Where To Eat Now With Fed By Thread’s Alok Appadurai

Few people live life as aligned with a purpose as does Alok Appadurai. As co-founder of Fed By Threads, the passionate New Yorker-turned-Tucsonan has been making headlines for his clothing store’s unique business model that provides 12 emergency meals per item sold.

With the new Fed By Threads flagship store in downtown Tucson now open, I asked Alok if he’d be interested in contributing the next Where To Eat Now picks.

With standard Alok gratitude, he replied, “I would be honored!”

Without further ado, I bring you Alok Appadurai’s five picks for Where To Eat Now…

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“The Tucson food scene has exploded since I moved here from Brooklyn four years ago. And since I am a downtown guy, I am usually gnashing at spots within bicycle radius of Congress and Fourth Avenue. With that said, here are my five faves at the moment:”

1. Five Points Restaurant and Market

“They have a tiny menu, all of which they knock out of the park. I don’t need a place to do a 100 items mediocre. Just give me a few choices that I know are fabulous. The Breakfast Salad with its greens addition is delicious but the Huevos Rancheros is unlike any other in town. Don’t miss their side of mustard potato pancakes with cream and chives to boot.”

2. Proper

“There is one dish that I order no matter what else is coming: the oyster mushroom gnocchi. Trust me. Savor it, don’t rush.”

3. Pasco Kitchen

“Citrus tofu over sauteed veggies with tahini cream and chili aoili drizzle. Order extra chili aoili to really make the dish.”

4. Curry Leaf Indian Restaurant

“Their Masala Dosa makes me salivate, not because it is the best one I have ever had, but because it is the only one in all of Tucson. Dosas are a fermented crepe with savory potato stuffing served with coconut chutney that takes me back to my trips to India throughout my life. This isn’t a five-star sit-down, but since most people are so accustomed to North Indian food, I like to take friends to Curry Leaf for tastes from South India. (And yes, that’s a bit of a bicycle ride from downtown, I know…)”

5. Diablo Burger

“Derrick and his team have created a truly dynamite veggie burger that isn’t just some frozen slab tossed on a grill as an excuse for food: it is a highly crafted burger and the plethora of toppings and handmade sauces mean that I have never had the same veggie burger twice! Plus they source everything from within 250 miles! How many restaurants can say that?”

Alok Appadurai is co-founder of Fed By Threads Congress St, rockin’ the mindful lifestyle: local veg food, bicycles, small houses, ethical fashion, and a proud dad.