Tucson has been invaded by purveyors of coffee over the last year, from espresso pushcarts to coffeehouses to upscale cafes ... even Circle K offers espresso.

While it's nice to have a broad selection to choose from, I frankly don't think Tucson can support the number of coffeehouses that have appeared.

All of this is moot, however, when it comes to the topic of this week's "Culinary Corner." Cafe Milagro opened up a few months ago in the newly remodeled Up With People center on Campbell just south of Fort Lowell, and when you enter Milagro you know you're entering some place much more sophisticated than the other coffehouses in this town. The stained wood furnishings and floorings, the quirky but not cheesy southwest furnishings and decor ... this isn't the pseudo-hip, highly tacky surroundings of some other coffeehouses around town.

In addition, one of the hippest bookstores in Tucson is on site at Milagro for customers' browsing and perusal. This is where you would go if you wanted to find a Coltrane biography, a guide to America's Bed and Breakfasts, or books by less mainstream authors such as Denis Johnson or Jeanette Whiterson. Buy them and have a great cup of coffee. Which brings us to the food.

While not the most cost-effective coffeehouse fare in Tucson, the food offerings are easily some of the most different.

Milagro offers a variety of salads, ranging from a yellowfin tuna in balsamic vinegar and white wine to a Greek salad, a pasta salad and a couple of simple green salad offerings.

From these we decided on the Trenette al Pesto ($5.95), a pasta and sliced red potato in basil pesto salad, with a side of Milagro's dressed green salad. We also tried an order of foccacia stuffed with four cheeses (Derby Sage, Roo Read Next Article