The Cafe
The Cafeimpresses diners with its wine list, embracing not only Arizona wines but vintages from California, Washington, France, Spain and Australia. It's not uncommon to see ranching couples enjoying a bottle of Zinfandel while sitting next to a table of tourists sharing a bottle of Chablis.
And why not? At The Cafe, the menu choices include a turkey pesto sandwich featuring thick-sliced turkey with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, onion, Swiss cheese and housemade pesto; a chipotle burger topped with smoky chipotle chile, bacon and pepper jack cheese; and the Hot Bacon Vinn salad, with baby spinach, onion, tomato, apple, bacon, walnuts and balsamic dressing.
Details: 3280 Arizona 82, Sonoita, 520-455-5044, cafesonoita.com, $.
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Steak Out Restaurant & Saloon
For 30 years, Michael and Grace Wystrach have operated Steak Out Restaurant & Saloon with their children. At Steak Out, you might see cowboys in spurs, families out for dinner or couples looking to enjoy drinks and dancing.
Steaks are cooked on a mesquite grill and seasoned with the restaurant's spice blend. The rib-eye topped with grilled mushrooms is popular, as is the hearty T-bone. Sirloin steak tips are topped with a secret sauce. The meal comes with a baked potato, salad and roll.
Details:3243 State Highway83, Sonoita, 520-455-5205, azsteakout.com, $$.
Velvet Elvis Pizza Co.
Touted by scads of media outlets and declared an Arizona Treasure in 2005, the Velvet Elvis should be on every foodie's must-visit list. Owner Cecilia San Miguel uses recipes that originated more than 70 years ago at a Brooklyn pizzeria, but she has added a distinctive Southwestern and healthful flair.
Designer pizzas are built using a savory whole-wheat crust as a platform and topped with carefully chosen ingredients. Bell peppers are roasted in advance, and the chorizo is made in-house from lean ground beef. Pizzas run the gamut fromPopeye, prepared with red sauce, organic spinach, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions, feta andmozzarella, to the meat-laden The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. The signature pizza is the Inca Quinoa, which requires a 24-hour advance notice. It is made with a crust of quinoa flour, layers of vegetables and specially prepared sausage in an iron skillet.
Details: 292 Naugle Ave., Patagonia, 520-394-2102, velvetelvispizza.com, $.
Gathering Grounds
The Gathering Grounds lives up to its name. It also offers creative and delicious soups, salads, sandwiches and pastries. People-watching is a lot of fun, as is the artwork that is on display. A long wall features the work of local artists, which changes with a new show and reception on the first Thursday of each month.
Serving breakfast and lunch daily and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, the Gathering Grounds has an upbeat ambience and free Wi-Fi. Dinner specials change often, and baked goods include gluten-free and vegan choices.
Details: 319 McKeown Ave., Patagonia, 520-394-2009, $.
Landmark Cafe
The Landmark Cafe has been dishing up hearty home-cooked meals for almost two decades. All the classics are there for breakfast and lunch, and be sure to take advantage of the dinner specials.
Thursday night, a rack of baby-back ribs is a popular choice with diners — it is served with slaw, baked beans, fries and bread. Friday features all-you-can-eat beer-battered cod, complete with fries and hush puppies.
Details: 400 W. Fry Blvd., Sierra Vista, 520-459-4624, landmark-cafe.com,$.
Shelby's Bistro
Shelby's Bistro serves salads, pizzas and sandwiches. Try Amelia's Spicy Burger, dusted with a blend of Sonoran spices and layered with pepper Jack cheese and roasted red peppers. The french fries are golden brown and crunchy, the kind that will put you off your diet in a heartbeat.
The Wine Country salad comes with pecans, dried sweet cranberriesand a gorgeous grilled portobello mushroom, set on a bed of mixed greens and served with a tasty raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Details: 19 Tubac Road, Tubac, 520-398-8075, shelbysbistro.com, $.
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Stables Ranch Grill
At the Stables Ranch Grille at Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, the stone floors are part of the resort's original Spanish stables from 1789. Stout wood beams and stone fireplace in the front room also help to set the tone.
While the architecture remains tied to the property's equestrian past, the kitchen is not producing meals for stable hands.The free-range chicken breast, laid beside risotto with a side of grilled asparagus, would have brought a smile to a nobleman's face.
Details: 1 Avede Otero, Tubac, 800-848-7893, tubacgolfresort.com, $$.
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Outside Inn
The Outside Inn is a small, inviting place specializing in American cuisine. Steaks, seafood and a few simple pasta dishes are served by a friendly, efficient staff.
The crab-stuffed mushroom appetizer is moist and delicious. The five pieces could have been a light meal in themselves. The dinner salad is a generous helping of greens and veggies.
For dessert, diners might gladly fall into a sugar coma after several bites of the fluffy, tasty chocolate mousse, served in a deep glass. There's a nice selection of beer and wine, as well.
Details: 4907 S. Arizona 92, Sierra Vista, 520-378-4645, $$.
Tanuki Sushi Bar
Tanuki Sushi Bar & Garden is bright, crowded, noisy and full of knickknacks. There are plates signed by previous customers, including one autographed by actor Tom Selleck. The restaurant even caught the eye of the folks at "Sunset Magazine," who wrote an article about the popular location and its high-quality Japanese cuisine.
The salmon nigiri is fresh and firm, and the rainbow roll is bursting with ocean flavor. The restaurant offers dine-in and take-out services, and it features indoor and outdoor dining.
Details: 1221 E. Fry Blvd., Sierra Vista, 520-459-6853, tanukisushi.com, $-$$.
Pizzeria Mimosa
Pizzeria Mimosa is no rural shack. It's a big, handsome stone structure, with Italianate columns, a pretty patio overlooking the Huachuca Mountains, and a gleaming open kitchen where you can admire the wood-burning oven shipped from Italy. There's even a little shop stocked with the kind of Italian goods you might find in a chic urban boutique.
Most everything at Pizzeria Mimosa either comes from Italy or is made in-house. Among the latter was an arancini special, four irresistible rice balls sumptuously stuffed with king crab and cheese. We were equally smitten by two other starters: four fat meatballs in a superb tomato sauce brightened with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano; and creamy burrata lightly drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
The 12-inch artisanal pizzas are baked to Neapolitan standards — in an 800- to 900-degree oven for 90 seconds to two minutes — sporting the proper thin, crisp crust and slightly moist center. I can't decide which pizza I liked better:the Casanova, lined with mozzarella, crushed tomatoes, fennel sausage, pancetta, pine nuts and basil; or the Emilia, a white pizza whose base of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano supports prosciutto and arugula, which we supplemented with peppered salami to add some zest.
The stunning gnocchi alla Tirolese is a heart-stopper: light pasta dumplings enveloped in an ultra-rich Gorgonzola cream sauce blooming with the earthy scents of roasted mushroom and speck (smoked prosciutto). If your arteries are still functioning, proceed to the Nutella cheesecake.
The drinking is as good as the eating. The bartender mixes an excellent Negroni and a house-special mimosa with homemade blood-orange liqueur. The wine list has about 40 Italian wines priced under $30.
Details: 4755 E. Neapolitan Way, Hereford, 520-378-0022, pizzeriamimosa.com, $$$.
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