Celebrity chefs from Las Vegas have fallen in love with Tucson’s food scene and are planning to open a new restaurant downtown.
Antonio Nuñez and Scott Cummings bought the former Funky Monk bar at 350 E. Congress and plan to renovate it into 350 Congress, with a slogan of Bites and Liquid Courage.
Pitched as “not an out-of-control college party place, but a place that you go for fun” the new spot will feature new styles of old cocktails with “an Instagram feel,” Nuñez told members of the Rio Nuevo board Tuesday when asking for financial support for the project.
The board voted unanimously to spend up to $160,000 in renovations for the restaurant, which Nuñez expects to generate more than $3.8 million within five years of operation.
A Rio Nuevo board member asked him why he chose Tucson.
“It was actually just an investment opportunity,” Nuñez said. “When I got down there and started getting into the restaurants and the scene, I got really excited.
“I fell in love with the place.”
Nuñez has cooked for chefs and establishments such as Le Cirque, Primo and Guy Savoy. After a brief stint in London to open Brooklyn Bowl he returned to Las Vegas. On his own Nuñez has opened Kitchen Table, The Parlour and The Stove, successful Las Vegas establishments. His partner, Cummings, was the Season 12 winner of Hell’s Kitchen. He later worked for Gordon Ramsey and went on to open Freedom Beat, known for its brunch. He is also the executive chef for Lake Las Vegas.
A sneak peek at the Tucson menu includes dishes such as charred cactus with chili poblanos and lobster ceviche.
“We want to entice the attention of the local Tucson clientele,” Nuñez said.
He is also working with local food producers for his new eatery, such as Barrio Bread, Desert Pearl Mushrooms and Maiz Tucson.
“We’re going to roll out the red carpet for you,” said Fletcher McCusker, Rio Nuevo’s board chairman. “We’re eager to get you guys in town.”
Just west of downtown, the board voted to support another eatery.
Ari Shapiro, a well-known Tucson restaurant operator of places such as Falora and Beaut Burger in the Mercado Annex, along with business partner Travis Evans, plans to open a New York-style pizzeria.
Falora Pizza & Espresso in Broadway Village, Ari Shapiro’s entrée into Tucson’s pizza market, made the list of Eater.com’s 24 hottest pizzerias in the United States. Shapiro also owns Sparkroot, downtown, and Xoom Juice at three locations. Now he is opening a pizzeria west of Tucson.
The shop, at less than 500 square feet, will have mostly outdoor dining or takeout.
It will be on the ground floor of the Monier Apartments, next to the Mercado.
Construction is already underway and the Rio Nuevo board agreed to invest $159,000 toward the project, which is expected to generate $2.6 million in revenue within five years.
Called “Whole Slyce Pizza” the shop, at 160 S. Avenida del Convento, is expected to open this spring.
Tucson Landmarks: Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., opened in 1919 as a luxurious mainstay for visitors arriving in the Old Pueblo.
The downtown landmark has kept much of its history alive in the past century, while also bringing modern amenities to Tucson natives and tourists.
Video by Riley Brown / For the Arizona Daily Star
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