Been to Acacia at St. Philips yet? It’s a husband-and-wife operated Tucson Original worthy of any summer to-do list. Starting June 1, restaurateurs Albert Hall and Lila Yamashiro will be dropping a new summer menu that is $10-12 less expensive than Acacia’s past fare. But, don’t let the drop in prices fool you: while the menu may be changing, Executive Chef Hall’s culinary creativity and his cuisine’s diversity of flavor will continue to please and wow.
Chef Hall’s dinner fare runs the global gamut, and a perusal of Acacia online will reveal this also to be true for his brunches and lunches. Last night, lucky to be sampling Acacia’s summer menu before it’s officially offered June 1, I enjoyed a Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup (a spin of an American comfort-food classic), Duck Spring Rolls (Asian), Mashed Cauliflower with Quinoa (South American), and other dishes crafted with elements from here and there. To paraphrase Acacia’s General Manager, America is a melting pot, and Acacia is wholeheartedly using the best of its ingredients. For some, such diversity may be too difficult to handle, but Chef Hall is exact with his flavors and textures. The mashed cauliflower, for example, was tasty without the quinoa—lightly seasoned and creamed with mascarpone and white cheddar cheese—but the quinoa added to it a decidedly surprising pop. Bearing the appearance of large, cracked pepper, quinoa has little flavor of its own and was smartly added to the cauliflower as a textural element, arguably an integral one.
Chef Hall built each dish with a similar attention. Even his appetizers—too often an overlooked mainstay of a menu—revealed his creativity. Chef Hall served four dishes here: his signature Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup, Hummus with house-baked pita, Duck Spring Rolls, and Grilled Chicken Skewers. The soup and hummus, traditionally somewhat uniform in flavor and consistency, were enhanced by goat and feta cheese respectively, each adding a light tang to the appetizer’s main flavor. The spring rolls were accompanied with a tart Hoisin sauce, Acacia-style, and the chicken skewers with a light, Chinese barbeque sauce, which covered each skewer in its entirety. What was originally a supporting flavor—that tang present in the goat cheese—had become more prominent with each appetizer until, eventually, with the skewers, it was an essential taste of every bite. Chef Hall could have presented his dishes in any order—or at all once. But, he chose another, better path. In a way he built his menu right there at the table, deftly shifting flavors before ever presenting his main dish.
But by the time the halibut, the steak, the swordfish was served, I was already hooked. In between a palate-cleansing Cesar Salad and the Lamb T-Bone, the first sample of the entrees, I danced with my wife to a jazz trio on Acacia’s patio, enjoyed a Raspberry Iced Tea, and watched a star emerge here and there. How could I not have ventured to Acacia before?
Simply put—Chef Hall’s restaurant has been out of my price range. Beginning June 1, however, Acacia will boldly lower its dinner menu to between $16 and $25. This may be contrary to the usual coffer-stuffing practices, but the move is a smart one. Chef Hall and Ms. Yamashiro clearly care about their restaurant, and lowering prices will not only be positive for its current patrons but will make Acacia affordable for many, many other folks who could—and should—dine there.
Damon McLaughlin- Tucson Taste Casting
