I took a peek inside the new Frosty Jake's Frozen Custard going in at 3102 E. Grant Road, and it looks like it's going to be a good one. I tried to snap a picture of the menu board through the still-locked doors so you could join me in drooling over the tasty frozen goodness—but the blurry picture below is the best I could do.

Flankenstein’s is hard to miss, being that it is painted a shade of green that instantly burns itself into your retinas. It is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, just west of the corner of Grant Road and Alvernon Way, and can be found sporadically at events like Nam Jam and swap meets from time to time.

The barbecue sandwiches at this truck are truly something else. The brisket is cooked for 13 hours, and the thick sauce sings with tones of cherry and pineapple. It comes served on a fresh roll from La Baguette bakery, and they throw in the cheese — by request only — for free.

The price is right, too. For $5, you get a sandwich and a bag of chips. They also sell BBQ sliders for $2.50 apiece, and rib sandwiches that aren't on the menu board, but are rumored to be incredible.

Pastor Guy Stevenson and his business partner Alonso Martinez don’t plan on getting rich selling sandwiches; they have far loftier goals than that. That’s why the side of the truck says “SOS Ministries," and that’s why whatever they don’t sell each day goes to feed the homeless.

“We try to walk like Christ did, and he didn’t have a money belt,” says Stevenson. Martinez stands nearby and nods, adding that while he took a pay cut to start the business, it has changed his life and made him a far happier man than his former career in corporate America ever did.

A solar generator is being installed this week, which will make the truck’s operations almost as green as the paint job. Stevenson and Martinez are also hitting the road in August to film an upcoming television series, where they’ll travel from town to town on motorcycles, with barbecue gear in tow, feeding whoever they happen to come across.

You can keep up with the food truck on their website and Twitter over here.

Brewer and lawmakers are working to close a projected $1.1 billion budget shortfall. They've been trying to bridge differences between Brewer's proposal and an $8.1 billion budget plan approved by the Senate earlier this month.

Adams says some implementation provisions to include in the budget bills still are being drafted. About half of the overall savings would come from scaling back the state's Medicaid program.

[AP via KOLD]

What I love about South Carolina: gun advocates there are arguing against a law that would allow guns in day-care centers...because it doesn't go far enough to allow out-of-state gun owners and those under 18 to have their guns in church. The injustice!

Legislation weaving its way through the House of Representatives would increase the number of places that legal gun owners can carry their guns to include restaurants, day-care centers and churches.

“It puts criminals on the defense,” said state Rep. Thad Viers, R-Horry, a co-sponsor of the bill and the owner of about 25 firearms and a concealed weapons permit. “Criminals don’t know if you’re carrying or not.”

If it passes, the bill will become just one of many pro-gun bills to win legislative approval in South Carolina — a state where being pro-gun is a priority for Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

Why?

“It’s cultural,” said state Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, who also has a concealed weapons permit.

And S.C. voters love it, adds a USC professor, noting 89 percent voted last fall to make hunting a constitutional right.

In fact, in South Carolina, the fights come when gun advocates say proposals don’t go far enough.

Take the bill Viers amended.

Some gun advocates, including GrassRoots South Carolina, oppose an amended version of his bill, saying it violates the constitutional rights of gun owners by limiting the places that out-of-staters and young adults can carry their guns.

“While the (amended) bill might make it better for people in South Carolina, it’s going to be a lot worse for others, including those visiting us,” said Ed Kelleher, president of GrassRoots South Carolina. “We depend on tourism here, and this has chilling effect on that.”

[The State]

The combination coffee joint/cocktail spot is popular in Seattle, where perpetual sunlessness makes one crave massive doses of caffeine and/or alcohol on as regular a basis as possible.

Having made the move from Seattle (actually, Bremerton, but close enough) to Tucson more than a decade ago, I still find myself pining for the strange buzz of strong coffee and cognac on a dreary afternoon. It’s a fine feeling when it all hits the central nervous system in one big surge, and about as close to an out of body experience as I ever want to come.

The Edge Bar at the Java Edge at Bear Canyon will soon offer Tucsonans such an experience. The new bar — expected to open next week — will offer Nimbus on tap, an ample wine list and a selection of cognac and other spirits alongside the regular menu of coffee and sandwiches. Cigars from the Tinder Box will also be available, for those who like to throw a bucket of nicotine into the mix.

As for food, small plates of cheese, crab dip and other snackables will be available when the bar opens next week.

A tasting and grand opening is scheduled for Friday, April 15. It costs $15, and RSVP is required. More on that over here.

Let's play "Guess Who Was Unwilling to Say He Wants to Run for Senate?", from yesterday's New York Times:

While it might be wishful thinking, Ms. Giffords’s noncampaign is already having a major effect on Arizona politics; other prospective Democratic candidates say they feel compelled not to jump in unless she bows out, allowing Republicans to get a head start organizing their campaigns.

“I’m in but only if she’s not,” said one prospective Democratic candidate, who spoke of his deliberations but insisted that he not be named given the fluid nature of the race. “A Democrat running against her would be doomed.”

Hint: It's not Don Bivens or Fred DuVall, who both openly mentioned they would be willing to run. It feels like it should be so clear who this particular man is, but I've got nothing so far.

Chapel Hill's I Was Totally Destroying It is opening for Caliche Con Carne at the Red Room tonight, and while this probably sounds like sort of a insult, what I love about this band is how much they remind me of the "college rock" of the mid-90's, existing somewhere between Superchunk and Velocity Girl. As far as I know, they've never played here, but they're certainly a group with a lot of promise and I'm as excited for their new album Preludes coming out in April as anything on the horizon.

"Fight_Flight":

"Come On, Come On":

Somewhat mysteriously, performing U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" in costume:

Truly, when you're a Jet, you're a Jet 'til the end.

WEST SIDE STORY
September 20-25, 2011
Tucson Music Hall

More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. From the first note to the final breath, West Side Story soars as the greatest love story of all time. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction is recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. Mature themes.

SHREK THE MUSICAL
October 18-23, 2011
Tucson Music Hall

SHREK THE MUSICAL, based on the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage. In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre — not a handsome prince — shows up to rescue a feisty princess.

ROCK OF AGES
March 13-18, 2012
Tucson Music Hall

ROCK OF AGES, an arena-rock love story told through the mind blowing, face-melting hits of JOURNEY, NIGHT RANGER, STYX, REO SPEEDWAGON, PAT BENATAR, TWISTED SISTER, POISON, ASIA, WHITESNAKE and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!

IN THE HEIGHTS
April 24-29, 2012
Tucson Music Hall

This 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical is a moving, funny, and uplifting new show about a community of hard-working immigrants seeking a better life and trying to find their place — their home — in their new country. With a remarkable young cast, thrilling Tony® Award-winning dancing and a dynamic Tony® Award-winning score, IN THE HEIGHTS is an exhilarating journey into a vibrant Manhattan community.

MARY POPPINS
May 15-20, 2012
Tucson Music Hall

MARY POPPINS is bringing its own brand of Broadway magic to theaters across the country, which has Variety raving, “This is the rare touring production that over-delivers on every level!” Featuring the irresistible story and unforgettable songs from one of the most popular Disney films of all time, plus brand-new breathtaking dance numbers and spectacular stage-craft.

This video clip might be wildly out of context, but a lesson for first term congressman Sean Duffy (he was on The Real World!): no one wants to hear you complaining about you're struggling to make it on $174,000 a year.