2010 was a great year for Tucson diners.
It will be remembered more for the restaurants we added — from ethnic eateries such as Jamaican, Ethiopian and Cajun fare, and expansions from local heavyweights such as Janos Wilder (Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails) and Kwang C. An (Mr. An’s Teppan Steak Seafood Sushi Bar and An Del Sol), to long-awaited national chains (Five Guys Burgers and Fries, the Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen) —than those we lost. Here are some of the highlights:
JANUARY
Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket opened at 1990 W. Orange Grove Road as the new year dawned. The store has a Vietnamese restaurant, Com Tam Thuan Kieu, attached to it.
El Coqui Puerto Rican restaurant opened in the former Bob’s Smokehouse at 5443 E. 22nd St.
Ray Flores stretched his imagination on Sir Veza’s Taco Garage, the first concept in his family’s legendary restaurant company that did not toe the El Charro line. The casual eatery at 4699 E. Speedway is focused around hot rods, with garage doors that look out onto Speedway.
Wilko, 943 E. University Blvd., reopened as a wine bar and restaurant, serving sandwiches, salads and mac ’n’ cheese in addition to other appetizers and entrees. Owner Peter Wilke initially opened Wilko as an upscale convenience store in 2007 where University Drug Co. had operated for about 80 years. Wilke also owns Time Market Deli and Pizza, 444 E. University Blvd., and the B Line restaurant at 621 N. Fourth Ave.
Ciones Italiano reopened Jan. 4 under new ownership and with a new menu at 13190 E. Colossal Cave Road.
Om Modern Asian Kitchen and Sushi Bar opened at 1765 E. River Road, in the former home of Neo of Melaka. It’s owned by the Yap family, which consolidated its two Malaysian restaurants to operate Neo of Melaka in the renovated Seri Melaka at 6133 E. Broadway. Om celebrated its official grand opening in April with an event that benefited the Tucson Children’s Museum.
Chopped, the restaurant known for its build-your-own salads, changed its name to Choice Greens. The change was prompted by a trademark issue (an East Coast eatery had similar name).
The Greens Bar and Grill, 1310 S. Alvernon Way, was renamed Hangovers Bar and Grill. A sprucing up and a new menu accompanied the name change.
Cafe Paraiso closed in Main Gate Square.
Charron Vineyards in Vail opened its tasting room at 18585 S. Sonora Highway, offering white merlot from grapes grown on site. Owners Milton and Susan Craig have since added a red merlot, a syrah and a blanc de noir.
FEBRUARY
Paul Blackwell, former chef of the Tohono Chul Tea Room, combined his love for food and rock ’n’ roll at Café Tremolo in the Foothills Mall.
The owners of Dove Mountain Grill, 2130 N. Dove Mountain, opened VinTabla Wine and Spirits right next door. The business is owned by the same folks behind VinTabla Grill and Wine Shop, at 2890 E. Skyline Drive, which closed for the summer in 2009 and never reopened.
JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa opened Catalina Barbeque Co. and Sports Bar in the space that formerly housed the Catalina Steakhouse at 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd. Executive Chef Chris Brown also shares his barbeque secrets in monthly grilling classes.
The Cheesecake Factory opened to long lines at the Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road. By year’s end it would be joined by Shane’s Rib Shack and California Pizza Kitchen.
An unsolved fire destroyed the kitchen at Lodge on the Desert, 306 N. Alvernon Way. The staff would work out of temporary quarters in semitrailers parked outside the resort until Nov. 24, offering four instead of seven entree options, while the kitchen was being rebuilt.
After a quiet opening late last December, Core Kitchen & Wine Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain had its baptism by golf with the 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships in mid-February.
And Don Garrot, who grew up near Baton Rouge, opened Don’s Bayou in a former plant nursery near the northwest corner of East Tanque Verde Road and Catalina Highway.
MARCH
Joe Scordato, of the famed Tucson restaurant family, jumped back into the restaurant business by opening Guiseppe’s at 6060 N. Oracle Road. He ran Scordato’s on Broadway in the late 1980s and Trattoria Guiseppe on East Tanque Verde Road for two years before selling it.
Tavolino Italian Restaurant opened in the former VinTabla across from La Encantada at 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Massimo Tenino had opened the original Tavolino at 7090 N. Oracle Road in December 2004.
Maynards Market and Kitchen, 400 N. Toole Ave., hosted an Irish Cookoff on March 7 that drew contestants as diverse as Cafe a la C’art to Frankie’s South Philly Cheesesteaks to benefit the St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee.
The Sedona-born Picazzo’s Gourmet Pizzas, Salads & Pastas opened in Oro Valley at 7850 N. Oracle Road. The eatery closed in mid-December.
Chris O’Hara created Chicago Fast Food next to Pinoy Fast Food, the Filipino restaurant he opened at 7159 E. Broadway in 2006.
The six-year-old Contessa Cafe at 4145 W. Ina Road threw in the towel March 17. The owners said the Golden Corral Buffet and Grill, which opened in fall 2009 on Thornydale Road, squeezed them out.
The Good Egg opened its fourth Tucson location March 15 in the sprawling space that formerly housed TGI Friday’s at North Oracle and West River roads.
Cilantro’s Colombian Grill expanded to 4525 S. Park Ave. Soon after, it closed its original location at 8270 S. Houghton Road in Rita Ranch.
APRIL
Deborah Tenino opened Contigo Cocina Latina at the northwest corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, in the former home of Coach’s Deli. Tenino is a one-time partner in Tavolino Ristorante Italiano. Her new menu boasts influences from Spain and South America.
Mr. An’s Teppan Steak Seafood Sushi Bar opened at 6901 N. Oracle Road in the space that once housed Kwang C. An’s northwest-side outpost of Sakura. An had sold the Oracle Road site to Benihana, an international chain that served teppanyaki-style Japanese cuisine there from 2006 until March.
An, who also owns Great Wall of China restaurant on Craycroft Road, opened An Del Sol (sushi bar, contemporary Chinese cuisine and a lounge) inside Casino del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Road, in December.
An has said his An Congress, at the southwest corner of North Fifth Avenue and East Congress Street, may not open until 2012.
More than 1,000 people packed the Gluten-Free Food Faire, held April 24 at Christ Community Church, 7801 E. Kenyon Drive. The free event included samples from restaurants such as the Tucson Tamale Co., in addition to a host of vendors. Southern Arizona Celiac Support also offered free screening for celiac disease, an autoimmune condition.
Bubby’s Chicago Style opened at 9190 N. Coachline Blvd. in Continental Ranch. Michael Joseph quit his civil-engineering job to fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant. He dishes up the kind of hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches and house-made burgers found in his native Chicago.
MAY
47 Scott celebrated its official grand opening during downtown’s first 2nd Saturday, a free monthly event that features music, arts and entertainment. The neighborhood bistro serves modern comfort food or new American cuisine. The building, 47 N. Scott Ave, previously housed Motzi Nouvelle Patisserie, a kosher bakery and eatery.
Bryan and Maria Mazon opened Boca, a taco shop, in the former home of Greasy Tony’s, the legendary UA-area sub shop that closed in 2008. Find it at 828 E. Speedway.
Joe Mama’s Grill, a laid-back breakfast and lunch counter, opened May 28 at 4230 N. Oracle Road. The restaurant has since closed.
Jerry Bob’s, a Tucson breakfast-lunch chain, opened in the Fry’s plaza at Cortaro and Silverbell Roads. It’s owned by Angie Willis, the daughter of the chain’s late founder, Jerry Filson, and her husband, Chris.
In mid-May, the 27-year-old northwest side Italian icon Roma Caffé called it quits, citing the economy and family illnesses as reasons.
Cee Dee Jamaican Kitchen opened May 15 in the former Duke’s Coffee Pot Cafe at 1070 N. Swan Road. The restaurant is owned by Brooklyn, N.Y., natives Cardell and Dean Harrison.
My Big Fat Greek Restaurant opened at the Foothills Mall in the spot that formerly housed El Paso Bar-B-Que Co. It’s owned by Ryan Field, who also owns the My Big Fat Greek at 7131 E. Broadway and one in Sierra Vista. Field is partners with John Foster and Phoenix Chef Aaron May in Mays Counter, which would open Labor Day weekend.
Dry River Company opened May 14 at 800 N. Kolb Road in the former home of Cottage Bakery & Cafe, specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza.
JUNE
Grumpy’s Jr. closed shop June 14 at 8235 N. Silverbell Road after a year. The next day, Jimmy Ledbetter slapped a star-spangled sign on the building and opened Jimmy’s American Bistro.
The upscale seafood joint Bluepoint Kitchen & Bar in La Encantada checked out June 7.
Meanwhile, the southside gained Salud Oyster Bar and Grill, which opened at 1825 W. Valencia Road in a former Chuy’s location. It offers, as the name suggests, lots of seafood, but also burgers, deli sandwiches, cheese steaks and ribs.
Sahuarita gained a new late-night offering when El Charro Café opened at 15920 S. Rancho Sahuarita. It’s the family-owned company’s fifth cafe.
Jessica Kraus opened Planet of the Crepes, a mobile food trailer, offering sweet and savory crepes, in Summerhaven. She left the mountain in October and is often at the corner of Tanque Verde Road and Camino Principal Thursdays through Sundays (check its Facebook page for updates).
JULY
After nearly 20 years in business, Gaetano “Gavi” Colaleo closed his namesake, Gavi Italian Restaurant, at 7865 E. Broadway, citing the poor economy. He closed Gavi La Taverna in the foothills, and Gavi at Foothills Mall in 2009. His Piazza Gavi remains at 5415 N. Kolb Road.
AUGUST
Mike and Cindy McGee reopened the old eatery at the Parson’s Marana Stockyards & Livestock market as the Cattleman’s Cafe on Aug. 2.
Empire Pizza & Pub opened downtown at 137 E. Congress St. offering Brooklyn-style pizza by the slice, as well as sandwiches and subs — “the best of new York without the attitude.”
Yuki Watabe reopened his Yuki’s Sushi at 2962 N. Campbell Ave. on Aug. 20. Most recently, Yuki Watabe was sushi chef at Om Modern Asian Restaurant.
Mini’s Cupcakes & Ambrosia Cakes moved to 7051 N. Oracle Road in Casas Adobes Plaza. Owner Jaynie Rossi previously offered her cupcakes at La Encantada.
La Cocina, the restaurant and cantina at Old Town Artisans, came under the management of JoAnne Schneider — the longtime owner of Bentley’s House of Coffee and Tea. Changes include a new menu of “globally inspired, locally conscious food,” dinner service and a full coffee bar.
SEPTEMBER
The first local Five Guys, at 2802 N. Campbell Ave., set a company sales record when it opened Sept. 7. The second, at 5566 E. Broadway, on the southeast corner of Craycroft Road, is supposed to open in January, and there are are plans for a couple more. The Virginia-based chain has more than 725 locations in more than 40 states and four Canadian provinces.
Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake Pizza opened at 7245 E. Tanque Verde Road. It was the eighth in Southern Arizona.
On Sept. 12, owner Jeff Fuld closed Elle — Wine Country Restaurant at 3048 E. Broadway. On Dec. 8, he opened Elle Wine Bistro at 2970 N. Campbell Ave., in Campbell Plaza.
Feast quietly opened Sept. 22 in its new digs at 3719 E. Speedway, about four blocks west of its original location.
Bone In Steakhouse opened in the former Webb’s Steak House at 5400 S. Old Spanish Trail in Vail. The building, which was renovated, was constructed in the 1940s as a store and trading post. The new owner, Gary Sneva, used to own Port-a-Pit Barbecue.
OCTOBER
Le Delice, 7245 E. Tanque Verde Road, closed with a landlord’s lien citing nonpayment of rent posted on the window. By the next month, the landlord had posted a banner welcoming the return of original owners, Nicole and Maurice Cochard. The couple opened Le Delice in 2001. They sold it in 2006, reacquired it in 2008, and ran it for one year before selling it October 2009. The newest owners abandoned it on Oct. 1, and the Cochards have reclaimed it.
Guadalajara Grill opened Oct. 14 in the former home of Tony Romas at 750 N. Kolb Road and has been wildly popular, if the packed parking lot is any indication.
Brundog’s Zy-de-que, which served up Cajun, Creole and barbecue cuisine for about four years at 4825 N. First Ave., gave way to Brundog’s and La Cocina de Gabby, offering Mexico City-style food. Tom and Marty Brunner, who initially opened Capriccio, which served Northern Italian fare, in 1995, remain involved in the venture.
The northwest side gained another upscale Indian restaurant when Flavor Of India opened at 12112 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. in Oro Valley. It’s owned by the trio of brothers who own Gandhi Cuisine of India, which opened about 15 years ago.
Janos Wilder returned to downtown with his new restaurant Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails at 135 S. Sixth Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Barrio Food & Drink. Wilder opened his first restaurant downtown in 1983, at the Tucson Museum of Art’s Stevens House, then moved onto the grounds of the Westin La Paloma Resort when the museum wanted to expand in 1998.
I Luv Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant, opened at 2513 N. Campbell Ave.
The Tucson Originals finished out the month by presenting the eigth annual Tucson Culinary Festival Oct. 28-31. The event kicked off with a margarita championship at Maynards Market and Kitchen and finished with multiple events at Loews Ventana Canyon.
NOVEMBER
Brian and Sandy Metzger, the couple behind Jax Kitchen, 7286 N. Oracle Road, opened The Abbey at 6960 E. Sunrise Drive. The restaurant is named for their daughter.
Shelby and Randie Collier quietly opened their third Beyond Bread restaurant. It’s in the former Blockbuster Video on the southeast corner of Oracle and Ina roads.
DECEMBER
Tucson’s number of Ethiopian restaurants doubled the first week in December when Brooke and Telahoun Molla opened Cafe Desta downtown at 758 S. Stone Ave. The Molla family also owns a cafe in Tempe, but attended high school and college in Tucson. Tucson’s other Ethiopian restaurant, Zemam’s, has been open since 1995 in a former house at 2731 E. Broadway.
Oh Hungry’s, the eatery well known to anyone who spends a lot of time in San Diego’s Old Town, opened at 944 E. University Blvd. on the Friday after the UA-ASU football game. It’s in Main Gate Square, in the former home of Goodfellas Italian Bistro.
Frogs Organic Bakery, 7109 N. Oracle Road, owned by Marc Lory and fellow French transplants Jean-Luc Labat and his wife, Isabelle, opened, serving up fresh-baked breads, quiches, hot and cold sandwiches, and desserts, using all-natural ingredients.
Mama’s Hawaiian Barbecue opened Dec. 2 at 850 E. Speedway.
Baggin’s Gourmet, offering offer more than the usual Baggin’s fare, opened Dec. 21 in the former longtime home of Jason’s Deli at 5420 E. Broadway. A new Jason’s Deli is expected to open just up the road, at 6061 E. Broadway, in March.
And just this week, Marana’s Cortaro Road-Interstate 10 corridor welcomed its first sushi restaurant when sushi chef Fei Cheng opened Sushi Cortaro at 8225 N. Courtney Page Way.
