When Last I Wrote: Nathan and I had just completed Course #7 at Chuy's Mesquite Broiler. Only three more courses remained before we were done for the night...but would we be able to finish??
Here's another restaurant that Nathan and I have visited (and enjoyed) several times before. There are eight Baggin's restaurants in the Tucson area; sadly, none of them are in Sahuarita, so we don't get there much any more. They are known mainly for their "gourmet" sandwiches (their menu of sides isn't even that large). This particular Baggin's was located just behind a heavy retail area, with no residential neighborhoods nearby--it was pretty abandoned-looking. It was the dinner hour (about 6:00 pm) when we arrived on a Friday night, and we were the only customers! As you can see, night had fallen by this time, reminding us of two things: our quest was nearing its end at last; and we had been at this for a really long time.
What We Ate:
So, not the greatest sandwich I've ever had. However, Baggin's still has my loyalty. They are a little overpriced (I'd love them a lot more if they'd shave 50 cents to a dollar off the price of each of their sandwiches), but they sell pretty good (and pretty healthy) lunchtime fare. If you like Thanksgiving food (I sure do), I strongly recommend the Sundown Baggin's, a turkey sandwich filled with stuffing and cranberry sauce!! Absolutely delicious...mmm. Plus, as you can see by the picture, the staff tend to sneak you cookies, even if you don't pay for them. And the cookies are not half bad! Thanks, Baggins employee (I hope my praise doesn't get you into trouble)!
Full Factor: Oy, the stomach, it was starting to hurt. Even though we really weren't eating much at each course by now, the enormity of what we were attempting was beginning to drag us down. It probably goes without saying that we saved our cookies for later...and sadly, even though we split the sandwich, we each only managed to finish about half of what we had. Our systems were beginning to reach critical mass.
Verdict: This appeared to be the "Baggin's That Tucson Forgot," judging by the nonexistent crowds when we arrived (one other person did come while we were eating there; they ordered something to go and promptly skedaddled). It made the skimpy leftover Christmas decorations (including a half-decorated tree in the corner) look all the more lonely. However, judging by its location, this Baggin's is probably more of a "business lunch" establishment anyway; I doubt they were hurting without our business. The sandwich I had there wasn't the best, but the extra cookies were a nice touch. I'll gladly return to Baggin's someday (though probably to a different location). When all was said and done, it was a peaceful place to sit and munch--and gather our strength for the final gastrointestinal battle.
Nathan and I first became acquainted with Beyond Bread out of convenience; it was located just a few doors down from Bookmans, a secondhand bookstore that is one of our favorite places to window-shop. Although Beyond Bread does have a menu and a seating area, it's more a bakery than a full restaurant. They have sandwiches, soups, and salads, all of which are served with their home-cooked bread. They have breads of the day, as well as baked-daily varieties. And my, is their bread tasty. I am a particularly a fan of their "pretzel loaf"--it's a thick, fluffy roll of salty deliciousness.
Beyond Bread also has a small breakfast menu, as well as a large dessert selection, with pies, cakes, brownies, and tarts galore in a large counter at the front of the store. But it wasn't time for dessert just yet; nor would a simple loaf of bread be sufficient for a "course". What to order?
What We Ate:
Full Factor: Ugh. We were almost at the end of our rope by this point. I am quite a soup lover by nature; however, sitting there, staring at the soup, and steeling myself to actually eat some of it was one of the most difficult things I've had to do in a while. Nathan felt the same way; we managed to finish off the soup, but tragically, the yummy sourdough bread bowl was left virtually untouched. Sorry for wasting your food, Beyond Bread!
Verdict: The restaurant portion of the store is stylish and inviting, and even with many other people there, it's a relatively quiet, peaceful place to eat. The servers and cashiers are all very friendly, and while the soups & sandwiches are merely average, the superior quality & variety of the breads available make Beyond Bread a must-visit for all the carb-lovers out there. We'll definitely return--but for bread only. We stumbled out of the restaurant exhausted, bloated, & ready to head for our hotel. But there was one more place to visit first...
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| Yay...we made it!!! |
Our final stop of the night was a cute little place we first visited several years ago, at the recommendation of a friend. As the name implies, Something Sweet specializes in desserts of many kinds; they've grudgingly added some sandwiches to menu, but who wants that, really? No, customers coming to Something Sweet are after just that; and usually, they'll find something that tickles their fancy. Cakes, cheesecakes, pies, brownies, milkshakes, ice cream, cobblers, tiramisu, flan, and a special atrocity called the "Oh My ---, You've Got To Be Kidding Me" Eclair--all of these are on the menu. While a customer may not find one hundred percent of those items ready to eat at any one time, there are still enough desserts available at any given time to please any given palate.
What We Ate:
For dessert, Nathan & I each ordered our own item...
As for the desserts themselves--it was a mixed bag, mostly to Nathan's detriment. He'd eaten the giant eclair before and remembered loving it. This time, however, it was sadly lacking in flavor and texture. The cream inside the eclair was solidified and clumpy; very gross. Plus, the outside just didn't taste that good. Disappointing. On the other hand, my peanut-butter cake was freaking delicious; as full as I was, I managed to down the entire thing! Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and the peanut butter icing was thick, creamy and oh so flavorful. It was well worth the slight stomachache I suffered after gobbling it all down.
Full Factor: Let's just say we didn't feel the need to eat again for a good long while!
Verdict: Although we didn't dine in at Something Sweet, it's a fun experience. The servers are all very friendly, and while the decor is a bit spartan, there are always interesting crowds there (nerdy college students & middle-aged eccentrics or intellectuals). Something Sweet also has a tall bookcase stacked with board games & card games; it encourages its patrons to play these games while they eat, or to stay & play afterwards. It's an interactive, fun atmosphere...and the yummy desserts sure don't hurt! Despite Nathan's disappointing eclair, we both look forward to going back again to Something Sweet someday; it's the perfect capper for a date night, or good for a quick stop in.
Our Hotel:
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa--3800 East Sunrise Drive; Tucson, AZ 85718
We decided to top off our evening with an overnight stay at a nice hotel (thank goodness for grandparents who help watch the kids!). We sort of picked the Westin at random (read: we Priceline-d it), but we weren't disappointed! This is a resort in the northeastern part of Tucson (in the Catalina foothills), and we though it lived up to its reputation. Granted, we didn't get there until after dark, so we didn't get a good look at the grounds until the following morning, but what a view! Also, there weren't many people there, probably because it was both a holiday weekend and the off-season; we loved feeling like we had the whole place to ourselves!
The next morning, we explored the grounds a little bit. This leftover holiday decoration was our favorite thing there. It's a cactus Christmas "tree"--apparently, the resort makes this tree every year. It's nothing but a large frame holding up dozens of baby cactuses, all of which will be planted throughout the resort grounds after the holidays. Neat! A very clever, Southwestern-inspired way to decorate for the holidays.
After that, there isn't much more to say. We packed; we left; we caught a quick movie on the way home (The Muppets again! We're sentimental fools); and we returned home at last to our three beautiful daughters. Our crazy ten-year anniversary celebration was at an end. We both agreed on two things, when all was said and done:
1. We had a great time eating a ten-course meal at ten different restaurants.
2. We would never do it again!!
Our adventure was a lot of fun, but we like the idea of keeping it a one-time thing. The biggest, most obvious reason for that is the strain it put on our gastrointestinal systems and our waistlines! However, we also like the very experience of dining out; lingering in a restaurant, sipping our drink, savoring our food, trying several things out on the menu, and soaking in the overall experience. With this venture it was rush rush rush, and much of that texture was lost. At least the adrenaline rush of it all was worth the fuss this time!
However...if any of my readers (all three of you!) ever want to try a large eat-a-thon like this, here are a few things we'd suggest (these are things we would have done differently):
1. Try to share the course every time (with dessert being a possible exception). The few times we split up our order, we regretted it...it just left us too full to properly eat the later courses.
2. Eat less fried food, especially in the early courses. The first four or five courses we ate were all either fried food or food covered in cheese. Those fatty food fill up your stomach way too quickly. In retrospect, I wish we'd led off with our soup & salad courses; it would have probably made the going easier down the homestretch.
3. Stick to water throughout. Drinking soda or any alcoholic beverages will just weigh you down even more. Water will help keep you refreshed without filling you up too badly.
If I can think of any more tips later, I'll be sure to post them. Whew! Thanks for wading through three long posts to enjoy our adventure. I hope you had as much fun reading it as we did eating our way through it.
Well done! I love it. :)
ReplyDeleteYay Something Sweet! I love that place! And I think about Beyond Bread every time I go to Bookmans, but I usually have kids with me, so I've never tried it. Cool.