Italian Piazza

Pizza outside Italy, who are we kidding? There is not such thing, not for an Italian at least. But I am brave, and while I make mean pizza at home (if I can say so myself), I need to eat pizza out on Friday nights after the movies. This has been close to impossible when I moved from Italy to Baltimore, where my honey and I would make do in a pizzeria that we nicknamed "The Losers" (obviously not a great one!), but it got much easier in Tucson, especially since Pizzeria Vivace opened in the St. Philips plaza (piazza, in Italian).

First of all, Italians need some harmony. St. Philips piazza has fountains and courtyards and restaurants, and even a riverside  (water optional). Second, the pizza tastes like pizza at Pizzeria Vivace. And last, but not least, they are kind and you feel like at home on your second visit.

As I said, I go there most Friday nights. I had been there with my significant other, most often with our friends after the movies, and once with several friends including a baby. Every time the host, manager, and waiters have been kind and fast. I highly recommend the front room and, if you are a party of six or more, and like to eat like everybody else in Tucson (which is, 6:30 on Friday and Saturday nights), do make reservations. We go after 9 pm, so no problem there. Actually the "late" hour brings another advantage: all drinks are half price after the nocturnal hour of 8 pm, including on weekends!

Speaking of drinks, the half-price policy extends to bottles of wine, and they do have a decent  selection for a pizzeria, which allows you to sample some fine Italian wines without breaking the budget. Pizza is thin but not too thin, hot, and very tasty. At Vivace they do not make too much fuss if you ask half a pizza without cheese (so my sweetheart and I can share), or if you make substitutions. While I never tasted the antipasto, it looks authentic and delicious. I wish they had sorbet for dessert, so I could have a vegan sweet bite at the end of a great simple pizza-salad-and wine meal. The way I see it, this is the perfect place to enjoy the subtle pleasure of having the work week over with, chat with your friends about a good movie you just saw, and have the simplest yet tastiest food and drink on Earth, pizza and wine!

Pizzeria Vivace
4280 N. Campbell Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30-2:30 pm
Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5-9 pm; Friday-Saturday 5-10 pm
$

http://www.pizzeriavivace.com/

A fresh seaside scent in the middle of the desert

The last couple of weeks have been hard for us Tucsonans. We cheered up by sticking together, comforting one another, and reviving our sense of belonging to this beautiful community. Which includes getting some comfort from comfort food of course. On one of these blue days we went to Mariscos Chihuahua for lunch. I love the fresh seafood they have here, even in the very hot Arizona summer the seafood is always fresh and delicious.

Do not expect the fancy/romantic seafood restaurants with a wine list and candles! This is prominently a lunch place, where you can also have an informal dinner. Your waitress will welcome you with a basket of delicious Mexican chips and salsa. Beware! You can get filled up just with those. On the other hand, why resist them? Especially if you have ordered a Mexican beer or, even better, a "michelada", which is a beer mixed in with tomato juice and lime; this turned out to be delicious, the best drink for a hot day, or a thirsty diner, or to nurse your hangover! Lemonade is also good. I personally don't like their margaritas because they come from a mix, but the tequila selection is good and you can have a "tequila a la bandera" if you are so inclined. Stay clear from the wine (just one or two choices of mini bottles, you can do better on a plane).

Now on with the food. Order freely from the menu, there is not a single bad item there (I sampled most!) In winter order fresh oysters, followed by a "caldo de mariscos" or seafood soup. It is really heavenly, spiced just right, and fulfilling with its side of real tortillas. If you are hungry, order instead one of the "platos". The seafood "a la veracruzana" is fantastic, so is the "pulpo" (octopus), and the whole fried fish (you can have it small, medium, or large!) Most "platos" are accompanied by rice, fries, veggies, and tortillas.

In summer do not hesitate and get the shrimp ceviche. I took several friends here, and the verdict is unanimous: best ceviche in this hemisphere! Enjoy it on top of the tostadas, or just by the spoonful if you are a purist. Ceviche, a north-pole cold beer, what else do you need on a hot Tucson day? I like everything on the menu, go several times and do a tasting, and discover your favorite. I also like the "ceviche bucket" you get when your order to take out, an ideal lunch for two for a slow summer aftrenoon by the pool.

Now for the ambiance: this place is very simple. Booths or tiled tables, bright and clean look, no fuss. The clientele seem to speak both English and Spanish, all waitress are bilingual. On Sunday you see many dressed-up families eating here after the Mass. A comforting, cozy, easy place to eat excellent seafood. When you are all done and you walk out you will be very surprised not to see a seashore, and fishermen mending their nets. This is the feeling of the place.


Mariscos Chihuahua
356 E. Grant Rd
Tucson, AZ (520) 884 3567
(other locations as well, see webpage)
http://www.mariscoschihuahua.com/Home_Page.php
open for lunch and (early) dinner every day
$

Bologna by winter

Winter can be very cold in Bologna, one of the best preserved medieval cities of central Italy, considered by some the international food capital. The restaurant and bar offer is huge, and can be daunting to look for the perfect fancy dinner spot. But this is not one of those days, this is just a cold early afternoon, you are alone, you skipped lunch and need food and shelter; or maybe it is after the movies and you are meeting your friends, some of them will want just a glass of wine, others would not mind to have some food with that wine. A good idea is the Ambasciatori bookstore, in the very core of this city: go to the top floor (there are other restaurants in the building but this is the best), and enjoy a meditative pause among books and wines. Go up by the stairs, so you will have the chance to see the beautiful inner facade of this old building, and work an appetite.

On my last time there I was alone (and in a very bad mood!) and sat at the bar. My spirits soon restored to my usual cheerful self: the waiters are super nice and they make sure you are taken care of. This is not a full service restaurant, rather a simple wine and cheese place with an additional two or three entree choices and a couple of salads. The great news is that they had a vegan choice on my visit, which was a delicious roasted cauliflower with a heavenly capers-bread topping, accompanied by a tiny beautiful and mild potato cake. One of the most appealing offer is a cold-cut plate, prosciutto, salame, and the mortadella that the city is famous for worldwide. Everything is fresh and mostly organic, so this is also a healthy choice.

If you drink wine, order local and daily special, you will drink top of the line wines at decent prices. If you are with friends, grab a bottle from the shelves and you will not be charged corkage. I generally have "Pignoletto dei colli bolognesi", the still type. It is local and delicious, a strong white which is perfect with just about anything you can eat here. Soon after my entree arrived, I got lost in its taste, and in people watching. Shelves full of interesting wines and beers grabbed my attention, and so did a couple of women discussing their Christmas plans. My bad winter day was cheered up, and so will yours. An additional bonus of this place is that you can browse books on the way out. If you can read Italian, of course!


Eataly (Osteria, top floor, Ambasciatori bookstore)
via degli Orefici 19
Bologna, Italy
http://www.eataly.it/
Mon-Sat 8am-midnight
Sun 10am-midnight
$$