All appetites are welcome as Sonoran Restaurant Week once again takes over multiple areas of Tucson and highlights the City of Gastronomy. The culinary celebration is making its return for 10 days from Friday, September 9 – Sunday, September 18. Tucson Foodie is ecstatic to be producing Sonoran Restaurant Week this year, which is sponsored by Visit Tucson, and will feature several restaurants and unique menus that locals and visitors alike can savor.
“When Tucson Foodie was given the opportunity to take over Sonoran Restaurant Week, we jumped at it,” said Shane Reiser, owner of Tucson Foodie. “It’s closely aligned with our mission to help people explore the food and the places that make Tucson worthy of our UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation. It’s also a great way to help the local food and beverage scene rebuild after two very difficult years for the tourism and hospitality industries.”
If you’ve participated in this event in the past, and eaten your way around the city, then buckle up for the 2022 event. It’s grown in size with nearly 100 restaurants this time around, all of which are creating special menus for the 10-day event.
“This year is already going to be twice as big as previous years,” said Reiser. “Our dream is that in 2023, tens of thousands of people visit Tucson from neighboring states to explore the Tucson food scene, and participating restaurants will have a reliably strong start to the fall dining season every single year.”
Here’s how it works:
A handful of the participating restaurants are certified by the Tucson City of Gastronomy and will be creating a $25, $35, or $45 prix fixe menu for diners to enjoy. Guests can visit their favorite spots or discover new places — all while supporting mostly small, local businesses.
The available menus are below and we’ll keep updating them as they come pouring in. Keep in mind that some are only available on certain days of the week.
All Spiced Up burger at Little Love Burger in Tucson includes pepper jack, jalapeno, slaw, black pepper bacon, tomato, and spicy ketchup (Photo by SWOON Media)
At a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
