Tucson trip report: Feast, Jax, Gold, Beyond Bread, Gus Balon's

[finlero]

Hi Tucson hounds!

Thanks for all the great info on this board -- you helped make the dining as good as the weather, which is definitely saying something. A few reports:

Feast - so sincere, so homey, and so ambitious, we really wanted to love it here, but although we certainly enjoyed dinner, it was something of an array of peaks and valleys. The menu borrowed ideas from all over the globe, clearly striving incredibly hard for deliciousness; results seemed to vary from about an A- to a mid-C if grading on a reasonably tough chowish curve. Highlights: PEI mussels in yellow curry broth (just a little exotic and quite well conceived), lemon madeleines (made-to-order and piping hot). Lowlights: chicken liver-stuffed rabbit (a little tough and bland, with one accompaniment overspiced and the other underspiced), basil/coffee ice cream (such an odd-sounding combination I had to try it, it tasted as odd as it sounded). The entire staff was impeccably professional and knowledgeable, as well as brimming with excitement about the food. The extensive by-the-bottle wine list was easily the single biggest strength here, with great value everywhere and the vast majority of wines well south of $100.

Jax - a veritable mirror image of Feast across the board: very safe comfort-food-driven menu, somewhat night-clubby setting, with incongruously old-skewing clientele (median age at Feast must have been at least a decade younger), the chow was consistently excellent. Highlights: crab cake (you could actually taste the crab, a rarity even on the east coast), duck confit salad (duck was impressively moist and full or flavor, greens and toppings were really nicely conceived), hanger steak (not easy to keep this cut tender, but they nailed it, sides were impeccable). Also a mirror image of Feast, Jax' wine list was shortish, dullish, and of typically mediocre value for this kind of establishment; nothing outrageous, just a big step down from the wine program at Feast.

Gold - we were staying at the Westward Look, so we tried breakfast here. Everything was surprisingly delicious, but wanted to give a special shout-out to the smoked salmon hash, a downright inspired combination of house-smoked salmon, hash browns, poached eggs, and good multigrain toast. Also quite good were the house-made granola and drip coffee. The dishes on the dinner menu looked a little tired, so we dined elsewhere, but if the execution was as good as breakfast, it would be worth a try.

Beyond Bread - impressive quality and quantity. Nothing was quite the best XYZ I'd ever tried, but I was struck by just how well they managed to make a dozen different breads, several dozen different good-sized sandwiches, and two cases' worth of baked goods. This place is a machine, and totally deserves the incessant crowds that seem to flock to it.

Gus Balon's - fast, cheap, friendly, and homemade, what's not to love? The sweet roll was tasty and fun, and splitting one would almost certainly have been enough breakfast for two of us, a real steal at two bucks. Everything else was tasty too, especially the homemade wheat bread. In a perfect world, I might lobby for some better coffee, but it was easy enough to enjoy it as it was, sort of part of the classic atmosphere.

Thanks again for all the chow info -- we can't wait to visit again!

[Claudette]

Thanks for the nice report, finlero. I agree with almost everything you wrote, except that I've always found the crowd at Feast to be a decade older than the one at Jax Kitchen - hmmm...perhaps we live in parallel universes? Come back soon and try the biscuit breakfast or fish taco lunch at B-line, the ahi burger at Zinburger, and the coffee at Maynard's.

[heart2bake]

The Breakfast Burger at Gus Balon's is not to be missed! The "burger" is a tasty sausage patty, topped with cheese, egg, and bacon served on their own homemade burger bun (grilled). You can always get your sweet roll to go. :)

[DriverPhil]

Feast changes their menu every month. Keeps it fresh I think.

Jax has a menu that is a bit more static. You need to try their sister restaurant The Abbey next time.