ottawa foodies

Tucson's....tsk tsk tsk...
A group of friends and I tried Tucson's wing night a couple weeks ago, but unfortunately, we were very unimpressed with their wings. We each ordered a different flavour and sat in anxious anticipation of what delightful wings were headed our way, particularly with a flavour named "Desert Fire Suicide", they must be great!
I went with Hot wings, as I was informed that they were not a Frank's hot base, which always leaves me curious. To my dismay, they were not hot, they were barely BBQ! Maybe a mix up? Or this could be due to the fact that they were very lightly sauced?
A friend of mine ordered the Caribbean Jerk, which unfortunately came as a naked wing (had to have been in error). Our server, who was otherwise very pleasant, upon being asked about the lack of any spice, assurred him that they did have spice on them (they didn't...I tried one). He sent his order back in exchange for another kind, and requested extra sauce on the side...here's hoping there was nothing "extra" in it. A friend of ours who had arrived late, against recommendation, ordered the Caribbean Jerk as well. This time, they were very clearly spiced, however they were not spicy. The closest flavour anyone could attribute to the flavour was celery salt...nothing that can be considered Jerk.
The Desert Fire Sucide were warm in flavour, but the name is definately misleading. They, as well as the Honey Garlic, were the only two flavours that appeared to come with sufficient (and not an abundance) of sauce.
In the end, we each ordered a side of extra "hot" sauce to give the wings a little flavour...a very disappointing wing experience.
All of this being said, I have enjoyed other food ordered from Tucson's in the past, and the entertainment and service was fantastic...I just wouldn't go for the wings...

Wing Size - 6.5
Wing Sauce - 2
Recommended Beer - $12 pitchers of Domestic draft..but they're light beers...I would go with something with more flavour

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.