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].
The Monica Kitchen
40 East Congress Street, 520-645-1922
Website: www.themonicatucson.com
Your Cooks were downtown with their friends Bonnie and Irv to go to The Rogue Theater and have dinner. Irv suggested The Monica Kitchen as a new place for your Cooks to try. The inside/outside restaurant has an interesting, fun layout. Outside is set up like a backyard party, which is where we chose to eat. The temperature inside was a little too chilly. You order your meal and drinks at the counter, get a number, and sit at a table of your choice. The service was prompt. Bonnie ordered clam chowder, which she really enjoyed. She received a very generous bowl of soup, loaded with clams, not overly thickened with flour, and with a clean, fresh taste. (Judi agreed completely.) Irv ordered the short ribs Rustico. This was served with wilted spinach, wild rice, mashed potatoes, and French onion gravy. None of us were sure why they had both the rice and potatoes. Irv said it was really good, fall-off-the-bone tender. All of the sides were very tasty as well. Jerry ordered the huge taco salad. Unlike this usually being served in a taco shell, it was served in a very large taco! It was loaded with meat, salad greens, veggies, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. Way too much for one meal, so the leftovers went home. Judi had wanted the calamari frites, but it was unavailable. She chose the margarita pizza, which was freshly prepared with plenty of delicious sauce, fresh basil, and cheese. It was excellent and could easily serve two. Jerry had wanted to have dessert, but the line to order was very long, and he opted not to have any. The lesson from this: Order your dessert when you order your main course. The downside to this fun place was the very loud TVs along a wall in the outside area. It distracted from the fun atmosphere, which was too bad.
Taste & Presentation ****
Service ***
Price Range $$
Value ***
Ambiance **
The Monica is recommended.
Tuk Tuk Thai
12125 N. Oracle Road, 520-354-2097
Website: www.tuktukthai2990.com
We’re very fortunate locally to have such a wide variety of wonderful Asian cuisine within a relatively short drive from SaddleBrooke. We’ve reviewed excellent Chinese, Japanese, and fusion restaurants in the past, and now to our favorite Thai eatery. Tuk Tuk Thai, located in the Oro Valley Marketplace near the movie theater, has been a consistent place to get great Thai food. Their sauces have a very authentic and exotic flavor, spicy at times, and their use of fresh greens lends a crispness to the palate not found in other Asian offerings. We began our meal sharing the fresh summer rolls. Unlike the fried offerings at other restaurants, these giant rolls (two) consist of fresh, aromatic greens and cooked shrimp wrapped in rice paper and served cold with the most delicious and generous serving of peanut sauce. A great way to start the meal. Our two main courses were both showstoppers. The Pad Prik Pao Crispy Chicken (#52) was a much livelier version of the Chinese General Tso’s Chicken but chocked full of bell peppers, onion, carrots, green onions, and the Thai staple of roasted peanuts. This dish is large enough to share, and we recommend ordering a side of rice to soak up the wonderful, lightly spiced sauce. We ordered a second main dish just to make our article more interesting and to assure ourselves of at least one additional dinner at home! The second dish was Pad Thai noodles (#60), street style, just as Jerry remembered when in Bangkok. Stir fried rice noodles with shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts (of course), egg, sweet radish, cilantro, and chives in a tamarind palm sugar sauce that had a perfect citrus balance. Overall, a great meal with generous portions and very reasonably priced. The service was prompt and courteous with great follow-up and in a cheery, bright location. When the Asian mood strikes, this is the place to go.
Taste & Presentation ****
Service ****
Price Range $$
Value *****
Ambiance ***
Tuk Tuk Thai is highly recommended.