ECLECTIC CAFE - TUCSON, AZ

This restaurant is similar to Blue Willow in the sense that one has great or at least pleasurable expectations because the wait staff are young and personable and efficient and friendly and the restaurant is decorated with bright prints and posters and lively colors and the menu reads like a frequent diner's wish list with wonderful delicious words.

However, the above does NOT translate into good food. Eclectic Cafe is overpriced with small portions and even with a coupon (which they run in magazines and newspapers about 4 times a week) it is not worth a return trip.

Bill and I ordered a corned beef sandwich based on our experience of several months ago. The corned beef at that time was razor thin and without one ribbon of fat or gristle. Obviously, the meat supplier has changed. The corned beef resembled thick flesh-colored slabs of tongue lolling out of the rye bread which was cut so thin it did not stay together. In order for Bill to eat his sandwich he had to roll up the meat and bread pieces into a dough disc and hold it like a tennis ball.

I couldn't even do that because the meat fell far below my edible standard. The fries were cold. The sandwich alone was $8.00 and the fries were extra and the small green salad was extra.

Alicia had 3 halibut flautas which she said were really dry. This $10 entree came with a small salad and a shot glass of guacamole. Beans were extra and they were the usual sloppy unappetizing glop of refried's.

We came close to having to wait for a table and too bad that didn't happen cuz then we would have gone next door to Mongolian Grill and i would not have been so culinarily disgusted.