Nutty Over Nopales? Mesquite Flour Maniac? Check Out Desert Delectables May 30

Breakfast Taco w/ Nopales (Credit: Flickr/Alex Thomson)

Local food, live music and the Arizona-Sonora Desert museum. A list of Tucson’s favorite things, or a description of Desert Delectables Night? Good news – it’s both.

On Saturday, May 30, the Desert Museum and Tucson Originals restaurants are teaming up to celebrate everything the Sonoran Desert has to offer. From 6 to 9pm, guests can sample savory and sweet dishes from more than fifteen local chefs.

Unlike other local food-tasting events, these chefs must create original recipes using indigenous Sonoran Desert ingredients, such as nopales or mesquite pod flour. The big prize? The honor of being voted “People’s Choice” for this year’s event.

Participating Restaurants Include:

• Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro
• Ghini’s French Café
• Tanque Verde Ranch
• Mama’s Hawaiian Bar-B-Cue
• Bisbee Breakfast Club
• Dakota Bar & Grill
• Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant
• Pastiche
• Snow Peas Modern Asian Kitchen
• Ironwood Restaurant Bar & Grill
• Kalina Restaurant

Guests can also attend the Sonoran Supermarket presentation to learn more about foods, fibers and medicines derived from desert flora. If you’re still curious, docents will be offering in-depth interpretations of Sonoran Desert edibles throughout the grounds.

Many Tucson favorite performing artists, ranging in style from classical guitar to flamenco, including the Beth Daunis Trio, Reno del Mar, Duo Vibrato, and Gabriel Francisco will perform throughout the evening.

Nighttime is a great time to visit the museum and truly experience the Sonoran Desert’s impressive nocturnal wildlife. See bobcats, javelina and bats while enjoying a twilight viewing of the gardens and exhibits.

To add to the flavor of the evening, check out the premiere of the new Butterfly Whirl: Contemporary Quilt Art exhibit.

Tickets are $40 for non-members and $35 for members.

For more information, visit desertmuseum.org.