La Parilla Suiza...Draft Beer Served at 36 Degrees

I guess it had been a long time since I had dined at La Parilla Suiza located at 5602 East Speedway. When I commented to the hostess that they had remodeled, she told me that it had been about a year since the work was done. She seated my parents and me in a quaint little room that used to serve as the small lobby entrance.

I was happy to see the familiar salsa tree that held three small silver bowls of unique and tasty salsa served with tortilla chips. As we sampled the verde, rojo and chunky salsas, my parents, who recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, wondered why all three were so hot. Our waiter told us the chunky salsa was supposed to be the mildest of the three. He offered to bring us another bowl of tortilla chips but never delivered on that promise as he was sidetracked by having to participate in an enthusiastic yet drastically out of tune rendition of a birthday song for one of the guests.

I ordered a Miller Lite draft beer that was served in a nine inch pilsner glass with a thick one inch head and wedge of lime. A band of frost coated the outside lower third of the glass and as I waited for my thermometer to register the true temperature, I noticed a thin ring of ice as it dislodged from the bottom of the brew and began to gracefully serpentine its way to the top. The beer’s temperature was a refreshing thirty-six degrees so I waited until it was half consumed before I relented and squeezed in the lime wedge.

For lunch I ordered a mouth watering chicken melt that included the perfect blend of diced chicken breast, bacon, onions and avocado on a small flour tortilla with chopped lettuce and tomato. The dish was served with a side of white rice and a bowl of tasty brown beans. I mixed several spoonfuls of the beans with the rice and the remaining salsa to finish off my meal.
My parents both ordered quesadillas. Mom had the cheese quesadilla and Dad had the beef quesadilla. Both my parents enjoyed their meals and commented on the unique flavor. “This really is authentic Mexico City cuisine”, Dad said. “There is no doubt that we should come back here.”

La Parilla Suiza has three locations in Tucson including two on the northwest side of town at 2720 North Oracle Road and 4250 West Ina Road. The remodeling at the Speedway location opened up the bar area and combined it with the lobby. There is now plenty of room for guests to sit, maybe sipping a cold beverage, as they wait for one of the popular tables at La Parilla Suiza.

William Ackerley