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Don’t Forget to Look Up!

Jackie Alpers’ Secret Insider Tips to Tucson.

Read the article by Stacey Gregory profiling cookbook author Jackie Alpers in the 40th anniversary edition of Tucson Guide Magazine.

DON’T FORGET TO LOOK UP! And I’m not just talking about the amazing starry skies above. See the “meat cage” at El Charro Café downtown, where thinly sliced beef is dried by the heat of the Tucson sun in a screened cage hoisted 40 feet in the air above the restaurant. The results are carne seca, and it’s not to be missed. EAT A CACTUS! Prickly pear, barrel cactus, cholla, and even saguaros produce edible fruit, buds, and/or pads. And don’t stop there! The desert is chock-full of edible delights that you’ll find on restaurant menus throughout Tucson. Look for dishes featuring mesquite, chiltepín, creosote, hackberries, chia, and amaranth, which grow wild. Learn more at desertharvesters.com. EAT OFF THE BEATEN PATH! Tucson has hundreds of amazing restaurants to explore, including some on the now-famous 23 Miles of Mexican Food. Some of my favorites, like El Torero and Aqui Con El Nene, may be a bit challenging for visitors to find. Luckily, visittucson.com has a comprehensive list.

The People of Tucson: Food Photographer and Author Jackie Alpers
Muse photography award gold winner Jackie Alpers