And The Award Should Have Gone To...

We can't say how honored and proud we are that Metal Mark is contributing to the publication that puts out the Best Of Tucson every year. He is having a lot of fun and thanks for reading his stuff.

Okay, enough of the pleasantries...let's get down to the brass tacks here.

Every year the Best Of's come out and every year we go "No! Are you kidding? That place over the other one? Come on Tucson. You're killing us Smalls..."

Thing is, the publication has very little to do with the choices. It's the good people of Tucson that do most of the voting. So this is on you T-town. You brought this on yourself. 

While most of the arts and entertainment, kid's stuff, home and garden winners we are fine with but when it comes to the food part we always slap our collective foreheads with disinclination and slight horror at some of the choices that run away with the trophies. Sure, a good portion of the winners and runners up are great but there are always a few that we can't get on board with. It's as if the polls went out in the late 90s and never got changed.

So this year we are going to do our own Best Of and we hope you can agree with some of the things we agree on.

Agreed?

Lets do this.


PS: We are not in the business of pissing anybody off; this is purely for entertainment and just our own dopey opinions...that's all. So apologies to anyone that gets mussed up about our preferences. Cheers.
 


Best Delicatessen
Their pick: Dickman's Meat and Deli
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: The Sausage Shop
 

C'mon man. The Sausage Shop wasn't even mentioned. This place rules.

Dickman's is cool but in our humble food opinion the little deli that could, that being the Sausage Shop, just plain dominates.

The bajillion different styles of sandwiches are all amazing, their meat counter selection is incredible and if you bag a deer or accidentally run over a bear just bring that beast in and they will break it down for you for an agreeable fee. No really. These guys know their meat and in such a small space they do the deli game a big favor.

Anyway, not to dis on Dickman's but if you haven't been to the Sausage Shop please do yourself a favor and do so. It might change your mind to switch your vote for Best Delicatessen next year. It might.

Just sayin...

Gaze upon the glory that is the Sausage Shop

 Best Place To Get A Sandwich
Their pick: Beyond Bread
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Sausage Deli
 

Okay, we didn't want to dote on the Sausage Shop too much but we will drool over the Sausage Deli for a bit.

It looks as if we just love sausage...don't we?

Beyond Bread is great but we went for a single stand alone place for our sandwich spot pick. The Sausage Deli is awesome, they have a fun bar with a great craft beer selection and the layout is more cafeteria style than an open forum of scattered tables. The Sausage Deli just has this East coast 'get in here, get your sandwich, eat it then get on with your life' feel to it, which we like.

If you want to laze about and sip coffee and click on your laptop for hours then, yeah, Beyond Bread is totally made for that. And the sandwiches there are good...we just like the Sausage Shop's sandwiches a bit more though.

Which brings us to the next category:

Best Sandwich
Their pick: The Cheesesteak at Frankie's
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: The Omar from Sausage Deli
 

Here's the thing: We frikkin LOVE Frankie's. It is one of our neighborhood go-to places for a cheesesteak sandwich but, here's the thing...you can get a cheesesteak at a lot of places. Not as good as Frankie's most likely, but if you go to Philly they are all over the place.

But the Omar? That is a Sausage Deli original.

It sounds pretty basic when you break it down: Turkey, salami, Swiss cheese with bell peppers, onions, pepperoncinis, mustard and house Italian dressing on an onion roll (we prefer the sub style though), but when you eat it the Omar takes on a whole new sandwich dimension.

We love the Omar so much that we even did an ode to it a while ago. Remember that one? We sure did.

The Omar didn't even place this year and that is a weird and crying shame.

Go to the Sausage Deli, get an Omar, vote for it next year and we can all live in some kind of syncopated serenity all thanks to a sandwich.

It can be done!


Best Greek Food
Their pick: Opa!
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Either Pappoule's or Greek House

Opa! is awesome. We know the family that runs it, its near the compound, its always a delight....nothing bad to say about Opa!.

But have you had the gyros at Pappoule's? Yeah, pretty righteous and apparently very authentic. When we are in that neighborhood we always make a plan to grab some Pappoule's to go. It has yet to disappoint. See, a true Greek gyro should have very little on it, especially no lettuce, and a lot of Greek restaurants insist on putting a bunch of crap on your gyro. Just give us the gyro bro! Hold the stupid lettuce! Hold it between your knees!

Pappoule's didn't even place for Best Of and we just wanted to shed some light about their food, which is great and as close to the real deal as you can get.

Next up is going to be the fairly new Greek House restaurant. It wont be long until that starts winning some votes. Watch. You watch.

Yeah.

Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Their pick: Lovin' Spoonfuls 
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Renee's Organic Oven
 

With the expanding culinary scene here in Tucson the choices for vegetarian and vegan establishments continues to grow and grow. We bet by next year there will be another good dozen or so places to get non-meaty, non-animal based dishes to satisfy your belly and conscience.

Unfortunately Lovin' Spoonfuls always wins Best Vegetarian because a lot of folks just think that's the only option in town.

Its not. By a long shot.

We personally love Renee's Organic Oven. Their Italian inspired items that can be gluten free if you need  are really tasty and fresh. Their black bean hummus that goes with a lot of dishes is innovative and a bit tangy. You just need to get out there and try for yourself. It's a little place on Sabino Canyon and Tanque Verde so it might be slightly out of the way for some of you (as it is for us) but it is well worth the trip.

Plus Renee is really cool and she's there a good amount of time so, there's that.

Best Salsa
Their pick: Guadalajara Grill
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Rosa's Mexican Food
 

Okay, Guadalajara always wins Best Salsa because they make it fresh right there at your table and, yes, it's pretty darn good.

But, c'mon now...the house salsa at Rosa's is the best thing ever.

It is spicy, it is flavorful and best of all it is garlic-tastic. Every time we have even have a hint of a cold we b-line it to Rosa's and order up something hot and steamy then smother it with their salsa. It is a cure all and we're sure it is what keeps us looking good and smelling even better.

It's the garlic.

Rosa's salsa is just necessary and a Tucson treasure.

But they wont make it table side because then you'd find out what their secret ingredients are.

We know what one ingredient is.

Yeah. Its the garlic. We just said that.

Weren't you reading?

Gosh.

Rosa's salsa = Yum

Best Breakfast
Their pick: Blue Willow

Best Brunch
Their pick: Prep and Pastry

Tucson Homeskillet's pick for both: Baja Cafe

Blue Willow is great for when the folks are in town. Its that kind of a spot. Its good but its not blow your socks off great. It's fun and clean. Your parents like that.

Prep & Pastry continues to dazzle but we feel they are a bit heavy with the pork belly. We like pork belly its just that...you know. In moderation.

Then you have the plethora of other options that are always a delight: Bobo's, Frank's, Mother Hubbard's, Robert's, etc, that we love and will always love but there is one (well two now) place that we just can't get enough of.

Baja Cafe just slays for breakfast and brunch. The benedicts are really hearty and fanciful, the pancakes are incredible and everything else is just plain awesome. The thing is is that Baja only serves breakfast and lunch and closes at 2pm, so you gotta get there early. And we highly suggest getting there a bit early. The place fills up fast.

A word of warning: Don't go on Sundays unless you wanna wait an hour for a table! No, for real, both locations are packed on Sundays so we are there most days but. Unless you like waiting a while for eggs and corned beef.

Well, it is worth it so...its up to you.

Plus Baja has a full bar too. Did we mention that? Well now we did.

Put another gold star by their name for that addition.

So good.

Yep, these are one of the benedicts. Yep, they are amazing.

Best Sushi
Their pick: Sushi Garden
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Anywhere but...
 

The Beardown Roll at K Sushi

Sushi Garden? Really Tucson? Really?

Look, maybe at one point long ago the Garden was the spot for raw fish wrapped in seaweed and covered in rice but the sushi game in the T-dizzle has changed son.

Changed!

At this point Sushi Garden is a sports bar that serves Japanese "inspired" meals but it is far from being the best sushi in town.

Far!

Sorry to harp on the place, we don't mean any disrespect, but places like Kazoku, Sushi Ten, Samurai, Shogun, K Japanese, Ikkyu, Obon and so on and so on literally destroy the factory like flavor at Sushi Garden. You kids need to get out there and sushi explore for yourself. This one just feels as if you looked on your ballot from the last ten years and went "Oh, yeah, that place. It's fine."

Which it is. Sushi Garden is fine. Good bar, comfy patio, decent lunch buffet, all that, but the wizard-like ingeniousness that is coming from tucked away locations by chefs that have honed their craft and continue to push the flavor envelope further and further is what we are focusing on here. Just awesome family run businesses that are serving up amazing food.

It's up to you Tucson! Now get out there and get you some sushi. Some real sushi.

Do it!

The Passion Roll at Kazoku

Best Neighborhood Bar
Their pick: Tap and Bottle
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Danny's Baboquivari Lounge
 

Tap and Bottle is awesome. But here's the thing:

It is not a "bar" and it is not located in a real "neighborhood".

This win just feels like people just see the name of the place in the paper and went "Oh yeah. They serve beer. That's a bar. Whee!"

Yeah. No.

A real neighborhood bar is in a real neighborhood and the corner of 6th Avenue and 7th Street isn't exactly a "neighborhood", its more of a destination when you are shopping and eating up on 4th or getting some supplies at Miller's across the street. Not a lot of homes in the vicinity.

And a "bar" serves liquor and mixed drinks as well. Tap and Bottle is just craft beer and select wine service, so it can't be officially labeled as a bar. See where we're getting at here?

Our vote, as usual, goes to Danny's Baboquivari Lounge; a real bar in a real neighborhood.

Danny's placed for Best Dive Bar this year but it is far from a dive. It's cozy, relatively safe, great staff, good beer selection, honest drinks and above all it is in a neighborhood. Yes. There are homes surrounding the place, there are regulars, heck...WE are regulars. We're at Danny's like 4 to 5 times a week. We love this place.

And we also love that Danny's won Best Jukebox in Tucson. Anything that holds old school Metallica, 70s yacht rock and classic hip-hop we are so down with.

So on any given night (not too late because we're old and have to get up early) you might find the Homeskillet crew nestled at the bar with some of our good friends and, yes, neighbors, enjoying a stiff drink and eating from some of the diverse food trucks they get on a regular basis.

Cheers on that!

That would be Metal Mark on the far right with some pals at Danny's

Best Beer Selection
Their pick: Tap and Bottle (again)
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Old Chicago 

Yes, Tap and Bottle gets some really amazing craft and small cask beers. Yes. On any given day you can drink from around the world or just up the street. They get some fantastic brews and we applaud them for that.

So does the Tucson Hop Shop. And we love them as well.

But check this out. None of the local places has a selection of 110 beers at any given moment. That's one hundred and ten...beers! For that you're going to need some corporate backing and Old Chicago on Campbell Avenue has that.

Sorry, we know you are reading this and sticking your nose up at a fairly large chain concept, but Old Chicago is about as un-corporate-y as you can get and their selection of beers is astounding.

Why we pick them over, say, the Yard House or something like that is because the people that work there love what they do and do a darn fine job getting some hard to reach beers and near impossible ales from around the globe. With their World Beer Tour (which we have tried and failed at...now that's a lot of beer!) you can even earn rewards like free food just because you love drinking beer. Drink beer, get free stuff. Done.

Look, please please support local businesses such as Tap and Bottle and the Hop Shop but don't forget to sneak into Old Chicago to see what's new on the board. You'd be surprised.

We always are.

Which brings us to our final category and pick:


Best Bartender
Their pick: Barbacide Trujillo (Club Congress)
Tucson Homeskillet's pick: Sherra Stewart (Old Chicago)

Now here is where things might get sticky, and we apologize in advance:

Barb Trujillo is awesome. We love her, she is a Tucson tradition and institution and we have nothing bad to say and will never have anything bad to say about her. This isn't personal. At all. 

Thing is...there are other amazing bartenders out there. 

Jana at Danny's, running around like a crazy squirrel (even now when she's super pregnant) is one of the best ever, or Kimmy or Jerica...we just love everyone at Danny's. We're a bit biased. 

But we pick Sherra Stewart at Old Chicago because she is able to create relationships and be creative within a "corporate" environment and it shows that she really enjoys and loves what she does. 

Sherra's influence gets us regular barrel taps from local and international breweries, she cooks food for events and kickoff parties, she travels around the US training other Old Chicago bartenders to try and be as awesome as her (wont happen, she is too awesome), she invented her own spicy Bloody Mary mix that got her front page recognition, she has a loyal fan base, she's funny, she's brash and she always has a big smile on her face. 

And she has been there for over 12 years now. That's a dedication in which we can support and we totally love.

What we are trying to say here without making anyone upset or burning bridges is that there seems to be a pattern with the Best Ofs year after year. Changes are rare it appears with the winners and runners up and with us scooting around town trying new and different restaurants and bars, we come across so many amazing servers, dishes, chefs, bartenders and the like and it'd be nice to see some diversity. That's all. Tucson is just chock full of awesomeness and we just wanted to give some recognition to some of the good people, and food, and drinks, that we personally love and admire and we hope you will visit them sometime soon to see, and vote, for yourself. 

That's all.

We cool?

Hope so.
 

Sherra and her award winning Bloody Mary...so spicy and good

And another thing!

Nico's was voted Best Burrito in Tucson. Umm...not too sure about this one. There are just far too many options out there right now that destroy Nico's (although we do love us a Pollo Asado now and then) so this one felt like it was phoned in. You need to get out there for yourself to see, and eat, all of the incredible burrito options this city has to offer. 

We prefer Sher-E-Punjab over Saffron for Indian food. But that's just us. 

Still waiting on some real down home, kick butt BBQ. Red's is doing well as are a few small food trucks but the continual winner in this category has never impressed us. Sorry, just saying.  

We really like what the kids over at Pueblo Vida Brewing are doing with seasonal ales and lagers. The winner and finalists in the Best Brewery are fine but we just have a taste for Pueblo Vida. 

Don Guerra of Barrio Bread makes the best bread in the universe. He came in second...sorry but wrong. Our man shuts down any bread making business but thanks for trying. 

Not too sure if Serial Grillers is even doing a food truck anymore now that they are opening up a second brick and mortar. So our vote will go to American Flying Buffalo where chef Eddie takes you on a culinary ride  through Asia, the south Bronx, the deep south and, of course, the Old Pueblo. Really good stuff. 

But we are totally stoked that Yoshimatsu got best Japanese and Boca Tacos Y Tequila got, yes, best tacos. So cheers on that.

Okay, enough ranting. 

Let's do this again next year shall we? See you then...

Uploads, Typing and Opinions:

"Metal" Mark Whittaker

A Few Days Before Election Day, 2016

Metal Influence:

ANNIHILATOR

"King of the Kill"

  

The Tucson Homeskillet Breaks Down the Pizza Joints on Campbell Avenue from the "Meh" to the "Mmmm"

Look we were going to do another article, one about a taco joint that is also part of a gas station, but the car's brakes are acting up and we didn't want to risk giving the rig any more problems since the place is a good half hour drive away and it is, sadly enough, beginning to show signs that it wants to go to the great carport in the sky.

And speaking of sky, the day we had reserved for our newest food adventure turned out to be the time when a southward storm hit us and most roads were flooded, especially the ones leading toward the highway. So that was another "aww really?" moment.

But we are not giving up! No, never! We can't let our readers and subscribers down (all, like 3/4's of you), so we went to the Tucson Homeskillet vault of backup plans and we came up with one that not only seemed like a lot of fun but was nearby and, yeah...well that was the main reason. For real, it was raining kinda hard (which explains the gray and damp photos), the car was rather wobbly but we had collected enough notes to do this piece right.

So as many of you might know, the sweep of eateries on Campbell Avenue, midtown between Grant and Ft. Lowell, is sometimes known as "restaurant row". For real, you have Blue Willow, Pastiche, India Oven, Yoshimatsu (which is closed down right now due to relocating across the street from it's old place because in its stead we have...), Casa Valencia (which just opened up), a little Caribbean place (which we'll talk about later), Lovin' Spoonfuls and a ton of Mexican, fast casual and chain restaurants. Kinda like downtown but less hipster, the few blocks of Campbell holds a ton of upscale and quick bite options, most of which are quite tasty, but the one thing that we are focusing on here is the fact that seven similar yet completely different styles of restaurants are literally piled right on top of each other.

We're talking pizza here kids.

Yes. Pizza. With seven options on that tight length of road you have to be thinking sometimes, "Wait, which one...umm...should we go...uh...yeah...what's the difference between them all?"

Big differences dear reader. Big differences.

So without further unnecessary typing, we give you the Tucson Homeskillet's guide to the Campbell Avenue pizza place choices, rating them from the ones that impressed us the least (sorry guys) to the ones that we come back to when we want a delicious pie (thanks guys!)

Let's get this opinionated list going shall we? Look, we're professionals here, we know what we are doing.

Do we?

Here we go:

#7: Pizza Hut
2940 N. Campbell Ave.

Pretty obvious right? Us not digging on Pizza Hut when there are so many other amazing options nearby. Thing is, we are guilty of promoting the ways of the Hut.

You might recall the time, like about a year ago, when the Homeskillet crew got together and ate a glut of their stuff crust pizzas, especially the hot dog option. So we have been there before, done that, had fun, but as far as the actual pizza product?

Eh.

Look, Pizza Hut has been around since 1958 and it's gone through a bunch of changes since then. But you recognize it as a worldwide chain, over 15,000 locations, so you know the food you are getting isn't exactly locally sourced or close to being chef driven. It's good for kids birthday parties, for serving pasta in bread bowls, for late night delivery when the munchies get right on top of you. It's reliable, like a good ol' work boot...and that's exactly what Pizza Hut is, a good ol' work boot of a pizza chain. You know what you're going to get, you know it will be satisfactory, it's not that expensive and if there is a problem you know that all you have to do is politely lodge a complaint to the manager and they will give you like a "next one is on us" dealy. Unlike the thousands of other unsatisfied customers that yell at the underpaid staff members saying they didn't like the food (even though they pretty much ate it all) and demand that the whole thing be comped and the next one too. That's not how you do it folks. Be nice and understanding to the people that make and serve your food. Believe me. I have farted on many a dish because the customer was rude to the server or manager. Just be cool man.

But the few times we have been in the Pizza Hut on Campbell Avenue it has been near deserted. Sure delivery is about 80% of their business but when you have amazing competition right across the street from you it's difficult to keep up. Thing is, Pizza Hut is what it is. If you like this place then, hey, it's right here waiting for you. No surprises. It's familiar, it's relatively safe and it wont break your bank.

Although it might break your gut. For real...hot dog stuffed crust pizza and fettuccine alfredo served in a bread bowl? C'mon man.

Let's move on...

#6: Hungry Howie's
3122 N. Campbell Ave.

Can we be perfectly honest with you? We almost, kinda, put Hungry Howie's at #7.

But we didn't! We didn't. Yet why would we in the first place, you might be asking yourself but not really because why would you when you're just skimming this list in the first place?

Okay, we confess: We've never really liked the pizza at Hungry Howie's but, get this, we've actually eaten there a lot more often than the kids in the number seven spot. How can this be? We'll tell you the reason:

Coupons, mothereaders. Coupons!

Hungry Howie's mails out more 2-4-1 deals than any other mildly digestible pizza place across town or has ads in local publications inviting you to buy one large pizza at the regular price and get the second one for a mere nickel. Something like that. How many late night beer-fests have we been privy to only to put in a couple of bucks for a HH's run? Hate to say it but...a few. Unfortunately they have a delivery charge but! you can go pick it up and save $3 (you can't even eat in there, you have to go out to the curb or something) but for not a lot of cash you and your buddies can eat acceptable pizzas and continue on with your drinking regalia. As have we experienced.

Plus they have flavored crusts, like "Cajun", "ranch" and "garlic herb", that doesn't cost extra so occasionally you get a pal that really hasn't had authentic pizza but thinks the "sesame" crust choice is 'crazy awesome' and for that alone just seeing their beet red eyes light up just kind of warms you up inside.

Oh yeah, the kids love Hungry Howie's too. Maybe it's the blonde kid smiling at you in the ads or on the pizza box. Maybe because HH's is a few steps up from that $5 pre-made "Pizza Pizza" slop. We'll take Hungry Howie's over that or anything Payton Manning endorses anytime.

Look, the pizza at Hungry Howie's isn't bad but, it's not great....but we've eaten it. A few times. Alright, more than a few times. It's not sit down, like we said before, it's delivery (with a fee) or pick up only so if you're looking for a nice pizza place to go on a date you might wanna skip Hungry Howie's and go for the next four or five on the list. Unless your date likes "butter" crust and just wants to go back to the hotel room and watch a Toddlers and Tiaras marathon.

Then...Hungry Howie's is the pizza option for you.

Enjoy!

#5: Blackjack Pizza
2505 N. Campbell Ave.

It's fine.

You know, we've seen people eat in the store but...why? Blackjack is the ultimate in Campbell Avenue pizza delivery, and by "ultimate" we mean it's a decent pizza, for a decent price and we like the wings and their salads are actually kind of alright. Plus there is no delivery charge and we have never had to wait a long time to get our pizza. Which is why when the 11th hour of "what the heck are we doing for dinner" near argument happens we jump onto their website and do our worst.

It's fine.

Blackjack is the kind of pizza joint you might see in some movie that takes place in a small Midwestern town, one that is oddly quiet and somehow misty and like a strange occurrence just happened so the visiting investigators talk to the local youths at the neighborhood pizza place so they all meet here, chat about the weird "happening" and then munch on slices that the cops bought them.

"So did you know the kid who disappeared?"

*mouth full of pizza* "Yeah."

"So what was he like? Was he a good kid?"

*shrugs, not making eye contact* "I dunno. He was alright."

*cop smiles* "You like that pizza, huh?"

*kid takes another bite, adjusts in his seat, nervous* "It's alright."

Sort of like that.

Like we said, the wings are surprisingly tasty and their salads are generous for what you pay and the pizza is fair to middling. Apparently Blackjack is big in Colorado but there are only two here in Tucson and the one on Campbell holds the reign as top option for delivery. It beats the super corporate-ness of #7 and is a better product than #6, but as far as getting a tastebud blowing pizza experience you wont find it here. But...it's good.

It's fine.

What are we saying, we eat this stuff all the time. You know why?

Again with the coupons. Blackjack knows how to seduce us with a seeming deal don't they? Oh. Oh they do. And, you know, the pizza isn't bad.

It's fine.

#4: Pionic
2643 N. Campbell Ave.

If you keep up with the Tucson Homeskillet at all you know that we did a piece on Pionic around this time time last year. We said that if they were smart and did it right this could be a very very lucrative business. Well, so far they seem to be doing okay but, unfortunately, another similar concept has moved in across town and seems to be stealing a bit of their thunder. Not that people are driving out of their way to get to the other place (or maybe they are) but we still think Pionic has a ways to go before they become a household name.

On the bright side though...the pizza is getting better!

When we first stepped in a bit after they opened their doors, we were met with a fresh faced and eager crew waiting to take our order and make our food. See, you pick everything that you want on the pizza, from the sauce, to the type of cheese to the toppings, and with a high powered and very hot oven you get your product in about 90 seconds. Sounded interesting, slightly tempting, and it sure works for that Chipotle thingy, sans the 90 second cook time.

When we got the food we were agreeable with it although it lacked a bit of panache and flavor. Later, when we did the article, the food had improved but the staff had lost some of its, oh...shall we say, passion? The kid manning the dough area was rather distraught and sauce girl looked like she just got rejected for that college she wanted to get into. It seemed that after the initial "we're going to take over Campbell Avenue!" flourish subsided, the staff realized that they were working at just another pizza place and lost a bit of that of initial moxie.

Recently we had some of their pizza and the pasta and, yeah, Pionic is starting to step it up. It feels as if they are hitting a stride of sorts; the sauce was tangier, the ratio of cheese to toppings was more thought out, although the pasta was still a bit tough...but we're not here to talk about that. It's the pizza that's the focus buddy!

Best thing is that Pionic now delivers so folks in the immediate area have a sort of pizza Jimmy John's and we're sure (or at least hope so) that the owners of Pionic aren't out hunting elephants and lions, as the owner and CEO of JJ's does. And there's a JJ's on Campbell too! But screw them, Frankie's is right across the street and Pionic is right next door.

Do yourself as favor: Don't support a-hole franchises that is run by a dude that gets his jollies off of bagging giraffes, give your business to places like Pionic because it's a better product, a better service and you wont put dough in the pocket of some mega-douchebag.

Okay, done with the rant.

Pionic is good and we think it keeps getting better. Best part is if you are in a hurry this is the place to go. And it's local so...there's always that.

#3: Sauce
2990 N. Campbell Ave.

People swear by Sauce. Even folks that work in nearby pizza and pasta places do too. You know why we think it is?

Its the mac n cheese. Oh yeah. We've had our fair share of that stuff and, for real, it is the best thing on the menu. In our humble opinion.

But what about the pizza? We're here for the pizza!

Sauce's pizza is good. Always has been and always will be. The crust is systematically on point and the ingredients are fresh and done correct.

So why is Sauce #3 and not higher?

Atmosphere.

For us its a bit too sterile and since we're not big wine drinkers there are other locations that provide full bar service and offer up an amazing beer selection. But...we'll get to that later.

Sauce is the perfect Campbell Avenue spot to grab a lunch with friends that doesn't involve a billion flat screens playing sports or food that might slightly offend or even "challenge" you, which is oftentimes something you want when you're catching up with an old friend or chatting with co-workers on why management is such garbage. The food is good, the pizza is great but we like our pizza joints a little more comfortable, with some character along with a bit more danger involved.

It's complicated. But when you've spent time in New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco before eating widely in Tucson, the pizza places there serve up exquisite amazingness yet always have a sheen of 'you might get stabbed here'. And we like that.

You wont get stabbed at Sauce.

We promise.

#2: Old Chicago
2960 N. Campbell Ave.

Oh the OC. What more can we say about you? You've been there for so long, made so many people happy, have like 110 beers on hand and, yes, employed Metal Mark as the pizza chef there for a few years.

So...there's that.

That's why Old Chicago is #2. We know what goes into the making of the pizzas; the time, the ingredients, the handmade dough...sure OC is a corporate run restaurant but it is the least "corporate-y" of the lot. Best part is that Old Chicago is always bringing in new ideas and pizza concepts that oftentimes work, sometimes not, but at least they take that chance which is what we like and keeps us coming back for more. Their new 'ale crust' option is delightful and a great accompaniment to whatever toppings of pizza you prefer. This place has been in the neighborhood since the '90s and is still the go-to location to watch the game, get a craft beer, both local and from all over the globe, along with delectable pizzas that are always awesome.

Here's the thing: Old Chicago, literally, has one of the best happy hour deals in town. Half off pizzas, $3 craft pints, dollar bites and so on which happens twice a day and that is something that you wont read about in some "Best of" list about Tucson. Just stop in to see what they have going on happy hour wise and see for yourself.

For us, there is just too many good memories about Old Chicago. If the food was terrible and the company was crap and the staff was the worst then, yeah, we would have placed it far back on this list but...it's not. It's fun. It's kind of home. And, yes, it has one of the the best bartenders in town who has won recognition for her Bloody Mary's.  Although we are being a bit biased because Metal Mark has been married to her for over ten years.

But we digress!

No, seriously, Old Chicago is great, a midtown Tucson institution, and for that alone we have to bow down and recognize the tradition it has given the locals over the years. That's something you really don't hear about except for locally owned places. Old Chicago might be a chain but it's as local as you can get with corporate backing.

Plus they have the World Beer Tour which basically means you get free stuff just for drinking beer. Umm...yes please!

The pizzas though...so good. And we should know: We made them for five years.

You're welcome!

#1: Upper Crust Pizza
1909 E. Grant Rd (Just off of Campbell though!)

Easy.

Upper Crust, in that neighborhood, just off of Campbell, right across the street from Bookman's, is hands down your go to destination for pizza here. Sure, some are going to protest this while others are just going to go "Well, duh!", but let it be known that Upper Crust wins this round with ease.

First off, let's get the obvious out of the way: Got it. Upper Crust is not "officially" on Campbell Avenue. It's really on Grant, but all you have to do is walk a few steps off of the main drag and you are there. The pizza here is superb and we have never been disappointed with the service or product. Sure others in town might take the crown for 'most awesome slice' but on this stretch the honor goes to Upper Crust.

Easy. 

And speaking of slices, their deal for $5 gets you a fountain drink along with a monster slice the size of your chest. For reals. We oftentimes have to grab a knife and separate it into three or four mini slices just to make sense of the whole thing. But it is always flavorful, cooked to perfection, loaded up just right and we have never left the place hungry.

Yes. Upper Crust is a comfy spot to dig into some of the best pizza in Tucson. We love the window seats which offer up some free people watching entertainment as you dive into a masterful work of pizza perfection. So, speaking of dates, we think this would be a nice spot to take your person of interest to. It's fairly quiet, it has a good amount of tables and seats (now that they have expanded) and just funky and dark enough to make it a locale to get to know one another. Not to mention if your possible suitor doesn't like the food here then you can just straight dump their azz.

Who doesn't like the pizza here? People that wanna get dumped, that's who.

Okay, sometimes the delivery can take a while at times but, who cares? When you call at 9pm on a Saturday just when, oh...we don't know, everybody else in the immediate vicinity has the same idea you just might have to be patient. Pizza of this quality takes a bit of time so just chill, Netflix, crack open another tall cold one and just anticipate the awesome that is about to be dropped off at your front door. Isn't modern living grand?

This is one of the few places in Tucson where we actually like to eat in house. Not too sure why. Maybe because it reminds us of past pizzarias in large metropolitan cities where the food is incredible, the space is neat and comfy but, because of the location, you just might get stabbed.

And we like that.

But, really, you wont get stabbed at Upper Crust pizza. Well, we can't say you wont ever but it's most likely you'll just get shanked with a food baby. We always do. And we love it.

Upper Crust pizza...you our only friend!

In the midtown, Campbell Avenue area that is.

Well...yeah.

And there you have it! Our top seven pizzarias on the Campbell Avenue restaurant row stretch. We hope this has been helpful and we are sorry if you totally disagree with us.

Actually...no. We're not. We've done the time, done the research and if you want to compile a list of favorite places to eat in your neck of the woods, please do so.

For now we are going to kick back, relax, and eat some amazing pizza off of Campbell Avenue.

Although, just for karma sake, we have to list just one more place.

And if you've been there, you know why:

Honorable Mention
Grimaldi's
446 N. Campbell Ave.

Technically not a part of the Campbell Avenue restaurant collection but, still...Grimaldi's Brooklyn based brick oven pizzaria is on Campbell Avenue, near the University, a good half mile away from the stretch, and the pizza there rocks. Like seriously amazing. So we just wanted to give a shout to yet another pizza place on Campbell since Upper Crust really isn't, officially, on Campbell Avenue...technically. You know what we mean, right?

Okay, thanks...

Cheers!


Camera, Typing and Eating
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
Rainy Day in Early September, 2016

Metal Influence: 

MANOWAR

"Battle Hymn"