EDITOR"S LETTER

editor's letter A Glimpse of the Blur

That's Keith Whitney on the cover. The blur. The guy in the yellow shirt. When he left the office to art-direct that shot, he said something like: “If they decide to use me in the photo, I hope it's as a blur. I look much better when I'm blurry.” Keith has a dry sense of humor, kind of like Bob Newhart, who also would have been blurred. It's not that those guys aren't cover-worthy. They are. We just wanted to focus on Maynards, one of the best restaurants in Tucson, and one of 15 places featured in our fifth-annual Best Restaurants issue. Food, of course, is the most important factor in determining the list, but service and ambience weigh in, as well. Not every restaurant excels in every category, but most do, including Cibo, which is one of my favorite restaurants in metro Phoenix. The ambience (an old bungalow built in 1913), the service (Sara, Jennifer, et al.) and the food (the Caprese sandwich) are second to none. I haven't tried their Tagliatelle Arancia e Guanciale, but if I ever want to make it at home, I have the recipe. And so do you. It's one of several recipes we're featuring this month courtesy of the talented chefs behind our best restaurants.

I can't remember if any of those recipes feature eggs, but if they do, you'll want to hook up with Dave Jordan. Better known as “Dave the Egg Man,” Jordan is a boutique farmer in New River who supplies eggs and herbs to some of the best restaurants in the state. He's also a regular at farmers' markets, where health-conscious customers happily shell out five bucks for his fresh, hormoneand antibiotic-free eggs.

“Although Jordan readily admits there's nothing romantic about shoveling chicken poop,” Nikki writes in He Is the Egg Man, “he's also the first guy to cast a rosy glow on this vanishing way of life.”

It's idyllic, in many ways, but Jordan barely ekes out a living. Nevertheless, he'd rather be happy than rich. Craig Childs feels the same way. How else do you explain a guy who backpacks in the Kofa Mountains for weeks at a time and lives off the land? Literally.

If you're familiar with this magazine and Craig's writing, it won't surprise you to learn that he's especially adept at finding things to eat in the great outdoors. That said, I think he would have liked a handful of Dave's eggs to go with the jackrabbit he marinated in a sack of its own blood while “romancing” a woman in the Kofas when he was a younger man. Even though the marinade was mixed with salt and wild lavender, “the meat was a little like chewing on rubber bands,” Craig says. You'll have to read Rugged Good Looks to find out how the long-eared entrée affected the courtship, and in theprocess, you'll learn about one of the most obscure mountain ranges in the state — one that Craig calls “a dramatic jumble of igneous rock” with “a complex, hidden interior of hoodoo washes and old mine roads.” Add it to your bucket list. As a place to explore, not a place to eat. Lavender-mari-nated jackrabbit might do in a pinch, but for a really great meal, head to Maynards in Tucson, where you might even catch a glimpse of the blur.

SHOP LOCAL

Like our good friends at Hickman's Eggs, Arizona Highways is a proud member of Local First Arizona (LFA), a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen communities and local economies through supporting, maintaining and celebrating locally owned businesses throughout the state. Studies have shown that for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, approximately $42 stays in Arizona, compared to only $13 for every $100 spent at a chain. Thank you for your support of Arizona Highways and other local products. For more information, visit www.localfirstaz.com.