I had reviewed Garden Bistro last year and have recommended it highly ever since for several reasons. First, the food & service is VERY good. Second, diners are situated in or very near one of the finest, most extensive, and beautiful gardens in the Southwest. To Jump to the Chase and see the results of the Search for the Best Burger in Tucson, click here.
Third, the gardens of Tohono Chul attract a variety of birds. So, if you’re seated on the patio, you have lots of avian company along with their rhapsodic vocalizations. Here, the price of a meal includes tiny hummingbirds performing aerial acrobatics for your enjoyment.
Actually, Tohono Chul has several different kinds of gardens, plus a fine art gallery, greenhouse, exotic plant sales, performing arts events, classes & workshops, a museum shop, & a lot more. Read More
Tohono Chul was named one of the World’s Great Botanical Gardens by Travel + Leisure. It was also listed on National Geographic Traveler as one of the Top 22 Secret Gardens in the U.S. & Canada.
Marcia mentioned that she had been reading my blog and wondered if I had chosen a winner for our Best Burger in Tucson. I explained that we still had a few more burger places to review. That burger conversation continued for a while, at which point our attentive waitress asked if we had decided.
“I think I’ll have a Chul Burger, with fries.” Marcia told our waitress.
What? Wait! I didn’t come to the Garden Bistro for a burger. They have so many other great dishes. I particularly enjoy their quiche with a side of fresh fruit. And their Tres Locos Tacos … Yummy!
However, I was intrigued. Could a Garden Bistro Burger be the best, and no one knows it? Should it even be on our list of viable candidates, such as Monkey Burger; or even in the same class as Zinburger? I suddenly felt compelled to find out.
“I believe I’ll have one also … with fries, please.”
I ordered the same Chul burger as Marcia: Harris Ranch Natural Beef Burger- cobb-smoked bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, tumbleweed onions, “Chul” sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion & pickle ($14.50).
Garden Bistro also offers sweet potato fries. I have no doubt, those who like sweet potato fries will like the ones here. However, neither Marcia nor I care for them because they’re just too sweet. It would be like ordering a burger with a side of candy. Not appealing. Regular fries ($4). Sweet potato fries ($4.50).
A Great Burger Starts With Great Beef
Garden Bistro beef comes from Harris Ranch in California. This family-owned spread is known for extremely high quality beef, which may or may not be Black Angus. Their cattle are not strictly “grass-fed” like the cattle from the Northern Arizona ranch where the new Diablo Burger Downtown gets its super-lean beef. Harris Ranch tells us:
“Our beef comes from cattle that spends approximately 80% of their lives grazing on grass. We finish them for a brief period – typically 120 days – on a nutritionally-balanced diet of corn and other feed grains, plus alfalfa hay, vitamins and minerals.
Feeding grains, like corn, helps produce beef that’s more tender, juicy and flavorful.”
So there you have it.
The Fries, The Fries!
Now, what about Garden Bistro’s French fries? You may recall that Neighbor Roy & I agree: Monkey Burger’s fries are the best we have ever had in our combined 149 years of burger-munching. So, how do Garden Bistro fries compare to Monkey fries?
While awaiting our meals, Marcia & I had a brief discussion on how to make great French fries.
Don’t Forget To Blanch
Marcia explained.
“One thing I learned about fries years ago when I worked at a restaurant that wanted to make their own fries; all the best ones come out of a frozen bag. We tried for months to get a crispy French fry, but you need to blanch them.
Blanching takes more time than to prepare a burger, so to keep them fresh, they’re frozen. We tried a hundred different ways without blanching them and they all tasted like gross In N Out Burger fries.”
For those of you not familiar with the finer points of potato frying, blanching is a cooking technique in which food is briefly immersed in boiling water or fat.
When making French fries, the cut potatoes can be blanched in oil at medium heat and then cooled before frying them a second time at a higher temperature. Now you know.
It wasn’t long before our Chul Burgers & fries arrived. We were both into our 3rd or 4th bite when we launched into a critique. The problem for a restaurant critic, such as myself, was straight-forward: there wasn’t anything to criticize.
Cooked to perfection, the beef patty was juicier than the grass-fed Diablo Burger, and more flavorful. But it wasn’t as greasy as Cody’s or Lindy’s.
The bun was fresh and tasty, as was the lettuce & tomato. The bacon was unmistakably smoked, probably VERY slowly. And then there was the sauce. Marcia hailed our waitress who in turn hailed Chef Hale.
A few minutes later, Chef Chris Hale arrived at our table certain that we were about to lodge a complaint.
“Our compliments,” I told him. “Your burgers are as good as those at Cayton’s” (Cayton’s Burger Bistro at the Golf Club at Dove Mountain; aka The Ritz). “And I mean that as high praise ‘cause Cayton’s will be at or near the top of our List of the Best Burgers in Tucson.”
Marcia asked Chris about his sauce, which was just outstanding … accentuating the taste of an already delicious patty, but not overpowering it. Chris revealed his secret (sorta), which he said is not really all that complicated. “We just start with mayo and add some chili, and some of this and some of that, and a pinch of … Truth be told, Chris had put a lot of thought into that sauce, and it paid off.
“The French fries were also excellent,” I told him. And I meant it. Garden Bistro’s French fries tasted somewhat different than Cayton’s, but as good … crisp & delicious.
“Chris, how do you prepare them?” Marcia asked.
“They just come out of a frozen bag,” replied the Chef.
Marcia smiled and looked at me with eyes that said, “See, I told you. Blanching!” I couldn’t argue. Yet it seems counter-intuitive that something that good can just come frozen out of a bag.
Neighbor Roy & I have one or two more burger places to review before we get down to the serious business of choosing the Best Burger in Tucson. Should have a winner in a week or two.
If you want to check out any of our previous burger reviews, you can click on this link to go to SouthernArizonaGuide.com > Dining >BEST Dining> Best Burgers In Tucson.
Tohono Chul Garden Bistro
7366 Paseo del Norte, Tucson
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