Award-Winning Tucson Chef Janos Wilder at his Downtown Kitchen

This past weekend, I assembled my list of the best restaurants in the southern part of our state. You will find the list on my website: Southern Arizona Guide. I hope that it will be useful to you when trying to decide where to go for an exceptionally good dining experience.

It’s not complete, but then it never can be.
Bon Appetit

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Ms. Stella & I dined at Kazoku on east Speedway two weeks ago. My review of this establishment is posted now on my website: Southern Arizona Guide.

More recently, we shared a Thai meal with an old friend at Char’s. I’ll have that review up shortly. Today, we’re going to a Chinese restaurant that has received good reviews.

After today, I think I shall renew my quest to find a steakhouse that can prepare a better ribeye than I can barbeque. Any suggestions?

Recently I had the pleasure of dining with Stella, a lovely young lady who was raised in China, has traveled the world, and is now engaged in genetic research at U of A. She kindly agreed to show me the finer points of Asian cuisine. This is fortunate since my mission this month is to add several Asian restaurants to my dining reviews on Southern Arizona Guide.

Because so many of my readers have suggested I review Ba-Dar, a Chinese restaurant on East Broadway, that’s where we headed on a mid-week May evening.

I had forgotten to make dinner reservations so I was relieved as we entered the restaurant to see Ba-Dar was not busy – perhaps only half the tables had patrons. We were immediately seated in the quietest booth at the back of the room, per my request.

This is a small, older commercial building that the restaurant owners have tried to dress up a bit. Two large fish tanks add to the ambiance and a few Chinese pieces of art hang on the walls, but the physical surroundings did not scream “Asian” like Gee’s Bistro.

And unlike so many American restaurants these days that insist on making patrons scream at each other over the annoying loud music, the Oriental music here was very much in the background.

Our waitress quickly brought water and took our drink orders. Menus were already on our table. Stella perused what I considered to be an extensive menu. Stella remarked that in China, the better restaurants might have as many as 2,000 dishes from which to choose. Unimaginable.

Stella told me that the menu we inherited when we sat down was skewed toward American tastes, and would not be the genuine article.

When our waitress returned, Stella asked to see the “Real Chinese” menu. And she asked for it in Chinese, which our waitress also spoke fluently.

With the “real” menu in hand, Stella asked me what I would like for dinner. I told her to choose, but that I was interested in sampling “authentic” Chinese. My comment inaugurated the beginning of the evening’s tutorial, me being the attentive pupil.

In considerable detail, accompanied by drawings on a napkin, Stella explained that, unlike Japan, China is BIG and has as many distinctive provincial varieties of tastes. Chinese dishes may be categorized as one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China, also called the “Eight Cuisines of China”

For example Sichuan (in the west it’s know as Szechwan or Szechuan) is a province in Southwest China known for its bold spicy-hot cuisine. Sichuan cooks liberally add Sichuan peppercorn, garlic, chili peppers, as well as ginger, peanuts, and/or sesame to just about every dish. Since the last decade, Sichuan cuisine has been gaining popularity in America.

She explained that the Yue style of Chinese cooking is most familiar to Americans and comes from Guangdong and Hong Kong. .

Stella queried the waitress again in Chinese about some particulars. The waitress told her that they offer Yue, Sichuan and Taiwan styles. But base on the menu and Cantonese accent of the waitress, Stella ordered Yue style dishes. I found out soon thereafter that I was about to experience:

• A pot of salted fish blended with eggplant and chicken.
• A plate of beef with green onion.
• Side dish of white rice.

It didn’t take long for our “authentic” Chinese meals to arrive. After tasting each dish, Stella said the Ba-Dar chef did a reasonably good job of duplicating authentic Chinese dishes.

I thought the salted fish with eggplant a little bland, but the beef dish was very tasty – much to my liking.

We both agreed that the rice was a failure. Methinks it was reheated one too many times. But by the time we got it, the rice was nearly cold. How can a Chinese restaurant screw up rice?

All in all, Stella decreed that Ba-Dar should receive a 3.5-Saguaro rating – slightly better than just OK, but nothing to rave about. She added that if this establishment was to be compared with the best restaurants in the Guang Dong region, it would only rate 2.5-Stars.

By comparison, TripAdvisor reviewers gave Ba-Dar 4-Circles, and Yelp reviews averaged 3.5-Stars. I suppose anyone’s rating will depend on their familiarity with authentic Chinese and whether or not they were served cold, tasteless rice. But for Tucson, I’d say Ba-Dar is a good value and if you’re American Anglo, you probably ought to stick with the Americanized menu.

7321 E Broadway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85710
(520) 296-8888

As noted several days ago with the Vivace Restaurant review, I occasionally post reviews by others I know well and trust their judgment in such matters. Scott Reed and his wife Sheryl are friends who visit us from Wisconsin in the fall or spring.

This past April, they resided in our casita and enjoyed our fine weather by hiking, exploring, and sightseeing. They also dined at several of our finest restaurants. As so many of our guests do, on their first visit they asked my suggestion for the best Mexican restaurants in Tucson.

As I have done so many times, I gave them my choices for the top three and told them to come back and tell me which they thought was best. The results of this little contest can be viewed on my Southern Arizona Guide website.

Here’s Scott’s review of Chef Suzana Davila’s Café’ Poca Cosa.

If you think of rice and beans and something wrapped in a tortilla when someone mentions Mexican food, you are ready for a new experience. We had that experience when we recently visited Café Poca Cosa on Pennington.

Upon entering, your first impression is of an atmosphere that is a bit more polished and cosmopolitan than Mexican restaurants you might be more familiar with. The décor doesn’t scream “south of the border”, but the food definitely does.

We started with a margarita each, and they were beautifully made. While my wife usually finds the drink too sweet, this margarita had just the right level of tartness to complement the tequila. I had another.

Our server was very attentive, and presented the evening’s menu on a chalkboard that outlined the offerings. There was one vegetarian dish, a few chicken dishes, seafood, beef, and the most intriguing, the Plato. All the dishes were described in turn, except for the Plato, which is the chef’s selection and not revealed until served. Sheryl chose the chicken poblano. I decided to try what the chef had chosen for me in the Plato.

When the food was brought to the table, the presentation was impressive. Greens made the centerpiece of every plate, and served as the salad component of your meal. Also fresh fruit was a refreshing addition as well. Rice and beans were available as side dishes, instead of dominating the plate. Sheryl’s poblano was delicious. It had just the right amount of heat, which means she added a generous additional complement of hot sauce. My mystery dish turned out to be two chicken portions, one poblano, and a fantastic beef selection. Everything was wonderful.

We weren’t able to partake of the desserts, but if the main courses are a guide, we will need to save room on our next visit. Café Poca Cosa is the best Mexican restaurant we have had the pleasure of experiencing, and we can’t wait for the next opportunity.

Scott Reed

Scott & Sheryl Reed are friends from Wisconsin who have stayed with Ms. Karen and me several times. Last year they dined at Vivace and thought the experience so exceptional they wanted to go again and this time write a review.

With those I know to have discriminating tastes, I will occasionally invite them to write a review for our Southern Arizona Guide. Other friends, including Michael & Diane, have decreed Vivace to be the best Fine Italian Dining in Tucson.

Here’s Scott’s review. With it, and the concurrence of so many others, Vivace Restaurant becomes only the sixth dining establishment in all of Southern Arizona to receive our Five Saguaro rating. 

You can read my other reviews, including Pizzeria Vivace at Southern Arizona Guide / Dining & Lodging Reviews.

Vivace on North Campbell pleasantly surprised us again. Last year’s dinner was fantastic, and the 2012 visit was even better.

Our reservation was for 8:00, made three days prior. This was the earliest they had. We arrived about ten minutes early, and were shown immediately to our table. Service was attentive, and a great olive oil mixture was brought immediately to the table with the bread. We wanted to have a bottle on Chianti Classico with dinner, and our server suggested a bottle that was less expensive than we were contemplating. It was excellent.

We started our dinner with the grilled asparagus with parma prosciutto to share as an appetizer. It was brought out in separate plates for us, and was a generous portion. We would highly recommend this in lieu of a salad course. It was delicious.

The main course was the seafood lasagnette, layered with a combination of seafood and spinach for me, and pork sorrentino for Sheryl. The lasagnette was quite rich, but had a sauce that was very light and a nice complement. The pork was some of the best I’ve had, with a combination of cheese and marinara sauce baked to perfection over vegetable pasta.

Unfortunately, desert wasn’t an option: we were already taking boxes home. But the dinner was fabulous, and we can’t wait to visit again the next time we are in Tucson.

Scott Reed

Last week (April 2012) I had a most pleasant business lunch. My dining companion was Paul Hopman, a local artist whose specialty is scratchboard. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing Paul’s work, go to his website.

He suggested the Tucson Tamale Company on Broadway. That worked for me ‘cause (1) I had yet to review this establishment and (2) Tucson Weekly says their tamales are the best in town.

We both arrived at 11:30 AM to beat the lunch crowd, but already there was a line waiting to order. I found it interesting that was there were only a few occupied tables because almost everyone was taking their tamales with them.

If no one told you, you’d have no idea walking in the front door that there are booths in back and a quiet dining patio beyond the back door.

This place is a hole in the wall of a non-descript commercial center along east Broadway. They have tried to make the best of it by painting some of the walls with happy Mexican colors and hanging some original art. And it’s clean.

Paul ordered a Blue Tamale – (veggie) – with blue corn masa, squash, tomato, corn, onion, green chile and cheese, with a side of black beans.

And some chips and salsa to share.

Hot Tamales
I checked over the menu one more time and decided to avoid the spicy Arizona Tamale as well as the super spicy JoJo. Instead I went for two milder tamales:

1. Sonoran: Chicken with Green Chile Sauce (Green Chile, Tomato, Onion) and
2. Santa Fe: Pork with Green Chile Sauce and Cheese

And a side of black beans.

I went for some unsweetened black iced tea from the dispenser, but was told they don’t have lemon. Odd.

Our order came up fast and we seated ourselves on the back patio. Fresh chips and green chili salsa were a delightful way to begin our meal.

The Tucson Tamale Company has a snappy slogan: Unwrap Happiness. So I did.

Long story short. These were the best tasting tamales I have ever had. Are they the best in town? I don’t really know. All I do know is that I will be back. Probably to sample their breakfast tamales one Sunday morning.

They apparently also do a brisk business in take-out frozen tamales. Will have to bring some home next time.

Or better yet, their website says I can order their tamales on-line and have them shipped. They even have Sampler Gift Packs. Now I know what to get my brother-in-law in Florida for Christmas.

One of many pleasant picnic areas along the Black Hills Country Byway from Clifton to Solomon.

As reported, we started early this Sunday morning and had driven the Black Hills Country Byway from Clifton to Solomon. By 11 AM we were hungry. Fired up ye ol’ mobile device and checked with TripAdvisor to identify the highest rated restaurants in Solomon, a little town a few miles east of Safford.

TripAdvisor could not find Solomon, AZ. So we pulled out our other indispensible guidebook: Arizona’s Salsa Trail; A Foodies Guide To Culinary Tourism – Safford & Southeast Arizona by Christine Maxa and David A. James.

Bingo. Found one. La Paloma on Clifton Street. So, spoke the address into our mobile device and asked Minerva to take us there. Minerva took us the wrong way. When we finally got to the restaurant, there was a small sign in front that announced:  Closed Sundays.

(You may inquire as to why I call my GPS’s irritating computer-generated female voice ‘Minerva’. Simple. She has, on occasion, gotten on my nervas.)

No biggy. TripAdvisor identified a highly rated (5-Circles) restaurant right on the highway to Safford: Copper Steer Steakhouse. We arrived and were glad to see a neon ‘OPEN’ sign. They weren’t.

A Review: Manor House & Rock ‘N Horse Saloon
Now we were really hungry and getting desperate. The next possibility would be Manor House & Rock ‘N Horse Saloon. One obvious problem is that this place is rated by TripAdvisor reviewers as not-so-good (2.5-Circles). Nevertheless, Manor House had the advantage of being open on Sundays.

The hostess led us past the confectionery at the entrance and into the large main dining room, richly decorated in Old West, including antique, full-size, wooden wagons danging from the ceiling. I made some inquiries as to why this place was rated poor on TripAdvisor.

I was told that the owners had lost the place, then got it back, then lost it again and just got it back again. There were suggestions that, at times, service and food quality had been, what shall I say, inconsistent.

Things were looking down. But as far as we could discern, if we wanted to eat now, this was the only open restaurant within 50 miles. We braced for the worst.

Our server, Melissa, brought us chips fresh-from-the-oven and salsa. We chatted a bit. This was her first day on the job. Red flags went up. That might indicate a service issue. On the other hand, besides the two of us, there were only three other tables that required servicing. The fact that this very large dining room only had four parties to serve suggested that the memos ‘dissing’ this establishment had been distributed well beyond just TripAdvisor. And while the chips were fresh, the salsa was bland. Not encouraging.

Ms. Karen ordered the Tostado and a side of spinach dip to go with the fresh chips. I ordered the Steak Fajita Platter with flour tortillas.

To our surprise and delight, once we got past the non-descript salsa, both of our meals were very good. And the service was both efficient and personable. The Manor House in Safford: Recommended. Just call in advance to see if the owners had lost it again. But our experience warrants a 4-Saguaro rating.

Roper Lake
We followed Highway 191 from Solomon, through Safford, and on south a few miles to Roper Lake. We did take a very brief pass at “Historic Downtown Safford”. Saw nothing of interest. Downtown looks like it has seen better days and is not likely to come back to life anytime soon. We moved on. Perhaps we will return during SalsaFest in September when things are hopping. I do like foodie tourism.

A few miles south of Safford is Roper Lake State Park. This is a modern campground and picnic area with all the conveniences, including RV hookups, ramadas, cabins, and a 30-acre lake with a pleasant beach.

Natural, Stone Hot Tub
It also sports a natural, stone ‘hot tub’. On a crowded evening, we could envision campers lined up to take a dip in this little hot pool. It might accommodate 6 bathers at a time. But I doubt the water temperature is hot enough to kill the trillions of germs attendant with such crowded use. The whole idea of being in this ‘natural hot tub’ is just unappealing to me. And I certainly wouldn’t allow my grandchildren to go in it.

Nevertheless, both the tent and RV campgrounds are pleasant, particularly the ones closest to the lake. And the cabins, while Spartan, are quite nice. Each of the 8 cabins has a patio, large picnic table, a swing, outdoor sink, counter, and BBQ. They do NOT have bathrooms. You have to use the common shower and toilet facilities. About the only things you can do inside a cabin are change clothes and sleep.

Roper Lake is stocked with largemouth bass and rainbow trout. Here you can launch a canoe, kayak, or sail board. Small boats with electric motors are allowed.

The Park also has a day-use island that serves as a delightful picnic area with mature trees, picnic tables, grills, ramadas, and its own beach.

The Park has 5 miles of hiking trails and offers occasional ranger program.

You can make reservations for the cabins and some of the campgrounds. Call 928-428-6760. Reservations must be made two weeks in advance of arrival. The cabins and campsite closest to the lake are clearly the most desirable, and for good reason. More mature shade trees.

Nearby Attractions

Dankworth Ponds
And they had an additional area 3 miles south called Dankworth Ponds, with a smaller lake, picnic areas, trails, fishing, and a re-created Indian Village. But now it’s closed indefinitely.

Mt. Graham & Discover Park
The highest, closest peak to the West is Mt. Graham. On the Mid-April day we visited Roper Lake, Mt. Graham was covered with snow from the storm that passed through Southern Arizona the day before.

On top is Mt. Graham International Observatory, an array of highly sophisticated telescopes, including the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope, one of the most powerful on Planet Earth.

Discover Park is the Observatory’s visitor center. We have not yet been there but we understand the drive up the mountain is very scenic and Discovery Park is totally worthwhile.

A Longhorn Bull On Slaughter Ranch

Days One/Recap
This is a continuation of my post about our April 2012 three-day tour of Southeast Arizona. On day-one, we visited the ghost towns of Pearce, Courtland, and Gleason east of Tombstone with a short side trip to Rattlesnake Crafts & Rocks.

Then we continued south to the Slaughter Ranch east of Douglas, then north, ending the first day at Portal Peak Lodge in Portal, AZ. Here we eat in the cafe, slept in a small room, and most importantly, acquired a 25¢ map that showed the back road over the mountain.

Day Two/Morning/Recap
Day-two was mostly spent in the Chiricahua National Monument along Bonita Creek and through the Wonderland of Rocks. This is where we got the picture of an elusive coatimundi.

Day Two/Afternoon
Around 1 PM we headed north so as to arrive by 6 PM at our overnight destination, the historic Simpson Hotel B&B in Duncan, AZ.

After lunch at Big Tex BBQ in Willcox, we stopped at the Coronado Vineyards for some taste-testing. We have tried I-don’t-know-how–many Southern Arizona wines to date (2012), but unfortunately have found none to recommend.

Neither have we found a wine steward or sommelier who will recommend even one. But we thought, “What the heck, it’s on the way.”

Coronado Vineyards
Coronado Vineyards is just off the I-10 (exit 344) a few miles east of Willcox. To our delight, they have a great wine-tasting offer. Six different wines to sample plus the wine glass for only $7.00. Now, if the wines are any good, this could be a bonanza.

Both Ms. Karen and I like Cabernet Sauvignon, particularly with whatever we barbeque. But neither of us liked this Cab … kinda sour. Although, the RN at the bar next to us said she really liked it. You’ll have to taste it and decide for yourself.

Nevertheless, we did discover two others to our taste. One is a 2009 Syrah. Very good. This is a Rhone-style wine, slightly spicy with subtle notes of blackberry, plum, and oak.

The other was one I did not expect to like because Rose’ is just too sweet. I much prefer the drier whites, such as Sauvignon Blanc. The best-for-the-buck come from New Zealand, such as Kim Crowford.

This Coronado Vineyard’s 2011 White Sangiovese has a bit of a cherry taste but is very light and will serve as a fine summer wine around the pool.

Upon leaving, we purchased 6 bottles each of the Syrah and White Sangiovese. The two no-stem wine glasses, which Ms. Karen particularly liked, were free.

Day Two/Evening
Duncan, Arizona is small-town Americana. Not much happens here and, from what we could determine, that’s the way most locals want to keep it. Our main reason for coming to Duncan is that it’s close to Clifton, Morenci’, the Black Hills Byway, and the Gila Box.

As planned, we arrived at the Simpson Hotel B&B around 6 PM. We had experienced two adventure-filled days that also included a lot of driving. We were both tired and ready for a couple of drinks and a good night’s sleep.

Simpson Hotel in Duncan, AZ. 1920's.

We were greeted by, Deborah, our innkeeper. Beginning in 2005, she had spent 6 months demolishing all but the foundation, walls, windows, and doors, then two years of re-construction. She has faithfully restored this historic building to its 1914 origins, with modern plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning. And in the process made it cozy and comfortable.

We asked her to share a glass of wine with us and tell us about the places she thinks we should see on our next day’s tour of Greenlee and Graham Counties. Deborah is both worldly and exceedingly knowledgeable about this area, as you can see from her extensive website. Three hours later, we were still chatting when Deborah had to leave for a party and we were totally ready for bed.

We told Deborah that we intended to leave before breakfast is served in the morning. She insisted on making us a breakfast we could take with us when we leave. Now that was nice. But we do want to go back because we hear she serves a delicious, healthy breakfast.

Simpson Hotel in Duncan, AZ. 1950's

For a quick dinner, Deborah recommended we order pizza or calzone from Humble Pie across the street and bring it back to the hotel dining room. Which we did.

Good pizza. As good as my all-time favorite pizza place, the Velvet Elvis in Patagonia.

Our room was on the main floor with a private bath … very comfortable. The Simpson is everything we could ever want in a B&B. Highly recommended.

Day Three
Clifton, Morenci’, Black Hills Byway, and Roper Lake. The saga continues manana.

This is a review of a Tucson Japanese restaurant. But first …

 Disclaimers:

1. I have never been to Japan, so I have no idea what REALLY GOOD Japanese cuisine is suppose to taste like.
2. Asian food is not my favorite.
3. I have an aversion to the idea of eating seaweed and raw fish. Besides, almost every restaurant has a menu that warns us, in the smallest possible type, about the dangers of consuming uncooked or under-cooked meat. Something about deadly bacteria.

That said, I feel a responsibility to my readers to at least try to overcome these admitted deficiencies and offer some reasonably reliable reviews of local Asian restaurants.

It was for this purpose that I enlisted the able assistance of my acupuncturist, Dr. Clare Zhang, who has a Ph.D. in Oriental Medicine. I recently discovered that the Chinese term ‘zhang’, loosely translated, means ‘needles’. What a coincidence. If you suffer from chronic pain, go see Dr. Clare.

More importantly for my immediate purposes, Clare, who was raised in China, has agreed to educate me as to the wonders of Asian food. She suggested we begin my remedial education at Sushi Yukari on River just East of Craycroft. She says Sushi Yukari food is, for Tucson, most like real Japanese food. Who am I to argue?

Clare said I should sample the Lotus Root (top, 2nd from left)

You who follow my reviews know that I usually take others with me. The only rule is that each guest must order something different so I can get a broad and well-rounded range of opinions. In that sense, my reviews are not mine alone.

So, last Tuesday was the big night. In addition to Clare and her 10-year-old son, Daniel, I was joined by my adopted daughter, Shana, and her family visiting us from Virginia: husband John, a career military officer, and their daughters Anna (age 9) and Isabella (age 7). Ms. Karen joined us too – reluctantly.

Ms. Karen shares my aversion to raw fish, but Shana loves sushi. And John has travelled the world courtesy of the U.S. Army and knows a great deal about Asian food. So between Clare, Shana, and John, I felt confident that I would be properly guided through the culinary mysteries of the Orient.

Ambiance.
At 6PM on a warm mid-week spring evening, Sushi Yukari was not busy and we were seated right away. The restaurant is located in a nondescript eastside shopping center, never a place I would look for exceptionally good food. This particular establishment is small, clean, and ambience-wise, somewhat sterile.

Our waitress, a young Japanese woman who never introduced herself, began an evening of efficient, if impersonal, service.

Menu.
The Sushi Yukari menu is beyond extensive. Something like twelve pages with color photographs of the various choices. Shana, John, and Clare were oowing and aahing at these pictures, exclaiming how wonderful everything looked. I looked at those same pictures and thought to myself how unappealing everything looked. Oh well, I was here to taste and learn. I steeled myself for the worst.

In order to avoid having to even sample a bite of sushi, Ms. Karen ordered beef curry. She observed that it was sweeter and not as spicy as the curry dishes we experienced in London. She pronounced it “OK”.

The children each ordered from the kids’ menu. I heard no complaints, except Anna didn’t care for the teriyaki chicken. I tried it and it was good. I also sampled Isabella’s tempura and it too tasted good.

Food.
We more adventuresome adults ordered a variety:

• I like scallops a lot, so we got the baked scallops.
• Shana ordered a seaweed salad with sesame seed dressing and generously offered to share it with me. Oh, joy!
• Clare ordered a plate of Lotus Root and said I just had to try it. I did. It tasted like water chestnuts dipped in soy sauce.
• And we ordered the BIG #2 to share. It was a bit confusing to me because the menu said that a BIG #2 includes: California roll, spicy tuna roll, red snapper, shrimp, snow crab, tuna, yellowtail, and albacore. These last three seemed redundant since they are all varieties of tuna. Perhaps it’s a Japanese thing.
• Additionally, John ordered the Scorpion Roll. I have no idea what this was, but it was tasty.

The sushi was displayed in military precision.

On their respective platters, these delicacies were presented in precise rows according to type. Actually, the presentation looked a little too militaristic. I had hoped the Japanese had gotten over WWII. Maybe not.

When our waitress brought Shana’s seaweed salad, she also brought two samples of sake’, a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Apparently, there are many grades of sake’ and I have no idea if our sample was Japan’s finest or something less. Our samples came in the tiniest vessels – no bigger than a thimble (thankfully). What does sake’ taste like? Warm firewater.

The BIG #2 comes with a dab of green paste. Clare said it’s called ‘wasabi’. She instructed me to take a tiny bit and mix it with some soy sauce in a very tiny dipping bowl. I don’t actually know what wasabi is, but it tastes like horseradish and has the same hair-raising effect.

‘Masterfully’ taking chopsticks in fingers, I pinched a glob of tuna-rice-wrapped in seaweed, dipped it in the wasabi, closed my eyes, and took my first bite of sushi. I was immediately relieved of my sinus congestion. WOW!

Clare opined that perchance I had put too much wasabi in my soy dip. Nevertheless, I was now in a heightened state of awareness.

Shana shoved the seaweed salad in my direction and said, “Here, try this. It’s really good.” To my surprise, it really was.

The meal proceeded well; the adults, sans Ms. Karen with her curry beef, sampled from the various offerings. The baked scallops dish was good but certainly not the best scallops I’ve ever had. The scallops came with some kind of sushi roll topped with what was described as spicy mayo. It tasted like spiced-up Thousand Island dressing. I liked it.

To my delight, I also liked the California roll, although I have nothing to compare it to. It tasted like flavored rice. Kinda sweet.

To my unsophisticated Anglo taste buds, the raw fish – snapper, tuna, etc. – all tasted pretty much the same. And once dipped in the wasabi sauce, it all pretty much tasted like horseradish and soy sauce.

I asked Clare about this. “The sauce does make everything taste similar, but that’s what most people do. Plus wasabi with soy sauce brings out some flavor to me.”

In total, the entire dinner for 5 adults and 3 children came to $21 each, including tip. Not bad, but not a bargain either. Nevertheless, at least now I know what sushi tastes like. It tastes like horseradish and soy sauce.

Rating.
Afterward, I asked Dr. Clare to rate our dining experience. She gave Sushi Yukari 5-Saguaros. “Everything excellent.” I would have rated Sushi Yukari a 3-Saguaro, but who am I to argue with someone raised on Asian food? Besides, Clare has agreed to take me to another Asian restaurant next month that she really likes. I wonder if they serve wasabi? jg

Address: 5655 E. River Rd., Suite 151, Tucson, AZ 85750
Phone: 520-232-1393
Hours:
Monday – Thursday
Lunch 11:00am – 2:30pm
Dinner 5:00pm – 9:30pm

Friday & Saturday
Lunch 11:00am – 2:30pm
Dinner 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Sunday
Dinner 5:00pm – 9:00pm

Roland Sarlot & Susan Eyed

For some time, Ms. Karen & I had been wanting to see Roland Sarlot’s and Susan Eyed’s Carnival of Illusion. I had read so many rave reviews about their performance that, if the show lived up to the hype, I wanted to add it to our “Things To Do In Tucson” Section of our website: Southern Arizona Guide.

So, I purchased two tickets on their Carnival of Illusion website, which also offered us dinner for two at half price at the Cactus Rose Steakhouse in the Double Tree Inn on Alvernon where their performance takes place. This sounded like a real bonus because I love a good dinner and show close together so I don’t have to drive and park twice. For me, this makes the whole evening much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Proximity to very good restaurants is one reason I highly recommend the Fox Theater downtown. There we have a choice of dining at two of my favorite restaurants, Cafe’ Poca Cosa around the corner or Caffe’ Milano next door, then walking the short distance to the performance. The Carnival of Illusion takes place in a small room only  few yards from the Cactus Rose restaurant.

I’ll make the dining review short. Even at half price, our dinner wasn’t worth it. Cactus Rose Steakhouse in the Double Tree Inn … definitely NOT recommended. We’ve had worse meals …  just couldn’t recall when. Nevertheless, I want to emphasize that the Carnival of Illusion is NOT responsible for this hotel or its food. They are separate entities.

With dinner thankfully behind us, we checked in at the Carnival of Illusion ticket table and were told that we could bring drinks into the performance. Conveniently, the hotel’s cocktail lounge was only a few yards away. Moreover, we could pre-order our drinks so that they would be ready for us at the brief intermission. This we did. Two glasses of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Very good.

Finally, it was time to enter The Parlor for the performance. Passing through some heavy, dark drapes, we were suddenly

Inside The Carnival of Illusion Parlor - Audience Participation

transported to a different time and place, perhaps Paris before the war. Ms. Karen & I were seated in the front row, for which I had paid a little extra. I wanted to be close enough to the performers to see if I could detect how they perform their illusions.

As it turned out, we were seldom more than 6 to 10 feet from Susan and Roland throughout the 80 minute performance. There was only one trick they performed that I think I know how they did it. Otherwise, it was an evening of complete mystery. One mind-boggling illusion after another much to the delight of an appreciative, but mystified audience. These guys are good!

The venue was small – the whole room hardly bigger than our living room – which makes for a certain intimacy between some 40 folks in the audience and the two performers.

Susan and Roland clearly delight in involving their audience … and audience participation was half the fun. For example, Roland asked a gentleman in the audience to take out a bill. Said gentleman proceeded to extract a twenty dollar bill from his wallet. Roland then asked him to mark the $20 with a black marking pen. The obedient gentleman scribbled his initials and also the initials of the state from whence he came – FL.

Then, with the trust of a 3-year-old, he handed the marked bill to Roland who showed it to the rest of us for verification. In the meantime, Susan had asked a lady seated toward the back to pick a fruit from a basket. She picked a large grapefruit.

With slight-of-hand, Roland make the marked twenty dollar bill disappear. Susan held up the grapefruit so all could see that it was a normal, unsliced grapefruit. Susan held it as Roland proceeded to cut it open. And from the open cut Susan pulled a bill dripping with grapefruit juice. Roland wiped the bill so it wouldn’t drip all over the Persian rug and held it up so all could see. You guessed it. The gentleman’s marked $20. How do they do that?

This was just one of dozens of amazing illusions – some might call it magic. I don’t want to spoil the event by telling you too much. Let me just say that the finale involves butterflies … lots and lots of butterflies.

Susan’s and Roland’s performances were quaint, funny, vaudevillian, charming, energetic, and at the same time amazingly sophisticated and highly professional. Carnival of Illusion … highly recommended! Go. See if you can figure out how they do that. And take the kids. jg

quaint cute vadville