Slideshow: Tucson welcomes new restaurants in '13

When it comes to pizza, plain pepperoni is just plain passé.

Artisan pies with their thin-but-chewy crusts and unusual toppings are all the rage, but The Heist takes things to a whole other level. Check out these pile-ons: cherries, honey, Brussels sprouts. Yup, they’re tossing those on pizza. Not all on the same one, though.

Brought to you by chef Aaron May — who’s Phoenix-based but has been house-hunting here — The Heist opened in September in the former home of My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. It joins his two other Tucson restaurants, the 3-year-old May’s Counter Chicken & Waffles on East Speedway near Country Club and the year-old The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen near the Foothills Mall.

Full disclosure: The man is revered in our household.

May’s Counter is a regular birthday-dinner request, and we’ve made special trips to Phoenix to dine at the breakfast- and lunch-only Over Easy (Spoiler alert: May is looking to bring one here).

So, the guy can do no wrong — and we figured he wouldn’t once we rolled into The Heist and were greeted with the intoxicating scent of roasting garlic.

Mmmmmm. Garlic.

That gentle but heady aroma spiked our appetites and got our mouths watering — until the kids got a look at the menu.

Brussels sprouts?

Grapes?

On pizza?

Two out of three were not amused.

Kids are nothing if not pizza purists, but they were willing to try, so long as there was the promise of dessert at the end.

Just to freak them out — because, really, where’s the joy in being a parent if you can’t have a little fun at your kids’ expense? — we ordered Finger Licking Fried Chickpeas ($6.99) to start. Not only did this feature garbanzos but shaved Brussels sprouts. And get this — we ended up fighting over it.

Tossed with copious amounts of salted-just-right, crunchy pancetta, the warm, softened chickpeas and buttery sprouts were earthy and delicious.

The Heist’s pizzas are hand-stretched into 12-to-14-inch rounds, enough for two. We opted for a trio of pies: the Fennel Sausage ($10.99), the Smoking Room ($10.99) and the Bianco di Pollo ($11.99).

Alas, the Brussels sprouts-pancetta-goat cheese pie went unordered. Another visit. You can only push sprouts so much, ya know?

Topped with crumbles of house-made sausage scented with fennel, the straightforwardly named Fennel Sausage Pie was a nice blend of meaty sausage, slightly sweet tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. The Heist’s crust is thin but not so paperlike that it’s hard to handle. You can easily flop the edges together, devouring the soft middle that gives way to a crisp edge with the telltale dark spots from the gas-fired stone oven.

The simple Smoking Room sported lightly smoked mozzarella with kicky, fresh oregano and Campari tomatoes, soaked in a balsamic vinegar-spiked marinade and then roasted before being placed on the pizza. The result is soft rings of candylike tomatoes that married well with the smoky, creamy mozzarella.

The standout, though, even the kids agreed, was the sauce-free Bianco that threw together the unlikely but delicious medley of roasted chicken, corn, halved red grapes, bacon, mozzarella, garlic and olive oil. The first chomp belonged to the garlic, but each subsequent bite was this perfect blend — a touch sweet, a bit crunchy, smoky and salty and melted, creamy cheese. The two leftover slices nearly sparked a WWE-worthy smackdown.

The Heist has a good-sized dessert menu with six offerings ranging from gelato to a chocolate-hazelnut torte, but we couldn’t resist the cutely named Led Zeppole ($4.99), mini Italian doughnuts fried and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. We would have preferred the accompanying chocolate sauce heated — it came stone-cold — but there was no arguing with the smooth texture and bittersweet flavor. Tiramisu ($6.99) lovers shouldn’t miss the cloudlike dessert, a blend of mascarpone, ladyfingers and light custard, just barely kissed with coffee flavor and laced with a subtle dark rum.

It’s called The Heist for a reason — it’ll steal your stomach, in the best possible way.

Good Day Cafe was open just two weeks when it found itself competing against Tucson burger legends in Caliente’s Burger Madness.

Sullivan’s Eatery & Creamery easily muscled Good Day out in the first round, which was fine with Good Day owner Tim Lowery. Lowery is perfectly sincere when he says he was just happy to be invited to the party.

Lowery’s burgers apparently are worthy of bragging.

He hand- forms patties every morning from 100 percent Angus beef and serves a half-pound burger on a housemade pretzel bun starting at $4.99. Specialty burgers, including the rodeo burger with onion rings, bacon and barbecue sauce, start at $6.39.

It is his signature house-special $1.99 breakfast — two eggs any style with toast and hash browns served all day, every day — that is bringing folks into his 33-table diner at 5683 E. Speedway. Add bacon or sausage and it’s $3.39. An endless cup of Seattle’s Best coffee is $1.79.

Lowery, who until recently was a partner with his sister at Biscuits Country Cafe, 7026 E. Broadway near South Kolb Road, has cooked at restaurants all around Tucson. The Palo Verde High School graduate also managed national fast-food restaurants for several years.

At Good Day, he bakes all of the breads and desserts on site daily, including tarts that are as big as two slices of pie for $3.39.

In addition to burgers, Lowery uses the Angus beef in his house-special chicken fried steak.

After three years of serving homestyle, made-from-scratch Jamaican fare at its 20-seat restaurant at 1070 N. North Swan Road, CeeDee Jamaican Kitchen is planning a second location.

The new restaurant, 5305 E. Speedway, could open as early as next month, said Charlene Wilson, daughter of owners Cardell and Deon Harrison.

Wilson said the new location will seat 50 to 60 diners.

CeeDee Jamaican Kitchen’s menu draws from the family’s extensive background in Jamaican food. Wilson said the family does not rely on recipes so much as memory, creating authentic Jamaican dishes that employ curry, oxtails, beef, chicken, fish and goat.

The Swan Road restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and from noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. It is closed Mondays.

Published: Nov. 20, 2013

World of Beer is set to open its Tucson store, conveniently located on the ground floor of The Cadence student housing complex downtown, on Monday.

World of Beer, started in Florida in 2007, stocks around 500 craft beers by the bottle and has 50 on tap. The store also hosts live entertainment and serves a limited menu of traditional bar food, including pretzels.

World of Beer is at 350 E. Congress St.

Published: Oct. 25, 2013 

The Flores family, Tucson’s first family of Mexican-food restaurants, is straying far from its roots with its newest venture.

Pub 1922 Vintage Flavor Co. — Pub 1922 for short — quietly opened on Thursday with a decidedly Americana menu: flatbread pizzas, spaghetti and meatballs, mac ’n’ cheese.

There are a couple of classic El Charro dishes, but El Charro President Ray Flores said the idea was to create something unique for Sahuarita.

“It’s what the neighborhood needs, an all-around restaurant” that has broad culinary appeal, he said of Pub 1922.

Pub 1922 is in the 4,500-square-foot space that was home to El Charro Café Rancho Sahuarita. Flores closed that restaurant in June after three years in business.

Pub 1922’s menu has 22 entrees, a bar that serves 22 bottled or canned beers and 22 beers on tap. It also has a family-of-four spaghetti dinner for $22, though it's only available Sunday-Thursday.

The “22” theme celebrates the year the Flores family opened its first El Charro in downtown Tucson.

The menu also includes a roasted butternut squash soup with apples, barbecue short rib mac and cheese, beer-battered fried pickles, fish and chips and a house burger.

Several dishes also will employ pecans grown in Sahuarita, and the restaurant will serve locally sourced breads and tortillas, Flores said.

Flores said the restaurant offers a place where families can feel comfortable, young couples can have a date night and buddies can hang out at the bar watching sports.

Pub 1922 also features the Tucson area’s first Tap TV, an interactive digital entertainment system that includes trivia and video games. Users download an app and use their smartphones to play games that are projected on TV screens in the restaurant.

To learn more, follow the pub on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pub1922

Two longtime family-owned Tucson Mexican food restaurants are adding new locations.

• In late June, the dozen-year-old El Sur opened its second location at 4602 E. 29th St., just west of North Swan Road. The original El Sur opened in 2001 at 5602 E. 22nd St.

El Sur is known for its pan-fried tacos and fajitas, with lunch and dinner prices topping out at $7 to $8. Lunch specials run $2.99 to $4.99.

• Wayne and Margaret Hallquist hope to open their fourth El Molinito Mexican restaurant by year’s end, this one in Oro Valley. The couple last spring bought the former Loop Taste of Chicago pizza parlor building at 10180 N. Oracle Road. Wayne Hallquist said he is still waiting for building permits and his liquor license, but he hopes to begin renovation in the coming weeks and open in late fall.

El Molinito has been in Tucson 35 years. There are three other Tucson locations — 5380 E. 22nd St., 3675 W. Ina Road and 2323 N. Pantano Road.

Published: Aug. 20, 2013

The newest entry to downtown Tucson's bustling restaurant and bar district might prove to be one of its most interesting.

Saint House Rum Bar is a restaurant built around a singular idea - its namesake rum.

"I would say it is inarguably the most diverse liquor in the world," said owner Travis Reese, who has built the restaurant - his third downtown venture with business partner Nicole Flowers - around the cuisines of Caribbean rum-producing countries. Saint House opens today.

The menu includes a few styles of ceviche, Cuban sandwiches, jerk chicken breast salad, fresh battered shrimp to order, taro root chips and dishes employing fish and beef that borrow influences from Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti and other Caribbean nations. Entrees start at $12 and top out at $22.

Saint House Rum Bar's cocktail menu holds as much weight as the food. Pouring from 40 rums from Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Saint Croix, Martinique, Haiti and other countries, the mixologists will create specialty drinks including the much maligned daiquiri. Reese said Saint House returns the daiquiri to its simple roots - fresh lime, sugar and rum.

"The nice thing about it is, the different rums take on different characteristics with something that simple," he said. "A lot of those rums end up in the tropical world for you. Some of the newer rums are basically built for American palates - a little sweeter, fruit forward, vanilla, oaky."

St. House Rum Bar joins Reese and Flowers' other downtown joints - 47 Scott bistro and Scott & Co. speakeasy. The rum bar is housed in a historical building at the corner of East Congress Street and Arizona Avenue that the pair completely renovated, said the restaurant's designer, Chad Goebel.

The work included tearing down some walls and installing electrical boxes on one brick wall to support 13 lights that look like candles.

"We were able to do a certain amount of artistic remodel to the space," Goebel said, noting that the work was done with historical preservation in mind. "There were a couple of challenges for sure. You're dealing with a building that is 70-plus years old, and the last time it's been updated was the 1970s or '80s."

The renovation revealed a lot of the building's secrets.

"As we were tearing down some of the walls, you can tell there was a door; there's an arch overhead. Or you can tell there was a window. It was interesting seeing history reveal itself," said Goebel, who said there are no known floorplans for the building.

In addition to rum-centered cocktails, Saint House will serve wine and have eight beers on tap including from Tucson's Dragoon Brewing Co.

Opening today

Saint House Rum Bar, 256 E. Congress St., 207-7757. sainthouserumbar.com

• Hours: Opens today at 4 p.m. Beginning Friday, regular hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.

Published: Aug. 15, 2013

Today the much-anticipated Saint House Rum Bar opens downtown, one of several new ethnic restaurants that Tucson welcomed over the summer.

The Rum Bar, the third venture of business partners Travis Reese and Nicole Flowers, joins a pair of Italian restaurants and the resurgence of a Greek restaurant that all have opened in recent weeks.

Summer apparently is perfect timing to launch a new restaurant or revive an old one.

Lindsey Fisher, who opened Dominick's Real Italian on the northwest side on Aug. 2, said she planned for a summertime opening "so we weren't so overwhelmed and so we would be ready for the winter."

"We have pretty much gotten the kinks worked out," she said.

Jimmy Pastore and business partner Jeffrey Bridge bought Catalina's popular It's Greek to Me restaurant on July 1 - long before the winter visitors who will be a significant customer base return in October. Pastore said it has given them a chance to find their rhythm before business picked up.

The pair rechristened the three-year-old restaurant as J&J It's Greek to Me.

Dominick's Real Italian

8330 N. Thornydale Road, at Cortaro Farms Road; 744-2002. dominicksrealitalian.com

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

• Menu: Owner Lindsey Fisher and her business partners reached out to her extended family in New York, Arizona and Italy to help craft the menu, which hits the highlights of Italian cuisine: calzones and pizzas; a trio of pastas including a house lasagna; and Italian classics like chicken marsala and eggplant parmigiana.

• Prices: Entrees start at $9.99 and top out at $14.99; specialty pizzas are $14.59 for a 12-inch, $21.59 for 16-inch. Build-your-own pies start at $7.59 and $12.99.

• Worth a visit: You can score a monster slice of pizza and soda for $5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Just how big is it? They cut a 26-inch pie into six slices.

J&J It's Greek To Me

15920 N. Oracle Road, Catalina; 825-4199.

• Hours: 11 a.m. to close Mondays through Saturdays; closed Sundays.

• Menu: Chef-owner Jimmy Pastore and his sous chef, David D'Auteuil, inherited a classically Greek menu - spanakopita, dolmades, keftedes, Greek salads, braised lamb shank and several versions of souvlaki and gyros - and added more seafood.

• Prices: Appetizers start at $6 and run as high as $19 for a combo platter that includes tzatziki, hummus, feta cheese, olives, pita bread and other Greek nibbles. Entrees start at $14 and include the house special grilled octopus ($18), a gyro plate ($14), chicken or pork souvlaki ($15 and $17) and called pikilia; seafood dishes run $15 to $22, while traditional Greek a shrimp kastella ($18). 

• Worth a visit: Every Thursday, Pastore shoots out an email - he calls it a "fishgram" - to regulars alerting them to which fish he plans to serve on Friday. Recently he featured New Zealand swordfish and Hawaiian opah.

La Mia Toscana

7332 N. Oracle Road at West Ina Road; 742-4242. lamiatoscanaitaliankitchen.com

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; 3 to 8 p.m. Sundays for chef's choice buffet.

• Menu: Chef-owner Giancarlo Sefanutto brings the best of his native Tuscany to his Tucson table with handcrafted house-made pastas and ingredients imported from Italy. Specialties include a lobster fettuccine with a decadent cognac sauce, grouper- and cheese-stuffed ravioli dressed in a shrimp and vodka sauce, and pizzas that go from the simple viareggio - tomato sauce with buffalo mozzarella and sliced tomatoes - to a pair of white pizzas.

• Prices: Pizzas start at $10 while entrees start at $12 and go as high as $89, which is the Catalana seafood feast for two to three people. Lunch prices start at $7.90.

• Worth a visit: For the price of a fast-food lunch - $7.90 to $10.90 - you can score an appetizer and an entree that includes lasagna or eggplant parmesan, scaloppini, fish filet or a pasta carbonara. Appetizers include salads, soup or bruschetta.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com

Published: Aug. 15, 2013

A classic cheese pizza is called a Pong; add pepperoni and you have the Mario. Top it with sausage, bacon, spicy pepperoni and a four-cheese blend for the Donkey Kong - barrels and ladders not included.

Sensing a theme here?

When you take a table in front of a 39- or 42-inch LED screen TV attached to a game console, you will understand what Abe and Danielle Koroscil are aiming for with their new restaurant, Dak's Pizza & Games.

It's a teen hangout that doubles as a family fun destination. A pizza parlor that splits its personality with a gaming parlor. An evening of fun for 20-somethings or a perfect venue for a tween party.

"A family of four can come and eat and play video games for less than $30," Abe Koroscil said. "The whole family can sit at one table and eat and play games instead of the kids going off to play and the parents sitting at a table by themselves."

Dak's - a name borrowed from the couple's initials - quietly opened in mid-July in a former Blockbuster Video store across the street from Mountain View High School. It has 27 tables with gaming consoles - Xbox 360, Wii U and Playstation 3 - with more than 60 games. Each Monday they get new games, and Koroscil said he anticipates to eventually have hundreds available.

Gamers rent the tables for $5 a half hour or $9 an hour, and the price covers everyone at the table; there is no additional per-person fees.

The restaurant is entirely gamer-themed, with menu items taking their names from popular video games including Tetris, Pac-Man, Call of Duty, Super Mario Brothers, Resident Evil and Gran Turismo.

The couple spent nine weeks this summer converting the former video store into the restaurant. The kitchen is equipped with a triple-decked convection pizza oven that can cook as many as 28 pizzas at a time, he said. Each takes just five minutes to cook because the dough is hot-pressed, which partially cooks it before it is dressed with sauce and toppings.

Pizzas are individual-serving sized (8 to 9 inches) and come with a drink for $7 to $10. Salads are similarly priced, and hot sandwiches that Dak's introduced this week are $6 to $10. Koroscil said his goal is to keep all meals priced under $10.

Koroscil said he is forming gaming leagues, including a Wii bowling league. You also can book a party or gaming tournament at the restaurant for $5 to $7 per person, depending on the size of the party.

If you go

• What: Dak's Pizza & Games.

• Where: 9725 N. Thornydale Road, at West Linda Vista Boulevard.

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to close Fridays and Saturdays.

• Details: 812-7717 or dakspizza.com

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.

Published: Aug. 7, 2013

Here’s what’s great about Diablo Burger in Flagstaff:

It’s tiny, and ambience is not the point. It’s so casual you order at the counter. There are a few tables inside, but most grab their food and sit on the patio outside the restaurant.

Oh, and it has sublime burgers.

Here’s what’s great about Diablo in downtown Tucson, which opened in May:

It has sublime burgers.

The Tucson restaurant is self-consciously hip. A Vespa is mounted on the wall and serves as a menu holder. There is an “Eat” sign with blinking lights. The four picnic-style tables – there’s table service here — are blond wood and bare. Three of those seat around 10, and the fourth, suspended from the ceiling, holds about a dozen diners. This “community” style of dining pretty much eliminates the possibility of intimate conversation (not that you could have it anyway; sound ricochets between the concrete floor and high ceiling with exposed ductwork). There is also seating on stools along the windows that look out on the increasingly busy East Congress Street, and a bar with the same stools — which are brightly painted steel, look mighty comfy, and are not.

It lacks the charm and the burgers-are-serious-business vibe of its pilot up north.

Still, burgers are serious business here.

• The meat is charbroiled, giving a crisp cover to the patty. The grass-fed beef means less fat — the staff and the menu recommend you order it medium rare in order to chow down on a juicy burger. That’s advice worth taking.

• The buns are hand-made English muffins (preservative free, mind you) branded with “DB.” The 6-ounce patties fit perfectly on the larger-than-store-bought muffins.

• And you can swig it down with Mexican Coke — made with real sugar and served in glass bottles that seemed made for your hands.

Published: Aug. 7, 2013

A new bar on the Rialto block downtown will stick strictly to Arizona wines and beers when it opens its doors on Sept. 1.

The Good Oak Bar, at 316 E. Congress St., will be the latest downtown installment of Flagstaff restaurateur Derrick Widmark, who opened a second location of his Flag eatery, Diablo Burger, on the same block in May.

Like Diablo Burger, which sources most of its ingredients in-state, Good Oak’s menu will focus on the local.

The selections are still being worked out, but Widmark said some of the breweries on his wish list include the Dragoon and Ten 55 brewing companies in Tucson and Wanderlust Brewing Co. from Flagstaff.

“The goal is to provide a taste of place,” Widmark said. “We want people to eat and drink things that were made and grown locally.”

Published: July 31, 2013

Looking through the menu at Dante's Fire can be a little, well, daunting.

The upscale eatery, on East Grant Road in the same A-frame building that once housed Rio Cafe and Nonie, forgoes traditional category names for the circles of hell pulled straight from Dante's "Inferno."

Greed (circle four in the epic poem) represents plates that are more decadent. Anger (circle five) is reserved for meals with a little kick. Treachery, the sweetest of all circles, includes the desserts.

The idea was to do away with the traditional appetizer-entree format and instead focus on small plates that are tied thematically, said owner Jon Tuck, a Washington, D.C., transplant who opened Dante's Fire nearly three months ago.

Cool concept.

But without any formal explanation printed on the menu, the approach was a tad confusing as my wife and I began our journey into the culinary world of Tuck and executive chef Ken Foy.

Thankfully, there was no shortage of sinful selections to choose from at this new and welcome addition to Tucson's blossoming food scene.

Both of our visits to Dante's Fire took place earlier in the evening, during happy hour when many of the patrons, dressed in business attire, were saddled up to the bar.

Dante's has regular food and drink deals.

It also has live music Thursdays through Saturdays, trivia on Mondays and a kitchen that is open until 2 a.m. every day but Tuesday, when it is closed.

After getting the skinny on the menu from our server, who was dressed in red and black to keep with the "Inferno" theme, we kicked things off with two selections from Limbo, a section that included a mix of soups, salads and smaller, appetizer dishes.

The chilled cucumber and brie soup ($5) came served in a large bowl with a bubbly layer of cucumber foam on top.

The soup was creamier than expected, with a thicker texture brought on by the brie, but served as a perfectly chilled treat on a hot summer day.

We wished we could have had a little more of the beef carpaccio ($9), also from the Limbo section. The thinly sliced shavings of raw meat were beautifully plated, and the dry cayenne pepper, curry powder and salt seasoning complemented the caper aioli when sampled on crispy olive bread.

We followed up with the Lamb Thagliardia ($13), a dish with thick noodles and large chunks of braised lamb. The meat was tender, if not a bit underseasoned, and was accompanied by wild mushrooms, asparagus and caramelized onions.

The Thai curry shrimp ($10) was served saturated in a divine curry coconut sauce which we sopped up with an extra order of rice and Dante's homemade bread when all of the shrimp had disappeared.

We finished the evening by splitting a mango crème brûlée ($6), a sweet selection with a thick caramelized crust.

We had to try the foie pops ($16) on our second visit, a dish growing in popularity with patrons, Foy said.

When the restaurant first opened, they were selling three to four orders of it a week.

Now, they serve two to three plates a day.

You don't get a lot for the price, three cuts of cured foie gras placed at the end of long wooden sticks and accompanied by bits of apple.

But the slices were thick and had a buttery texture that tantalized the taste buds.

The tuna tartare ($12), a plate of ahi tuna, mixed with scallions, toasted sesame seeds and topped with sliced avocado, was next and was our standout favorite. The raw flavor mixed with the wasabi sour cream and wonton chips reminded us of the poke that we had on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

The Parpadella Diablo ($9) was another popular dish for us, a plate of thick pasta noodles with large chunks of chorizo and crab, both of which came plentiful in the meal.

Each bite provided a different flavor, depending on which meat your fork picked up next.

Review

Dante's Fire

• Where: 2526 E. Grant Road, 382-9255. dantesfireaz.com

• Hours: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesdays-Mondays.

• Noise level: Quiet enough for conversation unless there is live music.

• Alcohol: Plenty of specialty cocktails, beer and wine.

• Family call: No kids menu, but children are welcome.

• Vegetarian options: Yes.

• Gluten-Free: Yes.

• Price range: Plate selections are $5-$16.

Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at ggay@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.

Published: July 25, 2013

The Garland Bistro, one of Tucson's earliest vegetarian-leaning restaurants, closed after nearly four decades in business.

The restaurant at 119 E. Speedway shut its doors in early June after the owners sold the building to Tucson restaurateur Amanuel Gebremariam.

Gebremariam plans to open a second location of his longtime Zemams Ethiopian Cuisine on July 15, once he finishes giving the building a deep cleaning that included replacing the carpet with tile.

The Garland Bistro opened in 1974 in a nondescript house on East Speedway. The menu leaned heavily toward vegetarian and health foods including meal-sized salads, vegetarian lasagna and liberal uses of tofu as a meat substitute.

The vegetarian philosophy continued as the restaurant, which can seat 65, changed hands over the years. The last owners, Susan and Cuong Nguyen, introduced several Vietnamese dishes to the menu soon after taking over the restaurant in 2005.

Zemams' menu also leans heavily toward vegetarian. Dishes inspired by recipes from Gebremariam's mother are anchored by split peas, collard greens and mixed vegetables. Meat dishes - employing beef, chicken, fish and lamb - round out the offerings.

Gebremariam opened Zemams - named for his late mother - in 1996 at 2731 E. Broadway not long after graduating from the University of Arizona. The Ethiopia native came to the U.S. as a refugee of his country's civil war 33 years ago and arrived in Tucson to attend college.

He decided to open a second location to get ahead of plans by the city to widen Broadway to six lanes, which could wipe out businesses in the process, he said.

Construction is not likely to begin until 2016 at the earliest, according to a plan posted on the city's website by the Tucson Department of Transportation.

"I just don't want to wait sleeping there and get kicked out. I just wanted to get a head start and open the restaurant," he said.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.

Published: July 3, 2013

East-side fans of Oro Valley’s popular Italian restaurant Caffe Torino can now skip the crosstown drive.

Owner Daniela Borella opened a second outpost last week in the former Ric’s Cafe spot in River Center Plaza, 5605 E. River Road.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; it opens at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.

Published: June 26, 2013 

Longtime Tucson acoustic musician Nancy Bright is jumping into the food truck industry.

On Thursday, Bright, half of the popular acoustic duo Bright and Chiders, will debut Lucky Girl Café and its signature Lucky Bun sandwiches.

The Lucky Bun merges Vietnam’s iconic bánh mì sandwich with America’s iconic burger, serving it in a torta roll and dressing up the burgers in Vietnamese spices and a specially made marinade.

The sandwiches are $7.50 with a side dish of either chips or house-made Asian slaw.

Find her at the Tucson Food Truck Roundup from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1825 N. Alvernon Way.

From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday she'll be serving Lucky Bun sandwiches at McCormick Park, 2950 N. Columbus Blvd. Follow Lucky Girl on Facebook.

 Published: June 19, 2013

The pizza chef at Falora Pizza + Espresso doesn't seem to mind.

We've come in for a late lunch, and, since the Neapolitan pizza restaurant isn't crowded, we stand and stare into the open kitchen as she makes the Giardino ($14) pizza we ordered.

She picks up a square of dough, dusts flour on it and the counter, and quickly, deftly, works the dough into a small round.

Then she begins constructing: A liberal amount of extra virgin olive oil, a gorgeous golden color, is spread over the dough. Next, sprigs of fresh oregano are scattered, topped by lots of fresh spinach, tiny cherry tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers that had been roasted in the wood-burning oven, a generous sprinkling of sliced portabellini mushrooms, clumps of mozzarella, and, on top of it all, fresh Parmesan cheese shaved off a big wedge directly onto the pizza.

She picks it up with the pizza paddle, slides it into the oven, and about three minutes later, it's brought to our table.

The spinach is barely wilted; the tomatoes burst with their juices; the cheese bubbles. There are pockets of extra brown crust, which are a tasty result of cooking the pizza in a wood oven.

We pick up a slice. While the crust is knife-blade thin, it doesn't sag in the middle, which often happens with Neapolitan pizzas - they are so thin it can be difficult for the crust to support the toppings.

Then we take a bite. The crust is toasty; mozzarella oozes off the pizza; the tomatoes scream sweetness; the still-crisp peppers add a dimension.

The pizza is sublime.

Not just that Giardino. We visited the restaurant several times, and not once were we disappointed.

Ari Shapiro, the force behind the Xoom Juice smoothies shop and downtown's Sparkroot, opened Falora in early March.

He's fashioned a cozy eatery out of a 1,000-square-foot space with exposed brick walls, a wood-burning pizza oven from Italy, and floor-to-ceiling concrete-brick shelving with cubbyholes stuffed with the pecan logs that feed the fire. The concrete floor means it can get loud if it's crowded (as it can be at dinnertime), and in the evening a blinding sun peeks through the windows on the west wall. Shades might be a good idea there.

Vegetables - often locally or regionally grown - top most of the pizzas. The Margherita ($13), a classic Neapolitan pizza, is a simple piece of heaven, with just tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. The red sauce was used judiciously, allowing the flavors to shine.

The Bianca ($12) forgoes red sauce and adds asiago to the basil and mozzarella.

And on one of our visits, we ordered a special, which was drizzled with truffle oil and packed with mushrooms and sweet, smooshy roasted garlic ($14). Oh my.

Meat lovers won't be disappointed - the Cura ($15) is topped with an earthy soppressata given a bit of a bite with red pepper. The salami shares the crust with tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan and olives.

Salads are given just as much thought as the pizzas. The kale ($9) is made with black kale, which is a common ingredient in Italy and is slightly sweeter than the kale we pick up in the market. It is tenderized with a massage of cashews and olive oil and tossed with olives, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

And the butter-pecan salad ($9) is a symphony in flavors and textures - the butter lettuce meets up with spinach, fennel, apples and pecans and is tossed with an apricot vinaigrette.

Service was thoughtful and informative - the waitress explained that the pizza crust is made with caputo flour, which the Italians use to make their pizzas; that the oven tops out at about 900 degrees, which is why the pizza cooks so quickly; and we might want to consider sharing a pizza and a salad - both were big enough for two.

On another night, the waiter explained that they had been slammed with a large to-go order, which is why our pizzas were delayed. We saw Shapiro moving from table to table to let others know.

Waiting is so much easier to do when an apology and explanation are offered.

And when the pizza is this good.

Review

Falora Pizza Espresso

• Where: 3000 E. Broadway in Broadway Village, 325-9988.

• Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Mondays through Fridays; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays.

• Noise level: It can get loud when crowded.

• Alcohol: Small selection of Italian wines, almost all available by the glass.

• Family call: We can't imagine the kids not loving it.

• Vegetarian options: Yes.

• Gluten free: There are salad options.

• Price range: The pizza tops out at $15.

Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128.

Published: June 6, 2013

After three years of driving his mobile restaurant around Tucson, Jamaican-born chef Duwayne Hall has a restaurant without wheels.

Hall opened D’s Island Grill JA in the Winterhaven Shopping Center space that housed Milagros Cafe Mexican restaurant, 3156 E. Fort Lowell Road. Hall said he is serving the same menu he prepared from his truck with a few extras. He pays homage to the former tenant with jerk chicken tacos and quesadillas. He also joins the burger race with a jerk burger, available with fries and a drink for $6.99.

D’s Island Grill JA is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Published: April 24, 2013

James Beard Award-winning Phoenix pizza chef Chris Bianco is bringing his namesake pizzeria to downtown Tucson this fall.

Bianco hopes to open Pizzeria Bianco in a 2,000-square-foot space next to The Hub on East Congress Street sometime in November or early December. This will be Bianco's second pizzeria.

"Tucson was a logical fit for us. I love all the elements of being close to the wine country, the farmers in Willcox," Bianco said in a phone call Tuesday, after TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Bianco's close friend, tweeted the news of the Tucson venture.

"I have a lot of friends in the southern part of the state and ... (the area) has a lot of things that are special to me personally," Bianco said.

Bianco opened Pizzeria Bianco in 1994, about eight years after he moved to Phoenix from his native New York. He personally stood over the oven of his modest downtown pizza shop and tossed each wood-fired artisan pie - some days as many as 250 - topping them with fresh-made mozzarella cheese and locally sourced tomatoes.

The pies quickly won a devoted following and gushing reviews in the local media. And it didn't take long to curry a national fan base, ignited after the New York Times profiled Bianco and called his pizza among the best in the U.S. Bon Appétit, GQ, Vogue and Gourmet magazines followed, and celebrity chefs/lifestyle personalities Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart chimed in, as did Oprah Winfrey.

Seven years ago, Bianco teamed up with London celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to open four Union Jack's restaurants in London.

"My relationship with Jamie will be a huge part of what we bring to Tucson," said Bianco, who has been toying with the idea of a Tucson restaurant for the past year. "I'm not the best businessman; I'm a chef who does things more from his heart than his head. But this time I think we have the great opportunity to do some of the best work we've ever done because of all the elements: An incredible space, a great relationship with our landlord (Scott Stiteler), great relationship with our neighbors."

"I look forward to being a part of the community. We're excited to get started and cook for Tucson."

Bianco is the second Phoenix-area celebrity chef to open a restaurant in Tucson. Aaron May opened his first, May's Counter Chicken & Waffles, on East Speedway a couple years ago. Last December he launched his new concept, The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen, in Tucson at the Foothills Mall.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.

Published: April 17, 2013

A Caribbean restaurant has slipped into the storefront space that long housed Mr. K’s BBQ on South Park Avenue.

Cassandra Singh opened Caribbean Steam at 1830 S. Park Ave. on April 1. This is her first restaurant venture.

Singh has no restaurant experience, although she owned and ran a grocery store in San Diego until the soured economy took its toll several years ago.

Caribbean Steam — the name plays off Tucson’s desert heat — has a menu that incudes several curries including curried goat; jerk chicken and the ocassional jerk pork; oxtails; fried chicken; steamed vegetables; rice and peas; and stewed chicken. Entrees are priced from $5 to $15.

Caribbean Steam is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Details: 373-5172.

The Original Mr. K's moved down South Park Avenue to a spot near Valencia Road at 6302 S. Park Ave.

 Published: April 17, 2013

Jack’s Original Barbecue, the iconic east side restaurant that was among Tucson’s longest-running businesses before closing last August, is back.

Retired military couple James and Sylvia Williams will reopen Jack’s on April 6, resurrecting founder Jack Banks' original recipes and adding cornbread and collard greens to the menu.

“There’s no doubt in my mind it’s going to be a success,” said James Williams, whose military career revolved around dining and whose post-military career has included owning and running a Southern-style barbecue restaurant in Virginia.

“When you come in there it’s going to taste like you’re at your grandmother’s house,” he said.

Jack’s, 5250 E. 22nd St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily beginning April 6.

 Published: March 22, 2013

The original Guadalajara Grill is spinning off a fast-casual cousin with the opening next Wednesday of Calle Tepa, Mexican Street Grill.

The eatery, in the former El Coqui Caribbean restaurant at 6151 E. Broadway, is a venture between Guadalajara owner Emma Vera and her son JorDan Fuller. Vera owns the original Guadalajara on East Prince Road, and her son has worked alongside her since she opened.

Calle Tepa’s menu will include foods you would expect to find served from a Mexico street cart, Fuller said. Everything comes a la cart so you can mix up beef and chicken street tacos ($1.50 to $2.50). Enchiladas are $2.50 apiece and you can get burritos and burrito bowls for $6.50 to $7.

The restaurant is set to open at 6:30 a.m. March 20. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Details: 777-5962.

Published: March 12, 2013

After a couple years of competitions and perfecting its recipes, Ten Fifty-Five Brewing is opening its taps to introduce Tucson to its way of thinking about craft microbrews.

The brewery, owned by longtime avid home brewers Chris Squires and John Paul Vyborny, is hosting its grand opening at 3810 E. 44th St. Suite 315 beginning at noon Saturday. They will have four beers on tap: Two Sons Citra (imperial IPA), Lazy Duck (American wheat), Leap Pale Ale (American pale ale) and Sugar Skull (sweet chocolate milk stout).

The day also includes live music and Sonoran hot dogs and tacos provided by a food truck.

Vyborny said Ten Fifty-Five beers will soon be available at the two Zona 78 locations: 78 W. River Road and 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Published: Jan. 29, 2013