If sandwiches are your thing, the Glass Onion Cafe is your ticket to ride. Named after a Beatles song, the Northwest Side restaurant opened in June.
Owner Jen McDonald focuses on a daily sandwich special and an expansive menu of Boar's Head brand meats and cheeses.
For 13 years, McDonald owned a New York-style Jewish deli in Boston called Meadows Corner Deli. The 46-year-old moved to Tucson seven years ago. She opened the Glass Onion in June.
"It's a song off the White Album," McDonald said. "When I looked at Tucson, I noticed that people seemed to be trapped in time here. There are a lot of hippies here."
The vibe
This Tucson restaurant possesses a late-'60s, early-'70s feel. Local artwork hangs on the walls, and artists also sell jewelry, candles, crystals, tie-dye products and even purses made out of bras ($25 to $30).
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The only time the Glass Onion stays open late is Fridays, when musical acts play from 7 to 9 p.m. There's no cover charge, but the bands play for tips. McDonald already is booked through April. Friday's acts will be Denny Martin doing country, jazz and classic rock, and Phil Borzillo playing classic rock. The show will go from 5 to 9 p.m. instead of the regular 7 to 9 p.m.
Get there early to grab one of the 20 seats inside or at the two dog-friendly patio tables outdoors.
McDonald said there's also free Wi-Fi for paying customers.
The food
McDonald is proud of the Glass Onion's unique touches, such as the cans of Doc Brown's Diet Black Cherry Soda ($1).
"It's top of the line — it's really rich and creamy," she said. "I don't like to be like anyone else."
The two varieties of coffee brewed each day are organic. Eleven varieties of smoothies are made with real fruit purées ($3.25 for 12 ounces; $4.25 for 20 ounces).
McDonald creates the cheesecakes, cookies, bread pudding and seven flavors of brownies. About a dozen desserts always are available inside the glass case.
We started with a turtle brownie ($3.25), a giant dessert almost too large for two. A triple chocolate Ghirardelli brownie was blanketed with a creamy white frosting with caramel sauce. A Hershey's Kiss filled with caramel, chocolate chips and caramel sauce topped the dessert. It was a meal in itself.
On Tuesdays, order the Tres Bien Croissant ($7) — bits of dried cranberry and apricot blended with all-white chicken salad and topped with leaf lettuce on a croissant.
We also took advantage of the shop's "Imagine Your Own" menu, handpicking the contents of a sandwich ($8.50) that included sliced turkey breast, sliced avocado and a thick slathering of cream cheese on one of the softest, tastiest hoagie rolls we've ever eaten.
Each ingredient added a new layer of distinct flavor, yet they came together perfectly.
A side of pasta salad ($1.50) hit the spot. Roasted red and green peppers, garlic and mushrooms were mixed with bow-tie pasta and Willcox tomatoes in oil and vinegar made with basil and oregano. A tiny bit of red chile peppers gave it a slight kick.
McDonald said the most popular sandwich is the Lonely Hearts Club ($8), a Wednesday special with smoked turkey, ham, Genoa salami and Hatch green chiles with Dijon mayo on organic sourdough toast.
Soups ($2 a cup, $3.75 for a bowl) change daily. Varieties include minestrone, chili, and creamy chicken and asparagus. Have it in a bread bowl for an extra $1.
If you go
Tucson restaurant review: Glass Onion Cafe
• Where: 1900 W. River Road.
• Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• Phone: 293-6050.
The bill:
Tres Bien Croissant: $7.
Imagine Your Own sandwich: $8.50.
Side of Sgt. Peppers Pasta: $1.50.
Doc Brown's Black Cherry Diet Soda: $1.
Large iced tea: $1.85.
Turtle brownie: $3.25.
Total, before tax and tip: $23.10.
