Get on the B Line

In the spirit of food, which just so happens to be one of the driving forces in my life, I decided it's time the B Line got a mention on here.

The B Line is a delightful little bistro on Fourth Avenue in Tucson. It stands out from the gritty bars and hippie shops with it's neon sign and the bar stool seating lining the windows. Inside is a somewhat-scrunched, intimate seating area on two levels.

I haven't tried many of the items on the menu, but everyone else who's ever eaten there with me has enjoyed their meals.

I always get the orecchiette pasta alla vodka--sometimes half a portion with salad, sometimes a whole plate. It comes with garlic toast and a toping of arugula (which I hate) and thickly shaven parmesan. After picking off the bitterly minty arugula (unless you enjoy the stuff), you can dive into a rich and very filling meal, totally worth 11 dollars.

There's also lemonade and root beer on tap, a good selection of beer and English sparkling water, among other things.

If that's not good enough, the rotating dessert case next to the cash register, and the non-rotating one under the register, will make your mouth water with a variety of desserts ranging from thick slabs of cake and pie to cookies and creme brulee.

If you're in the area and don't mind parking across the street (I usually take the Blackjack Pizza parking lot), it's sooooo worth it!

That's-a pizza pie!

Getting free stuff is always nice. Imagine my pleasure when I got a letter in the mail one day shortly after moving into my new apartment and discovered it included a gift certificate for a free large pizza at Rocco's Little Chicago, a pizza joint here in Tucson.



After a few weeks of sitting on the free booty, we called a quorum of friends and went to try it out.

The service wasn't particularly fantastic. The waiter seemed flustered and forgot to return with a lemonade refill for someone at our table. One of the regulars at our table said you have to get "the blonde" waitress, who is apparently very attentive and helpful.

We ordered a couple of appetizers, some beers and sodas, and two large, deepdish cheese pizzas.

The beer list changes every week, but we tried a Bitburger, Summer Solstice and Heileman's Old Style. I always enjoy a Bitburger, and this one wasn't bad. The person who got the Summer Solstice was trying to learn how to appreciate beer, and she ended up switching with the more experienced beer drinker who got the Old Style. I thought they both tasted like water, but everyone's beer taste buds differ.

The appetizers weren't bad. I tried the mozarella sticks, which were delicious and hit the spot after an evening of hunger. They weren't sensational, although I can't say I'd had mozarella sticks for a long time before trying them. From what I heard around the table, the medium hot wings were very tasty but a bit too spicy and the ranch dressing was delicious, and the BBQ sticks were fantastic.

The pizzas were monstrous: two-and-a-half inches of Chicago-style (sauce on top of the cheese) bliss. Very yummy, and worth the long-ish wait. They were quite filling, and at a table of five guys and three girls, we still ended up having two big pieces left over.

We didn't have time to sample from the dessert menu, which included cheesecake and giant cookies. Next time.

As for price: the free-pizza coupon helped a lot. Our original bill came to $72 (that's without the 15% gratuity mandatory for parties of six or more), and after the free pizza came off, it was $50 even (including tax and tip). A bit pricey for some college students, but manageable in a large group.

All in all, the meal was delicious and worth trying again.