Too. Much. Cheese.

The best Mexican food in Tucson north of 22nd Street can be found at Guadalajara Grill (Prince/Campbell). The salsa-to-order at dinner is wonderful, the mole is a tad sweet but works very well with chicken, the beer comes packed in little ice-filled buckets, the chips are hot and the staff friendly. The mariachis are deafening but excellent. So go there often.

Guadalara's owners recently opened Pizzazz Bistro, an Italian place across the street from Guadalajara in an abandoned Burger King building. The decor is cute and festive, the staff is friendly, and oh sweet Jesus you'll end up with a shiny coat if you eat there. Pizzazz is a wee tad overenthusiastic when it comes to applied oils, whether it's the Greek salad drowning in dressing or the horrifically cheesy pizza served with olive oil poured over the top for good measure.

I had something involving Tuscany, a white pizza with asparagus, artichokes, tomatoes, and red onion. It's a great concept, but the thin crust and delicate vegetables were completely overwhelmed by the layer of mozzarella. The pizza--and my stomach--would have greatly benefitted from a sprinkling of cheese, a slight drizzling of oil, and probably some fresh basil and a grind or two of pepper. The edges of the crust not socked in by fats were quite nice, with a light crispy exterior and pleasantly chewy inside. There was just so much goddamn cheese, which is now sitting in a ball in my gut (hey, I was hungry).

My tablemates shared the mentioned salad (large, fresh, swimming), a Caprese salad that looked good enough, although the tomatoes could have had more character, and an order of large mushroom caps stuffed with something and coated in the sacred mozzarella and drizzled in the holy oil. We're all back at work feeling a little sebaceous.

Final verdict: Stay across the street at Guadalajara so you don't have to feel like shooting yourself after lunch.