"0"^^ . "5"^^ . . . "2"^^ . "0"^^ . "2016-03-05T00:00:00"^^ . . "You are going to want to start with drinks (always). The 13 and 14 are a whiskey lovers instant favorite. The 13 is going to come off like a figgy Old Fashioned, and the 14 is a bit more unique, sweeter with rye as the primary spirit, but well-balanced nonetheless. You cannot go wrong with either. There is also a dangerous blue berry, vodka or gin heavy beverage that comes out cloudy white that you can drink all night. For red wine go with a malbec, they have outstanding choices. They also have some rare aged whiskies that are going to change based on availability, but ask if you are hurting for brown liquor on its own. For white wine, you are on your own. I don't go there.\n\nOn to food. Do not deny yourself the fried cheese curds. They come out crispy, melty, salty and sauceless, and so right. They are really the essence of cheesiness. They have a delicate flavor though, so you do not really need some overwhelming aioli mucking things up.\n\nNext, try the baguette with roasted garlic and olive oil. Simple logic here: fantastic ingredients perfectly executed. They bring you a whole roasted garlic, sitting in a little pool of olive oil, and it spreads like butter on soft slightly toasted baguette. Carbs, good oil, and bliss. Your breath is going to be garlicky. If you are on a date and your date is not into that, get a new date.\n\nYou are going to be distracted by the many main dish offerings. Get the gnocchi. Growing up with an Italian grandmother, you learn to appreciate a good gnocchi when you taste one. Camille would approve of Tuck Shop's super tender gnocchi clouds, airy on the inside, with slight crisp on the outside from the pan frying treatment. They come in a cheesy sauce, which is strong on the parmigiano, and thick and creamy. I cannot remember the last time I had gnocchi this good. Highly recommended. My mom loves gnocchi, so I know where I'm taking her for mother's day.\n\nFinally, get the Lobstah Mac and Cheese. Warning long winded preface incoming. I am not a mac and cheese guy. So often it is just sludgy cheese sauce and overcooked slimy noodles. Adding lobster on your average mac and cheese (or mashed potatos while we are on the subject) is like putting a big block V-8 into a wrecked Ford Pinto; you are taking something great, and putting it into an unmitigated mess. Lobster mac and cheese in general is more idea than food. It always sounds better than it is. It occupies the imagination as dare-not decadent; the kind of showy food that a gold miner would order for his hookers after hitting the mother lode; the kind of thing Camille, who survived the Great Depression, would be ashamed of me for ordering, wasting good money ; the combination of the comdortable and familiar and unexperienced luxary: the embodiment of the American Dream, and just as elusive: classic Americana that's grown-up, sexed-up, and classed-up with little something extra, a little something rare, a little something different. I went to those lengths to talk about everything Tuck Shop's Lobstah Mac and Cheese is not. It is fucking great. I added with lobster (obviously) and got the bacon on the side (for maximum crispness). The pasta was al dente, the cheese sauce was rich and creamy, without being overly decadent, the baked topping is a pleasant textural contrast with a subtle crunch. The lobster was cooked right, and did not get lost in what is usually an overwhelming setting. The name of the game here is balance. It is everything the Tuck Shop represents.\n\nIn closing, Tuck Shop is a place every 20 or 30 something who grew up in Arizona needs to experience. Aside from the killer food, drinks, and service, Tuck Shop more importantly reflects the latest example of the cultural renaissance Phoenix is experiencing. The children of Arizona, like Grace Unger, are staying or returning home with the dream of transforming our sleepy desert town into a racuous food, drink, and entertainment capital with its own saguaro laced flavor. It is a thriving business that sprouted out of the once ailing Coronado neighborhood, which is helmed by a young female entrepreneur who takes your dining experience personally. Grace wants you to be happy. She wants to get to know everyone who walks in her door. She, like Tuck Shop, is instantly familiar, fun, and Classed-Up Classic. I hope you love it here as much as I do. See you at the bar!"^^ .