an eclectic and quaintly
cluttered spot at Camp Lowell Drive and Swan Road, has not led me to
change my ways just yet.
The most inspired dish Ted and I sampled was the Greek Gothic,
prepared as a salad ($7.99). It was hearty and balanced, with generous
amounts of feta, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. I say “sampled,”
because we ordered it intending to have it as a shared appetizer before
our dinner entrées—and we managed to eat maybe half of it
before throwing in the towel.
All of the salads, sandwiches and wraps are
interchangeable—that is, you can have anything on this section of
the menu prepared as a sandwich, a salad, or a wrap—which would
be a fantastic idea if it wasn’t executed so poorly. The Vic Wich
($8.29), ordered to go as a wrap for lunch one afternoon, is intended
to mimic an Italian-style sub or antipasti salad. A single, lonely
slice of turkey, accompanied by one similarly lonely slice of ham, and
two, count ’em, two slices of pepperoni were drowning in the lettuce
and tortilla. I actually had to open it up to make sure that there
really was cheese in there, somewhere.
A similar execution problem was presented with The Rancher ($7.99),
ordered as a sandwich on sourdough bread. On the menu, this sounds like
a large, flavorful, tasty sandwich with all-natural roast beef,
pepper-jack cheese, red onion, field greens and Russian dressing. I had
trouble tasting anything but white bread and romaine lettuce, which I
guess could be classified as a field green, but was certainly not what
I was expecting. The sandwich was gone in four moderately sized bites,
and I was still hungry. Good thing the tri-color chips it was served
with were plentiful, crunchy and salty.
The lesson? Order these menu items as salads, apparently.
However, we were both impressed with the “Crushes,” blends of
organic lemonade, ice, fruit and syrup. Ted had the strawberry lemon
crush, and I had the berry belini (sic) crush ($3.79 each). They were
fruity, cold and delicious, without being too sweet.
Our dinner trip a week later—the one with the lovely Greek
salad—didn’t impress, either, though it was slightly improved
from the lunch experience. Ted ordered a hamburger with jack cheese and
sweet-potato fries for his entrée ($6.99 for the burger, plus 99
cents for the cheese and $1.99 for the fries), and I chose the
portobello burger with feta and hand-cut fries (same price). We also
split a half-bottle of Santa Margherita pinot grigio ($19). The food
was quickly delivered to our table, but then we had to get up and go to
the condiment bar across the restaurant for ketchup and mustard.
I had high hopes for the burgers. They were beautifully presented
and perfectly sized. One bite, and … nothing. The hamburger was a
sad, limp, overcooked one-third-pound patty. The fresh, crisp lettuce
and juicy, ripe tomato were delicious, but the burger had virtually no
flavor. The portobello burger was likable at best; the mushroom had
been cooked until it was rubbery, although the flavors were OK.
The fries, on the other hand, were delicious. I am exceptionally
picky about sweet-potato fries (they’re just nasty when they get
soggy), and these were hot, fried to perfection and salty; that was
also the case with the hand-cut fries.
Unfortunately, I did not get to try any of the breakfast offerings.
As for the other two meals of the day, if I have a craving for a big,
fresh salad, french fries or sweet-potato fries, washed down with a
cold, fruity slush, I might reconsider stopping by Create
Café—but I’ll stick with my short list for sandwiches and
wraps, at least for now.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.
What purpose is served by the unending series of negative reviews of local sandwich shops. Review places that are noteworthy either because of their quality or because of public expectations, but the reviewing of places that are not in anyway noteworthy is a waste. This is just useless filler. So maybe you only review a dozen places a year, that would be better than this.
Scarpia: You’re entitled to your incorrect opinion. Our readers want to know about these places, large and small. As always, thanks for reading.
Boegle, J: You’re entitled to your incorrect opinion. What is your basis for saying the readers want to know about these places. Publish the data supporting this assertion. As always, thanks for whatever.
My data comes from 6 1/2 years of editing this paper and talking to hundreds, if not thousands, of readers, Scarpia.
It’s a shame you didn’t try one of their most popular sandwiches or salads. The tuna is outstanding, in my opinion, and their “Wooa Chicken” is the most-ordered item on the menu.
Oh, and it looks like they did spell “bellini” correctly in the photo 🙂
I know plenty of people that would disagree. Create Cafe offers wraps that I have never found anywhere else. They are original healthy and very full of flavor. They can also be made into quesadillas. I think the hamburgers were added to the menu out of necessity. Their wraps are what they are known for and I agree the tuna, whoa chicken, and the Greek Gothic are wonderful. My kids love the place, too, and they eat healthy there for the same price as a fast food place.
I’m a fan of Create Cafe. Greek Gothic – yum! I’ve actually never been to their new location but one of the genius things they do is their new mobile service. You fax in your order the night before and the next day their truck shows up at your office with your lunch. Fantastic! I wish more restaurants would do this and I would love to see a rundown by TW of those that do.
The Tucson Weekly is the only local publication with credible restaurant reviews, in my opinion, because it is the only one that dares to speak the sorry truth. If they dare to describe a disappointing experience, I will believe them when they laud another place.
I applaud the Weekly’s reviews. Who has time to try out the hundreds of restaurants out there and why would I want to hear only about the places that are new and noteworthy? (not to mention, whose definition of “noteworthy” will we be using?) I reviewed restaurants for a tiny publication a couple years ago and after having two reviews completely fictionalized by my editor, who apparently didn’t want to ruffle any feathers in the business community, I decided I’d stick to reading reviews in a publication that is committed to journalistic integrity.
desert rose you sound like you’re related to the cafe
I’m sorry that this was a bad experience for the “food critics”. I have never had a hamburger at Create Cafe as this is something you can get at your local hamburger joint. The turkey burgers on the other hand are big, juicy, and very tasty and I have a fellow friend who agrees. The turkey ruben is fantastic and all the salads are to die for. The homemade vinagrette dressing adds to the flavor. Also, the Mojitos are an added treat on a hot, humid, Tucson night. They also have something for everyone. You can take your family on Wed. nights and the children can make their own pizza. What a treat for my granddaughter. Also, Thursday is 3.00 omelette day for seniors-which is a bargain for me. I really enjoy this quaint, eclectic cafe.
Create Cafe’s mission has always focused on providing the highest quality ingredients free from harmful substances reported repeatedly by the media as detrimental to both our health and environment (sodium nitrates, antibiotics, trans fats etc.). This is no small task in an business environment that is small business vs. chains with huge marketing budgets which aim to give the highest calorie content for the lowest price. We provide a something-for-everyone selection in an environment that is fun, eclectic and very friendly. We invite you back to notice the 20 hula hoops by the entrance, TV’s with the the food channel and an old Peter Sellers Movie, the inside and outside kids play area so adults can enjoy a beer while their kids play, and the “no two-chairs, tables, lighting fixtures, alike atmosphere. Try the wooa chicken wrap (biggest seller) and all of the organic, preservative free, all natural, no sugar ingredients options on our menu! We make sure you don’t have to be a healthnut to love our menu.
Create Cafe & Catering has grown and thrived as a local Tucson business since 1999 because there are enough Tucsonans who understand and appreciate the difference between us and our competitors. They know the difference between quality vs. quantity. We have the tastiest thick cut bacon, but without sodium nitrates (a known carcinogen) and preservatives. Find another restaurant in Tucson who serves this! Surely you have become informed, as the foodie you must be, of the harmful substances being put into our foods, the child obesity rates and rapid growth of diabetes. The roastbeef the TW reporter complained about was not as big as our competitor. This is true. But our roastbeef is all natural, is of the highest quality, has no preservatives, msg, or nitrites. We also are not interested in inappropriate portion sizes which encourage overeating.The staff at Create Cafe & Catering have families and feel that we should not feed the public items we would not feed our own children.
A large part of our business is our school lunch program catering to Tucson charter and private schools. We have a responsibility to provide an alternative to the fast food that so many schools use as their vendors. This is not a big money maker, it is a labor of love and our way of giving back to the community.
Yes TW you can get bigger sandwiches with cheap meat. It is cheaper to eat products filled with governmant subsidized corn products, preservatives and chemicals. However, we all pay in the end. Sooner or later the health effects catch up and hit our pocket books at the doctors offices.
If you are interested in doing some good for Tucson while you are critiquing these may be of interest to you:
The Omnivores Dilemma—by Michael Pollan, Fast Food Nation—Film, Food Inc.—Film, Super Size Me, etc.
Stay Happy and Healthy,
Lauri Kaye
P.S. As Nicholas Kristoff from the NY Times 8/23/09 so eloquently wrote, “We are not a calorie factory without any soul.”
I love this place. I meet my husband meet there for lunch and we sometimes take our kids there on the weekends. The Turkey Fiesta is my favorite. We go there because the food IS interesting and tastier than plain old sandwiches or salads you get at other places. The prices are good and the people there are really nice. There is lots of stuff to look at and games for the kids to play while they are waiting.