Torino Ristorante is an Oro Valley favorite!

Unfortunately Oro Valley isn't known for having great restaurants, but there are a few if you know where to look. Torino Ristorante Italiano is one that has a well deserved reputation in the community. Originally known as Cafe Torino, this tiny restaurant started out serving coffee and pastries in the morning and dinner at night with a maximum of 10 tables. As their reputation and business increased in the community, the owners purchased a larger space in the same retail center, and designated that as the new dinner restaurant while keeping the original space for breakfast and lunch.

Torino Ristorante is owned and operated by a family from Torino Italy, so as you can imagine all the recipes taste about as authentic as you can get. The restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere, with dimmed accent lighting and muted walls with watercolor murals like you might find in a Tuscan restaurant. A small open bar is located at the back of the dining area, but seats might be hard to come by as Mike packs 'em in with his a reputation for being the best bartender in NW Tucson. On some nights there is live jazz, but there is generally soft jazz music in the background. Dress is semi casual, although almost anything goes. During the winter months and on weekends you will want to make reservations as they get very busy. Anyway, on to the food!

Whenever we dine Italian we always like to start with calamari. It's our favorite and if it's good then the rest of the meal tends to be good as well. Torino makes a great calamari, the batter is light and crisp with no taste of oil, just freshness. It's served with marinara sauce on the side, but I enjoy the calamari as is; it's just too good to cover the flavor. Squeeze on a little lemon and I'm good to go. The Bruschetta is also very good, and we've heard great things about other appetizers, but we've yet to try anything different yet. Always saving room for dessert!

I've ventured to try a few different entrees on my visits to Torino, and all have been terrific. The lasagna is always my favorite because it's a simple dish with a clean and rich combination of flavors. Ribbons of pasta and ground sausage are covered in the perfect blend of marinara and bechamel sauce, which is great for me as I tend to favor white cream sauces. The portion is not too big which is good because the dish is so rich. The Veal Osso Buco is also excellent, with tender meat that falls right off the bone. My husband's favorite dish is the Pasta Gorgonzola, and I have to admit it is incredible. I don't like anything that tastes similar to Bleu Cheese, but the creamy rich sauce and the slight bite from the Gorgonzola over fettuccine is perfection.

If you can make it to dessert I would go for the chocolate gelato. This creamy gelato is rich to begin with, but is then rolled in crushed chocolate which makes the flavor even more intense. Not enough chocolate? Well chocolate sauce is drizzled over the gelato, so it's about as chocolaty as you can get. My old stand by dessert is the tiramisu which is is quite good, but not the best I've had.

Torino has a great selection of Italian wines as well as a martini menu. If you are just looking for a beer or mixed drink they can do that too.

Service is very good in general, but on occasion it's been spotty. My husband and I like to enjoy our wine before dinner, so we tend to go when the restaurant is a little busier and the meal can be spaced out. If it's a slow night the service will be quick and you'll be done before you know what happened.

Overall you can't go wrong with dining at Torino Ristorante. Great food, great service and the perfect location in Oro Valley makes it the local hot spot that's not to be missed!

'Tis the season of toasts with Fleming's Steakhouse

Though I've only visited there a few times, I really love Fleming's Steakhouse in the Tucson Foothills. Besides having a lot of character, this restaurant doesn't hold back when it comes to their advertising mail outs. Fleming's sends out a small booklet, usually about 10-12 pages and mostly about wine, on a seasonal basis. These booklets always offer interesting information about wines, whether it be tips for paring food and wine or a discussion about the red wine spectrum. The Fall edition focuses on the "Red Rapture" Red Wine Dinner that Fleming's has scheduled for November 13th. There's also a great section titled "How to make the most of every toast", and it discusses the fine art of making a toast. I've never been big on making toasts, but since we're moving into the season of celebration and Fleming's doesn't offer their marketing information online, I thought I would include a little summary of the article.

Looks like toasting has been around since 6th Century BC when the Greeks were toasting each other to prove that their wine wasn't poisoned. The word "Toast" comes from the Roman practice of dropping a piece of burnt bread in the wine to disguise the taste of bad vintages. Very interesting!

Today people make toasts for all sorts of reasons, whether it be wishing the happy couple a rich and prosperous life together or the drunken rambling of a family member trying to steal the show. Toasts are fun and even educational, depending on who the speaker is. But as with everything else in life, there are a few rules to toasting properly, so here's the list!

• When making a toast the speaker should always stand unless it's a small, informal gathering. No sitting!
• The "toastee" should never stand during the toast or drinks to himself. If you're the one being toasted, just smile really big and say thank you.
• Clinking glasses is optional, but raising glasses is not. If you're drinking wine or a cocktail, raise your water glass. Try to at least look interested!
• One should never toast the guest of honor before the host has had the opportunity. If the host is a little slow in this area you better give him a push to get the ball rolling.
• Eye contact is considered polite when toasting. In some cultures it's bad luck if you don't make eye contact.
• Never, ever, under any circumstances hit your fork against your glass to get everyone's attention. It's considered de'classe'!

Arizona food costs higher then national average

If you currently live in Tucson then you already know this fact, but if you don't and are thinking about moving to Tucson, it's important to know that food costs are higher in Arizona. According to a study done by the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, our state's food prices have increased about 15% over the last nine months. One reason is the high transportation costs for food products like eggs and beef that need to be transferred in to Arizona. When comparing the costs of sixteen basic grocery items like eggs, white bread and pork chops, Arizona's prices were about $6 more then the national average.

For more info on the Tucson food cost comparison visit AZ's "marketbasket" is $5.87 higher then U.S. average

My husband tends to be the cook in our house as he's very creative in the kitchen. That's why he's generally the one in charge of the grocery shopping. Like anyone that shops for the family meals, he's found that no one store has the best of everything. Usually he'll find that produce is great at one store while the meat selection is better somewhere else. Often we can only find one store that sells the types of bread we like; otherwise we go to a bakery. Since we live in Oro Valley we tend to travel to the same grocery stores for our purchases. In Oro Valley you basically have your choice of Safeway, Fry's, Trader Joe's or Ike's Farmers' Market. There is also a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market down the road, but we just don't shop there. Since we frequent all these stores quite a bit we tend to know their quality and value, so I'm passing on our personal observations.

• Safeway - is the closest for us, about 5 minutes away, so we tend to just go there because it's convenient. It's not always our favorite as food prices tend to be higher and the quality of their produce is very inconsistent. They do have a better selection of artisan breads then anywhere else we shop, but they sell out of everything quickly so you need to shop early to get what you want. If you're a Club member the sale prices at Safeway might be better then other grocery stores. Example - Fresh Atlantic Salmon fillets are priced at $4.98 lb at Safeway this week for Club members, while at Fry's they're priced at $5.99 lb for a VIP member.

• Trader Joe's -they have so many unique specialty items and their prices are pretty inexpensive. In the past year they've really expanded their selection in fresh meats, cheeses and organic products. If you've never been to Trader Joe's you should check them out as they have quite a following. I've had clients that made it clear that they must live within a five mile radius of a Trader Joe's. And did I say that they're cheap? Example - Trader Joe's makes a cheap bottle of wine that actually tastes good! "Two-Buck Chuck" as it's called, is a Charles Shaw wine and is actually priced at $2 a bottle. It's received national recognition and has only increased Trader Joe's following.

• Fry's - my husband likes Fry's because they have a good selection of meats and their produce tends to be better quality then Safeway. It's not as "fancy" as Safeway, but their everyday prices tend to be lower so you save on your over all bill. Example - This week Fry's is selling Gala apples for 47 cents while Safeway's cost is 50 cents.

• Ike's Farmers' Market - Not our favorite spot to shop as the selection on things like produce, meat and bread is minimal and prices are pretty high. They have a lot of specialty and organic items so for those that are looking for something unusual this might be your best bet. Example - Ike's price of Gala apples (organic) $1.47 lb. Price on Non organic Gala apples at Fry's is 47 cents lb.

Everyone has their favorite place to shop when it comes to where they buy their groceries, but it pays to look around since there are some significant savings to be found, especially when you're a "club member" at the various stores.

The Arizona Daily Star has a great article about price comparisons among various Tucson grocery stores. For more information about this check out the Tucson annual grocery price survey

Village Bakehouse a must see!

Just had lunch at the Village Bakehouse today and I wanted to make a report. My husband and I have been there in the past to pick up sweets when we're attending casual get togethers, and we've had lunch there a few times, so we're pretty familiar with the menu. The Village Bakehouse is located in Oro Valley, just South of Trader Joe's on Oracle Rd. It's tucked in the corner of a strip mall, and the business sign and front entrance are blocked by palm trees, so it can be really hard to find. Still it's all worth it when you finally get to enjoy any of their delectable treats. The Village Bakehouse is quaint with several small tables inside and a covered patio with more outdoor seating in the front. Not a lot a seating considering the locals in the area keep it pretty busy, but this place has a lot of character. When you walk inside you'll feel like you've entered into a little European bakery.

The Village Bakehouse serves both breakfast and lunch, as well as fresh baked artisan bread, cookies, and all sorts of specialty treats. Though I've yet to have breakfast there, I have been lucky enough to try several of their wonderful sandwiches and various yummy cookies. My favorite sandwich is definitely the Village Bakehouse, which is a fresh baked crusty baguette topped with smoked turkey , Havarti cheese, tomato, lettuce, avocado and a little dab of mayonnaise. I like simple sandwiches with fresh ingredients, so this one is perfect. It's delicious but it's one of those sandwiches that's almost too big to get into your mouth, so be prepared! My husband loves the "Shirley's Turkey and Cran" sandwich, which consists of turkey, cucumber, cranberry relish, lettuce and a smathering of cream cheese on whole wheat bread. Just like Thanksgiving in a sandwich! We've also shared a Club sandwich, but this isn't your typical Club. Try smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado and mayo on Asiago pepper bread. All I can say is Yummy! It's a good thing that diners have the option of ordering a half sandwich if they aren't able to eat whole one because Village Bakehouse sandwiches are very big. There's a large selection of sandwiches, homemade soups and salads on the menu, and there a few kid friendly items like PB&J or grilled cheese as well.

Although I love the sandwiches at Village Bakehouse, I go there for the sweet treats. There's an endless variety of cookies, muffins, pies, cakes, and pastries, all homemade and all delicious. My favorites are the chocolate, chocolate cookies, Snicker Doodles, carrot cake bars and pecan caramel rolls. They even make specialty wedding cakes. The desserts at Village Bakehouse are not to be missed, so if you're full after your sandwich get a few cookies to go.

The Village Bakehouse has a loyal following so if you plan on going it might be wise to visit off peak hours. They're open from 7am to 6pm Monday through Saturday and 8am to 2pm on Sundays. If you are going for sweets or fresh baked bread it's better to get there early as they sell out of their best items pretty quickly. Bon appetit!