APPLE FARM BAKERY & DINER - TUCSON, AZ

This restaurant opened in the space vacated by another 50's style diner. Its on mall property but not in the mall which means it will probably be less busy; certainly the diner that used to be there was never crowded. However, the good thing is that Apple Farm so far has satisfied me unlike the former place.

I ate there with Chris who was  my usual dining partner at the previous eatery incarnation. The look and decorations including the pictures of old cars and movie stars of the past (oh, except for a big picture of james dean that used to be by the bathrooms) remain.

The prices are fairly reasonable and the menu is large. they serve breakfast all day. I had a vegetable and sausage omelet with country potatoes and a  biscuit. Chris got hashed brown potatoes which she liked. All the food was tasty and hot and i especially liked the biscuit which was  warm and soft but had a crunchy exterior and the very friendly and efficient waitress brought me extra butter. They only have 2 choices for jelly; rhubarb and apple (naturally since this is the apple farm diner; in fact, there was lots of apple related items plus menu descriptions). I liked the rhubarb better since the apple was too sweet.

I will be back for another meal.

THE DESCENDANTS

I was very disappointed with this film. I don't think i had read one negative review plus knowing it starred George Clooney who i think is a fine actor who appears in good substantial entertaining and thought-provoking films plus from the previews i thought it was going to be about a 'single' dad raising 2 daughters and that plot seemed interesting and this was my take before sitting in the theater for 2 long hours.

Well, Bill and I are giving it a negative review: a 6.5 for me and a 4 for Bill (he was thinking of not walking back into the theater after he finished peeing and just sitting out in the hall because he was so disinterested and unengaged with the movie). I still think Clooney is a good actor but maybe too good for his flimsy and flighty role. And the main theme of the movie was about him and his friends and family saying goodbye to Clooney's wife who was in an irreversible coma after a boating accident.

I had a hard time believing in the reality of the whole situation. I was always aware that i was watching a movie with actors. There was no chemistry between Clooney and his daughters at all. Plus the 17 year old went from an initial scene of rebellion and drinking to ideal helpmate and support and confidante of her dad. The subplot that could have added some spice to the movie (a huge parcel of land owned by Clooney and all his cousins was approaching a decision as to whether to leave it unspoiled or develop it into a resort) was kept in the background of the film and never developed.

There was also a huge disbelief on my part as to how Clooney reacted to the news that his wife had been having an affair and was going to ask him for a divorce right before she lapsed into a coma. The dialogue was fairly dull and the music was all ukelele-based hula dancing tunes. Oh, and Clooney being wealthy and living on the Hawaiian Islands added another touch of unreality to this movie which added to my overall lack of identification or caring as to what the characters did or did not do.

I descended into apathy.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Fantastic movie; we both rated it a 10.

The title reflects the uncertain self-identity and character of the lead actress; she doesn't know who she is; martha - the daughter of divorced parents and a sister who she has had less than ideal communication with (further details of her home life growing up are vague) or Marcy May - which is the name she was given by the cult leader, Patrick, or is she Marlene - the burgeoning leader in the cult who uses that name as an alias when she deals with the 'outside world'.

The movie is done in fairly frequent flashbacks which are sometimes momentarily confusing as to the time we are watching; whether its when she's at her sister's or at the commune but this temporary disorientation did not interfere with the movie's flow at all.

And basically the story is about Martha's stay in the cult and her eventual escape to her sister and brother-in-law's vacation home in New York. The cult's inherent evilness and violence and spirit-shattering and brain washing is only gradually shown; the creepiness and horror slowly build up from an  ideal sun filled farm scene with tables laden with homegrown food to depravity.

Patrick, the cult leader, is a dead ringer for Manson. both in style and looks.

The film then continues toward the early part of Martha's stay with her sister while she tries to re-adjust to a life totally different than the one she had been in. She never does reveal anything about cult life to her sister so there is always a total lack of understanding as to why Martha is behaving in strange ways and saying inappropriate things.

It has one of those ambiguous and sudden endings which i both like and thoroughly dislike.

BOCA TACOS Y TEQUILA - TUCSON, AZ

this place used to be Greasy Tony's and we went there a lot during Tucson #1 for their cheesesteak sandwiches until the quality started going down and the grease level went up and their bathrooms became repositories of infectious disease material.

Boca (means mouth in Spanish) has a limited menu. 16 different types of tacos ranging in price from $2.50 to a little over $3 and some appetizers and a burrito plate. There are great taco combo's; shrimp with cabbage and pickled red onions and sirloin tip pcs. with an anaheim chile. There were fish varieties and pork and beef.

I had a grilled shrimp and a braised pork; both were delicious especially the pork which had a fantastic spicy flavor. bill got a steak one and he really enjoyed that. We also shared a side of charro beans (very plain) and garlic and green chile rice; though i couldn't taste much flavoring in the rice.

The place has been thoroughly de-greased. There are a few tables inside and a much bigger area outside; however, the restaurant is right on Speedway so the noise is deafening.

It is a great place for us after a hike because its right on the way home and since we order at the counter we can get home in good time for that after hike shower and foot rub. ahhhhhhhhhh

FAMOUS DAVE'S BAR-B-QUE - TUCSON, AZ

We went here using a coupon that Bill got for his birthday. During Tucson #1, we  ate at this restaurant several times but since moving back to Tucson and living in another part of town with excellent BBQ places, we haven't been back. Some errands on the NW side plus this birthday coupon led us back.

Bill said he enjoyed this meal more than his "official" birthday meal at Chad's. Except for the service. Our waiter Bobby was darling and friendly but off in another world. After bringing us water, he disappeared for a long time before coming back and taking our order. The food came really fast. But then we waited an even longer time for some take home boxes and the check. We could see Bobby check other booths but it was like he had blinders on.

but back to the food - the most important part. Bill had ribs which he said were some of the best he's ever eaten; so tender they were like baby backs. I got Georgia pulled pork; wonderful. The table had 5 different sauces ranging from the Carolina vinegary sauce to sweet and sassy to Devil's Pit!!!! With each entree you got a cornbread muffin and corn on the cob (frozen, of course so it was tough but the flavor wasn't too bad and the muffin was really good if crumbly) and 2 sides.

Bill chose green beans (just OK) and french fries. Deliciously crispy. I got baked beans which were great and potato salad which was disappointing as it was fairly bland. We brought home lots of meat and most of Bill's fries.

So all in all, a very good meal inspite of the waiting.

CHAD'S STEAKHOUSE & SALOON - TUCSON, AZ

We went here to celebrate Bill's 67th birthday and it was a semi-disappointing food experience. The atmosphere is casual and warm and woody with lots of booths and its extremely comfortable.

But Bill ordered their signature rib-eye steak and he was disappointed for the price of $20. He said it was dry and nowhere near as tender as at other restaurants. I got Guaymas shrimp - breaded. They were huge and the portion was large but even though they were ok; they were not as wonderful as Wings and Rice - a 'fast food' restaurant in Tucson.

Plus the presentation was very plain; not even a shred of parsley on the plate; just a mound of this shrimp. Each entree comes with a salad which was all iceberg but fresh and filled with tomatoes, carrots, olives, feta cheese, croutons, broccoli and red onion. Their thousand island dressing also passed my taste approval test. Their special cheese bread was not very special; rounds of soft Wonder bread texture rolls with broiled Parmesan cheese on top. They could have been warmer and perhaps that would have improved them.

Each entree also came with cowboy beans which were bland and then you got to pick one other side. There was a big selection to choose from but i went for the ho-hum baked potato - you can't go wrong with this spud. Oh, with the shrimp i got the tiniest portions of cocktail sauce and also (per one of my many high maintenance requests) tartar sauce. I also ordered a side of 3 baby back ribs and even though they also could have been warmer, i so wish i had ordered that for my dinner.

Each bone was encased with solid chunks of meat; no gristle and all i had to do was poke lightly with my fork and the meat just fell off because it was so tender. There was a nice bbq'd crust and crunch to the ends also. That was a real plus to the meal.

For Bill's 68th, he's going to pick another restaurant for his birthday dinner.

GUS BALON'S DINER - TUCSON, AZ

Bill and i ate a rare lunch out and once again it was so enjoyable that we have renewed our desire to do this about once a month. We were heading back from the DMV off of 22nd and this restaurant is on 22nd near Wilmot. Its been around since 1966 and from the look of a lot of the diners and the waitresses, i believe that.

The restaurant has a huge parking lot which is much bigger than the actual building which is fairly small. It has all booths and a counter and a super tiny squeeze yourself onto the toilet bathroom in the back. Its open till 3pm Monday to Saturday.

The place was full when we got there (right at lunchtime) and it was really really noisy. You get free coffee or tea with their salads, breakfasts and entrees but not with burgers or sandwiches. wierd, huh? The menu is very basic with reasonable prices.

We both got coleslaw which was good; maybe a tad too sweet. And we split 2 different kinds of sandwiches; a warm meatloaf on toasted rye bread with lettuce and tomato and an egg salad on toasted white bread. it looked plain and simple on the plate but oh, my it was good. The egg salad had a great flavor and wasn't too immersed in mayo and the meatloaf had a fantastic taste and there were 2 big slices on the bread.

So we will be back though now that we've re-committed to going out once a month, there are a bunch of other restaurants i want to try so it might be awhile before we recycle back to Gus's.

IN TIME

Time certainly dragged during this movie. I rated it a 4 just because the idea and theme was so clever; Bill rated it a 6 because they took a brilliant script and hacked it to sad and disappointing pieces with dull car chases and gun fights and uninspired acting and pointless drivel-dialogue.

Justin Timberlake was mis-cast; at least at this point in his career he is NOT a believable leading action hero character. He was wooden and stiff and looked especially robotic during the endless running scenes because he couldnt' waste time you see.

Wealth and longevity only occurred when one had lots of time which was illuminated on your forearm. So naturally (just like now, in fact) there were 1% of the population holed up in their special restricted time zone living opulent and sequestered long lives and then there were the rest who stole time from others.

Timberlake was paired with Amanda Seyfried who was also mis-cast and for someone on the run from her time-rich daddy she certainly had a lovely change of clothes and her makeup was always perfect and her skirts were incredibly short on her toothpick legs and most ludicrous of all, she did all her running in stiletto heels!

I couldn't wait till the movie was over so i could leave. A waste of time. (sorry, i had to.)

THAI CHINA BISTRO - TUCSON, AZ

This restaurant has been opened a month in the space which used to house Buck n' Lil's BBQ (a mystery to me why that place didn't make it; good food, casual comfortable atmosphere, reasonable prices and a super location.).

Anyway, what a great substitute for Buck and Lil's. Nothing has been done yet to transform the place from cowboy-rodeo to Thai/eastern exotic. And you still go up to the counter and order. BUT you get the food on glass dishes with real silverware.

And what great food it is!!!!!! and the prices are unbelievably low; like $7 for a good sized portion of chicken curry with rice. Beware of their hot system. 1 to 10 and we only ordered a 3 and i couldn't do anything with that dish except nibble on a few green beans; my entire palate and lips and chin were burning. Luckily it was fine for Bill's taste buds. The other dish was a wonderful noodle entree; huge portion with lots of chicken and vegetables and loads of broccoli. All the chicken in both dishes was very very tender. I also had one Thai egg roll which was incredible. The dipping sauce was a tad too sweet but that didn't prevent me from lovingly and longingly dipping my roll into it with every bite.

They also have Chinese food and some sushi rolls. Open 7 days a week till 9pm.

STRAW DOGS

Both Bill and I rated this movie a 5 because we didn't walk out of the theater.

The entire film was a forced set-up for violence. Now i'm not against blood, spilled intestines, open brain matter and broken bones but i want it to be part of a bigger story and this movie didn't deliver.

A young couple move to a small town in the south where the wife was raised. The rednecks and racists (though the town had a black sheriff!!!) were so over the top it was embarrassing though James Woods played a great alcoholic rage filled football coach. There were taunts and jeers and pet cat hangings right from the start directed at the pussy East Coast writer of Russian novels (played by James Marsden) and there was  leering, suggestive, flirting and of course gang rape scenes directed at the wife, played by Kate Bosworth.

And naturally, there had to be a retarded town boy who also liked to diddle teenage girls. In fact, as i'm typing this review, i'm thinking we SHOULD have walked out; nothing redeeming about this movie. Though some of the kill scenes at the end were worthy of the next Final Destination movie.