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.