by Emily King

I have a serious problem. I can’t sit still and I am a bit impulsive. Which is why am so passionate about the Southwest where adventures abound and a day trip can take you to some incredible places. My other passion is…. you guessed it… food.  As a culinary student nearing graduation, I enjoy finding new eateries as much as I do new thrills. Even in the intense summer months, my motto is, “If you can’t stand the heat, drive north for an hour or two and find another kitchen.”

So that’s what this silly little column is all about – adventure and eating, or adventurous eating around the Southwest. I aim to travel the region, seek out some awesome challenges and boldly grab some good, local grub along the way. I expect some failures here and there but if you hang with me, we will discover our appetites for adventure together.

After a long recruiting session (which required the exchange of about six text messages), I convinced my friend, “J,” to accompany me on my most recent adventure in the Valley of the Sun: An evening of hiking in South Mountain Park, followed by dinner at Babaloo’s, a Chandler Cuban Restaurant.

Ok, so we are starting near to home hiking South Mountain. It may sound pretty pedestrian, but South Mountain is anything but. With over 51 miles of trails on 16,000 acres, it’s one of the largest municipal parks in the country, and in our case there was the added “adventurous” element of departing at dusk. You see, I live my life on “EST”–that is, “Emily Standard Time” which is anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour later than the time I am supposed to be somewhere. We are both avid hikers so the setting sun did not deter us though perhaps it should have. We met up at the “Environmental Education Center” and spent about 15 minutes searching for the trailhead for the Holbert Trail. After literally stumbling upon numerous trails that were not the one we were looking for, we gave up and followed our guts. We’ll call it “inspired hiking.” We weaved our way along several trails. If you have hiked in Arizona in low light, you know that it can be quite treacherous. While rattle snakes and jumping cactus come to mind, it is the rocks and the loose gravel that make it so challenging. If you have bad ankles or are scared of falling on your tush, I would not recommend it.  

Still, even taking that labyrinthine route, we somehow managed our objective – the top of South Mountain. It was completely dark by this time, so we decided to follow the paved road down, which required us to stop on the shoulder several times as cars rushed past us and passengers yelled expletives. 

About a ½ mile from the parking lot, two well-meaning park rangers stopped and offered us a ride back to our cars. We accepted the gesture knowing if we didn’t they would offer again, more insistently. The rangers were very friendly and filled us in on all aspects of the park, including how ironic it was that the “Education Center” parking lot was a prime place for car and tire-theft. Apparently south-siders like to “school” hikers on where not to park. We were very relieved to find our cars untouched. After a quick costume change, we headed to Babaloo’s. We arrived at the restaurant just before 9pm. Despite the hour, the waiter escorted us to a table without even flinching and sold us on the “Date Night Menu” (a shortened menu offered on Wednesdays) which is a fantastic deal. It includes 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, and a bottle of wine for $50. This was the perfect meal for two young people with thin wallets because it yielded hearty leftovers.

We tried the “Almendras, Olivos, y Queso” and the Plantain Trio for the appetizer. This consisted of roasted, spiced almonds, an assortment of olives, and cubes of delicious, pepper-infused cheese. They were essentially good bar-munchies on steroids. The Plantain Trio was a platter of Maduros, sweet, pan-fried plantains, Mariquitas, thin, crispy, potato chip-like plantains, and tostones, heartier, thicker versions of the salty little Mariquitas. These were all served with a perfectly spiced black bean dip and a “mojo sauce” that seemed to be a clarified garlic butter. Of the two, we agreed that the fancy “bar-munchies” suited us better.

For our main courses, we had the Ropa Vieja, and the Pollo Cubano. The Ropa Vieja was among the best I have tasted. The balance of spices in combination with the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the meat made it hard for me to share the dish. J is more of a white-meat-eater and thoroughly enjoyed the Pollo Cubano. He is also more generous than I am, so I got to experience the dish too. The chicken breast was dripping with a fabulous orange marmalade-butter pan-sauce and served with black beans and rice. These were definitely the celebrity entrees. When you go to  Babaloo’s, do me a favor and put your fork down on the entrees before you’re full because the desserts are awesome!  I am a “flan-fan,” and this particular flan was very traditional with a creamy, semi-dense texture. This is how I prefer flan, but I know others enjoy a more cake-like texture. The tres leches cake was incredibly moist and decadent. It tasted just as it should; as though it had been marinating in the milk-mixture all day. Our favorite dessert by far was the key lime pie. The filling was sweet and smooth with a tang that lingered in the mouth even after a sip of some nice, strong cuban coffee.

Well there you have it: We made it down from our hike safely despite the late start, and were fortunate enough to find Babaloo’s just a hop, skip and perhaps a tumble away. The beauty of South Mountain Park is only enhanced by its neighboring Cuban restaurant and is sure to satisfy any Phoenix-bound adventurous appetite.

To find out about your trail-options at South Mountain Park Click Here And for more information on Babaloo’s Cuban Café, Click Here