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, please send us an email at [email protected].
Feast
3719 E. Speedway, 520-326-9363
Your Cooks decided to have a really special meal and chose to have dinner at Feast. We sure didn’t know how wonderfully special it would be! Feast uses Resy.com to make a reservation, and the process was simple. This small, unassuming restaurant is somewhat casual, with a friendly, welcoming vibe. On arrival, we were greeted and seated immediately and welcomed by both the hostess and server. We each had a glass of the Pommery champagne (we had toured there when we were in France this past spring) and began to peruse the varied and extensive menu offerings. There are many courses from which to choose. The problem was that they all sounded fantastic! We started with the seared sea scallops with brown butter, celeriac puree, quince glaze, and puffed wild rice. This first course was the best offering of scallops either of us had ever enjoyed. The unusual combination of simple but rich deliciousness was a great start to dinner.
Our next course was the beet and watermelon salad. Have you ever heard of roasted watermelon? We hadn’t either and thought it was worth trying. We certainly were not disappointed. We asked how the watermelon was prepared, and it is simply roasted with olive oil and salt. This was an outstanding change-up for a summer treat. We also ordered some freshly made rustic bread served with butter, perfectly softened to just the right temperature. This was a lovely accompaniment to an extraordinary meal.
Before we ordered our main course, we were intrigued to read about their mushroom custard with summer and winter squashes. The custard had an intense mushroom flavor, even if it did look like a small burger! It was served with perfectly prepared ribbons of squash. Now it was time for our roasted branzino! The fish was stuffed with potatoes, Castelvetrano olives, and citrus peel. It was served with grilled asparagus and potato-fennel hash and a tangerine beurre blanc. Oh my! We love branzino, but with the vegetables and that absolutely out-of-this world sauce, we were totally enthralled with this delectable dish. It was a good thing we shared everything so that we each would have some room left over for dessert.
We ordered the warm weather millionaire’s shortbread with crystallized ginger. It was layered with sake caramel and lemongrass chocolate ganache. This was a combination of flavors and textures that neither of us had ever had before. We were beyond totally satisfied with everything we ordered and completely enjoyed. We both had a glass of white wine that had been suggested to us by the chef. The Abbazia di Novacella winery offers a varietal we had never heard of, called Kerner. This varietal is described as having a fresh and creamy white wine with aromas of sliced pears, peaches, and lemons. It is medium-bodied, lightly pithy, and refreshing. This was a superb choice. We were so very glad we had dinner here that night. It was an incredible, delicious dining experience. Feast’s menu changes the first Tuesday of every month.
Taste & Presentation ******
Service ******
Price Range $$$$
Value *****
Ambiance *****
Feast is very highly recommended.
Bubb’s Grub
16010 AZ-77, (520) 825-6510
Bubb’s Grub was recommended to us by Nancy and Marie, some of the “Pool Pals” at the SaddleBrooke One swimming pool. We took along our cousin Ben, visiting from Denver, and were greeted quickly and given a table in this very local and homey atmosphere. Kathy, our server, quickly served our drinks, which is usually the mark of a well-run restaurant, and this was not an exception. Our main reason for going was the recommendation to have the fried walleye fish that we have not seen served in a Tucson restaurant ever. This mostly northern U.S. and Canadian fish doesn’t usually get the distribution to our climes, so having it available is a treat. A very large filet, coated with panko breadcrumbs, was fried and came with two sides. Jerry picked the potato salad (excellent) and corn (average), which he thought would be on the cob, but he was mistaken. The fish was superb—thick, juicy, and tasty, with a crispy crust and a side of tartar sauce and lemon. Well worth the visit. But wait, there is more! Ben had the brisket and ribs. The best brisket any of us ever had! It was super tender, slightly smokey, and served with your choice of three excellent sauces: hot & spicy, sweet ketchup mustard, and standard barbeque, all great. The ribs were meaty, tender, and mouth-watering, perfectly cooked and seasoned. Judi ordered the fried cod, which was well prepared and juicy but didn’t hold a candle to the walleye or other fare on our plates. Jerry would go back for a double order of the brisket and the walleye and looks forward to trying their other barbeque offerings and the onion rings and chicken wing appetizers. Well worth the trip.
Ambiance ***
Taste & Presentation *****
Price Range****
Service *****
Bubb’s Grub is recommended.