Tucson: Breakfast at Lodge on the Desert

Lodge on the Desert is an elegant little hotel that has been here since the '30s. This morning, the breakfast tamale caught my eye. Given that I just tried to make my own tamales, I had to try.

The tamale itself was very subtle, not of the overstuffed variety. The filling included ham, cheese, and strips of sweet red pepper. The salsa verde was the show stopper. I was tempted to order a bowl of salsa and eat it straight. Really flavorful and rich, not overly hot. It's hard to find salsa this good on the East Coast---it makes that airplane ride much easier to take.