MILLIE'S PANCAKE HAUS - TUCSON, AZ

I've eaten here quite a few times for brunch. They have always been a breakfast and lunch place only but that changed in December. Now they are open till 9pm for dinner on friday, saturday and sunday evenings. So we thought we'd give it a try.

They are near Pima and Tanque Verde right across the street from the miniature golf course.

We were the only diners till about 1/2 way through our meal and then another couple came in. I heard the waitress tell them that they were only the 3rd dinner people all evening but the Thursday before, they were very crowded.

We shared cabbage rolls and stuffed mushrooms though we wanted the pork loin sandwich which they ran out of. The mushrooms were pretty good; a tad too much stringy cheese on top but the herbed bread stuffing was really tasty.

And the cabbage rolls were excellent. I only ate the meat filling because my belly was still recovering - at this time the bloat was down to a 5 month pregnant size and not quite so taut with pain - from a bowl of charro beans the night before. They came with au gratin potatoes and steamed veggies which were over cooked. The dinner also came with a salad which was really big with cucumbers and carrots and red cabbage and tomatoes. We had the creamy garlic dressing which was delicious.

Millie's bakes their own bread and we got 2 slices of that. Its  good and brought back memories of all the loafs of wonderful bread Bill made pre-road trip. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

WILD

I liked this movie way more than i thought i would. I was prejudiced against it because she didn't complete the PCT and i didn't particularly care for her in my attempts to read the book. But Reese Witherspoon was very very good in this role.

The film is the story of Cheryl who decides to go on a long distance backpacking trip to get "her head together" and recover from her continuing grief over the death of her mother (Laura Dern) and a foray into heroin and an unwanted pregnancy and promiscuity and a divorce after 7 years of marriage.

The best parts were the trail segments which fortunately was the bulk of the movie. It really portrayed all the joys and pains and inconveniences of the trail; was a very accurate picture. and the scenery was amazing both the mountains and canyons but also the meadows and the continual rain in the Mt. Hood National Forest. And her encounters with other hikers or people along the trail was done extremely well.  The only jarring note in this was the blatant REI plug; not a subtle mention, not a passing glimpse of the  REI box which contained her new boots but something you would hear if you were watching an actual commercial.

I couldn't emotionally connect with her past angst and sorrow because the flashbacks were done in such a speed of light MTV fashion. Nothing was dwelled on for very long.

And the ending, naturally, was the completion of her trip at the Bridge of the Gods from Oregon to Washington. The last shot was Cheryl (Witherspoon) standing on the bridge mouthing psychological pop phrases of recovery and growth and enlightenment. I had trouble understanding just HOW all this hiking led to these insights.

However, in spite of all these bitches, it was a highly enjoyable and entertaining movie. Bill gave it an 8 and I gave it a 7. an 8.5 for the hiking sequences.

RINCON MARKET - TUCSON, AZ

This place is a combo of a small market, a deli, a hot food and breakfast cafeteria, a killer salad bar, a beer and wine bar,  and a homemade ice cream by Isabella section.

There are lots of tables scattered in 2 places and loads more on their long patio. What's neat about either sitting outside or just walking to the market is having to pass absolutely beautiful hanging flower baskets and huge pots and planters. I don't know who designs these blooms but they are incredibly breathtakingly gorgeous.

We were here for a lunch and wanted a salad. I tried to be careful and not put a lot of heavy stuff on my plate because you pay by the weight but it was hard to pass up all the delightful additives in addition to spinach, iceberg lettuce, spring mix, kale, butterball, etc. There was also lots of different types of salad dressings and toppers and there was also chicken to add and tofu and besides all the veggies and fruits  to pile on top of your lettuce base; there was potato salad and coleslaw and orzo and lentil salad and 4 bean salad and tortellini and macaroni salad, on and on and on.

and EVERYTHING was unimaginably fresh. so much so that we almost didn't mind paying $16 for our lunch.

BRUSHFIRE BBQ CO. - TUCSON, AZ

This is the best barbeque in Tucson. We always eat at the restaurant on 22nd and Kolb which opened maybe a year or so ago. The original one on Campbell near Glenn (which is still in business) is small so seating is always a hassle and its always noisy plus most of their tables are high and you've got to sit on those "adult" high chairs which are pretty uncomfortable. The place on the East side is very large and has lots of "normal" tables and booths too.

Last night we shared a 1/2 rack of baby back ribs. The rack was a tad smaller (by about 2 ribs) than we usually get but oh, the meat was good; so tender and flavorful. It comes with 2 sides and 2 pieces of grilled bread which are always dry. Because we had a 15% off coupon, we got an extra side of sweet potatoes which were excellent. Plus we took the creamy coleslaw and corn on the cob which i don't expect to be anything close to August Pacific Northwest corn or Olathe, Colorado corn but this was pretty pathetic so i don't think i'll get that again. Their barbequed beans are extraordinarily good.

This restaurant is high on our list of favorites.

BLACKHAT

I rated this movie a 4 and Bill gave it a 5. And he loved (and understood) all the computer hacking terms and keyboard clicking and router talk and encrypted stuff (though he said some of it was bullshit.). but inspite of his enjoyment of that part, the other parts pulled the rating down.

It was a hackneyed plot in which Nick (played by a somber and flat Chris Hemsworth who CAN act, i know! cuz i've seen him in the Thor movie plus that racing driver one.) was let out of prison so his supreme computer knowledge could be used to find the identity of the hacker who blew up a nuclear plant in China.

This China connection meant there was grudging cooperation between Nick and some Chinese whiz kids including the obligatory romance subplot which was so lame and embarrassing. The girl had no character, personality or substance; i felt the life sucked out of me whenever she was on the screen; absolutely no chemistry between her and Hemsworth.

A lot of the chase and fight scenes were shot like the Blair Witch Project; shaky camera work plus being blurry.

Big disappointment! I get to pick the movie for next week.!!

BIRDMAN

We liked this movie more and more as Bill and i discussed it afterwards. He gave it an 8 and i gave it a 7.5.

Michael Keaton is Riggan an actor who peaked 20 years before as an action hero called Birdman. He now wants to direct and star in a serious play on Broadway and he becomes obsessed with attaining fame once again but this time, in his eyes,  as a legitimate performer and not a feathered creature.

Through out the film there are scenes of his internal voice telling him he's either a worthless piece of shit and he's never going to pull off this play or that he's better than all of Hollywood and doesn't have to prove himself. Besides this inner voice there are also scenes of other fantasies; an actual bird, him flying, Riggan moving objects. and i have to admit i sometimes couldn't follow all these scenes. Though never to the point that i got lost in the story which was simple.

Naomi Watts is one of the actresses in the play and Edward Norton is Mike, an already accomplished actor who also is arrogant and  difficult to work with. There is lots of smart and sarcastic and witty and glib dialogue and the acting is marvelous.

I was mesmerized by this movie and I hated to have to go to the bathroom but luckily our theater was right next to the women's loo.

I also liked the movie because it included a lot about the mechanics and process in putting on a play and rehearsing. I was amazed at how good Michael Keaton and Ed Norton were; just perfect. oh and the background music which was a lot of discordant almost jazz like drumming was wonderful and created a lot of tension.

Now i didn't give it more than 7.5 (the acting in fact was a 10) because some of the fantasy stuff left me puzzled and I didn't like the ending which was ambiguous and for me, deeply unsatisfying.

THE HUNGRY FOX - TUCSON, AZ

I've eaten here several times before and i'm pretty sure i've reviewed it with appreciation for the good food and service. Well, not this time! As an aside, it seems that i have been more turned off by breakfast/brunch places than putting them on my 'go back' list.

It's a big bright space with a small gift store by the front door. and its located on the nw corner of broadway and swan.

I ordered a breakfast sandwich which came with hashed browns and i also got 1 slice of french toast. Everything was lukewarm; nothing was hot. The butter barely melted on the toast. The potatoes and sausage patty on the sandwich were greasy and the English muffin was hardly toasted at all (one of my usual complaints in restaurants. For some reason english muffins take forever in the toaster - way more than thick slices of bread or bagels so i''m sure this is why they always come to the table limp.)

And the eggs weren't scrambled which i ordered. It was sort of an egg hankerchief; thin yellow sheets folded over and over. Very unappealing.


and the waitress never came over after dropping off the food to check on us or refill tea cups and water glasses.

I won't be on a fox hunt anytime soon.

BIG EYES

A very fast paced and well acted movie about the woman who did the 'big eyes' portraits and the man (her husband) who took credit for them.

Christoph Waltz played Walter and he  excellently acted the assertiveness and showmanship and charm and con-man slickness and public relations savvy which catapulted his wife's paintings to fame and riches. They met and married in the late 50's and Margaret (Amy Adams) was a divorcee with a child when she moved to California to start over.

In the very beginning the creator of the paintings (Margaret) was given credit but as people slowly became more interested, Walter sort of accidentally took credit because of course "no one is going to buy a painting by a woman" and Margaret went along with it for many years because this was the late 50's and she felt obligated to Walter and dependent on his support. Also she was NOT a promoter personality at all.

The movie ends with a hilarious and yet sad court scene as Margaret sues Walter for slander. the credits at the end of the movie mentioned that she remarried and is still painting and Walter died in 2000 still not admitting that he did not paint the Big Eyes pictures.

I rated it a 7.5 and Bill gave it a 7. Light fun entertainment.

EL INDIO - TUCSON, AZ

We haven't been here in several years but my tongue memory is a positive one regarding the food quality. Its on S. 6th Avenue.

But i was really disappointed last night and I think the only one who wasn't was Jean and she ordered the albondigas soup.

I had a combo plate of a beef taco, tamale and enchilada. I requested no beans because i did remember that their beans were not very good. the rice that came on the plate was ok but everything else was not. It lacked flavor and the beef was stringy and the meat in the taco was way overdone and very dry.

That was Tim's comment on his carne seca plate; the meat was too dry. Bill thought his carnitas taco was just OK.

and i finally ordered a cheese crisp for an appetizer. Throughout the years i've heard people rave about them and i've caught a glimpse of them as they've been aerially carried to a table. The round plate is  set on a pizza like frame. Well, its just cheddar cheese on a crisp tortilla!! I couldn't figure out why so many people like them.  I'm not a fan of thick cheddar cheese and this crisp had mounds of it on some parts of the tortilla and none on other parts. You can get stuff added on top like green chiles or meat but that would not have improved the very ordinariness of this appetizer.

We won't be back.

LAVERNA'S COFFEE SHOP - TUCSON, AZ

I go here for the very fast service and the reasonable prices and the atmosphere which is cosy and warm with tables filled with regulars ordering their "usual" but also for the killer awesome delicious banana pecan pancake.

It is a plate size pancake - very light, filled with bananas and the top is  a crunchy crispy glee-infused pecan and cinnamon layer.

I brought more than half of it home and bill and i shared it the next morning.

The rest of their food is good but nothing like this pancake!!!!!!!