When the conversations started nearly two years ago, restaurateurs Deborah Tenino and Nick Kreutz wondered how in the heck they would make use of all 8,100 square feet of space in the old farmhouse-turned-restaurant at 60 N. Alvernon Way.
And then COVID-19 happened and that big sprawling outdoor patio and the thousands of square feet of dining space that was home to the long-closed Old Pueblo Grille made sense in a way that wasn’t so obvious when they signed the lease in late 2019.
“It’s one of the things that when we were talking about doing this, these weren’t considered assets of the property,” Tenino said this week as she and Kreutz got ready to open Locale Neighborhood Italian on Friday, Dec. 4. “These were considered the detriments. What are you going to do with all these windows that can open, with this patio?”
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Locale Neighborhood Italian will open to the public on Friday, Dec. 3. The restaurant's opening will mark the first time the building located at 60 N. Alvernon Way will have been used since 2015 - minus a short two month venture in 2018. The restaurant will also offer a cafe and bakery. (Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star)
This is the second restaurant for the pair, who are partners in Contigo Latin Kitchen at 3770 E. Sunrise Drive; Tenino opened the restaurant in 2010 and Kreutz joined her in 2015.
While Contigo explores all things Latin America, Locale delves into what is arguably Tenino’s first culinary love: Italian. The menu borrows from all corners of Italy, presenting regional takes on lasagna and ravioli, including pansotti — swiss-chard-filled ravioli dressed in an earthy walnut sauce — from Liguria, where Tenino spent nearly a decade, off and on, beginning in the early 1990s.
Meatballs on the appetizer menu are dressed in a tart and sweet balsamic glaze with ricotta and charred broccolini, while mushrooms have a starring role alongside leeks in a vegan open-face sandwich dressed with a mustard pesto. Lasagna features a house-made beef ragu and house-made sfolgia pasta ribbon is paired with braised pork, mushrooms and dandelion greens.
Pasta dishes come single-serve from $13 to $17 or family style big enough for, well, a family. Featured entrees ($16-$32) include a grilled ribeye, salmon, cioppino, chicken and grilled tuna, with pizzas, sandwiches and salads rounding out the menu.
In addition to the main dining room, Locale will have a separate bakery featuring grab-and-go sandwiches and baked goods that Tenino hopes to open by year’s end; and a pair of private dining rooms that can each seat between 30 and 40 people that are on hold until we get past the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We sort of visualized this space as kind of a community center,” said Tenino, adding that both rooms have their own outdoor patios. “So we are hoping we can do some classes there, breakfast meetings, lunch meetings using that space.”
Tenino has been a fixture in Tucson’s restaurant scene since she and her former husband Massimo Tenino opened Tavolino on North Oracle Road in early 2004. Massimo moved Tavolino to 2890 E. Skyline Drive in 2010, a year after the couple divorced.
Locale is the third restaurant in the past dozen years to occupy the former farmhouse adjacent to the sprawling La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham. La Quinta’s owners, HSL Properties, bought the restaurant in 2015 after Old Pueblo Grille owner Bob McMahon lost the business in a bankruptcy seizure.
The space remained vacant until the owners of Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ at 1801 N. Stone Ave. opened Abuela’s Cocina Mexicana in early 2018. The restaurant closed 10 weeks later and the building has been vacant since.
Restaurants we wish were still open:
22 Tucson restaurants we wish were still open
Ye Olde Lantern — 1800 N. Oracle Road
Dean and Millie Short opened Ye Olde Lantern, formerly the Green Lantern, on North Oracle Road in March of 1959.
The Shorts promoted the spot as a high-end steak house, with mesquite broiled steak, prime rib, chicken and lobster on the menu.
Eddie Dugan provided live entertainment on the piano.
Ye Olde Lantern, with the oversized lantern hanging from its sign, closed in 2006.
The site is now home to an Elks lodge.
Gus & Andy's — 2000 N. Oracle Road
Brothers Gus and Andy Lettas held court at their steak house on North Oracle Road for decades, entertaining locals and visiting celebrities alike.
The restaurant closed its doors in 2004. The location is now home to The O, Oracle 2000 restaurant and sports bar.
Austin's Ice Cream — 2920 E. Broadway
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Known for its homemade soups and ice creams, Austin's first opened its doors in 1959.
Merrill and Eleanor Austin moved to Tucson in 1958 from Watertown, New York, where Merrill Austin worked for Borden Dairy. They retired from the ice cream business and moved to Tubac in 1971.
Austin's Ice Cream, which moved to 6129 E. Broadway in 2006, closed in 2010.
The Bum Steer — 1910 N. Stone Ave.
The Bum Steer Food and Beverage Emporium in Tucson. Undated photo. Arizona Daily Star
Once a hive of activity, with its wild decor and university clientele, The Bum Steer now sits sad and vacant at 1910 N. Stone Ave.
The Steer was one in a group of restaurants, eight in California and one in Tempe called Minder Binders, owned by the company Great American Inc.
It closed in 2010. The building was sold at auction in 2014 for $198,550.
Delectables — 533 N. Fourth Ave.
Delectables Restaurant was opened for 44 years on North Fourth Avenue before shutting its doors and transitioning into a catering business in 2017.
The space is now home to Boca Tacos y Tequila.
El Parador Restaurant — 2744 E. Broadway
The cavernous El Parador Restaurant at 2744 E. Broadway, owned by the Jacobs family for nearly 40 years, was known for its buffets, its live mariachi music and popular dance nights.
The restaurant closed in 2013 and the building was demolished in 2015.
Hidden Valley Inn — 4825 N. Sabino Canyon Road
Oozing with Old West flavor, Hidden Valley Inn opened in the 1940s, served German food as Uffner's Sabino Canyon Corral Hofbrau from 1950 to 1977, then returned to a cowboy steak house motif until its closure in 2006.
The restaurant burned down in a fire in 1995, but was rebuilt.
Some of its defining features included its Western-themed dioramas and its visiting bands, including the Sons of the Pioneers.
Zachary's Pizza — 1028 E. Sixth St.
Across the street from the University of Arizona, Zachary's was the go-to pizza place for local college students for more than two decades.
The restaurant closed in 2012, citing rising food prices and declining revenue.
Wildcat House — 1801 N. Stone Ave.
This 10,000-square-foot bar and nightclub was a big hit with the college kids when it first opened its doors in 1977, almost right across the street from The Bum Steer.
The spot had varnished picnic tables, pinball machines and a dance floor with a DJ booth.
The Wildcat House closed its doors in 2012. The space is now home to Brother John's Beer, Bourbon and BBQ.
The Tack Room — 7300 E. Vactor Ranch Trail
Drew Vactor checks the tables at The Tack Room in a room that originally was an open front porch when it was his family's home.
The Tack Room epitomized fine dining and was Tucson's first five-star restaurant, having received the honor in 1977 from the Mobil Travel Guide.
It first opened in 1965 and closed in 2003 under the ownership of Bob McMahon's Metro Restaurants.
The big boot that served as a sign for the Tack Room still sits on North Sabino Canyon Road.
The Palomino — 2959 N. Swan Road
Another high-end eatery, owned and operated by the Gekas family, the Palomino served a long list of visiting celebrities and dignitaries over the years, including George C. Scott and presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.
The space, which later housed McMahon's Prime Steakhouse, was opened in 1942 and shuttered in 1994.
Molina's Midway — 1138 N. Belvedere Ave.
Elias and Louisa Molina launched Molina's Midway, a traditional Mexican restaurant, more than six decades ago after six years spent working for Elias' brother, Gilbert at his restaurant, Casa Molina.
The family called it quits in 2017. The space is now home to Zayna Mediterranean Restaurant.
The Solarium — 6444 E. Tanque Verde Road
Located on Tucson's east side, the Solarium opened in the early 1970s and was known for its redwood interiors and large glass windows.
The building was purchased in early 1999 and burned to the ground later that year.
La Fuente — 1749 N. Oracle Road
Another classic Mexican restaurant, La Fuente closed its doors in 2014 after 55 years in business.
The festive dining establishment, painted all in pink, was known for its Sunday brunch and live mariachi entertainment.
Terra Cotta — 3500 E. Sunrise Drive
Terra Cotta first launched as Café Terra Cotta at St. Philip's Plaza in 1986 and was an instant hit with Tucson foodies at the time, appearing on the PBS series "Best of the West" shortly after opening.
Launched by Don Luria and his wife, Donna Nordin, the restaurant moved to East Sunrise Drive in 2001, but wasn't able to survive the economic downturn and closed its doors in 2009.
Luria and Nordin opened and closed several other restaurants in Tucson, including Los Mayas and Prima Donna, according to Star archives.
The Northwoods — 2702 N. Miracle Mile
With a snowy exterior, Northwoods opened in 1971 and shut its doors in 1987 after owner James G. Counes filed for Chapter 11.
The restaurant's interior sported a hunting-lodge look and specialized in steaks, prime rib and fresh-water fish.
Ray Whitaker played the organ there Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Gordo's Mexicateria — 7701 E. Broadway
If you liked chimichangas. We mean, if you really liked chimichangas, you knew one of the best places to get them was Gordo's Mexicateria on East Broadway, just west of North Kolb Road.
Diego Valenzuela opened his first Gordo's in 1959 at Prince and Flowing Wells. His second location relocated twice on East Broadway before ending up at 7701.
He sold the business in 2000.
Shari's First Ave. Drive-in — 2650 N. First Ave.
Much like Pat's on Tucson's west side (which is still open for business), Shari's was an iconic drive-in burger joint on North First Avenue that closed in 2008.
The spot first opened in 1955 as an ice cream stand, then went through several incarnations before Shari Bartol took over in 1979.
Grill — 100 E. Congress St.
The 24-ounce Porterhouse steak with a side of vegetables was one of the many items offered at The Grill located at 100 E. Congress Street.
Open 24-7, Grill was a long-time downtown staple before closing in 2011. The restaurant's Red Room would play host to small touring bands and local musicians.
Other restaurants that inhabited 100 E. Congress over the years included the Stag Grill and Minerva Café.
Acacia Real Food & Cocktails — 3001 E. Skyline Drive
Chef Albert Hall first opened his popular Acacia restaurant in St. Philip's Plaza, where it earned a AAA Four Diamond award among other distinctions.
Fast forward to 2016 and the restaurant, which moved to Easy Skyline Drive in 2011, closed due to low profit margins that came with purchasing high-quality ingredients, Hall told the Star.
"To limp along is just not our style," Hall said. "It's just not how we do it. We would rather go out on a good note."
The Iron Mask — 2564 E. Grant Road
The Iron Mask was a popular restaurant opened by Douglas and Rita Marvin in 1965 where Kingfisher resides today.
The continental dining establishment offered upscale dishes, like turtle soup, duck l'orange and poached stuffed filet of sole.
It shuttered in 1993 after the Marvins decided it was time to retire.
Greasy Tony's — 828 E. Speedway
Another University of Arizona-area staple, Greasy Tony's served cheese steaks, pizza, hoagies, meatball sandwiches and calzones for 30 years until founder Tony Giorgianni died of a heart attack in 2008.
Giorgianni had a second Greasy Tony's location in Tempe, but Tucson was his first.
The space was eventually taken over by Boca Tacos Y Tequila and has since been torn down for more student housing.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
This Tucson Italian restaurant is opening a bakery and breakfast spot