Hey everybody, my travels have come to halt and now it’s time to get down to some eating! Just a quick word on things here in Tucson. Everyone in all stores and businesses are required to wear a mask and as far as I can see with only a few exceptions people are doing their part here to flatten the curve. However, some restaurants are open for dining in and unless someone has invented a mask you can eat through, people are still eating out in an enclosed space without wearing a mask. Needless to say I am totally uncomfortable doing this as it makes zero sense to me. So for the next little while I’ll be doing take out and trying to make the food look as nice as possible in take out containers.
On my first stop I learned that one of my favorite places “Poco and Mom’s” had closed it’s doors, moving it’s operation to a much larger and fancier setting. Things do tend to work out for the best though because in it’s place was another restaurant. The Sonoran Brunch Company and The Lost Taco Shop. How can two restaurants occupy the same tiny space you ask? That’s what I was wondering so I headed over to find out. The Brunch Company opens it’s doors at 7am serving some amazing twist on staples like biscuits and gravy with a roasted poblano hollandaise sauce. Papas Gordo is another delicious concoction of hash browns stuffed with a Mexican cheese blend, chilis and onions served with an avocado salad. I found out that the restaurant closes at 2pm to give the kitchen time to switch over to The Lost Taco Shop at 4pm.
The Lost Taco Shop can best be described as a taco truck in a building. The offerings include Sonoran Grinders, their original take on the Mexican torta or sandwich. These are served on a Bolillo roll with bean spread, shredded cabbage, pico and jalapeño vinaigrette. You can get them with meat or fish and their original and amazing fried cauliflower and avocado combo. On this night I was in the mood for tacos and when I saw Richard’s taco I had to have one. Richard’s taco is their name for a taco served on fry bread. Tucson has a rich culture of Native Americans and when you combined that with Mexican heritage you get the fry bread taco. If you ever get the chance to try one I urge you to forget about the calories and dive directly in! I needed to try a conventional taco so I ordered a Carne Asada taco and for some reason I also got the chicken wings. The Lost Taco Shop has a few curious things on their menu such as Chicharrones (fried pork skins) or a Cubano sandwich and chicken wings. While I loved the flavor and textures of the tacos I could have done without the chicken wings. I’m going to chalk this up to the fact that I did take out and the wings were steaming in their take out box which made the breading mushy and not very appealing.
I can’t wait to go back though and try as many things on their menu as possible. The food is inventive, thoughtful and prepared with care. The ingredients are fresh and good quality. You can tell there is pride in everything they make. I’m going to keep this restaurant in my go to pile for when I’m in Tucson.
If you have any comments or questions please leave them in the box below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. If you’ve been to The Sonoran Brunch Company or The Lost Taco Shop and would like to add a few things please feel free. Thanks for stopping by, until next time Boone Appétit!
Paco & Mom is an awesome restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner! My favorite you ask…. The Silver City…..yummy!
Hi Kelly, now I’m going to have to do a story on Poco and Moms because it does deserve one. Also, we can’t leave the other readers guessing what your favorite is there. So here’s the Silver city plate…”Golden hash browns with grilled onions topped with fresh hatch green chile sauce, melted cheddar jack cheese and two eggs any style. Served with homemade refried beans and a flour tortilla. Add carne asada, red chile pork or machaca on top”. I think of it as their New Mexican twist on Huevos Ranchero and you gotta love the green chile sauce, I could eat that right out of the jar!Thanks for sharing.