Kingfisher

Kingfisher is OK, but it certainly doesn't live up to the reputation that it apparently once had in Tucson. I've had good and bad meals there, but as of late, the bad have overshadowed the good.

On my most recent trip, a friend and I were the first table in for lunch service, I ordered clam chowder and the fish and chips. The clam chowder was quite good, I actually really enjoyed it. But the main dish was ghastly.The fries were obviously not fresh AT ALL- they were dry and stale. The fish was bland beyond belief and the batter tasted completely unseasoned and just of flour. To top it off, the tartar was disgusting - it had peculiar taste, and was without the standard acidic caper/relish that makes a tartar a tartar. This was by far the WORST fish and chips I have had in Tucson, and I've had a number. Shocking, really, how bad that dish was. It should've never made it out of the Kitchen.

My companion had a bland salmon dish that paled in comparison to salmon dishes elsewhere. If you're in the mood for a nice salmon try Tavolino or Vivace.

Kingfisher is the perfect place to go for reliably good food. Their manu changes every couple of weeks and they often have themed weeks (this week was California/Hawaii). Fish and seafood feature prominently on the menu and they often have several oysters to pick from.

The cocktails are not particularly exotic and focus on the classics which are reliably excellent.

The staff is friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is generally quiet.

Friday night...as usual no plans....yes my social life is a disaster! But that is for another website...My good buddy V decided we should go to HH here. So after rushing home from work and getting cleaned up and driving at warp 3 to pick her up to get there in time to get HH prices...I was worried that nothing was going to live up to the trouble of getting there on time. WRONG! We sat at the bar and our tender was a bit of a car salesman...but he was attentive..and playful. We each had 2 drinks...I had a Mojito and a Kingfisher Martini I think...the former was awesome, the latter just okay...we split the Beet salad which was very good. We also split a Kingfisher burger, with caramelized onions, bacon, and Gorgonzola cheese. It was VERY good. We capped it off with peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream, again, very good. This place is PRICEY, ever during HH, so be prepared, but the food and service is equal to the price.