Coffee at Café Desta
Café Desta, the Ethiopian eatery at 758 S. Stone Ave., will soon be roasting its own coffee. Owner Telahoun Molla says the roaster—which can handle about 50 pounds of beans at a time—is already in place, but there are a few details to work out before it will be operational. Molla says he'll import several kinds of coffee from Ethiopia, and that he's trying to make sure the coffee is fair-trade. The coffee will be sold by the pound. A small area adjacent to the restaurant will house the coffee aspect of the business and a small café; 370-7000.
New: Bacon and Craeggs
Bacon and Craeggs, an interesting business that delivered gourmet breakfasts out of a building on Stone Avenue, is opening a sit-down restaurant on Fourth Avenue. Anais Weeks and Leonard Kisto are opening the restaurant in the 600 block of North Fourth Avenue, right next to Magpies Gourmet Pizza. They'll serve breakfast burritos, pancakes, French toast and other breakfast dishes, and will be open from midnight to noon. It is expected to open in the first week of September. Call 344-2030 for more information.
Meanwhile, at Hog Pit Smokehouse ...
Things are looking up at Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar and Grill at 6910 E. Tanque Verde Road. The business has been reworked over the last year or so, and they've brought in a new pit master named Mark Smith. These changes appear to have done wonders—the business was pulling in crowds all summer, a difficult time for many restaurants. The eatery also recently won a first-place award for brisket in a barbecue contest in California.
In related news, the Hog Pit Challenge, an eating challenge put on by the restaurant, has been conquered by none other than Michelle "Cardboard Shell" Lesco. The 115-pound woman adds this victory to a long string of other triumphs, including challenges at Lindy's on Fourth, Something Sweet Dessert Lounge and other venues across the state.
Wilko's New Cocktail Bar
Wilko, the gastropub at 943 E. University Blvd., has added a nice little cocktail bar—and a cocktail program to go with it. General manager Jonathan Zucchi tells us he worked closely with the folks at the Red Room to develop the program, which focuses on classic cocktails and a few nouveau creations made with flavor-infused liquors; wilkotucson.com.
