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Somewhere to Go

Barrio Viejo

Tucson’s downtown-adjacent Barrio Viejo neighborhood helps anchor this month’s travel coverage. As described by writer Taryn Shorr on our Day Trip page, the city’s second-oldest district is filled with colorful adobe buildings constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, yet the primary sounds are birds chirping and music softly streaming from open restaurants and galleries. There is no hustle or bustle in Barrio Viejo, but there is plenty to see and do—not to mention eat and drink. Sip a cappuccino made with locally roasted coffee beans at EXO Roast Co., then brunch on huevos rancheros at 5 Points Market & Restaurant. Stroll the timeworn streets, gallery-hop on Convent Avenue and snap some photos of the Barrio’s legendary row houses. These colorful, impeccably preserved rectangular homes have been there since Tucson was part of Mexico, and they’re the main reason Barrio Viejo will be on the National Register of Historic Places by the end of 2023. Find more travel and adventure writing in our Explore section.

Something to Buy

Shopping at Cave + Post Trading Co.

Profiled in our Curator section, Patrick and Mary Burch don’t believe that men hate shopping—they just hate the mall. To test their theory, the couple opened Cave + Post Trading Co. in 2021 and have attracted fashion-forward men with their warm, welcoming, Western-themed atmosphere ever since. They recently moved into the Easley’s Fun Shop building, and their goal is to make the shopping experience more enjoyable for men so they can curate their style in a comfortable environment. “Men walk in here for the first time, and they’re like, ‘Whoa, this place is so cool,’” Mary says. “They’re not immediately looking for a chair where they can sit down and wait for their families.” Cave + Post’s selection includes clothing along with personal care products, books, knickknacks, jewelry, housewares and guitars. They focus on American-made products, and everything in the store is for sale, from the jacket modeled on a mannequin to the handcrafted guitar hanging on the wall. Each product fits Cave + Post’s laid-back, Western-inspired style—not super dressy, Patrick says, but nice enough that it prompts people to say, “Wow, that guy looks good.”

Someone to Know

The married M.D.s—an ophthalmologist and pain management specialist, respectively—are two of the 695 physicians who appear in Top Docs, our annual, industry-defining list of the Valley’s most respected healers. Spanning more than 60 specialties, the 2023 Top Docs class is our most thorough and comprehensive yet—and a must-have resource for Phoenicians who want to make the best decisions about their health care.

Pain management and ophthalmology don’t seem closely related, clinically speaking. How did you two meet?
Syed: Both anesthesiology and ophthalmology require a preliminary year where you serve as an internal medicine resident for 12 months. We were in the same program and met on the first day of orientation. Ten years, two residencies, two fellowships, two kids and two clinics later, here we are.

You both like spending time outdoors. What are your favorite Arizona adventure spots?
Garcia-Zalisnak: When we first got here, we did a rim-to-rim hike at the Grand Canyon and regularly hiked Camelback and Piestewa Peak. Our favorite, though, has been Havasupai Falls, which absolutely lives up to the hype. We’ve had two babies in the last two years, so lately our favorite adventure spot is the neighborhood park.

“If I wasn’t a doctor, I’d be…”
Syed: A travel and food show host or something in sports. I hear the Arizona Cardinals have a job opening. If anyone can get me in touch with the Bidwills, I’d really appreciate it.

Something to Eat

Fire at Will

“Dom Ruggiero is leaving nothing in the chamber, idiomatically speaking,” PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan writes in her review of the Valley chef’s stylish new gastropub in the Shea corridor. Known for his superlative small-plate menu at Hush in Scottsdale, the always-innovating Ruggiero aims for a similar dining experience at his new restaurant—and hits the bull’s-eye, according to Buchanan. “I could graze contentedly on the small plates all night,” she writes, “slurping fresh, sweet oysters off the half-shell, anointed with Champagne mignonette; dredging crispy Ibérico ham croquettes through harissa aioli; and smearing smoked fish dip, creamy with everything bagel-flavored mascarpone, across crunchy grilled Noble bread.” The March/April’s issue’s Eat Beat section also includes reviews of a new upscale Mexican restaurant in RoRo and a Three Bites salute to the fava bean. 4912 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, (480) 207-1819, eatfireatwill.com