Steve and I were so excited that we’d finally be reconnecting with my cousin Sid and his wife Joan. We hadn’t seen for 20 years. Since they have been living in Tucson for a few years now, we let them pick the place for our reunion and First Watch Tucson Arizona turned out to be the perfect place!
Hacienda Hash at First Watch Tucson Arizona
Growing up I was (and still am) very close to Sid’s younger brother Donnie. When I was in high school, Don was in a college fraternity. Knowing that I was an artist, he used to bring me to the Frat House to work on their homecoming display. I was there with him so often that I was made an honorary member of the fraternity. My cousin Donnie and I double dated frequently.
My cousin Sid, Donnie’s older brother, and I are about 11 or 12 years apart. that’s a huge difference when you are children, not so much at this stage of our lives. I think I was about 12 or 13, Sid was already married to Joan, and they had 2 little ones when they moved to my neighborhood. I felt so grown up babysitting for my tiny cousins.
Fast forward to 2024 and that age difference between Sid and I seems to have completely vanished. But the amazing memories of our youth has not faded one bit. All of those years of not being connected seemed to disappear in a flash the second we hugged each other.
First Watch Tucson Arizona
Our server kept returning to our table to take our order, but we were far too engrossed in conversation to look at the menu. Once we finally looked it over it was very easy to decide what to order.
Omelets your way
Gruyere and Mushroom Omelet with Seasoned Potatoes, Bacon and Toast with Housemade Jam
Steve ordered an omelet with Gruyere cheese and mushrooms, a side of crispy bacon and home fries. And as soon as I saw that they had the seasonal Hacienda Hash, I knew that’s what I wanted.
Steve’s omelet was fluffy and flavorful, with lots of savory mushrooms and stretchy cheese. The bacon was perfectly cooked and the home fries were nicely crisp of the outside and creamy inside. Rounding out his dish was beautifully toasted bread with luscious jam.
Hacienda Hash
Hacienda Hash at First Watch Tucson Arizona
Don’t get me started on how good my Hacienda Hash was! You know how they say you eat with your eyes first? Well as soon as they put the plate in front of me it took all of my will power to prevent me from digging in immediately. And that would have been as shame, because you would never get to see just how spectacular it looked!!!
When I did finally dig my fork into the photo worthy creation, I couldn’t stop eating it. All of the ingredients played so well together. The plate was layered with chorizo, red bell pepper and potato hash. That was topped off with 2 eggs, I chose sunny side up, cheddar and Monterey Jack and spicy ketchup. Then the whole thing was anointed with a lime crema drizzle, fresh smashed avocado and scallions. It was heaven on a plate.
It’s a wonder we actually stopped talking long enough to eat, but the food was way too good to waste. We were still sitting there talking away, when we realized that it was long past closing time for First Watch. We had met at noon and didn’t say good bye until about 3:20.
Fortunately we still had time to squeeze in another visit a couple of days later. We continued our reunion with lunch aboard Ladybug and vowed never to lose our connection again. Family is everything!
