October 2017. On an early Sunday morning, Ms. Karen, Ms. Rosemary, & I left our home in the Tucson Mountains to see if we could find the ruins of the Wilbur-Cruce Ranch a few miles west of Arivaca. Ms. Karen had read about it in a book entitled A Beautiful, Cruel Country and was intrigued.
While in that neck of the woods, we stopped and hiked around the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR). It’s a cienega (marsh or wetlands) but pretty dry this time of year.
On our way back to civilization we had to catch I-19 at Amado, so decided to brunch at Firefly, a fairly new restaurant Karen & I had enjoyed this past July. Ms. Rosemary had never been there.
‘Twas a beautiful day and we requested seating on the deck overlooking the gardens, fields, and Santa Rita Mountains in the distance. Ms. Rosemary writes:
Although we went for brunch, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and international ‘flavor’ of the menu. I thought the eggs Benedict offerings were unique, especially the Irish Benedict with corned beef hash that Karen ordered. Yum!
Jim ordered the Quiche Loraine and commented favorably about flavor and just how amazingly light and fluffy it was.
It’s been my experience that most brunch menus either offer grilled items, Italian, or comfort foods. It was wonderful to see such an eclectic mix on the menu: from a Pastrami Ruben ($12), Jambalaya, Irish Stew ($16) to Pierogi & Beer Brats (Wisconsin Beer Bratwurst served with Loaded Potato & Cheese Dumplings: $14).
Where does one ever see Perogi on an Arizona menu? (Actually, the Polish Cottage in Tucson offers Perogi dishes and they are very good.)
Raised in an Eastern European household, I just had to try them. Served with a light cream/mustard sauce and caramelized onions, they were amazingly good. The Bratwurst added just enough ‘meat’ to make the dish a meal. Five saguaros!
Ms. Karen writes:
I wanted to try something different, but wanted eggs. Other than the usual two eggs, potatoes, meat, there were 4 or 5 kinds of Eggs Benedict. Jim had ordered Quiche, so I opted for the special, Irish Benedict. Now, Eggs Benedict was never my favorite and I hate runny eggs, so I ordered them cooked through. Everything was very good, although the potatoes were my favorite. Next time, 2 eggs, potatoes, meat.
Note to Firefly. I do adore Huevos Rancheros.
