Restaurants

Hi everyone. I%26#39;m traveling with 6 people for business the last week in Jan. I%26#39;m assigned to pick dinner for a thursday night.

First, is it too cold to enjoy an outdoor dinner? If not, then can you help me with a dining suggestion with outdoor seating and a fabulous view?

If it is too cold to dine outdoors, what%26#39;s a place that offers something DIFFERENT by way of ambience? Either live entertainment, dinner show, some sort of unique dining experience.

Thanks for the hints!

iluvryno

Restaurants

Night time temp at dinner time will be 60 at best, more likely around 50. Also dark, so dinner with a view would mean city lights.

Where are you staying?

Outdoor dining with a view: Hacienda del Sol Terraza del Sol (heated patio)

Dining with a view: Westward Look Gold Room and Lookout Bar and Grill, Anthony%26#39;s, Janos and J-Bar at Westin La Paloma

Restaurants

Hey Bobbear....thanks for chiming in. Those temps are a bit low to be sitting outdoors!

Staying at the JW Marriott resort. Looking for something fun....have had enough stuffy corporate dinners to last a lifetime.

Thanks again for your help.

How%26#39;s Sullivans? I%26#39;m going to the Chicago one in a couple weeks and saw that they have one in Tucson. They advertise %26#39;Live Jazz%26#39; every night?

Skip Sullivans. We were not at all impressed with either the food or the service, particularly at very high prices. And from the restaurant, you can%26#39;t hear the jazz at all. You have to go into the bar for that.

Yes, too cold for outdoor evening dining. Indoors at Anthony%26#39;s you can get great views of the city lights and good food.

Restaurants with outdoor patios open in the winter have outdoor heaters to keep you comfortable. Some are semi-enclosed.

iluvryno - If you%26#39;re staying at JWM Starr Pass, you%26#39;re not very close to any of the suggestions. Here are two not very well-known suggestions for dining which don%26#39;t have views but have really good food and not expensive. The Agave at Desert Diamond Casino is about 15 minutes south on I-19 .... is the home of one of Tucson%26#39;s best chefs. Bellisimo at Casino del Sol is about 10 minutes from JWM. My experience at both is that meals are maybe $5-10 less than equivalent food at other restaurants but just as good. The service is often a little ';spotty,'; but tolerable for the quality of the food.

At the intersection of Campbell Ave. and Sunrise Rd. in the foothills (maybe 30 minutes from JWM) are North (gourmet eclectic Italian), Blue Point (seafood) and Flemings Steak House. All have views, but I also consider all of them a little pretentious for what they are and somewhat over-priced. But the food is consistently great.

Actually, I very recently ate at Blanco Tacos + Tequila at La Encantada Shopping Mall in the Foothills. This was the week before Christmas.

Their outside seating was open and they had tons of space heaters running. By the time we finished our meal, it was warmer on the patio than it was in the indoor dining area! In addition, you have a lovely view of downtown and the Tucson Mountains and can watch the sunset. It was very nice.

We had a gift card, so we went there. The food was good (though honestly there is better Mexican food to be had elsewhere in Tucson of course), but I just thought I%26#39;d chime in that it might be possible to dine outside even now. I%26#39;d suggest calling ahead and confirming that their patio is still open of course. The ambiance was nice and there are other restaurants in La Encantada as well.

Great feedback on the outdoor patios. What ARE the best authentic restauants near the Starr Pass resort?

Thanks.

Honestly the Starr Pass area itself is mostly residential. But that%26#39;s why I love it - it%26#39;s SO pretty and quiet. And going for a walk very early in the morning to watch the sun rise or just as the sun sets in the early evening is a nice, peaceful thing to do there.

So you%26#39;ll have to drive 15+ minutes to get to any good restaurant I think. I%26#39;ll let the other more knowledgeable locals chime in on more authentic fare with outdoor seating, in case there%26#39;s anything to add to what they%26#39;ve already said.

%26gt; Great feedback on the outdoor patios. What ARE the best authentic restauants near the Starr Pass resort?

Depends on your idea of ';near.'; Many of the better Mexican places in Tucson are Downtown (La Poca Cosa) or on the south side (Fourth Ave/29th Street - Mi Nidito, Las Cazuelitas), which is about a 10-15 minute drive from Starr Pass. There are some more hole-in-the-wall places that I like along Saint Mary%26#39;s and Grande (Saint Mary%26#39;s, La Herradura, El Sabroso) on the west side of the freeway, and a couple of good places on the near northwest side (Silverbell around Speedway/Grant - Mosaic, San Carlos Grill).

hth