MOUTH BY SOUTHWEST

🌎 Doug Robson (pictured), the restaurateur and chef behind Gallo Blanco and Otro Cafe,, has launched his latest concept, Tesota, in the former Southern Rail space at The Newton on the northwest corner of Camelback and Third Avenue in uptown Phoenix. The comfort-food menu – created in partnership with Tesota executive chef Jared Porter, former co-founder of Clever Koi – is more globally influenced than Robson’s Latin-centric concepts and includes steaks, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, individual pizzas, and noodle dishes. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

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🍷 Downtown Mesa’s once-maligned food and drink scene just keeps getting better and better. The latest addition is Rebel Wine Lounge, an elegant wine bar with a sidewalk patio and occasional live music, on the northwest corner of Main and Macdonald, just across the street from the Nile Theatre. In addition to wines by the glass or bottle and craft beers, Rebel offers bar snacks, charcuterie boards, flatbreads, paninis, and desserts. There’s even a brunch menu on weekends.

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🌭 The Valley’s collective appetite for Chicago fare seems endless. So it’s not much of a surprise that Illinois-based Portillo’s has opened a seventh Valley location (all since 2013) at Prasada North on the northeast corner of the Loop 303 and Waddell in Surprise. The chain is popular for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, Italian sausages, and its signature chocolate cake.

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🍓 On the heels of opening its second Valley store in Fountain Hills in March, Florida-based Graze Craze has launched a third on the southwest corner of Thunderbird and 32nd Street in north Phoenix. The stores specialize in grazing boards and boxes featuring a mix of meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, crackers, baked goods, and sweets. A fourth location is coming soon to 16th Street and Campbell in Phoenix.

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🍺 Tempe brewery Catalyst Crafted Ales, which made its debut in October, has expanded by soft-opening a taproom in southeast Mesa. It takes over the former Cork Crush Wine & Beer House on the southeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray. Some remodeling work, including new signage, and Catalyst’s in-house restaurant, SALT (which stands for Sea and Land Tacos), are yet to be completed.

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