Land Ho!!!!

    Located at where the former Lorcoccas Classic Italian Cuisine, Fini's Landing is the newest surf n' turf  in the Old Pueblo. Owned and created by the Scott Mencke and partner Doug "Fini" Finical, who managed The Hut on 350 N. Fourth Avenue. Fini's perfect combination of beach vibe with more upscale food.  It has porthole windows, flip-flop door handles, a sword fish and lady matador mural, fishing boat shaped bar with a mast holding bottles, beers, and other alcoholic beverages shelved on it. You just seat yourself here. When we sat down we saw Patron bottle lights, which I enjoy because I enjoy recycled materials.
    The  menu features various choices of a few classics. There are eight different fish tacos, six creative takes on  wings, twelve different sandwhiches and six appetizers. Many of the items have a  southwestern flare, like some food's are cooked with prickly pear sauce or jalapenos.
   In keeping with the beachy theme all the waitresses with in lifequard tank tops.  My Mom and I shared for our apeitizer, the Prickly Pear Calamari ($8.99) and the Dockside Ceviche ($10.99). The calamari was excellent and was a pretty generous helping. It wasn't chewy and tough like typical calamari. The prickly pear sauce was a was a sweet surprise but not over powering. The ceviche had a nice presentation with a scallion cut to look like a palm tree.  The scallops were nice and tender and had a nice balance between the cilantro and the red onion. The homemade chips that came with  it made the dish.
    My Mom got the Chicken Breast Coco Nido Sandwhich ($10.99) which was a chicken sandwhich with pineapple, swiss, and a coconut-rum sauce all on a chabatta served with a carrot slaw. The chicken was so tender, it basicly melted in your mouth like butter. The pineapple was sweet and complimented the swiss cheese. The coconut-rum sauce was superb and tied the whole sandwhich together.
    I, Foodie the Kid, got the Sayulita Fish Taco ($8.99) which was a fish taco with blacked fish and pineapple-mango salsa served with your choice of charro beans or Cuban-style black beans. I chose the black beans.The fish was tender and very "savorful". The salsa was nice and complimented the fish well. The black beans were just flat-out awsome.
   Check out Fini's Landing when you want great fish taco, excellent calamari, or just wanna hang out and eat great food.

  Fini's Landing                                           Hours:
  5689 N. Sawn Rd                                     Sun-Sat 11am-2am
  (520)299-1010
  http://www.finislanding.com/
 

A little Something, Something

  
   The Something Sweet Dessert Lounge is a comptfy place on Speedway where you can get delicious sweets and great sandwhiches. We went for my sister's 20th birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!) with her boyfriend.  My sister thought it was cute and very "loungey".  The place had a very intimate, chill vibe, despite it's vast space. After we were seated,  by our very kind waitress, I got up and got some games from the bookshelf.  We played several games such as, Uno, Taboo, Life etc... all of which I did not win...
   For our entrees, my sister had the Soup of the Day ($4.95) which was Potatoe Bacon, and  the    Tuna Melt ($6.95). The soup was yummy, full of potatoes and the bacon was an excellent touch. The sandwhich was made with a wonderful tuna salad 3 slices of swiss cheese on sourdough.
   I had the Triple Decker Club Sandwich ($8.25) It had bacon, ham, turkey and provolone on sourdough.  It was great with the ham and turkey, and the bacon gave it a ta cruchy texture to the sandwhich. The tomatoes and lettuce were fresh and didn't make the sandwhich soggy.
   My sister's boyfriend had the Ham Melt ($6.95).  This was delicious and had just the right amount  of ham, and was very yummy with the aiolli sauce. The aiolli basicly tied the sandwhich together.
   For Dessert, I had a Big A$$ Brownie ($5.45) and my sister and her boyfriend shared the French Silk Pie ($3.95).  The brownie was chocolatey sweet, with a chocolate chocolately drizzle.  Did I mention it was chocolatey?   It was the best brownie I have had in some time.  The pie was also chocolatey and the crust was both buttery and flakey with a a creamy choclate mouse topped with whipped cream. 
   Come in or call in when you have a hankering for something sweet!

Something Sweet Dessert Lounge              Hours:
5319 E. Speedway                                        Sun-Thurs  11am-12pm              
(520) 881-7735                                              Fri-Sat  11am-2am 
www.somethingsweet-di.com

Liv to Eat Good

   Opened back in January, Liv Cafe and Bistro is a cafe in St.Phillip's that serves fresh, delicious food that includes locally sourced ingredients. When I went with my Mom, the atmosphere was beautiful and cuisines were colorfully modern. The patio was wonderful and even some of the customers were talking about how lovely it was. The walls were green and when you step up to order there is a shiny mosaic leaf on the ground that you couldn't help but notice (a nice cheerful addition to the Liv Cafe). Almost half the cooks in the kitchen are interns from The Art Institute of  Tucson; who are responsible for deciding the days specials. I think it's cool!
   My Mom had the Thanksgiving ($8.25) and a Cup of Vegan Black Bean Soup ($2.50) which was the soup of the day. That soup was so delicious that it should be served everyday of the week. It was savory and full of flavor. Everything in it from the carrots to the black beans went well with the stock. Thanksgiving sandwhich was probably one of the best sandwhich my mom has ever had. It had roasted turkey breast, romaine lettuce, tomato, sliced red onion, cranberry-cream cheese spread with walnuts, all on a whole-grain bread. The smoked turkey breast was thick and and went really nicely with the cranberry-cream cheese. Basically it tasted just like Thanksgiving, just without the family and awkward dinner conversations.
   I had The Guido ( $8.50) and the Liv Chopped ($9.25) . The Liv Chopped had dried chicken, celery, apple, red onion, grapes, romaine lettuce, tossed with their homemade Dijon-dressing and topped with fried herbed goat cheese. It was lightly touched with dressing allowing you to still taste the ingredients in the salad. The grapes added a burst of flavor to the salad and the fried goat cheese was a gourmet take on a mozzarella stick, which was nice. The Guido could be served on your choice of a caibatta or marble rye. It was very meaty with salami, ham, capocollo, and  prosciutto. The pesto aiolli sorta tied everything together in the sandwhich.
   Come on down to Liv if your in the St. Phillip's Plaza area or just in the mood for some really good food

Liv Cafe and Bistro                        Hours:
4340 N. Campbell Ave.              Mon-Fri &am-4pm
St. 164                                          Sat & Sun 8am-3pm
(520) 638-5786
www.livtucson.com