I have a question, and I hope some readers (or producers of the show?) would be able to help. Just moved back to Tucson recently, and I'd like to know of any neighborhood-type restaurants here (any kind of food) that you think are worth a try. The lesser-known, word-of-mouth joints that make 'home-cooked' food, any price range... the type of places that care about what they make and serve, and you always FEEL better when you eat there! (Used to be called 'Mom and Pop' restaurants.) I have tried so many places here over the years, but I know I am missing something. Can anyone advise??

You tried El Charro's in the Old Pueblo? It's been in the same family since about 1928 or so. Their carne seca is the best thing going. Their meat is sun cured. You can see it hanging from a yardarm above the roof (It's screened, so you don't have to worry about any bugs an' stuff.) I go out of my way to eat there. I'm surprised that Tony didn't include that place in his road trip show. He was in the area when he went to the Titan Missile Museum.

Then again, there are a lot of good places out there and he's only got a one hour show. What do you include and what do you leave out? Tough choices.

Hey once a chef, always a broad

I don't know any thing about tucson when I was in AZ I was in the grand canyon or flag staff most of the time. so i can't tell you much about the food, but there is alot of cool things in AZ like the painted desert, and the petrified forrest and probably alot more like the amazingly fast changes of the land scape while driving short distances. My advice would be take as many in state road trips as possible you probably don't have to go far to see somthing amazing. for example I hadn't been to sleep for 48 hrs or so when i took the flagstaff express from phoenix to flagstaff so i kept nodding off but every 10 or 15 min when i woke up it was like a compleatly different state or even part of the world. i would love to go back. also if you are ever in flagstaff the galexy dinner is kina cool its like somthin on happy days. but after a month in the desert the food was amazing I would bet it would still be good even without a month in the desert though