Editor’s Note: Rumor is that Nox is now closed. Goodness Kitchen has taken its place.
Mary had been Ms. Karen’s bridesmaid many years ago. And even though we all ended up in Tucson, we don’t get to see her as often as we’d like. So, we planned a lunch together at a central location that was also near the Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery at Sunrise & Kolb because we all three wanted to check out his Maynard Dixon collection after lunch.
Nox Kitchen & Cocktails at Skyline & Campbell seemed to fit the bill. Besides, we had not reviewed it yet as Nox is fairly new.
Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery
Before I start the Nox review, I do want to recommend Mark Sublette’s Gallery to you. There we saw antique and contemporary Western furniture, paintings, photographs & sculptures; and a fabulous collection of Native American art, textiles, pottery, baskets, and jewelry. It’s all very pricy of course, but the best usually is.
Back to Nox Kitchen.
This new restaurant has a very pleasant sidewalk patio & bar, which is were we sat. Even though it was mid-summer, the misters kept us comfortable.
Mary ordered a peach-tasting micro-brew (Four Peaks Ale $5). Too fruity for my palate. Ms. Karen ordered a dry New Zealand white (Astrolab $10), which is what she usually orders.
If a restaurant has a signature cocktail, I like to at least give it a go. So I ordered The Bully: bourbon, demerara, & orange bitters ($10). Demerara is a type of cane sugar with a fairly large grain or crystals and a pale amber color. It has a pleasant toffee flavor and can be used as a substitute for regular ol’ brown sugar. However, I assumed the orange bitters would offset the sweetness of the demerara and bourbon. I was mistaken. My first sip reminded me immediately of a Rusty Nail, which I have not tasted in at least 40 years … incredibly sweet!!! I tried to water it down with several ice cubes. Better. But still …
I ordered a Fish N’ Chips just because I know that really good fish & chips are hard to come by in the Old Pueblo. Mary thought that sounded good, so she ordered same. Ms. Karen ordered a Chinese Chicken Salad. To share, we ordered calamari with tomato marmalade & spicy aioli dips ($11). Ms. Karen and Mary agreed that the calamari batter was not to their liking. I tried one. It was just OK. About half of our appetizer was left in the basket.
Service & Atmosphere
The service was very good, but then, we were early and our server only had three active tables. The test of good service is when a restaurant is busy. And we enjoyed the atmosphere. Pleasantly upscale. The Nox website describes the overall feel of the place as a “slight nod to Ernest Hemingway as a writer, hunter, and world traveler.” The “slight nod” was too subtle for me. I would never have made the connection. To evoke Hemingway, Nox would need a sparely populated white sand beach, palm trees, and the background sound of rhythmically pounding surf.
Rating Our Meals
Ms. Karen said her Asian Chicken Salad was quite good. However, neither Mary nor I could work up much enthusiasm for our Fish N’ Chips. It just wasn’t at all interesting. The batter was not light and fluffy. The fish inside the batter was dull. It needed a lot of vinegar just to give it some flavor. The French fries were boring. The coleslaw was just OK.
What does stand out in my mind is the price. One cocktail, 2 glasses of wine, and a beer, an appetizer, a chicken salad and two fish & chips + a modest gratuity = $100; $35 of which was optional alcoholic drinks. So, sans alcohol; $65 or $22 per.
Do we wholeheartedly recommend Nox (which means “night” in Latin) to our friends & family? Not particularly. We see no reason for it to exist. Although the patio was pleasant, and the service was good, when we choose to dine in this price range, we prefer several fine restaurants at La Encantada across the street.
Nox Kitchen & Cocktails
6370 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85718
