Tucson's hottest new foodie neighborhood is at .... Oracle and Ina? With two major openings this month, the northwest-side is quickly becoming a destination not just for Foothills and Oro Valley, but downtown millennials as well.
Earlier this summer we welcomed the brunch spot Teaspoon, and just last week we said hello to Tap & Bottle North at the shopping center caddy-corner to Casas Adobes. And now, upscale Southern classics at Bird Modern Provisions and Bar, 7109 North Oracle Road.
The former Frogs Organic Bakery was packed Saturday night during a soft opening, with the kitchen pumping out plates of bread pudding and 24-hour brined chicken. The "modern" Southern restaurant is the brainchild of successful downtown restaurateur Brandon Katz, of Obon and Goodness. Katz enlisted chef Daniel Thomas of The Abbey and 47 Scott to design the menu, which focuses on sharable small plates.
Early favorites from our soft-opening dinner were the hushpuppies, fried balls of doughy heirloom corn with a sweet pepper jam for dipping, $7. The grits are also a must: Get them as an appetizer, $6, or an entree along with Cajun shrimp and plump slices of Andouille sausage, $18. They're creamy yet thicker than your Waffle House variety, with a depth to them that comes from sharp Vermont cheddar cheese.
Mussels with a chunky tomatillo broth and bright bulbs of fennel, $14.
The cocktail menu is hefty but mostly on the traditional side, with plenty of whiskey classics like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and whiskey sour. The star here is the Tucson Julep, $12, with local Whiskey Del Bac and two different tinctures: creosote and spicy serrano peppers. The cocktail recently took home first place at the Whiskey del Bac Showdown at downtown's Scott & Co.
Designed by André Joffroy and A23 Studios, the new space feels airier with more natural lighting than Frogs. The restaurant is divided up into three rooms, with a long bar flanking the middle.
Bird opens tonight from 4 to 10 p.m. It's just doing the dinner service this month, but starting Aug. 28 it will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. Happy hour will be 4 to 6 p.m. daily, with various specials including yesterday's fried chicken served cold for $3 apiece. Phone: 520-441-9509.
