I love it when a restaurateur goes all out to create new looks, whether it be adding new dishes and drinks or altering the ambiance of the facility itself.  It says to me that he or she is a “thinking” professional, not satisfied with the status quo and willing to entertain new concepts.  While every idea might not prove worthy, sooner or later you hit a single, double and if you’re really lucky, a homerun.  I always say that for every ten new ideas I entertain for the Wine Inquirer, nine or perhaps all ten end up in the trash.  No gain if don’t use the brain!

Today, I stopped by the Marketplace for breakfast, owned by the always attentive and thinking Albert Hall (http://www.acaciatucson.com/marketplace/index.php).  Albert also owns Acacia (www.acaciatucson.com), and runs both the Tohono Chul Tea Room (http://www.tohonochulpark.org/wordpress/dine/tearoom/)  and the recently reopened Café at the Tucson Botanical Gardens (http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/2010/08/acacia-at-the-gardens/).    When you first meet Albert, he displays a very calm, warm and welcoming affect.  What most probably don’t recognize, however, unless you’ve known him for sometime, is that he’s a very pensive and intense professional, proud of his attentiveness to detail and perfection and always on the hunt for new ideas.  He can be speaking to one guest while surveying the plating of another, inspecting the dish for details.  It’s these qualities that make his establishments so successful.

I was in the mood for a breakfast burrito and knew from a visit earlier in the week that they had a great assortment.  I know that quite recently, Albert has made some minor shifts in the flow of the deli and added some very intriguing smoothies.  This morning, with the mid September weather heating up rapidly again, I figured that it was the perfect time to test one of the cold drinks.  I went for the Purple Pollinator, consisting of red and purple grapes, blueberry, banana, kale, bee pollen and your choice of soy or almond milk.   The drink is a winner, displaying a perfect balance of creamy fruit and sweetness. The richness of the banana intermingles beautifully with the flavor of the berries.  There’s also a honey like nuance buried underneath.  I ordered the drink with soy milk but if you want any even richer flavor, try the almond milk.  For more information on their menu items or any of Albert’s restaurant dishes, just click on one of the links just above.