SAMWITCHES & SUCH - TUCSON, AZ

No way does this place come anywhere close to the wonderful delicious and reasonably priced salads and sandwiches you can get at either Jason's Deli or Beyond Bread. We were really disappointed. They opened about 4 months ago in the space that used to house Thai-China (which moved several blocks away). All the oriental rich red and gold decorations were removed but nothing was put in its place.

I had a meatloaf sandwich on marble rye and melted Havarti cheese. All sandwiches and burgers come with homemade chips or homemade fries. Well, there is no way those  shoestring fries could have been homemade. There was a huge pile of them which Bill took home for a lunch. The meatloaf was quite tasty; lots of flavor and a good amount. I couldn't even finish it.

Bill ordered a BLT with cheddar cheese. He said it was just OK. and his side was the chips. They tasted and looked like Kettle chips but while they were warm they were really good; salty and slightly oily. There was a dip which had way too many onions in it which set up a physical barrier to getting the chip adequately smeared with the dip. Ah, luxury problems.

We won't be back but i would be willing to come here with a girlfriend and try one of their breakfast items. They are open 7 days a week from 7am to 10pm.

IRON MAN 3

It took us a while to settle into this movie and become engaged but once that happened, it was a highly entertaining and witty movie with a surprising twist. We both gave it an 8.

The plot is good guy (Robert Downey, Jr.)  stopping bad guy (Guy Pearce) amidst very sharp and funny dialogue, interesting scenes, wonderful visual effects, great characters (the small boy who temporarily interacts and helps Iron Man is delightful), and super acting.

Ben Kingsley was marvelous and Guy Pearce played a great suave and slick talking shady character. I wish Don Cheadle had been given more air time as he excels in both comedy and drama roles.

This movie is certainly a noteworthy addition to the Iron Man film series.

TINO'S PIZZA - TUCSON, AZ

We moved out of Portland declaring Godfather Pizza our favorite forever and ever. Well, Tucson doesn't have a Godfather's so after trying several other pizzas we ended up at Pizza Hut and this has been our hands-down favorite for many years. Every so often we venture forth into foreign and untried pizza pie land but always come back to The Hut.

We sallied forth in a discovery mood last night and this time found a winner and a worthy competitor to Pizza Hut. Its Tino's on Tanque Verde near the miniature golf course. The restaurant is small and plain but it has a nice friendly atmosphere.

We ordered a 14 inch combo on thin crust - called The Works. and we were really pleased. The crust was excellent though it could have used a tad more crisping at the pointy end of the piece. The flavor and amount of toppings was very satisfactory. We could taste the hint of good olive oil and also basil and even though there were not enough onions for me; there was a lot of sausage and pepperoni.

This cost $20.30 which was certainly more expensive than Pizza Hut; where we can get a large combo with a coke for about $14. but Tino's is now on our list. This positive experience has emboldened us and in the future we will also try a few others. Though my friend, Renee, told me that she and her husband tried a lot of  other pizza places  in Tucson throughout the years they  always come back to Tino's.

LAVERNA'S COFFEE SHOP - TUCSON, AZ

Well, i went back here again; to give the restaurant another try because the prices are so reasonably low, the portions are big, the atmosphere is friendly and cozy and the service is excellent - although the food is sort of bland and just 'ok'.

and i'm sooooo glad i came back. I ordered french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon which were alright but once again tasteless and the bacon was way too salty. However, Chris ordered one of their specialty pancakes - a butter pecan banana - and it was fabulously luxuriously sinfully good.

The pancake is huge; like a flying saucer and there is a thin layer of fluffy pancake dough and then this crunch caramelized brown sugar topping with banana slices. and nothing is overdone; all the flavors balanced and it wasn't sugary sweet. Chris and i both ate from it and we each had some to take home.

The other flavors of pancakes they have include chocolate chip, apple crunch, blueberry and some others i can't remember because i was swimming in the pool of gustatory delight when the waitress was listing the varieties.

And now, of course, i'll have to keep coming back. Who cares if their eggs are tasteless?

DISCONNECT

Very interesting and fast-paced movie about the effects of all the techno communication tools  including; texting, email's, ipad's and ipod's, on interpersonal relationships.  We both rated it an 8.

There were 3 separate stories which all intertwined in some way as the film progressed. All the linking threads were believable and none of the action seemed Hollywood-fantasy.

One story involved 2 15 year old boys who pretended to be  Jessica , a high school girl. they posted a picture of her which they got  from another site  and started texting and emailing  this very shy and quiet classmate who these 2 kids had been picking on.  Jessica had a crush on the quiet guy who responded with innocent glee. The father  of the "victim" was played by Jason Bateman. He is such a good actor both in comedy and serious drama; plus he's wonderfully good looking with sexy eyes.

Another story was about identify theft and during the investigation to try to find out who was responsible, the 'online' secrets of the husband and wife were revealed to each other.

And the 3rd story and the one most complex was a reporter who wanted an exclusive story with a boy who did live sex chats and other requested acts. (all of which i was totally unaware of!! i know, i know; pretty naive of me.) All the young people lived in a house together with a dorm father. A lot of them were minors. Anyway, this storyline brought up a lot of other issues; how truthful should reporters be to the person they are interviewing, the ethical matter of overlooking illegal acts in order to "get the story".

I don't want to say any more about the 3 stories in this movie, because how they develop and the ties to the other stories would ruin some of the unexpected events.

D'S ISLAND GRILL - TUCSON, AZ

This restaurant serves Jamaican food and is located in the strip mall on Fort Lowell and Country Club.

The interior has been decorated with a wonderful vibrant color theme of yellow and green with some tiles on the wall and the necessary picture of Bob Marley. and the owner's wife (i'm assuming) was very interested in how we learned about the restaurant (its newly opened as of about a month) and how we were enjoying the food and also was very helpful in explaining the various dishes.

Bill and I shared a double meat entree and the meats we tried were jerk chicken and browned stew chicken. It was very tender and moist and the jerk chicken was spicy with a lip tingle but not so hot I couldn't enjoy the flavor. I guess there could have been more actual chicken since the pieces did not include breasts or wings but every other part of the bird.

This was accompanied by tangy coleslaw and a huge amount of delicious rice and beans and one festival. Festivals are slightly sweetened cake donuts. We also ordered a side of them and a side of plantains which were great. they weren't caramelized on the outside which was good since i was filling up on the festivals which i wouldn't order again.

We will be back  and Bill's going to get the oxtails and i'm going to try their jerk chicken quesadilla and probably the plantains again.

JERRY BOBS RESTAURANT - TUCSON, AZ

I haven't been here since Tucson #1 and it hasn't changed. The service is still friendly, the food is good but not great, the prices are low and the restaurant is sparsely decorated - in fact, not decorated at all; sort of the ambience of an eating warehouse.

I had a combo with 2 scrambled eggs and ham with onions over hashed browns and a biscuit. There was lots of ham which was all tasty. The biscuit was huge (and can you imagine? my request of extra butter yielded 2 tiny midget silver cups. the waitress looked with disbelief when i asked for at least 6 more.) but too heavy. while it was warm, though, it was satisfying -  all lathered in melted butter with a smear of jelly on each bite. Yum.

We used the coupon that they've run for years - order 1 entree and 2 beverages and the other entree is free. I didn't want a beverage but ordered a decaf coffee; ended up 'saving' about 30 cents.

PHOTOS FROM RON AND JULIE'S VISIT - APRIL 2013

Click on the link below to view the pictures. enjoy.

https://plus.google.com/photos/104558674974334182523/albums/5874644573920171361?authkey=CKStgbWs-YWuMA

click on the picture to see the caption i added

MILLIE'S PANCAKE HAUS - TUCSON, AZ

One of these visits i'll try their lunch; so far i've only been here for breakfast. Their food is good but not extraordinary. Service has always been friendly and prompt and the restaurant itself is cheery and homey and cozy. reminds me of Heidi's restaurant in  Gresham, OR; a Dutch big-bosomed comforting gingerbread mama feel.



I had 2 scrambled eggs, 3 pcs. of bacon (done perfectly) and toast with some fruit. The fruit was Tucson dessicated wood flavored which means NO flavor except for a smidgen from the wafer thin orange slice and the honeydew melon.

I also ordered some cornflakes and the waitress remembered that i had wanted my milk warmed to room temperature. I appreciated that.


Millie's is located on Tanque Verde near Pima; across from the miniature golf course.






I for sure will be back.