Caipirinha!

All hail the caipirinha (pronounced
kai-purr-een-yah)—the potent national cocktail of Brazil.
The muddled lime and raw sugar obscure the flavor of the main
ingredient—high-proof Brazilian cachaça—so well that
you might as well be sipping limeade … until the buzz-bomb drops. Sur
Real (3001 E. Skyline Drive; 529-2644) pours caipirinhas (and martinis)
for $5 starting at 10 p.m., every Friday, during its Late Night Lounge
event hosted by Blake Rogers of KWMT FM 92.9. Visit surrealtucson.com/late-night for more information.

Opening in Oro Valley

Remember Torino Ristorante Italiano in Oro Valley? It was a
well-reviewed eatery that occupied the space at 10355 N. La
Cañada Drive that eventually became Harvest Restaurant. Well,
one of Torino’s ex-owners, Daniela Borella, is combining her adjoined
restaurants, Spice Bistro and Caffé Torino (10325 N. La
Cañada Drive), into one Italian eatery that will serve
breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Borella—who was
born in Italy and knows a thing or two about her hometown
cuisine—says the new eatery should open around the end of the
month.

Off the Beaten Track

I knew I was in for something good when a stranger scribbled “Mary’s
Lucky Dollar Market” and “known for chorizo” on a moist drink coaster
and slid it down the bar. I found Mary’s housed inside a small,
weather-beaten building at 1555 S. 10th Ave.—and what a find it
is. Three words: authentic, authentic, authentic. Sources say the
homemade chorizo ($2 a pound) has been a southside legend for more than
20 years, and nothing on the menu is more than $4. Hours are 6 a.m. to
1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 884-8720 for more info.

Cooking Demonstrations

You don’t have to be flush with cash to learn cooking tips from the
pros. Head down to the Tucson Children’s Museum (200 S. Sixth Ave.) on
Friday, July 10, and watch as Jonathan Landeen of Jonathan’s Cork gets
his sizzle on. If you miss Landeen, you can catch Albert Hall of Acacia
at St. Philip’s and the Tohono Chul Tea Room on Friday, July 17; Janos
Wilder on Friday, July 24; or Addam Buzzalini of Maynards Market and
Kitchen on Friday, July 31. The demonstrations all take place at 10:30
a.m. and are free with museum admission: $7 adults; and $5 for kids age
2 to 18 and seniors. Call 792-9985; www.tucsonchildrensmuseum.org.

This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2009.