Best Lunch Over $5
Presidio Grill
3352 E. Speedway
READERS' PICK: There is no question that Presidio Grill
is one of the best places to eat in Tucson. For that matter, if
Presidio Grill was taken, by some displacement of time and space,
and set down in New York or Los Angeles, we'd bet that Presidio
Grill is one of the few restaurants in town that would survive
such a move intact. And with its supper club, Presidio serves
Tucson with quick transport to an urbane night out. The kitchen
is young, energetic, with good sense and good taste in equal measure.
Presidio's kitchen is also responsive. That means if you want
bleu cheese crumbles on your steak or hamburger, and it doesn't
appear on the menu, you won't get excuses. You'll get a perfectly
grilled burger of density and flavor or steak of fine texture
and taste topped by the melting cheese of your request. But it's
also the range of this kitchen that gives it high marks. Light
food, bright food, satisfying food. Presidio Grill's menu is filled
with inventive recipes based on the regional cooking of North
America with definite Southwestern accents. And they do it well.
Take for example the angel hair pasta with tomatoes marinated
in garlic, shallots, fresh basil with vinegar and olive oil, tossed
with basil, pine nuts, fresh grated imported parmesan, and a bit
more virgin olive oil. Or pasta shells tossed with wilted fresh
greens, roasted red peppers, fresh parmesan, a bit of garlic and
butter, and studded with nicely grilled fresh shrimp and spicy
andouille sausage. With Presidio's well-crusted bread and butter
graced with a bit of fresh thyme, both of these sit easily on
the palate, and eminently satisfy. Salads, too, are a Presidio
point of distinction. The antipasto platter is enough for even
three to satisfactorily share. It comes brimming with marinated
chicken salad, slices of Westphalian ham, a bit of pasta salad,
smoked gouda and pistachio-crusted fontina cheeses, good eggplant
capponata and roasted head of garlic to squeeze on grilled herb
bread. There's also a southwestern style Caesar with marinated
and grilled shrimp and roasted red peppers. You might also split
the mix of fresh basil and lettuces, tossed with roasted duck,
asparagus, black bean and corn relish, a bit of red onion, and
the sharp, earthy flavors of gorgonzola cheese all graced by a
lemony balsamic vinaigrette. There are also more new vegetarian
items in store this fall. It's good stuff, and Tucson's come to
expect cooking like this from Presidio Grill.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Good Earth Restaurant & Bakery,
6366 E. Broadway.
STAFF PICK: KingFisher Bar & Grill, 2564 E. Grant Road,
celebrated its second anniversary September 1. Among the four
owners, chefs Jeff Azersky and Jim Murphy have become guides for
other venues following their lead in inventive and precise presentations
from the repertoire of American grill cuisine. In the fall, the
grilled fish sandwich of cabrilla is firm, fresh, flavorful flesh,
perfectly cooked, with a tasty cilantro pesto, roasted red and
poblano peppers, and creamy, melted white cheddar, served on a
roll of great texture with a superlative red cabbage slaw and
true shoestring potatoes. A dish of bow-tie pasta with sweet scallops,
fresh-as-sea-spray blacklip mussels, roasted red peppers, kale,
spinach, and earthy crimini and shiitake mushrooms in a rich broth
sends us to the bread basket to sop up what's left. A shared dessert
of caramel tuile taco bursting with berries and topped with cream's
almost too much.
