One of the reasons I was so excitedly looking forward to my trip to Tucson was the chance to go for some really authentic and good Mexican food. The city has its own version of Tex-Mex which it calls Arizona-Sonoran cuisine, the "soul food" of Arizona which was once part of the Mexican state of Sonora. No chain restaurants here but rather mom and pop places that ar handed down to future generations. Personally I was amazed by the fact that almost all the Mexican restaurants that I enjoyed some 30 years ago are still around.
Tonight I had a chimichanga at Mi Nidito, one of the older traditional restaurants in South Tucson whose claim to fame include recent diners like President Clinton, Madeline Albreight and a recent Food Network clip on Men and Food.
Did you know that the chimichanga was actually invented in Tucson? Family legend has it that restaurant founder Monica Flin of El Charro Cafe, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson cussed in the kitchen when a burrito accidentally flipped into the deep fryer. Because her young nieces and nephews were in the kitchen, she changed the swear word to "chimichanga", the Spanish equivalent of "thingamagig."
Culinary tourism is such a big market here that even Grayline offers a "Best of the Barrio" tour at $85/person offering a look at Sonoran Cuisine in the heart of South Tucson. Tastings range from handmade pastries/tortillas, carne asada, Sonoran hot dogs, fresh seafood, etc.
On a more global scale, Grayline also offers a Global Tapas Tour for $91/person which features Tucson's global cuisine from Cuba, Ethiopia, Mexico and Greece.
Next time you send clients to Phoenix, don't overlook Tucson if they want to enjoy some authentic Mexican food!
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