Diners, Drive-ins and Dives finally coming to Tucson?
by Mark B. Evans on Aug. 31, 2010, under Off Topic
Guy Fieri at an Oakland Raiders tailgate party in 2008./Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE
Monday, I got a call from a producer for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” a Food Network show starring Guy Fieri that has become a national foodie phenomenon.
She wanted to talk to a Citizen restaurant reviewer, which we don’t have any more, so I forwarded her to the Star. But before I did, I asked “Are you finally coming to Tucson?” And the producer gave a non-committal “We’re thinking about it.” (Or words to that effect).
I am a big fan of the show and my family likes to seek out restaurants featured on Triple D (as the fans call it) during our travels about the country. Fieri’s yet to be wrong. The show’s producers clearly do a lot of legwork before he shows up to feature a restaurant because we haven’t had a bad meal at any of his featured diners, nor have any of our family’s friends who are fans of the show.
Fieri has been to Arizona numerous times but never to Tucson. When you look at the list of places Triple D has been to, you have to wonder if Tucson’s an epicurean backwater or whether Fieri had a bad experience in Tucson once and was blackballing us.
Among the cities Triple D has visited are Boise, Idaho, Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks!??) and Baker, Calif. (Baker!? If you don’t know where it is, don’t feel bad because it’s in the middle of freaking nowhere!).
Yet no Tucson. He even went to Flagstaff before coming here, for crying out loud.
Are Tucson’s family restaurants really that bad? Or do we not have enough restaurants to meet the show’s criteria? Triple D tends to focus on family-owned restaurants that have been around for awhile, often more than 20 years. And, of course, the food needs to be good with at least two or three unique dishes, or unique preparations to common dishes.
And they need to be paper napkin-type places, if the wine list has more than one wine on it, it’s probably not a Triple D restaurant.
No chains are ever featured.
So I got to thinking about which restaurants in Tucson are worthy of Triple D?
You can go to the Triple D site at Food Network and make suggestions via e-mail, DDDinfo@mac.com. I’ve done it about a dozen times.
Here’s my list of restaurants Triple D should visit. Some might not meet the criteria because they’re owned by a restaurant group, but I think they’re worth an exception.
Zin Burger (owned by Fox restuarants, but he’s a Tucson guy, so that makes it locally owned, right?)
Luke’s Italian Beef (the one on Alvernon, the others are owned by family members, so it should count)
El Charro (Oldest restaurant/business in Tucson, purported inventor of the Chimichanga)
Brooklyn Pizza
The Cup Cafe (In Hotel Congress)
Ghini’s French Caffe
Frog and Firkin
Brushfire
Other restaurants I gave consideration to, but had something I didn’t like there once or had a bad experience once or twice so I was on the fence about recommending them (even though I ate other stuff that was good to great):
Pat’s Drive-In
Bumsted’s
Omar’s Hi-way Chef
Mi Nidito
Beyond Bread
Which restaurants do you think he should visit? (Add comments below).
Arizona restaurants visited by Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives:”
Matt’s Big Breakfast
801 N. 1st Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Tel: (602) 254-1074
Website: www.mattsbigbreakfast.com
Roberto’s Mexican Food
675 W. Union Hills Dr.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Tel: (602) 439-7279
Thee Pitt’s Again
5558 W. Bell Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85308
Tel: (602) 996-7488
Website: www.theepittsagain.com
Chino Bandido
15414 N 19th Ave Suite K
Phoenix, AZ 85023
Tel: (602) 375-3639
Website: www.chinobandido.com
Joe’s Farm Gril
3000 East Ray Road Buld.
Gilbert, AZ 85296
Aunt Lena’s Creamery
4040 S. Arizona Ave.
Chandler, AZ 85248
Tel: (480) 802-1100
Salsa Brava
2220 E Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Tel: (928) 779-5293
Haus Murphey’s
5739 W Glendale Ave
Glendale, AZ 85301
Tel: (623) 939-2480
Brandy’s Restaurant & Bakery
1500 E Cedar Avenue #40
Flagstaff, AZ, 86004
(928) 779-2187
Website: www.brandysrestaurant.com
La Piazza Al Forno
5803 W Glendale Avenue
Glendale. AZ 85301
(623) 847-3301
Website: www.lapiazzaalforno.com
Giuseppe’s on 28th
2824 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Tel: (602) 381-1237
Website: www.giuseppeson28th.com
Los Taquitos
4747 East Elliot Road #17
Phoenix, AZ 85044
Tel: (480) 753-4370
Over Easy
4037 N 40th
Phoenix, AZ 85018-5204
(602) 468-3447
Website: www.eatatovereasy.com
