59 of Tucson's most tantalizing 'food porn' photos
Feast your eyes on some of the mouthwatering and enticing dishes from local restaurants over the last few years.
Ice cream sandwich
Ice cream sandwich with bubblegum ice cream and triple chocolate cookie.
Fry bread from Cafe Santa Rosa
The Indian Hamburger from Cafe Santa Rosa features two hamburger patties with green chile, cheese, tomato, lettuce and onion.
Arizona Strongman
The Arizona Strongman, $5.50, with two eggs, two slices of cheese, bacon and sausage.
North Italia's spinach tortelloni
The spinach tortelloni with roasted mushrooms, $16 at North Italia.
Arepas from Contigo
Venezuelan arepas at Contigo Cocina Latina.
Gnocchi at Maynard's Kitchen
Gnocchi with duck confit, mustard greens, mustard seeds, pickled butternut squash cooked in a riesling duck sauce at Maynard's Kitchen, 400 N. Toole Ave.
Elvira's tacos
You can still get Elvira’s rolled chicken and cuitlacoche tacos at their Tubac restauran.
Pozole at Birrieria Guadalajara
Birrieria Guadalajara also sells its pork posole in big tubs for takeaway bliss.
Fry bread at Mission San Xavier del Bac
In the shadow of Tucson's first Spanish mission, vendors sell cinnamon-dusted fry bread straight out of the oil.
Fiamme Pizza Napoletana
A finished Neapolitan-style pizza made by Scott Volpe at his Fiamme Pizza Napoletana portable wood-fired pizza oven outside of a downtown-area bar. Volpe won first place for his acrobatic routine at the U.S. Pizza Team competition in Ohio which qualifies him for the World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy.
Fried green tomatoes
Fried green tomatoes, $7, made a splash this summer on the appetizer menu at Commoner & Co.
La Indita fry bread
An Indian fry bread taco with beans and nopales from La Indita.
La Plancha's chicharron sandwich
We definitely recommend the chicharron sandwich with sweet potato and red onion salsa criolla, which made its debut at the Viva la Local food festival Saturday.
Freddie's Boom Boom Burger
The Freddie’s “Boom Boom” Burger at the Omni Tucson National Resort.
Carnitas La Yoca
Carnitas La Yoca is just about the only place in town that serves obscure pork parts like buche and cuero. Its namesake carnitas (pictured above) is also worth writing about.
Raspados Taqueria Jason
Raspados from Taqueria Jason on Wilmot and 22nd Street.
Pizza at Pizzeria Bianco
Margherita Pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil at Pizzeria Bianco downtown.
Westward Look's tuna burger with garden slaw
A tuna burger with Asian coleslaw made with vegetables picked straight from Westward Look's chef garden.
The Best Ball at the Omni
The Best Ball, $14, created for the Tucson Conquistadores Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort, features meatballs spiced with cilantro chimichurri sauce and topped with arugula, shaved Parmesan and roasted tomatoes.
Pulled Pork Nachos at the Tucson Rodeo
Pulled pork nachos from R&R Family Kitchen and Bar-B-Que during the Tucson Rodeo.
Biscuits and gravy at Baja Cafe
Biscuits and gravy at Baja Cafe, 7002 E. Broadway in Tucson.
La Indita tacos
Tarascan tacos, $8.50 for a plate come stuffed with spinach, beans, cheese or meat.
Whole tilapia fish at Alafia
Whole tilapia, $14.99, served with a side of chopped tomatoes and couscous flavored with cassava root.
Reforma pato
Reforma's pato dish features guajillo chile duck confit in a chocolatey mole Poblano sauce, $22.
Boca Shrimp Taco
Shrimp taco at Boca Tacos y Tequila, 828 E. Speedway.
Turnovers at Cartel Coffee
Autumn turnover with rum cherries at Cartel Coffee Lab, 2516 N. Campbell Ave.
Beef tacos
Beef tacos from Council of Elders during the Tamal Festival at Casino del Sol.
Messy fries at Brush Fire
Make sure you have napkins handy for the Messy Fries at Brushfire BBQ.
Tan Tan Men Ramen at Samurai
The Tan Tan Men Ramen, $8.36, at Samurai gets some of its rich flavor from sesame paste.
Chocolate from Jupiter's Dream
A plate of Juliana Desmond's chocolate creations at Jupiter's Dream, 35. E. Toole Ave.
Pan de Muerto at La Estrella Bakery
The pan de muerto at La Estrella Bakery, 5266 S. 12th Ave., during Dia de los Muertos.
Pumpkin Bread from Beyond Bread
The cranberry pumpkin bread, $9.95, at Beyond Bread features freshly-toasted pumpkin seeds.
The Breakfast Salad at 5 Points
The Breakfast Salad at 5 Points Market & Restaurant, 756 S. Stone Ave., is a study in squash, with roasted butternut sitting next to a sweet puree.
Pueblo Plate at Mother Hubbard's Cafe
The Pueblo plate, $10.95, at at Mother Hubbard's Cafe comes with a green chile corn waffle, two eggs on red or green chile and a choice of housemade sausages. I chose turkey sage.
Spam musubi at Mama's
Spam musubi rolls at Mama's Hawaiian Bar-B-Cue, 850 E. Speedway, feature the canned meat marinated in teriyaki sauce, grilled and set on sticky rice.
Sweetbreads at Athens
Sweetbreads, the throat glands of a calf, are fried in olive oil with tomatoes, garlic and scallions at Athens on 4th Avenue, 500 N. 4th Ave.
El Charro Chimichanga
The chimichanga at El Charro Cafe.
Sonoran hot dog at Mr. Antojo
Sonoran dogs at Mr. Antojo come loaded with nacho cheese, chopped lettuce and chunky guacamole sauce.
Under $30: Las Brasas succeeds despite some flaws
The Sonoran-style hot dog at Las Brasas
Combo plate at Lupita's Cafe
One combination plate at Lupita's Cafe, now closed, offered an enchilada, taco, gordita, refried beans and Spanish rice.
The combination pho at Miss Saigon
The combination pho served at Miss Saigon.
Stuffed Steak Roulade at the French Twist.
Stuffed Steak Roulade at the French Twist, now closed.
Ribs at Catalina Barbeque Co.
Ribs from Catalina Barbeque Co. & Sports Bar, 3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
Ginger Tofu Bento box at Yoshimatsu
Ginger Tofu Bento box at Yoshimatsu Japanese Eatery, 2660 N. Campbell Ave.
Barrio Brewing
The look may be industrial, but Barrio Brewing is a restaurant, too, with an ample menu, including carne asada tacos, tequila cilantro wings and, of course, lots of fresh brews.
Buffalo Chicken Mac at The Fix
A "minor" size helping of the Buffalo Chicken Mac, $7.49, at The Fix in Main Gate Square, 943 E. University Blvd.
Sushi at Sushi Garden
A boat load of sushi at Sushi Garden, 3048 E. Broadway.
Grilled cheese at 47 Scott
The stack of grilled cheese on sourdough bread is available at 47 Scott, located at 47 N. Scott Avenue. The sandwich has fontina, cheddar and housemade mozzarella cheeses.
Flautas at El Merendero
We also couldn't resist a plate of carne seca flautas, $6.95, with giant gobs of guacamole and sour cream.
Caramel chocolate dome at Ventana Canyon
Caramel chocolate dome at the Flying V Bar & Grill at Loews Ventana Canyon.
Dutch Apple Galette
Dutch Apple Galette with Whiskey Creme Anglaise, from pastry chef Kara Hranicka, photographed on the patio of AJ's Fine Food at La Encantada.
New name, same turkey sandwich
Specialties like the Grilled Dakota Smoked Turkey Sandwich are fan favorites and likely played into the decision to go back to the familiar Dakota name for the Trail Dust Town restaurant.
Posole at Michoacan Taqueria Raspados
A bowl of posole at Michoacan Taqueria Raspados, 3235 N. Flowing Wells.
Roasted smashed potatoes at Ascension Cafe
Roasted smashed potatoes + magenta lambs quarter pesto at the Food for Ascension Cafe, now closed.
Pork at Skyline Country Club
This colorful plate offers sautéed pork with a variety of vegetables and potatoes at Skyline Country Club, 5200 N. St. Andrews Drive.
Figs and ice cream at Lodge on the Desert
Fig and ice cream dessert at Lodge on the Desert, 306 N. Alvernon Way.
Short-rib slider at Lindy's
Short-rib slider with maple bacon-infused goat cheese with a radish cashew pesto sauce at Lindy's, 431 N. 4th Ave.
Mi Nidito enchiladas
The green chile cheese enchiladas from Mi Nidito, 1813 S Fourth Ave.
Robert's cinammon roll
The cinnamon rolls at Robert’s Restaurant, 301 E Grant Rd.

