Editor’s Note: 10/16/2020. Cushing Street Bar is now closed. It has reopened as the Coronet, the one on Ninth St., Fall 2019. The Libertine, what use to be the Coronet has closed permanently, due to the Coronavirus. The Coronet will reopen November 5, 2020.
Anyone who has read our September 2013 review of Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant knows this is one of our most favorite Tucson dining establishments. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and for good reason.
In that review we detail the food, service & ambiance and other things that make Cushing Street Bar so special, especially its location in Barrio Viejo. If you have not yet visited Tucson’s Old Neighborhood, you might enjoy our slideshow with images of some of the restored, mostly-adobe 19th century homes.
Months ago when Ms. Karen, my wife & webmistress, asked me where I would like to go for my 70th birthday dinner, I did not hesitate. “Can we go to Cushing Street on a Saturday night and experience their Jazz Night?”, I asked.
“Well, perhaps”, she replied. Nothing more was said about it.
Weeks later, I magically received a birthday gift certificate from eldest daughter, Andrea, for dinner & drinks at Cushing Street. What a coincidence!
We had not experienced Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant on a Saturday night for two reasons. First, we already reviewed their Sunday Brunch. It’s hard to get back to the same restaurants once we review them because there are SO MANY. There are always others that our website visitors want us to review.
Second, our hours of operation are roughly 4am to 5:30pm. By 6pm we are nearly spent and working on our second cocktail. In other words, by late afternoon/early evening our motivation to go out on the town is at a low ebb.
On this late June (2014) night we arrived at Cushing Street at 6:30pm. It was still quite hot outdoors, but once we squeezed through the narrow front door, the interior was comfortably cool. We were seated immediately at a table chosen for us by owner & hostess, Betsy Rollings.
We were soon introduced to Doug, who would be our server for the evening. Did we luck out or what? Doug is an ex-civil engineer-turned waiter with the personality of a jovial, but mischievous bartender. Let’s just say that Doug tells a good story and must have a hundred of ’em. He made our evening extra special.
Cocktails
To start the evening off right, Ms. Karen ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. We only recently learned that the wine’s name probably originated from the French words sauvage (savage or wild) and blanc (white) because it is an indigenous grape found in Southwest France, but now grown in many parts of the world, including California and Washington State.
Because I can have a fine New Zealand sauvignon blanc anytime at home, I chose to be adventurous. Doug suggested a Sidecar. I told him I that I had never had one. He asked if I like bourbon to which I explained that Jack Daniels has been my drug of choice for 45 years. “Perfect,” he said. I’ll be right back.
This particular version of the sidecar is a bourbon-based sweet & sour cocktail: Makers Mark, Cointreau & Fresh Sqeezed Lemon Juice.
Doug served the main portion in a martini glass and a separate shot glass (the sidecar). Both vessels were rimmed with sugar. Interesting! But a bit too sweet for my taste. I then ordered “what she’s having”.
Entrees
By then, it was time to order our entrees. Ms. Karen ordered the 6 oz. Petite Sirloin with blue cheese grits and seasonal vegetables ($19). I might have ordered the same except I despise grits, at least any grits I have ever tasted … YUCK!
I ordered their version of Surf & Turf: Popcorn Dusted Diver Scallops and Grilled Sirloin served with Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Demi-Glace ($24).
Jazz
As we awaited our meals to be served, the band started to play right at 7pm as advertised. According to Doug, the same trio, with occasional stand-ins, has been playing Cushing Street Bar for the past 8 years. Three things stand out in my mind about the music that night.
First, the guys played a type of jazz known as West Coast Jazz that was first popular during the ’50’s & 60’s in LA & San Francisco. It is a bit “calmer & softer” than more radically-improvisational modern jazz. Second, this genre was perfect for the setting because we could enjoy dinner conversation without having to shout over the music. Third, the Cushing Street Bar acoustics are fabulous. No matter where guests are seated, the music is right there; neither overpoweringly forward nor vaguely distant. Most enjoyable!
NOTE: Betsy let us know that they now offer jazz on Friday nights as well.
While awaiting our entrees, we could witness others being served beautifully presented dishes that made us eager for ours. We didn’t have to wait long.
About Those Grits
Ms. Karen sampled her steak and then her grits. “Oh, you should try these,” she said.
“You know I don’t like grits,” I replied.
“No, really, take a bite.” I took a bite. And then another. I will tell you this. Cushing Street’s Blue Cheese Grits have changed my opinion of grits forever. WOW! Try them. You’ll like ’em.
The other items comprising our entrees … steaks, veggies, sauces, etc. … varied from “Very Good” to “Outstanding”. That and the friendly service, the music, & the ambiance all combined to make this evening particularly delightful. As perfect a birthday dinner as I can imagine.
Patio & Private Dining
As mentioned in our previous review, Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant also offers pleasant garden-dining outdoors, as well as private dining rooms. Our plan is to make use of the private dining when all our many children & grandchildren visit over Christmas.
Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant: Highly Recommended!
Of the 80+ dining restaurants we have reviewed in the past 3 years, only 9 have earned our 5-Saguaro rating: Best of the Best. Cushing Street now becomes #10.
198 W. Cushing Street, Tucson, AZ
Reservations Recommended: 520.622.7984.
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