Among The Best Of The Southwest. While the revitalization of the downtown area and the renovation of San Xavier Mission are events worthy of note, what also impresses is the burgeoning fine-dining scene in Tucson. Once limited to the much ballyhooed Tack Room when it came to dining in grand style, this city now boasts a formidable stable of other culinary treasures. That effort, which takes place under the watchful and creative eye of chef and owner Donna Nordin, permeates the menu.
Nothing here is run of the mill.
We began one meal with an order of the walnut tarte, a small disk of toasty pie pastry layered with pungent goat cheese and caramelized onions. The beef was cooked rare to order, absolutely bursting with flavor, and was so tender a steak knife seemed superfluous. This is one cow worth going mad over. Nor should seafood specials be missed at Terra Cotta. The night we visited, the guest of honor was a deliciously fresh chile-crusted mahi mahi, grilled and served with a sauce coaxed from carrot juice and toasted pumpkin seeds.