Ottawa Foodies

My only gripe with Tucson's is that the menu is just too darn long. I can't shake the impression that if the menu is 10 pages long, most of the items have to come from Costco. I'd love to see one of the Restaurant Makeover chefs walk in there with a Sharpie and strike out a couple of duds...

That being said, the simplest fare (burgers, salads, pasta) is usually fresh and well prepared.

Another nice new thing I noticed last weekend: they now have four reds and four whites by the glass.

The live music is very good, with very few exceptions. The nice thing is that most bands that play at Tucson's play there regularly, so you can make it a point to come back and see your favourites.

(Disclaimer: This place gets bonus points from me because we can walk home afterward; no need to negotiate designated driver duties!)

It's a roadhouse, so you don't come here looking for fancy food. That said, all four of us were reasonably happy with our choices.

I remember the live music being excellent here several years ago. Presumably that's still the case.

The hamburgers are very good at Tucson's. I've been there often, and I'd say burgers are the best thing on the menu. The fries seem homemade, too; they're more on the thin side and still have a sliver of skin.

The burger tasted very good: nice char-grilled flavour and a generous but not dry bun. I had the "Surf and Turf" burger (dressed with a creamy shrimp and crab sauce in addition to the 7 oz beef patty). Overall flavour was nice, although the richness made me glad to have chosen the refreshing salad over the fries.

Although the platter tasted good at lunch, it gurgled and cramped a bit in me in the afternoon. I have a sensitive system though -- I'm sure you'd be just fine. ;-)

If you like the battered kind of calamari, you'll find that Tucson's does a pretty good job of it. Crispy thin batter and moist, tender squid rings (no tentacles). Maybe a tad oily, but not in an off-putting way. Served with the boring seafood cocktail sauce.

I have to say that the fajitas are the most uninspiring I've ever had.