Guilin Chinese says ‘zài jiàn’ to Speedway, moving to Broadway
Tucson’s home of the vegan Mongolian beef, Guilin Chinese restaurant, served its last meal at its longtime location Saturday. Its lease was up at 3250 E. Speedway, and the building, which houses several other tenants, is set to be demolished.
But good news for Tucson’s vegetarian community: The restaurant plans to relocate to 4445 E. Broadway later this month. Owner Kinsun Wong plans to serve the same menu of Cantonese and Mandarin dishes, including the popular $4.95 lunch special. (Although it’s being hiked up to, gasp, $4.99.)
The new spot is in the former home of Bella D’Auria Restaurant and Bar, and is about the same size as its current space, Wong says. He is still working out the restaurant’s operating hours.
Goodbye Bodega Kitchen & Wine, hello Amalour Lounge
Days after it marked its one-year anniversary in St. Philip’s Plaza, Bodega Kitchen & Wine closed on Feb. 23.
A week later, Amalour Lounge took its place in the 95-seat restaurant that was once home to another short-lived restaurant, Liv Cafe and Bistro.
Amalour, owned by the Selby family, opened Monday, serving a new American menu that crosses several continents, said General Manager Katie Jo Willis. There’s Italian influences in the five varieties of bruschetta on the small plates menu, a dry-rubbed all-American New York steak — which at $32 is the most expensive item on the menu — skewers and a trio of fritters. Small plates run $6 to $12.
Willis said Amalour sources as much as it can locally, including working with its St. Philip’s neighbors: it offers Flying Leap Vineyards wine, uses Alfonso’s Olive Oils and Vinegars in its dishes and shops weekly the St. Philip’s farmers market.
“We are sourcing as much as we can local, fresh,” she said.
Amalour also has Dragoon and Barrio beers on tap, as well as a couple other Arizona breweries.
The restaurant, 4340 N. Campbell Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and until 9 p.m. Sundays. A grand opening is planned for March 20.
Now open
The husband-and-wife team of Matt and Nikki Thompson opened Nook, their flagship downtown restaurant, on Monday in the former home of V Fine Thai Dining, 1 E. Congress St.
The breakfast and lunch joint is opened 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, with brunch on Saturdays beginning at 8 a.m. Details: nookdowntown.com
Now closed
Southwest Desert Dogs, the neighborhood hot dog cart run by husband-and-wife team Sean and Toni Draper, is now closed. The spot at 5214 E. Pima St., sold a variety of styles including a Polish Sonoran dog with crispy diced bacon, and a Coney Island dog with cumin-spiked Coney sauce, the Star reported in 2013. A for-rent sign hangs on the door.
Easter Sunday: Calling all restaurants
Make sure you go to the DailyStarCalendar.com and enter your specials for inclusion in the Caliente Easter Sunday listings. Select “Holiday Dining” as the event category, and be sure to enter the name of the restaurant or venue in the “Location” field. The Easter Sunday specials deadline is March 19.
