This restaurant is located in the Doubletree Hotel on Alvernon just a short distance south of Broadway. I have eaten in this restaurant through the years but it had been a long while since I had been there. We wanted to see what they had up their sleeve in the dining room!
It was a quiet night in the hotel when my "dining trio" (my mom, Gary-husband, and I) arrived. We had just finished an appointment in the area, and had an Entertainment Book card. This restaurant was an option, and we were eager to try it again.
We found the dining room itself quite empty, but we did not pass judgment because hotels have unpredictable traffic, especially at this time of year (in between Thanksgiving and Christmas). One thing I love about Tucson is the access to resorts, hotels and their restaurants, on top of access to the usual stand-alone restaurant. Sometimes there are gems hiding in those hotels.
And we found a gem on this night!
I noticed that the hotel had redecorated the dining room and it looked very inviting. To my delight, the large salad bar was still there--a large center piece in this relatively small restaurant.
We were seated comfortably, near the salad bar. Entrees come with unlimited soup and salad, which we found made the cost of the meal a very reasonable proposition. Our friendly server, Jeffrey, was the main server weekday nights. He was perfect in his timing and sense of assistance, also listing the specials of the day and their prices (sometimes servers leave off the prices, which bugs some diners). Mom and I chose the shrimp skewers with sides. We had an option to add 5 more shrimp to a plate for $4.00 more but didn't opt for that. Gary chose the BBQ ribs.
The verdict? YUM x 3!
First, the salad bar...lots of great choices. The only downside was that the generous bowls of lettuce (plain Romaine or the mixed greens-nice choices) were just very slightly wilted. I would've served smaller portions of lettuce and turned them over more often, or sprayed some misted water on them to keep them perfectly crisp. The dressings were excellent, too. This salad bar even had some dried fruits and chopped pecans, classy additions. A basket of rolls (decent; nothing special about them) was also on the salad bar, along with butter.
They offered two soups as part of the salad bar: tonight it was cream of broccoli (very good but slightly too salty) and a to-die-for corn chowder soup. It even LOOKED inviting, with little pieces of I think red pepper in it along with corn kernels, to create a festive yellow-red dish. I must admit: I usually don't eat much corn (starch food) but I "snuk" in 3 partially filled cups of the stuff throughout my meal, including as my "dessert." It was thick and definitely sweet, but perfectly prepared and was simmering at a perfect temperature.
Everything was perfectly prepared, for real. Not ONE complaint about the entrees at all although I looked hard. Mom's and my skewered shrimp (6 medium-sized ones) arrived, beautifully plated and inviting. The shrimp were perfectly prepared--really! I mean great texture and flavor, and not dripping with the usual butter or over-seasoned. Nor were they dry. The skewers lay on a mountain of mashed potatoes (another treat for me!), with pieces of potato hiding within the mashed. Great texture and flavor, again. The asparagus and carrots (the special-sized carrot that you don't see too often) were also done exactly right. A truly perfect meal.
Gary's ribs arrived, a full rack, and boy, were they meaty! I took a taste and I found the sauce very tasty, and the texture of the meat really great (soft inside, a slightly almost caramelized crunch to the outside). It was a very generous plateful of ribs! Gary said the ribs had very little fat, which makes them a fab value. He had half a rack still uneaten when we asked for the take-home boxes. His entrée also came with ranch beans complete with red and green peppers and onions with a slight hint (not overpowering) of bacon or a smoked flavor. Gary called them "just right." His dish also came with a classy corn muffin.
Gary tasted my shrimp and he called both the shrimp and ribs very well prepared, some of the best he's had. In summary, I think Tucsonans may be missing a very good treat if they don't try this restaurant. They are eager to please, the ambiance was pleasant, and the food was outstanding, a great value when you add in the soup and salad bar. I think they specialize in some excellent beef cuts, which we did not try but I would encourage you to do so, if you go. The desserts also sounded inviting (and reasonable in price-ranging from $2.25 to $4.00 to $5.95). IF we had been hungry, we probably would've gone for the Granny Smith Hot Apple Crisp (comes with ice cream) or the Flourless Kahlua Chocolate Cake, or the...or the...OK, I wish I had tried the dessert. Next time. I got my fill. They were so courteous and pleasant that we really look forward to our next visit. read more