
"chipirones rellenos"--tapas in the desert
"Casa Vicente" is an institution in this desert city--Tucson's outpost for tapas a la española. Just south of the downtown core, a couple of blocks from the neo-Baroque façade of the Cathedral of San Agustín, this restaurant also features live music on different weeknights: classical guitar, flamenco, even tango lessons. This particular evening we tried "chipirones rellenos," a trio of baby calamari, skewered and stuffed with green tomatoes and spices. In a town more known for its tacos and burros (a.k.a. 'burritos' elsewhere), it's appropriate, if somewhat uncommon, to find Iberian fare--Tucson was founded in 1775 as an outpost of the Spanish empire, decades before it became Mexican, and then in the mid-19th century, finally part of a U.S. territory...And, by the way, the sangría here rocks. (For more info: www.casavicente.com)
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