I recently moved out of my historic downtown second-story apartment. It had wooden floors, lofty ceilings, a claw foot tub, an O’Keefe & Merritt stove and a view off the back patio of the (very few) tall buildings downtown Tucson has to offer. Visitors often said, “I don’t even feel like I’m in Tucson!”

And that’s exactly how I felt when I first walked in to CeeDee’s Jamaican Kitchen – like I’d been whisked away to, well, a diner in New York City rather than what I imagine Jamaica would feel like, but I felt whisked away nonetheless. The restaurant is set up as a long galley with diner style counter bar seating immediately on the right, and booth seating the length of the restaurant on the left. Reggae music plays in the background while colorful Jamaican colors come at you at all angles. And, of course, you can smell the food cooking. The enticing aroma of meat slow cooked with exotic spices pervades.

On my first visit, I noticed a sign on the window that said,”$5 Lunch Specials.”

“What’s the lunch special?” I asked.

“Curry chicken or curry beef with rice and plantains.”

“I’ll have the curry chicken,” I said. And within minutes a plate of whole chicken pieces (complete with bone shards) was brought to the table smothered in their curry sauce with rice and peas (the peas are more like a curry sauce, too, than actual peas), a fried plantain, and a festival, which is similar to a fritter. It reeked of authenticity. A wealth of spices filled my mouth as I scrambled to eat every last bite. The portion size was a little smaller than the non-lunch specials on the menu as I found out on my following two visits. I felt satisfied, however someone with a larger appetite may need a tiny bit more food. The bill for this meal was $5.61.

Cee and Dee, or Cardell and Deon – a couple – have been cooking Jamiacan food in Tucson for years. In fact, if you’ve ever eaten any of the Jamiacan food being cooked in front of the Chicago Bar, that’s them. They seem like they’ve been working out of their little restaurant forever and definitely seem right at home doing what they’re doing.

On my second visit – now that I had cleared it for approval to bring a guest – we ordered the Jerk Chicken ($8.50), Oxtails ($12.50), and to drink I ordered a traditional Jamaican drink called “Sorrel” which is a hibiscus ginger drink lightly sweetened. Actually it was more than lightly sweetened. If you’re sensitive to sweet stuff, water it down or don’t get it. But it’s tasty. And purple. I had tried to order the Curry Goat instead of the Jerk Chicken which the owner, Deon (the “Dee” in CeeDee) told me usually sells out, but it was still cooking. The Jerk Chicken was slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and super moist. It, too, was whole chicken pieces and not available as a lunch special on that day. It’s a sizable portion that should be plenty of food for most of us. Perhaps a little too much for some of us. Not for me, though. The Oxtails – besides the fact that they were beef – were similarly flavored and I even asked if it was the same sauce, which the server assured me it was not. They, too were excellent and we both had trouble deciding which we liked better. In the end, though, it was the Jerk Chicken. It’s all too easy to dry out chicken and this dish was on the opposite end of the spectrum – moist and juicy. Both dishes were served with vegetables, rice and peas, and fried plantains.

I went one more time that week to try the Curry Goat ($12.50). In fact, as I was paying for the meal on my prior visit, I was asking Deon more about the Curry Goat, and a seated patron overheard and hollered out, “the curry goat is the best!” And it was good, however, I still liked the Jerk Chicken better. The goat seemed a little chewier than I prefer. I’ve eaten goat before and don’t remember it being that chewy. It could have been overcooked. It was quite gamey, as well. It, too was a sizable portion, plenty for most of us, unless you eat often at Claim Jumper.

I realize that as a responsible reviewer I should’ve gotten the dessert, but all three times I was stuffed and no one pays me to do this. But if you want it, they got it – Rum Cake ($3.50) and Potato Pudding ($3.50). Also, as a little bonus, at the end of our third visit, the server made us little mini portions of beet-carrot juice sweetened with sweetened condensed milk. Very tasty.

It’s a unique experience at CeeDee’s Jamaican Kitchen. You’ll feel like you’ve left Tucson. You’ll eat some authentic Jamaican food. You’ll get friendly, quick service. And, most likely, you’ll go back.

Ceedee’s is located at 1070 N. Swan Road. For more information you can visit their website or their facebook page.

Cafe VanGo

** UPDATE! Jason Calhoon is now a partner at Avenue Coffee and no longer utilizes the Bookmans spot.**

I frickin’ love coffee. Espresso, cappuccino, French press – love it. Early morning, late morning, mid-afternoon, yes, please. But it can’t be from any ol’ place. Oh, no. It has to be from a place that takes pride in what they serve. A place that knows the difference between light, medium, and dark roasts. A place that won’t ask me when I buy beans, “would you like us to grind this for you?” A place that knows a cappuccino has specific ratios of espresso to froth and ain’t just a smaller version of a latte. A place where they don’t make drip coffee. And of course, a place whose barista(s) know this, in addition to the owner, and strive for perfection. In San Francisco, the lines at coffee shops with this kind of attention to detail are usually so long that I would find myself questioning the worth of the effort only to be gleefully reminded each time, that, god yes, it was. I had nearly given up hope for something this good here in Tucson until a slight tweet from an unknown Twitterer, “espressojunky,” perked my ears up. In the least likely of spots – the Bookmans parking lot at Grant and Campbell – is a red trailer serving coffee and espresso called Cafe VanGo.

Jason Calhoon, owner and operator, won 2008′s Southwest Regional Barista Competition. Now, I can’t imagine what that contest entails, but he won the damn thing. For all I know, Jason can do cartwheels while juggling coffee beans with his feet. But in all seriousness, he knows what it takes to make an amazing cup of coffee, espresso, and cappuccino. So far, that’s all I’ve had, and I think those staples are the true tests of a good barista.

You might be wondering, “what makes his brewed coffee so much better than other cafes’ coffee?” Well, he’s got a Clover machine. According to this article in Wired, the Clover machine made such an impression on the CEO of Starbucks, he purchased the company leaving only 250 Clovers in existence. Without getting into the details, it brews a cup at a time – to order. You never know when you walk into a cafe how long that carafe of drip coffee has been sitting there. At Cafe VanGo, there isn’t any drip coffee. When you order a cup of coffee it’s fresh ground and brewed to perfection.

Unfortunately – or fortunately depending on who you ask – coffee has become something of a fad drink. A frappuccino, while a super-sweet and tasty drink, strikes me as more of a melted milkshake than coffee. And an iced, double soy latte with hazelnut is just plain amusing. It’s sort of the equivalent of mixing 7-Up with a nice Pinot Grigio. With all of this going on, there is a huge movement towards straight up coffee, espresso, and cappuccino. No frills – just like it’s been being made for eons. The beauty of this movement is it’s hard to find this kind of coffee without an ear to the ground, especially in a not-so-upwardly-mobile town like Tucson. The reason I bring all of this up is that, while I’m sure Jason at Cafe VanGo can make you anything you dream up, you’d be under-utilizing his wonderful coffees – and skills.

Cafe VanGo features coffee from at least four different regions daily. The roasts range from light to medium-dark. It’s a huge misconception that a dark roast is a stronger coffee. It tastes stronger, but caffeine-wise it’s actually less caffeine than a a light roast. A light or medium roast allows for the full flavor of the bean to shine – another element of the new-wave coffee movement. All of the beans Jason uses are from PT’s Coffee Company out of Topeka, Kansas. I’m a huge proponent of going local whenever possible, but not at the mercy of quality. PT’s is Roast Magazine‘s 2008 Micro Roaster of the Year. They have direct relationships with artisan farmers and adhere to strict guidelines which you can find on their website here.

Okay, so what’s not good about Cafe VanGo? Well, it’s a trailer. Tables and chairs are provided outside, but once it warms up, it won’t be a desirable place to hang out unless you plan on running inside Bookmans for a Dog Fancy magazine from 1979. Even now, it’s more of a walk-up counter, chit-chat with Jason and the regulars for a few minutes (I met Bob Bookman there) and then hit the road kind of a place. Wifi is provided via Bookmans. But again, if you’re looking for an indoor spot with air conditioning where you can meet a client, this isn’t it.

Hours are 7am-3pm daily. I think it’s the best coffee you can get in the city. Check it out. Let me know what you think.

Every now and then I discover a place with a dish so good that I have to tell everyone I know: Go here. Get this. Ask no questions.

I’ve never been the biggest fan of ceviche – though I am now – and I avoided Mariscos Chihuahua for years until a lawyer-client insisted we go there for lunch. He also insisted I get the Fresh Fish Culichi which is a poached white fish smothered in a light, creamy, green sauce topped with shredded, melted white Mexican cheese. With every bite I collapsed further into a love affair with the flavor. I frantically attempted to get every last drip of sauce and rice into my mouth. I’ve been back a few times and always order the same thing and it’s always as good as the first time, although I’m told everything on the menu is also excellent. Tucson destination material for SURE. Their chips and salsa are also excellent, the service is super friendly (probably even better if you speak Spanish) and the ambiance is a fun, baja style.

Seriously – Go here. Get the Fresh Fish Culichi. Ask no questions.