Judi Friedman and Jerry Lankin
We’re two SaddleBrooke foodies forever seeking great places to eat! We’ll review two restaurants each month for taste and presentation, service, price, value, and ambiance. If you have a favorite eatery and would like to spread the word about it, please send us an email at [email protected].
Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse
8501 N. Silverbell Road, Tucson, 520-744-2800
Website: lilabnerssteakhouse.com
Your Cooks love to celebrate birthdays, and going to Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse to celebrate Jerry’s son-in-law Rob’s special day was no exception! The building that Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse calls home goes back many, many decades, and the decorations on the wall, besides various found objects that date way back, also include signatures of any and all diners who have enjoyed this iconic place. In fact, Rob’s sister found her signature dating back to high school! We were greeted warmly by the staff, ordered drinks, and started to review their small, inclusive menu. The menu is one page—concise with lots of options for main courses for everyone, including steaks, ribs, burgers, chicken, hot dogs, and fish. The sides are traditional and include potatoes, corn on the cob, and salads. After we all ordered, it didn’t take very long for our food to be served. Judi ordered a rare (emphasis on the rare) hamburger. It’s not too often that restaurants actually prepare one that is this perfectly done. The meat was very fresh and was served on a warmed hamburger roll to enhance the overall delicious flavor. Jerry ordered the ribs, which were fall-off-the-bone tender. Others ordered beef ribs, half a chicken (which was enormous!), and cheeseburgers. The beef ribs that Julie and Rob shared were also falling-off-the-bone tender, and Julie ordered a second salad to go with her meal. We all enjoyed our food, and we were all served bowls of beans, garlic toast, and salsa to go with our dinners. The wait staff knew this was a birthday celebration and brought a beautiful hot chocolate fudge ice cream sundae to the table with extra spoons. This was a hit since most of us hadn’t had an ice cream sundae in years! This was a birthday well celebrated! While this is a 45-minute drive from SaddleBrooke, it’s a fun place to dine. They have a lovely outdoor set-up, which would be a nice place to visit in the warmer months.
Taste & Presentation *****
Service ****
Price Range $$$
Value ****
Ambiance ****
L’il Abner’s Steakhouse is highly recommended.
China Valley Restaurant
10110 N. Oracle Road, #180, Oro Valley, 520-354-2097
Website: www.chinavalleytogo.com
Reservations are recommended.
We’re always amazed at the number of restaurants within hailing distance of SaddleBrooke that we have not been to yet. So, when a traditional Chinese restaurant was recommended to us that is close by, we were really intrigued. China Valley Restaurant is in the same center as Fairfield Inn on North Oracle Road, and our gang of seven (Seth, Sandy, Hy, Jack, Barb, and your Cooks) descended on the restaurant for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised by the pleasant atmosphere with only eight or nine tables. With this many diners, we were able to partake and taste many of the traditional Chinese dishes that we all grew up to love over the years.
Judi and Jerry started with the standard appetizers of chicken egg rolls (A2), fresh and crispy, and wonton soup (B5), both excellently prepared. Special note about the soup, which was very generous, full of wontons, vegetables, and a very tasty broth. We ordered two main courses, a moo shu chicken (E9) and the house pan-fried noodles (L13), as did Jack and Barb. The moo shu combination was excellent, as good as we have ever had—extremely tasty with a generous portion of chicken, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, carrots, and cabbage, accompanied by a sweet hoisin sauce to smear on the pancakes. Folding the pancakes without the sauce dripping out while eating is always a fun experience. The pan-fried noodles consisted of stir-fried Chinese noodles with beef, chicken, shrimp, and lots of mixed vegetables in a white sauce—again, as traditional and flavorful as anything we’ve ever tasted in a Chinese restaurant. Seth had a special order of green beans in a garlic sauce (H3) with mixed vegetables and added chicken. He was very pleased with the taste, which Jerry also sampled and totally agreed. Sandy had cashew chicken (E6), which was perfectly prepared and she said was delicious.
Hy ordered the Happy Family, stir-fried chicken, shrimp, barbecued pork, and imitation crabmeat with mixed vegetables in a white sauce. Of course, it was tried by the official taster (Jerry) to get the seal of approval, and it did!
The portions are generous with lots to take home. If you are looking for a traditional Chinese dinner, prepared perfectly and well served, you can’t beat China Valley Restaurant—close by and friendly.
China Valley Restaurant is highly recommended.
Taste & Presentation *****
Service *****
Price Range $$$
Value *****
Ambiance ***