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Coffee Etc. 2830 N. Campbell Ave. 6091 N. Oracle Road READERS' PICK: Somewhere between late-night and early-morning, most of the local diehard restaurants close and leave the nighthawks to the plastic national chains that have only one saving grace--they're open. There is a local alternative, now that both of Coffee Etc.'s locations are open 24 hours. Their "new Southwestern" food is varied and good, they roast their own coffee and you still feel like you're in Tucson when you're inside. It's a sight for sore eyes around 4 a.m. when you just have to have some kind of omelet with avocado in it and it seems that the whole town is dark and asleep. READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP AND STAFF PICK: AS THE NIGHTHAWKS at the diner slouch away from the ascending star in the east, early birds flutter across their paths heading to a couple of fresh sunny-side ups. The bleary eyes dimmed with alcohol and smoke meet the clear and wide ones under the stainless steel flying saucers humming overhead. Both groups of people pause for a fragment of time to imagine the weird lives the others lead. It happens most often on Friday and Saturday nights turning into mornings at the Grill, 100 E. Congress St., in the quiet heart of downtown. The diner emerged from years in a drab cocoon that hardly anyone noticed--and even fewer patronized--this spring when Julia Latané and James Graham bought the joint and renovated it. They scraped off the layers of dull, nicotine-yellow and mint-green paint that covered the inside walls and replaced it with a cool cobalt blue. They tore out the fluorescent lighting and uncovered the huge stainless-steel cooling vents that now gleam like round starships oozing air. Most of all, they added life to the old building that opened in 1904 as the Drachman Mercantile. One of the staples of life at the Grill is, of course, good food. It's the only place in town where you can order a slice of meatloaf smothered in shitake mushroom sauce to be washed down with a bottle of African Mamba beer and topped off with a dessert bowl of Cap'n Crunch, all the while listening to the sounds of Fats Waller, Marty Robbins or Billy Holiday wafting out of the original Muzak speakers. While you're eating, you can challenge someone to a round of Battleships, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, or any of the other board games they have for high-brow entertainment. The eclectic menu is filled with traditional American foods--don't miss the tatertots--plus a smattering of nouvelle cuisine dishes and a touch or two of culinary insanity. You can order a plate of chicken-fried steak with homemade ham-hock gravy or wallow in the yuppified delights of bowtie pasta or grilled vegetables in a roasted garlic dressing. Some morning, noon or night you might feel a little dangerous and be ready for an order of Armed Response. The salad spiced with serrano peppers, like everything else on the menu, is one of Graham's creations. He worked for several years at New York's legendary Four Seasons restaurant, until he was burned out by the city and making food at a place where he couldn't afford to eat himself. He and Latané are proud their Grill offers affordable food (most items are between $5 and $7), all made with fresh, quality ingredients. Nothing is canned, frozen or microwaved.
Just sitting in the Grill and looking around is tres cool. Red
vinyl-covered bench seats in booths line one wall and a classic
long, oval diner counter cuts the large main room in half. You
can sit on a vinyl and stainless steel throne at the counter and
contemplate the decline of Western civilization or ponder perhaps,
how downtown Tucson is slowly being revitalized by people with
vision enough to turn a dreary greasy spoon into a kitschy, classy
wonder.
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