• By October, this will be Union Public House, says Grant Krueger.

My thoughts? Yum. Pub grub made with thoughtful ingredients, artisan flatbreads topped with all sorts of things, and fun items like lollipop porkchops and chicken-and-waffles. There will also be all sorts of custom cocktails and six wines and 30 beers on tap.

Co-owner Grant Krueger just showed me around the space, which is basically a blank slate at this point. He and the other owner, Tucson local Jason Anderson, had the whole place gutted and are building it back up from scratch.

Where walls once blocked a view of the incredible courtyard of St. Philip’s Plaza, they’re installing metal bi-fold French doors that open to the outside. A 39-seat oval bar topped with pounded zinc — Krueger calls it the “heart of the restaurant” — will be installed. The floors will be made from reclaimed barn wood. The booths will be upholstered in tufted leather.

Krueger — who went to the UA and owned a restaurant called the Marina Cantina in San Carlos, Mexico, before returning to the Old Pueblo — seems to know his stuff. He’s gotten tips on the menu from various chefs, including Albert Hall. He’s got Joe Scordato on board to help with equipment issues. He’s in tight with various well-known restaurateurs around the state.

In fact, Krueger used to work in the rear portion of the building when it was Daniel’s. He did a stint at the now-defunct Breckenridge Brewery as well.

His vision for the eatery is described as “rustic elegance,” a place that sort of splits the difference between upscale and working-class.

“We’re doing chef-quality food in an approachable way,” said Krueger. “We’re going to make it a place where you can have a good steak and a cocktail, but still feel comfortable in flip-flops and cargo shorts.”

He says the dining public has become more and more educated over the years, and that expectations have grown significantly. So he knows he has to bring his “A” game when opening his first Tucson restaurant, and has been working nonstop for months to get the place up and running.

He mentioned some of the staff he’s assembled for his kitchen crew — it’s still a secret; no more details for now — and it’s quite a lineup. Krueger seems to know his stuff, and he’s been cherry-picking from some of the finer restaurants in town to bring as much restaurant expertise on board as possible.

He expects to have Union open in October.

Raging Sage Coffee Roasters held a soft reopening yesterday afternoon, capping off a four-day recovery effort from a fire that closed the store Sunday.

Owner Shelby Stoss says it was hard work, and that a lot of the credit for the quick turn-around goes to her employees and insurance company.

• The redder the better.

So this morning I found myself looking for a little hole in the wall, an unknown place where I could just dissapear into the landscape and enjoy some homemade food. And boy did I find it.

• Raging Sage's Facebook page

Amazing, and a relief to the numerous Tucsonans who depend on the microroastery and cafe for their morning jumpstart.

We'll be back with an update when we learn more.

Ramiro Scavo of Pasco Kitchen and Lounge, Maria Mazon of Boca and Renee Kreager of Renee's Organic Oven will be the featured chefs at a fundraiser next Thursday for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

From the press release:

Every year Cook for the Cure, presented by KitchenAid, raises funds for breast cancer with parties held all over the country. We’re joining in the fun with a four-hour celebration.

Meet some of Tucson’s top chefs, learn about some select wines, get free entry into a draw for kitchen appliances, and Cool Off With Komen*. Stay for a little while, or linger as long as you like. We hope to see you there!

The time: Thursday July 21, 4pm-8pm

The place: The stunning showroom and kitchen at TWS Premium Appliance Center, 4229 E. Speedway Blvd, Tucson (just east of Columbus).

The chefs: Participating chefs, to present throughout the evening, include: Ramiro Scavo, chef/proprietor of Pasco Kitchen & Lounge; Maria Mazon, chef/proprietor of Boca; Renee Kreager, chef/proprietor of Renee’s Organic Oven (formerly Eclectic Pizza).

And all we ask is this: You know how you’d usually bring a bottle of wine or a gift for your party host? For this one we’re asking you to skip the gifts and instead bring a donation of $10 per person to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Southern Arizona. Help us in our mission to end breast cancer forever.

Want to see the local-food movement in full swing? Check out what the owners of the local The Fat Greek restaurants are up to on their ranch out on Tanque Verde Road.

It all started when the Markou family bought a lot of land to build a house on. Then the economy tanked. Then food prices started to soar. Then Traci Markou had an idea to fix both problems, while improving the quality of the food her husband, George Markou, served at the restaurant.

“We had the land, so we said, ‘Let’s start a little test garden and see what comes out,’” said George Markou. “We were doing it just for ourselves to eat healthy, to get away from the store-bought, but then we said, ‘Let’s blow it up and use it for the restaurant.’”

And use it they did. George Markou said he uses tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, green beans, eggs and goat milk in the dishes at the Swan Road restaurant. Once the garden expansion is complete - it's worked out so well they're doubling it - he’ll use the items at his restaurant on University Boulevard as well.

He’s worked closely with the UA School of Agriculture to ensure everything he does is within health and safety guidelines, and has gotten the green light from the Pima County Health Department.

And while he was doing the talking during our interview, he gives all the credit to his wife, who did most of the work. “She built the fence, she did all the studying to see what soil works. She did it all while I ran the restaurant,” he said.

The ranch now boasts 18 goats, 8 sheep, row after row of organic produce and enough chickens to keep the family and restaurant flush in eggs. They’re adding a milk cow and some rabbits, too.

It doesn’t stop there. They feed most of the waste from food preparation to the goats, who turn it into milk that heads right back to the kitchen. Water from the duck pond - “those are just for fun,” says George Markou — waters the pumpkin patch.

Basically, nothing goes to waste, which saves a lot of money while helping the family stick to their sustainable principles.

“Even our food distributor was impressed,” quipped Markou. “Yeah, even he was excited, even though he was losing some business.”

The Rhino Pub, a bar and restaurant at 1118 E. Sixth St., has closed.

The building has changed hands a number of times in recent years, housing Victory Bar, Belushe's and Gooch's Grill before returning as the Rhino Pub—the same name it operated as starting back in the late-'80s—last fall.

The building has been repainted, and I hear another sports bar might make a go of it there. A liquor license application has been filed, but the contact phone number on the application has been disconnected, so I have no idea what's next for the location.

As a side note, have you ever heard that the building in question is rumored to be haunted? Weird.

We finally got our hands on more information about the new restaurant going in at the old Acacia spot at St. Phillip's Plaza.

Union Public House will specialize in American fare made from local and sustainable ingredients, according to the restaurant's website. They're also getting in on the fancy-schmancy cocktail craze.

We stopped by this afternoon and heavy construction appears to still be underway. No opening date is posted, but you can follow them on Facebook for updates.

Apparently it's nearly impossible to find a proper breakfast burrito in Seattle. Christ, the whole city must be starving.

If you look in the comments on the blog entry, you'll find a shout-out to Tucson's very own Nico's Taco Shop. Who knew the ubiquitous breakfast burrito was such a rare commodity elsewhere?

Some advice: Sniff lightly when checking out the curry and Vietnamese cinnamon. A deep snort nearly crossed my eyes.

The store also stocks and amazing assortment of hard-to-find spices, including great salt and pepper varieties. The gray sea salt from France has been working wonders in my kitchen, and the pink peppercorns are a nice option to the black stuff most of us have grown accustomed to.

The prices are low, too. I walked away with a sizeable amount of spices for around $30. Being a huge softie, I also like all their heartfelt slogans—"Love People. Cook Them Tasty Food"—which I've seen plastered on billboards out by the I-10.

Check 'em out online over here.