Although Maria's Cafe And Lizarraga's Mexican Food Have Been Around Forever, They Still Make Delightful Discoveries. By Rebecca Cook IT NEVER CEASES to amaze me that there are so many restaurants in Tucson that have completely escaped my notice over the years. There have always been those places on the periphery of my consciousness, restaurants I've long been meaning to try, but which, for one reason or another, I just haven't gotten around to visiting. But what I'm talking about here are restaurants that for one reason or another I've missed altogether. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising when the subject is Mexican restaurants and the location deviates from the South Fourth Avenue Mecca for such establishments. Nevertheless, I'm chagrined it's taken me so long to introduce you to Maria's Café and Lizarraga's Mexican Food. Maria's came to my attention when a job switch necessitated frequent treks down South Sixth Avenue. Located across the street from the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Maria's caught my eye because there was often a police car outside the place. A friend once told me that when she traveled the interstate, she had great success finding good food by noting the location of the local patrol car, which was often parked near a restaurant or café. Could similar good-food-with-probable-cause circumstances explain the presence of police vehicles at Maria's Café? Most definitely. Serving breakfast (until noon), lunch and dinner, Maria's is a restaurant for all hours, but especially on Fridays and Saturdays when it stays open until 2:30 a.m. You're not likely to find anything startling on Maria's menu, just solid renditions of the traditional Mexican-American fare for which our city is well known. Owned and operated for the last 24 years by the Cañez family, Maria's is an oasis of Mexican kitsch: The ceilings fairly drip with an assortment of multi-colored, non-perishable floral decorations and inflatable rubber beer cans. Country music twangs from a new-age jukebox; and, for those nervous about missing the latest installment of As the World Turns, coin-operated miniature TVs embellish the side booths in the spacious dining room. It's quite the atmosphere, one well-suited for nibbling tacos or supping from a steaming bowl of menudo. Maria's menu is so extensive it'd take innumerable return trips to adequately sample its fare. Given the constraints of time, I narrowed my focus to four dishes: the red chile, chile rellenos, caldo de queso and refried beans (in my opinion, the backbone of any Mexican restaurant worth its salt.) At Maria's, the red chile comes in the form of chile con carne and is served as large strips of tender beef swimming in a mild burnt-orange sauce. While I prefer a red chile with more of a bite, Maria's con carne version was undeniably tasty; the gravy resembled an enchilada sauce, but with more complexity of flavors, garlic being the most obvious. The refried beans were more than adequate, creamy and smooth and not too salty, served with a sprinkle of grated white cheese; and the chile relleno--an extra-large green chile pepper stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter and lightly fried--approached magnificence. The caldo de queso, which can be ordered with either white (blanco) or yellow (amarillo) cheese, and in either the small or large servings, was thoroughly satisfying. A delicately seasoned chicken broth showcased tender chunks of potato, onion and green chile strips atop a gooey nest of melted cheese. Pure heaven. LIZARRAGA'S MEXICAN FOOD, on West Saint Mary's Road, specializes primarily in takeout, due to the fact that seating here can be numbered on the fingers of one hand. An outdoor patio is an option on mild days, but food on the run seems to be the name of the game. Owner Manuel Lizarraga, who grew up in the same neighborhood where his restaurant now stands, learned about food and cooking from his mother, who once ran the Saint Mary's Tortilla Factory. "She got out of the business, I got in," Lizarraga says with a chuckle. Apparently, Mama shared a few of her favorite recipes with her progeny before moving into the floral business. You won't find anything fancy or eye-popping at Lizarraga's, but you'll be pleased with the consistently decent quality of the food here. The green chile, tender chunks of pork simmered in a sauce of chiles, onions and potatoes, smolders just slightly and begs to be scooped into a fresh flour tortilla for immediate consumption. The pozole, a hearty soup made with pork, hominy, onions, garlic, chiles and cilantro, is one of Lizarraga's most popular items, and after a few slurps of this delicacy, it was easy to see why. Lizarraga's dishes have an understated simplicity that makes each bite better than the last. Such is the case with this fine brew, which, with a healthy squeeze from the accompanying fresh lemon, sets the diner well on her way to a fulfilling meal. Lizarraga's birria is also a slow pleasure that eventually captivates with its smoky, peppery goodness. Menudo is sold by the gallon at Lizarraga's--only on the weekends--and this, too, appears to be a popular item. Best of all, Lizarraga's is eminently affordable, with the most expensive menu item being a $4.15 chimi plate. I know Tucson has a passel of Mexican restaurants to choose from, but Maria's Café and Lizarraga's Mexican Food merit adding to your list. Maria's Café. 3530 S. Sixth Ave. 620-1465. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. Beer and wine. V, MC, Cash. No checks. Menu items: $1.95-$9.95. Lizarraga's Mexican Food. 1118 W. Saint Mary's Road. 624-6375. Open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. No alcohol. Checks or cash. Menu items: $1.50-$4.15. Photo by Sean Justice

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