Eating Well in Phoenix & tucson
Pusch Ridge, Tucson
Day 1
This winter I visited with two of my best friends and former college roommates, Katie and Colleen. Colleen moved to Phoenix from northwest Indiana last August, and we had yet to visit her new home, so Katie flew in from Indianapolis and I met them in Phoenix shortly after. Our first stop was to check out Colleen’s place and catch up on her patio. It was only February, but the desert sun was already threatening a shift from welcoming companion to scorching menace–a dramatic change from the freezing temperatures I’d left in Austin.
After a few hours of chatting, it was like no time had passed since we’d last seen each other, and we were ready to start our adventure. Colleen first drove us up a winding 2,330 feet in South Mountain Park to Dobbin’s Lookout, where we took in expansive views of the Valley of the Sun. A giant copper compass pointed toward the Camelback Mountains, Tempe, Scottsdale and other surrounding cities and landmarks. I was delighted to see a few chipmunks scurrying up the mountain because I rarely see them in Texas like I did when I lived in the midwest.
Exceptional Google reviews then led us to Chanpen Thai Cuisine for lunch. While we were caught off guard by the restaurant’s slightly tattered facade, we were greeted by friendly service and a cozy interior. I ordered yellow curry with chicken (my favorite), Katie had the green curry with tofu, and Colleen had chicken fried rice with spice #3 and a sweet Thai coffee. I’ve had Thai food in many places across the U.S. and this unassuming little hut had some of the best. To top off our phenomenal meal, our server brought us a complimentary dessert of fried bananas. Our visit was a lesson in not judging a book by its cover, and Colleen made a habit of visiting Chanpen from then on.
Colleen’s birthday was approaching and we all needed a relaxing escape, so Katie and I booked a long weekend stay at the Hilton resort El Conquistador Tucson. That afternoon we made the two-hour drive from Phoenix to the Oro Valley region, which sits peacefully in the foothills of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains. Pulling up to El Conquistador in the evening, the stars shone bright in a vast, black sky that seemed worlds away from buzzy Phoenix (dubbed “little Los Angeles” by an Oro Valley local). We unloaded our bags and plunked down on the couch near the hotel bar, reminiscing over charred vegetable quesadillas, crispy cauliflower tacos, and a bottle of Eola Hills Patriot Red Blend before heading to bed.
Day 2
The next morning, my ladies indulged me by visiting the nearby gluten-free bakery. I would have settled for a bakery with some gluten-free options, but everything at Gourmet Girls was gluten-free, including their full breakfast menu. Joyfully overwhelmed by my array of options, I finally settled on biscuits & sausage gravy with two eggs, a meal I hadn’t had in over a decade. Katie had the breakfast hash with eggs and toast, and Colleen had a two-egg breakfast with house potatoes and toast. We couldn’t stop there–and by “we” I mean “I”–so I ordered four cupcakes for us to split during our trip. The flavors we chose were Roses, Champagne and Chocolate (a sophisticated cupcake with a chocolate ganache filling), Prickly Pear (almond cake with prickly pear jelly and lime frosting), Lovin’ Lemon (lemon cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream frosting) and Red Velvet, a classic favorite. I devoured more than my fair share of cupcakes during our girls’ weekend, and my expectations were exceeded by this lucky find.
Back at the resort, we ordered drinks at the poolside bar Desert Springs Grill, where Colleen’s favorite was a summery lemonade cocktail made with Empress Gin. After soaking up some rays in the hot tub, hunger struck again, so we split an order of nachos with corn & black bean pico, jalapenos, olives and sour cream. The nachos were nothing to write home about but they took the edge off until our next meal.
Katie and I got in a quick session at the hotel gym and noticed on our way back that the local animal shelter Rescue Me Tucson was holding an adoption event on the Conquistador’s property. We befriended a few adorable dogs and cats, including this sweet chihuahua that is literally hugging one of the Rescue Me volunteers.
Chihuahua with Rescue Me Tucson
Dinner that night was at a beautifully decorated, upscale New American restaurant called Wildflower. We started with the crispy brussels sprouts & bacon appetizer, topped with honey truffle glaze, aleppo chile, and parmesan gremolata. For our main courses, Katie and I had the wildflower seasonal salad with brussels sprouts, sweet potato, baby beets, apple, quinoa, goat cheese and marcona almonds; she ordered hers with grilled chicken breast. Colleen had the pan roasted chicken with smashed potatoes and green beans with lemon and garlic sauce. They split a bottle of red wine while I sipped on a signature old fashioned.
Day 3
The next day, we visited San Xavier del Bac Mission, which was built as part of a Catholic mission in the late eighteenth century. The majestic church is still in operation today and is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona. I run a photography business, Raise the Bar Media, and Katie runs the business Simple Prism Reiki, which focuses on energy work, so these spiritual grounds were the perfect setting for me to take updated photos for Katie’s brand. A friendly stray dog sauntered towards us as we headed back to our cars, so I rummaged through my camera bag and procured a handful of cheddar rice cakes for my new canine friend. He thankfully looked as though he’d been fed well by neighbors.
In the evening we headed downtown and spent our last night on the patio at Penca, which serves both traditional and modern central Mexican cuisine. Katie, being the type of person that can and does make friends with everyone, knew our server Paula from our Chicago days. She kindly gave us a little background info on the Tucson area since Colleen was new to Arizona.
We each ordered spicy margaritas with their small-batch mezcal (if you’ve been reading my posts lately, you know mezcal follows me everywhere). We split the nopales appetizer, made with grilled prickly pear cactus, caramelized onion and garlic, and an order of guacamole. Penca’s deliciously fresh take on guacamole included mint, tarragon, chives, pomegranate seeds and cojita cheese. We shared entrees, which ran the gamut from fish tacos with purple cabbage to adobo pork belly tacos with fermented pineapple, all served on fresh corn tortillas with a side of pickled veggies. Penca’s food was top-notch and we couldn’t have asked for a better culinary experience on our last evening together.
Day 4
The next morning we made a short hike up the rocky Linda Vista Trail in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area, where the sun peeked through the mountains and danced on the limbs of century-old saguaro cacti. I was paranoid about snakes, but the desert views were worth the risk. We snapped pics of the stunning scenery and then headed back to civilization for breakfast.
Our breakfast stop Goodness Fresh is a trendy health food establishment with a mission “to bring joy and pleasure through online and physical stores to all people looking for a healthier lifestyle.” On their sunny patio, Colleen enjoyed sourdough avocado toast topped with pickled onion, tomatoes, goat cheese and sprouts, Katie had the Mango Jungle acai bowl with berries, mango, coconut, almonds and honey, and I sipped on The Goods smoothie, with acai, berries, avocado, chia seeds, banana and coconut milk. After our refreshing breakfast, we headed back towards Phoenix.
We had time to make two more stops before our flights: one at a gem & mineral show so large that we lost each other in the multiple tents, and another for a final meal at The Vig Fillmore. The Vig serves high-end pub fare out of a craftsman-style house with a beautiful patio. There, Katie and Colleen clinked pink drinks called Bennet & Bubbles, made with sparkling wine, rhubarb bitters, hibiscus syrup and lemon, and we all shared the spicy broccolini appetizer. Colleen ordered the grilled ham & cheese sandwich with a side of hearty tomato bisque soup. Katie had The Vig burger with a wagyu beef patty, cheddar, avocado, caramelized onions, jalapenos, bacon and their special VIG sauce. I had the turkey club on a gluten-free bun with sweet potato fries.
By the end of our meal, our time in Tucson had come to an end. Colleen drove Katie and I to the airport, where Katie and I soaked up every last moment together before we had to board our flights back to Indiana and Texas. But we always have another adventure up our sleeves, so stay tuned for our trip to Lake Tahoe.