Not so fast. First, let me digress.
I just returned from the Tucson Culinary Festival’s margarita competition at Cuvee. Cuvee was chosen as the site, because it was defending its title from last year. Cuvee was hopping when I arrived. I cannot remember it ever being that busy.
Let’s see if I can remember the restaurants represented–Cuvee, Chad’s, Terra Cotta, El Charro, Red Sky, Hotel Congress, Jonathan’s Tucson Cork, Papagayo, Rio–there were nine tastes. A few weeks prior, other Tucson Originals’ restaurants were eliminated from the competition.
Everyone had a card with the nine above restaurants, and walked around and got their card stamped and tasted all margaritas. It was wild and crowded. After a while the people around you became your new best friend. I hung around with Rita Connelly, one of the Weekly’s restaurant reviewer, and Lori Riegel from the Jewish Post. But I’m sure I made some new friends, I just cannot remember who they are now.
Anyway, for us pedestrian–or as Rita said the riffraff–we wandered from margarita taste to margarita looking for the next fix. I even took notes or chicken scratch. I recall writing Terra Cotta-good, Papagayo-refreshing, Red Sky-different (one of the ingredients was Tuaca), Jonathan’s-lethal. That’s enough. I cannot remember too much more.
Rita and I meandered in no particular order. What amazed us was how different each tasted and what different colors they were. I mean they, were all shades of white, gray, yellowish, orange, clear, but all were different, and I do recall that Hotel Congress had a green salt rim which was part colored sugar.
Then there were the judges. Hell if I remember who they were. I’m sure they all thought they were important. I do remember Jennifer English and Edie Jarolim, and there was that guy–whose name escapes me–but he’s the master mixologist.
Unlike the riffraff who knew what drinks we were tasting, the judges were served and tasted the drinks blindly by not knowing which drink came from which restaurant.
I must comment on my above remark about lethal for Jonathan’s. While many of the margaritas were watered down by ice, sipping Jonathan’s tasted like pure tequila. Whoa. I tasted that and felt like my eyes were spinning around in their sockets.
So the winners by popular vote were: El Charro with 33 votes, Papagayo with a close 30 votes (I found this margarita refreshing) and Cuvee with 21 votes.
And the blind taste winners were: 1st place, Cuvee; 2nd place, Papagayo; and 3rd place, Jonathan’s.
Rita and I tasted Cuvee last and wowie zowie–it knocked our socks off (had we been wearing them). I felt that the last drinks were at a disadvantage but not Cuvee. Whatever Cuvee did–my mouth was so excited. I loved the citrus zing and bam of fresh ginger.
A light buffet was served, and people hung around talking and laughing and drinking. I would consider this event a huge success.
Congratulations to Cuvee and El Charro.
This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2007.
You lucky dog, getting to taste all those expert margaritas. Oh man oh man I hope people had designated drivers.
So Karen,I really think I should talk to Jimmy about this. You and needed should be forced to include other Weekly staff in on things like this. Or bring it to the office on Monday or Tuesday.
I also was there amongnst the margarita minglers last evening. Quite a fete!
And I am happy to say, I wholeheartedly agreee with Ms. Zoldan’s asssessment of the evening and the winners.
Cuvee’s mixologists prepared a most wondeful libation: not too sweet, not to tart and with a hint of fresh ginger. Great mouthfeel.
We won’t talk about the ones that tasted like lighter fluid though there really weren’t any that were awful, just not my cup of tequila.
One note though there were a preponderance of purchased boobs there – I mean bosoms – it was hard not to stare.
Older women unite! Our boobs – I mean bosoms – are beautiful too – not as perky – but certainly as beautiful.
As far as designated drivers went. The food was served afterward and seemed to absorb quite a bit of the tequila.
Wanda,
Funny that you should talk about boobs. I noticed that too. Breast implants must be back in vogue with a vengeance. Then there was that pencil thin blonde walking around with hot pants and a vapid expression on her face.
Let’s just say the whole evening was surreal with salt.
Mari,
Every now and then this Noshing diva gets a perk and this was one of them.
I don’t do office. I think I was in the Weekly’s office once when I was interviewed by the previous editor.
I worked in offices for too many years and many of them resembled the television show by the same name.
However, we should do lunch.
Eating food afterward does not reduce the amount of alcohol in the system if stopped by a police officer and breathalyze tested. It might reduce the feeling of drunkenness, but it doesn’t affect how much alcohol is “in you”.
It’s partially why, as I understand it, people who drink a lot might have alcohol tolerance in them, but it doesn’t mean a lower B.A.C. on paper if breathalyzed. With Tucson’s tougher DUI laws, pasop!
Next time you go to an event full of prominently displayed boobs bring a camera and do a photo-blog. Especially if the women are drinking lots of tequila. Come on, this is just common sense.
P.S. Women who trash other women make me laugh. Cattiness trumps the sisterhood of women yet again!
Yes, I’ll admit women can be catty, but this time it’s pure fun!
I won’t open a can of worms re:the whole idea of a woman defining herself by her body; we had just too much fun the entire night.
I like tequila, there are something like 70+ different brands.
Not a big fan of mescal though.