Gusto
Recently opened within the past two months, Gusto Ristorante is owned by Bob Lee, a new Tucson resident who was convinced by friends to move here. Lee left his Rockway Beach, N.Y., deli for more temperate climes. Gusto serves Northern Italian fare with an emphasis on light red and basil-pesto sauces. Specialties include seafood over linguini and wild mushroom ravioli in a sage butter sauce. Seating 75, Gusto is located at 6060 N. Oracle Road; open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday dinner only; 219-7226.
Smithsonian Gets Wilder
Janos Wilder heats up the 39th Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which runs from June 23-27 and June 30-July 4 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Wilder will demonstrate his cooking techniques that blend French techniques with regional Southwest ingredients.
Road Trips
If the price of gasoline is putting a dent in your summer vacation, think culinary road trips instead. Tucson's finest restaurants will take your palate on a coast-to-coast or intercontinental tour. They're too numerous to mention them all in detail, so Noshing suggests that you contact the restaurants for specifics: Kingfisher and Bluefin (323-7739 and 531-8500), FioRito's (325-6913) and NoRTH (299-1600).From May through September at Soleil (299-3345), wines and four-course food-pairing dinners from around the world will change monthly. June features Australia and New Zealand. At Fleming's Prime Steak House, you can sample five continents at a five-course wine dinner on June 15 for $70. Make reservations by calling 529-5017. Janos and J-Bar embrace regional styles, but diners get a summer passport that gets stamped every time you order the summer specials priced at $19.95 or $12.95 respectively. After four or six stamps, receive free food; 615-6100.
