BBC 1 & BBC 2

No, not the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Bisbee Breakfast Club and the old Bisbee Brewing Company! I recently visited these fine establishments, on the same day no less. The Bisbee Breakfast Club is located on Erie St, a road lined with old storefronts and auto repair shops. The inside was converted from an old pharmacy and soda fountain into a spacious loft-style restaurant. Lots of great light, and lots of wonderful smells emanating from the surrounding tables.
I had the Popeye, an omelet stuffed with spinach, bacon and cream cheese. I substituted my toast for one of their biscuits, oh my goodness. Heavenly. Look at the size of it! They had a variety of jams on the table, including an apple butter. It melted beautifully over my warm biscuit.


Now the Old Bisbee Brewing Company is located in the center of what you could call the downtown area. It’s very small and unassuming, the brew house is actually in a separate building then the tasting room. It opens at noon every day and there were already people lined up outside the door when we arrived. (Always a good sign.)

My friends and I sat at the counter ordered the sampler which included:


Scottish Red Ale
Pale Ale
IPA
Belgian Whitbier
Stout
Copper City Ale
Classic Pilsner Lager

I think my favorite was the Red Ale but I was pleasantly surprised by the Pilsner, it had a much richer taste then I’m used to with lagers. My friends all loved the stout, and it certainly was delicious, it had a very strong coffee aroma. If I was a more thorough blogger I would’ve asked what was in it, instead I just enjoyed.


I noticed that Old Bisbee Brewing Company also made their own root beer and I decided to try it after the sampler. Ok. I promise I am not exaggerating when I say it was the BEST root beer I have ever had. It was sweet and refreshing and very full of flavor. It’s one of those root beers I wouldn’t want to spoil by making a root beer float out of it. That’s saying a lot!

http://www.bisbeebreakfastclub.com/

http://www.oldbisbeebrewingcompany.com/

Salad Wha?

Sometimes I eat salads! It's true. I actually love spinach, I like it in my salads and I use it in my sandwiches as a substitute for lettuce. My favorite salad dressing right now compliments spinach beautifully- it's Red Wine Pomegranate Vinaigrette with Dark Chocolate.

Chocolate on a salad? What?

It's actually delicious. The pomegranate and the vinegar cut the sweetness, and you're left with a rich cocoa flavor. This particular salad dressing comes from Ravenous Chocolate, a Colorado company that specializes in unusual chocolate products. I picked this up at the Boulder farmer's market last fall and I've been carefully rationing it ever since. Ravenous Chocolate also features flavors like Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette and Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette with Dark Chocolate. I highly recommend!

http://www.ravenouschocolate.com/

Samurai

My friend Mark took me to Samurai today. It's a cute little Japanese place tucked away in a Tucson mini-mall. I had the chicken yakisoba with a tiny scoop of mash potatoes. I loved the sauce and the noodles were plentiful. (Not too many of those skinny onions; I know it's a weird quirk but I believe those things can make or break an asian dish.)

The menu was enormous and fairly economical. Lots of noodle dishes, Bento, and sushi. They even had Mochi, my favorite little ice cream balls.

Can't wait to eat the leftovers!

Today's Treat: A Very Tart Margarita

Made from freshly squeezed lemons and limes. (Maybe a little sugar?) It was extremely tart but quite refreshing.

Who's that at the door? A horse.

Within 60 min of showing up in Bisbee, Arizona my friends and I are in a bar. Within 20 min of being in said bar, a horse shows up. Pass the beer.

This is Hot Licks Saloon in Old Bisbee and the horse didn't stay long. I ordered Dave's Electric Beer because I thought it was local. Turns out it comes from Tempe, but the owner is from Bisbee? The details are kind of foggy but the beer was delicious.


Adjacent to the saloon is EAT Barbecue, a bbq stand that offered ribs, chicken legs, and pulled pork sandwiches. We got a goat cheese plate as an appetizer, sooo delicious. I ordered the pork sandwich with a side of corn and was very happy with it. Until I sampled one of the ribs. I soon wished I has ordered that instead! The sauce had this amazing black pepper kick to it and the meat was very tender. Oh well, next time.

I continued to eat well the rest of the trip. I got to the hotel room and the first thing I see are homemade cookies sitting by my bed. (This was at the Copper Queen Hotel, they also have fresh baked cookies in the lobby.) And today I started the morning with a hot chocolate from Bisbee Coffee Company. That whip cream on top is freshly whipped, not from a can, folks. Yummy.

I also visited a brewery and a breakfast place while in Bisbee, I'll tell you about them tomorrow!

Croutons & Soup in a Box

Tonight I had a simple dinner. I was watching the Barefoot Contessa and she had a whole show on leftovers. She cut up leftover bread slices and made these huge beautiful croutons. She then sprinkled them with olive oil and pepper and stuck them in the oven. I thought, I can do that! I usually don't eat the heels of bread so that's what I used. And instead of pepper I seasoned the bread with garlic powder since the soup also contained garlic. My croutons were soooo good, especially warm. I could've eaten them just on their own.

The soup was very pleasant, I'm always satisfied with Trader Joe's box soups. I usually get the carrot or the red pepper tomato variety, tonight was the first time I tried the black bean. It could've used more of a kick but that's just my taste.

More Pictures of Food and Beer

My friends and I were eating at the Grill a few months back and naturally we started

talking about food. People started whipping out their phones and displaying pictures of different meals they'd had recently. I think this is terrific! For so long I thought I was odd for taking photos of my food. Far from it!

Now that the average person has a camera at their fingertips food photography has become more popular than ever. Even Liz Lemon has a food photo hanging from her wall. (Kinda wish I had thought of that.)

That same night at the Grill I had a tiny tiny beer. It was $1 and not too bad. I put a tater tot in the picture as reference.

The Grill has great tator tots, they're kind of known for them. I usually get them as a side with my smoked salmon and cream cheese omelette. My other favorite meal there is the corn-fed biscuits and gravy, only $4!

Cupcakeries

Like little mushrooms on a forest bed, cupcakeries are popping up everywhere and I really couldn't be happier. Cupcakeries are so beautiful in their simplicity. Cupcakes, lots of cupcakes, in a variety of flavors. Cupcakeries are usually well lit, very clean, and smell nice. And pleasant little rows of cupcakes are aesthetically pleasing, if not mouth watering.

The first cupcake bakery that I was aware of was Magnolia Bakery in New York City. Magnolia doesn't work exclusively with cupcakes but that's what they're most known for. The lines go around the block on the weekends, just for 30 seconds in front of their beautiful cupcake counter. The last time I had Magnolia was on my 30th birthday and fortunately I went there at night- no wait. (They sell single candles at the register- brilliant idea.)

The second cupcake bakery I went to was in Boulder, CO, called Tee & Cakes. Again, this wasn't really a true cupcakery since they offer other baked items as well. They get an A+ on design though, doing things like placing coke bottle jellies on coke flavored cupcakes, etc. There's also a design shop inside the bakery where you can buy t-shirts and other art.

Now in Tucson, there are three cupcakeries that I know about. Red Velvet, Mini's,

and Cupcakes. I tried Cupcakes, at Swan and Grant, last week. Their website impressed me, beautiful photos, a huge variety of flavors, and a menu that listed exactly what days of the week certain flavors are available. When I walked in the bakery I was greeted by friendly staff and a dazzling array of cupcakes. Their cupcakes are fancy smancy. The frosting is higher than the cupcake itself and it's sparkly. Kinda like eating fairy dust. And the flavor I tried, Rich and Famous- or chocolate cake with chocolate icing, had an edible pearl on top. The only problem- it was too much, even for me, and that's saying a lot. The chocolate was super rich and I ended up scraping off half the icing. What a waste.

Mini's Cupcakes, at La Encantada, was also a bit of a disappointment. They had a wide variety of flavors and I got their Red Velvet cupcake as well as their Champagne & Strawberry cupcake. I wasn't impressed with either. The cake itself was dry and the red velvet didn't have the traditional hint of chocolate.

Red Velvet Cupcakery, Park & University, on the other hand, was just right. Along with their signature flavor, Red Velvet, my other favorites are B-Day (almond cake with sprinkles) and Peanut Butter Cup. Their frosting is rich and smooth, not too sugary. Their cakes are always moist. And I'm a sucker for free food, if you arrive late enough and order a few cupcakes, they usually throw in an extra one.

Well I am off to watch the season premiere of Cupcake Wars on Food Network. EAT DRINK BE MERRY.

What's in a Name?

I've noticed a pattern among my favorite restaurants. Most of them have first or last names in their title. Chaffin's, Suzie's, Lindy's, Brawley's, etc. I'd like to think the reason for this is the focus is on the food and the title is an afterthought.

Last night I got drinks at 47 Scott in downtown Tucson. In my experience when a restaurant is named after its street address it can mean either two things: it's unassuming or it wants to SEEM unassuming and is actually in fact quite pretentious. My vote is still out on 47 Scott.

On one hand, the drinks were delicious. I had something called Dark and Stormy, which consisted of dark rum, lime, bitters, and the restaurant's own housemade ginger syrup. (My phone takes very bad pictures in low lighting, so another friend used his phone to light up the drink. This photo truly was a group effort!)

The drinks are decently priced as well. Happy hours consist of $2 wells and $1 PBR (ha!). I was impressed with the food prices too- my pommes frites were only $3. My only complaint was service. My friends and I were sitting on the back patio and despite the low volume of customers it still took awhile to get any service. And when I asked for my fries to go, the waiter looked at me like I had spit in his face. (It then took another 10-15 min to actually get the box.)

So does 47 Scott fit in the pretentious category? I'm still not sure. I'm willing to give it another try.

Black and White Cookie

As I write this I am munching on a Black & White from Nadine's Bakery. And as much as I adore Nadine's, it's not a real B&W.

I had never heard of a Black & White cookie before living in New York. The more I became acquainted with the deli's, the more I spotted these sweet treats. The exact origin of the B&W is a little hazy. The explanation I first heard, and like the most, is that a bakery in Brooklyn started using it's excess cake batter to make cookies. This explains the traditional texture of the B&W, which is more cake-like than cookie-like. (And alas, this is where Nadine's got it wrong.) I've also noticed that traditional B&W's have a chocolate icing that is more bitter than sweet, therefore accentuating the taste difference between both sides.

Last time I went to New York I noticed that even Starbucks started marketing these treats. They were little mini versions of the real thing but tasted surprisingly similar.

I could go on and on about B&W's but I think Smitten Kitchen has already said it all:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/black-and-white-cookies/

Miss Saigon

Last night my friend Matt and I ate at Miss Saigon, a local vietnamese restaurant. I'm nuts

for asian food and it's actually been awhile since I've had any. I ordered the Bun Tom Duong (think I spelled that right...) which is a shrimp and noodle dish over cucumbers and greens. I'm not sure what's in the accompanying sauce, but it adds a very delicious and unique flavor.

Miss Saigon also has a variety of Milk Teas, my favorite being the chocolate (of course). They serve the drinks in a plastic cup with a plastic film cover over it. I have never seen this before, and it's actually quite convenient if you take your drink to go (although not very environmentally friendly...)

Froggy in the Basket?

I was testing out a french toast recipe this morning when it suddenly hit me- why not make my new favorite morning meal, Egg in the Basket, but use french toast instead!

I did everything the same except I dipped the bread in french toast batter before I placed it in the pan. The result was... good? I still prefer a regular Egg in the Basket. French toast and an over-easy egg aren't really the best combination. Too sweet, not buttery enough.

However the french toast itself was delicious. The recipe I found called for a little bit of flour, something I've never tried, it's supposed to make the end result a little fluffier. And it did. Success!

Delightful Weekend

I ate a lot of great food this weekend. My weekend started with a trip to Beeline, a cute little restaurant on 4th Ave. I like Beeline for a lot of reasons, mostly being they have a rotating pie case stock full of mouthwatering desserts. (This is the same reason I love the Cup Cafe in Hotel Congress.) I think that pie cases needs to become trendy again. It tempts people who normally would shy away from desserts, and it also encourages a greater variety of sweets. (I hate places that offer a single dessert, like sorbet. Give me a break.) ANYWAY, back to Beeline.

I enjoy Beeline because they actually have decent beers on tap, and a lot of them. Kevin usually gets the milk stout, while I settle down with my Velvet Merkin. Beeline has a wide variety of meals as well, everything from fish tacos to vodka pastas.

I ordered the Black Bean Burger, soooo good. I'm at the point where I almost prefer black bean burgers to beef. (I know, sacrilege!) This burger had pepperjack melted over it and a southwest sauce, the bun was nicely toasted. It comes with homemade potato chips (which I like to dip in ketchup.)

My favorite dessert from Beeline is their salted caramel tart. It's not just the caramel itself that's salted, that is actually kosher salt sprinkled on top- not sugar. UNBELIEVABLE. The dark chocolate on top really compliments the other ingredients. Fun for the tastebuds. Yes.

On Saturday, my friend Rikki hosted a Pride & Prejudice marathon and I made one of my cheeseballs. (Cheeseballs are my new obsession, there will a blog entry forthcoming.) This one was "pink grapefruit" flavored and covered in sugar crystals. It was sweet, tart, and I will definitely make it again!

On Sunday, a friend and I split a bottle of wine, SKN Cabernet. This is the first time I've tried SKN (Screw Kappa Nappa) and I liked it. I don't know much about wine though, unless it's really rank I usually enjoy it.

I finished up the weekend with a fun impromptu barbeque, where I tasted a Saturn peach for the first time. Also, roasted veggies, fruit salad, and a perfectly delectable burger.

Today's Tip

The current temperature in Tucson: 104 degrees. This puts me in the mood for ice cold lemonade. La Poloma Resort keeps a huge jar of pink lemonade in their lobby for anybody to partake of. The hotel grounds are beautiful, and shaded. It's a lovely way to waste an afternoon without spending any money.

Dim Sum

Sundays at Gee's Garden used to be a tradition of mine until most of my asian foodie friends moved away. I'm crazy for dumplings and Gee's has so many varieties. Gee's also has the best sticky rice I've ever tasted- steamed in a lotus leaf.

When I want to satisfy my dim sum craving I usually wonder over to 17th St Market and get some frozen dumplings. I found some beautiful ones recently-

With the exception of one fishy variety, they were very tasty.

They do say beer is liquid bread...

Bridget just texted me this picture: Banana Bread Beer. I'm slightly allergic to bananas, but I'd give it a go!

Cheddarwurst Mac & Cheese

As I have mentioned before, my good friend Corey is moving away this week. This evening he treated me one last time to his famous mac & cheese. (Famous to me at least.) He claims to not do anything special (it is still technically blue box mac & cheese), but Corey's worked as a cook most of his life. Of course it's special.

Along with using two boxes of mac & cheese, he adds shredded cheese, hot dogs or sausages, and lots of seasoning. This evening he cut up Cheddarwurst, sauteed it, and poured it into the mac & cheese. It was, in Corey's words, "very edible."