They Serve Meatloaf, Too
A new restaurant with a decidedly diner-esque food lineup is open at 6502 E. Tanque Verde Road in the former China Thai spot. Sam-Witches and Such is doing breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. The breakfast menu includes classics such as chicken-fried steak and biscuits and gravy, the lunch/dinner menu focuses on burgers and “Sam-Witches” such as the ever-popular BLT. The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. You can check out the full menu at samwitches.com.
Who Wants Pie?
Do you like pie? How about all-you-can-eat pie? It’s available Sunday, May 5, at a pie potluck at the Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. Fifth St. It’s a great way to meet neighbors, eat some homemade pie and help raise money for local charities. The potluck works like this: If you bake a pie and bring it to the event, you get in free. If you’re not much of a baker, you can make a $12 donation and eat all the pie you want. Pies must be homemade and should be dropped off between noon and 1 p.m. The pie party runs from 3 to 7 p.m. For more details, including the charities that will benefit, go to pieparty.org.
Nerd Day at Hotel Congress
I’m a huge Star Wars nerd and when I saw that Hotel Congress was hosting a Star Wars-themed party, I got my geek flag ready to fly. “May the Fourth be With You” is an all-day party on May 4 (get it? May the Fourth …). It’s hosted by Max Cannon, the creator of the Red Meat comic strip found in the Weekly and dozens of other alt-weeklies. Come early for the costume contest, trivia contest (I’m looking to win this one) and themed food and drinks. At 8 p.m., the party turns into a 21-and-older nerdapalooza with live music plus a DJ and a 12-foot-wide Death Star. The family fun portion runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Check hotelcongress.com for details.
Pizzeria Bianco Coming to Downtown
The word is out that noted chef Chris Bianco is opening a restaurant downtown, and that’s awesome news for pizza lovers as well as for downtown denizens. But what it also means to me, as a food lover and cook, is that Tucson is becoming “food worthy.” We are drawing in awesome chefs and restaurateurs, which tells those of us in “the biz” that they feel there is enough skilled talent here to fulfill their vision. That’s what really excites me about all the new places downtown. That, and the fact that I won’t have to drive to Phoenix anymore to eat Bianco’s pizza.
This article appears in Apr 25 – May 1, 2013.
“Food Worthy”???? Really? What does that mean? Tucson has a a lot of talented chefs and restaurateurs already and I don’t think the owner of Bianco deeming us “worthy” of having his restaurants here suddenly gives them credibility or makes them any less his equal.
I never said that there isn’t equally talented Chefs/Restauranteurs already here. What and Who I am referring to is those that work day to day behind the line, making the visions of these chefs come to life. Its validation for us, the middle guys, not the ones with “Chef/Owner” after their name. That we, the day to day soldiers, are as good as places such as NY or LA or even Portland, a place that many like to compare Tucson to on a regular basis. That is what I am referring to when I say, “Food Worthy”.
I totally get what you meant by “food worthy”. It’s not that there aren’t any great chefs in Tucson, but it’s not really considered a culinary hot spot nationally or internationally. The presence of a top-rated chef opening a restaurant there MEANS something and has significance.
I read your postings weekly. I get so excited when new restaurants are opening in central tucson. … Bianco is beyond exciting… I still can’t believe it ( Im from phoenix grew up on bianco). That being said … Tucson sure does have a lot of pizza joints. I feel like every time I see a new place opening up, it is pizza! If we are bringing phx to tucson what we really need is green vegetarian.. someone talk to damon!!!!