Poco & Mom's Review-22d and Kolb

I can't say that the existence of this place will be a surprise to any of you. In the past few years, this Eastside eatery has developed a ferociously loyal clientele. They could easily seat twice the folks they have the actual room for at any given time. People feel blessed to be endowed with a bumpersticker and proudly slap it on their Prius' and pickups alike as a canary yellow badge of honor, the secret handshake announcing membership in a club one vainly hopes is exclusive.

Poco and Mom's fills a niche. They found a need. And they filled it. And they keep filling it. Over and over.

What is that need? New Mexican food. They do other things. But New Mexican cuisine is their thing. New Mexican food is their mission.

What is New Mexican cuisine? How does it differ from our Arizona border food? Braised meats instead of grilled. Carne adovada, pork slow simmered in red sauce. Green chile stew, pork lathered in scorching green chile. Two sacred sauces, the green and the red. Heavy reliance on the meat of the blessed pig. A spectrum of salsas, maybe more often stewed than chopped as is common in Border cuisine. Sopapillas; golden pillows of fried doughs. A vaguely Mexican cuisine that owes more to the New Mexico's numerous pueblos than Puebla. A cuisine that grew in a colder climate. A higher climate. An amalgam of Native, cowboy and pure home-cooking of local ingredients. I love this stuff.

I'm not claiming to be an expert in New Mexican cuisine. But my wife is from Shiprock. And business often calls from Albuquerque. Each and every trip, we make time for a pilgrimage to Rancho Chimayo. For the food. And Saltillo weaving. But mostly the carne adovada. When we trek to Phoenix, we go to Dick's Hideaway. For the grilled shrimp. But mostly the carne adovada. I'm devoted to this food.

I would suffer no pretenders.

Thankfully, Poco and Mom's, bare blocks from my home, satisfies a space within me that is precisely the size and shape of a roasted Hatch chile.

A good diner is a place to hang out, have a cup of coffee. It's a reliable spot for a harmless breakfast and lunch. A better diner is a place you will travel to for the food when other options are available. A great diner is a compulsion, a need, in and of itself. Consider.

About two weeks ago, I had a guacamole omelet at Poco's. That's three eggs, a big helping of homemade guacamole, scattered nuggets of bacon and a slice or two of swiss cheese. Was it good?

The next day I went back. And had another. That Saturday, I took my wife to Poco's. And had another.

Poco and Mom's is the truth. This is New Mexican soul food. The real deal. Made by people who know. I suggest you go there. Now.

A&M Pizza-Florence, Arizona

I drive through Florence fairly often. While I often have to travel within the state, I try to avoid freeways if possible. They stress me out. And I'm curious about our smaller towns.

This can be a problem when it comes to food, however. Not a "crap, I have to eat at Arby's" sort of problem. More of a "I'm not sure there's more than one restaurant in this town; God I hope I don't have to sit at a dirty counter and be stared at by locals or die of salmonella," sort of problem.

Any economics professor can tell you that a monopoly can cause issues. The fewer entrants to a marketplace, the less competition. The less competition...the less pressure to excel.

So eating in a small town is often a fingers-crossed leap of faith. Maybe, against all odds, this will be a good meal. Maybe, just maybe, these people will cook well just because they wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe.

Maybe, if you're lucky, you'll find a place like A&M Pizza in Florence, AZ. This is one location of a chain. The other locations are in Pennsylvania. No, that does not make much sense. But God bless these people.

I grew up on the East Coast. It's hard to find pizza and subs out here that match what I grew up with there. It's totally bizarre to find some of the best in Florence, AZ. But there you go.

The pizza is fantastic. Not too sweet sauce. Hand stretched dough with surprising crackle. The sandwiches are old school. What do I mean? If you order an sub with ham, provolone and mortadella, you get one thick slice of each. A handful of shattered lettuce and slivers of onion and tomato. On a homemade bun with a bit of mayo. That's it. But what else do you need?

Nothing if the ingredients are this good. A word about the rolls. Actually a couple of words.

They make these things fresh everyday. Please do not tell them the following. But I would eat three of those rolls a day, with mayonnaise and nothing else, for the rest of my life and I would happily pay for the privilege.

I have no idea how well this restaurant is doing. Whenever I've been there over the years there's almost no one in the place. But it's still there. Year after year. Quietly doing things just the right way. With obvious pride.

Apparently, the place is going to expand in AZ. To Casa Grande. And Coolidge. So that solves the conundrum of where to eat in those towns. But what about Tucson? Because we don't have a place with rolls like that here. And we need one.

My God, do we need one.

What time is it?! It's Burger Time!

Suddenly Tucson is awash in Burger Joints. And I don't mean Burger King and the like, I mean places you wouldn't mind spending seven dollars on a burger. This is fabulous news. Who doesn't like a good burger?

Communists. That's who.

No matter. Here's my thoughts on the best spots to grab a pile of hot beef in Tucson. (Insert your own joke here.)

1. Zin Burger-Sam Fox's restaurants don't always work. But when they work, they really work. They've expanded to Phoenix and soon to the east side of the Baked Apple. Fine burgers cooked to order, tasty salads, shakes that could kill a man. Great stuff and still the king.

2. Culver's-Just opened and narrowly nips In-n-Out. Great burgers with a good, not overwhelming variety. I like the smoky, crispy bits around the edges of the patties. I love the frozen custard. What is it? Who cares! It's great! They also serve crinkle-cut fries, of which I am a fan.

3. In-n-Out-Great burgers. Great fries. The ordering process is still enough of a secret code that it annoys me. But the employees are universally cheerful and ease you (meaning me) through it. Just a hair behind Culvers, but I like the variety at Culvers. I also still remember that at base In-n-Out is owned by right wing religious nutjobs that used to put bible quotes at the bottom of the cups. But they make a strong burger.

4. BK's-Yes the primary business is tacos, caramelos, etc. But they also make awesome burgers with killer crispy fries. Mesquite smoke adds a nice edge. The major failing? The service is incredibly up and down. Sometimes it's great. More often it's up and down. Everyone there is super pretty in a music video of five years ago way. I keep expecting the whole place to erupt in song and dance like a Bollywood movie. But the burgers are good.

5. Five Guys Burgers-Very good burgers. Two things. I don't understand the peanuts. Not that I don't like them. But I don't understand them. And this is a menu where, for me, too much is left open. There are simply too many options. I don't mind having the option of leaving off this or that or adding the odd condiment or garnish. Hell, everything's better with bacon, right? But to some extent, I want my restaurant to tell me what it is they like on a burger. I don't eat burgers enough times a week to just happen across my favorite combination through trial and error. But that's me. If that sort of mix and match freedom doesn't scare you, you'll like it there.

6. Monkeyburger-Same general concept as Zin Burger. Same arty pretensions. Great burgers. The service? Ehh. Not so much. The last few times I've been there, they've been creaking under the weight of their own success. But they're local, they're young, and their hearts are in the right place. Definitely worth a trip.

7. Fuddruckers-Certainly you laugh. But if you want to feed a family quality food, this is a good spot. Freshly ground beef cooked to order. Buns baked on site. A huge tub of liquid jalapeno cheese for your fries. Video game! Random crap on the walls! Hooray!

8. Shari's-It's gone, but we remember. A little shack with charbroiled burgers. Twenty or thirty flavors of milkshake. The very taste of a Tucson summer. I miss you Shari's.