What Does A Tucson Steakhouse Have In Common With A Plant-Based Restaurant Across Town?

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The Silver Saddle and Tumerico are both family owned and operated icons that are loved by their loyal customers. Your missions may be very different, but both deserve high marks for great quality.

Tucson’s Silver Saddle Steakhouse is a popular old school icon cooking over mesquite.

Silver saddle via Instagram

Back in the saddle

Home to Saguaro National Park, the University of Arizona, the James Beard-winning Sonoran Dog Palace and the groundbreaking Whiskey del Bac, this charming southwest town proudly takes on its cowboy roots. There are dozen of restaurants celebrating different cuts of beef, and Silver Saddle always ends up at the top of the leaderboard.

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I recently spent a few days exploring the area from my cozy home base at Camping Lazydaze KOA, also known as Snowbird Central. (Yes, Tucson is a bright, glowing beacon with 300 days of sunshine a year.)

Before heading out to eat, I asked a few locals where to go, and Silver Saddle kept popping up with one small caveat: it’s not fancy, but it’s reliably good. Okay, dizzy!

Like so many restaurants, the Silver Saddle has struggled during the pandemic, but doubled its take-away program and the effort has paid off. These days the parking lot may be crowded with guests eating there, but there are always a few spots for those who pick up.

I was there recently on a Saturday night and waited – but not long – for a porterhouse steak dinner. Both my husband and I had our Pfizer booster vaccinations that afternoon and wanted to sit back in our RV.

Going out of a steakhouse take away was something I had never done before and I lowered my expectations. I mean how good could it be? Really, really good, it turned out.

Silver Saddle Steakhouse in Tucson cooks its various pieces over mesquite fire.

Leslie Kelly

The 24-ounce steak on the bone was prepared perfectly medium rare and fulfilled the smoky promise of a platter of beef cooked over a mesquite wood fire. Yes it really does make a difference.

The side dishes were straightforward and well made, a fluffy baked potato and a crunchy green salad … with ranch dressing, of course. Dine in and you can fortify yourself at the salad bar or order French onion soup.

I shared the massive steak with my husband who – believe it or not – caused no beef: he prefers the fillet while I love the New York side of that overgrown T-bone. We even had leftovers. All of that and it was only $ 38! Half the price of many steakhouses that don’t come close to the flame-kissed quality.

While we didn’t have full service, the staff who took the order over the phone and delivered it to the car were exceptionally friendly and professional. I will definitely come back next time in Tucson.

Tumerico is a popular plant-based restaurant in Tucson owned and operated by chef Wendy Garcia.

Tumerico via Instagram

And now something completely different …

I met a friend for lunch and she suggested Tumerico, head chef Wendy Garcia’s Latin-inspired, plant-based restaurant in a mall. Think super casual.

And during the lunchtime rush, there are times when the queue at the door is spilled in front of the door. Relax, they have you.

My lunch date – which had moved from the gray Pacific Northwest – hit me well after noon, so we went straight to the counter and ordered a bit of everything. “You must be really hungry,” teased the cheeky waiter. Yes, we were, but we cut our lunches down to just half a dozen items.

The magnificently arranged plates came in a steady stream from the kitchen and it became clear that we were straining our two-pot. Well, that’s what to-go boxes are for, right?

Fresh flavors come to the table at Tumerico, a Latin American-inspired, plant-based restaurant in Tucson.

Leslie Kelly

Before digging in, we took a few eye candy food porn photos – the iPhone always eats first! – and raved about how beautiful it all looked. The greens were super fresh, the pieces of zucchini tostadas so hearty. Posole with shredded jackfruit was probably the best iteration of this meat-mimicking product I’ve ever come across. Miraculously, it tasted like pulled pork.

The waiters – everyone wore masks, thank you very much – were attentive without being intrusive. A happy energy buzzed through the crowd. It just felt so good to be there, sharing a meal and comparing notes about which dish we liked best. If I lived in Tucson, Tumerico would definitely be on my regular rotation.

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