Date Night at Acacia

At the beginning of our trip to Arizona Hubby and I went on a date night in Tucson to Acacia restaurant.  We decided to sit outside overlooking the courtyard. 

It was beautiful with the white lights, and such a nice temperature.  I am glad we sat outside because the atmosphere out there seemed more romantic than inside.

To start things off I ordered a pomegranate martini.

The first sip was good.

And so was the second!

Sorry for the picture quality.  Things got a bit fuzzy J

After a few sips of my martini it was time for the crazy face pictures.

Here is Hubby enjoying a smear of butter on his bread.

Yum!

My husband started things off with a Jack and Coke.

For those of you who know him well I am sure that comes as a shock.  Just Kidding!  Jack and Coke is Hubby’s FAVORITE cocktail, and the drink he almost always orders when we go out to eat.

Hubby decided on trying Acacia’s tasting menu paired with wine, and I am glad he did because it was a lot of fun tasting all the different foods and wines.  I just ordered a main course and helped him with his plates and wines, and it proved to be plenty for both of us!

Here is the set of 3 appetizers and their corresponding wines.

From the Acacia website:

Malaysian Sweet/Hot Shrimp and Scallop Cocktail
Barth, ‘Allüre’ Riesling Feinherb, semi-dry (Rheingau, Germany) ‘08

Southwestern Caponata on toast point
Grilled Eggplant Salad with Tomato
Aldial, ‘Castillo de Nava’ Verdejo/Viura (Rueda, Spain) ’08

Crisp Potato Fritter filled with Cougar Gold Aged White Cheddar
Keeling Schaefer, ‘Two Reds’ Grenache (Cochise County, Arizona) ’07

Our favorite was the Potato fritter with cheddar.  It was also great trying a local Arizona wine made of Grenache grapes.  I think that is the first time I have ever had a wine made with all Grenache.  Usually you find it in blends.

Next was the main course.

I ordered guaymas prawns tossed with linguine, olive oil, white wine, fresh herbs, campari tomatoes and garden vegetables.  It was delicious!  I loved it and was very happy with my decision.

Hubby’s main course from the tasting menu was:

Fresh Alaskan Halibut, Sautéed Peashoots, Lemon-Thyme Butter
Gordon Brothers, Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, Washington) ’07

Grilled Pharoah Quail Filled with Spring Mushroom Duxelles
Laetitia, Pinot Noir (Arroyo Grande Valley) ’08

Mignonette of Beef Tenderloin, Port Braised Onions, Humboldt Fog
Valdivieso, Carmenere ‘Reserva’ (Central Valley, Chile) ’07

Neither one of us are huge fish people, although we wish we were because it is so good for you.  But our absolute favorite of the 3 dishes was the Alaskan Halibut.  It was AMAZING!  Light and crispy, with great flavor.  I would definitely highly recommended ordering it to anyone visiting Acacia.

Lastly the dessert with Hubby’s tasting menu was:

Red Wine Sorbet

Mango Cheesecake
Paolo Saracco, Moscato D’Asti (Piedmont, Italy) ’08

Warm Cayenne Peach Crisp
Adelaida, Muscat/Viognier Ice Wine (Central Coast) ‘05

The desserts were good, but nothing particularly grabbed me.

It was a fantastic date night!  Great food, great service, and a wonderful outdoor atmosphere.  I would definitely go back to Acacia again.


What is your favorite kind of fish?