(The following is a statement from Agustin Brasserie, 2/2/12)
Exciting things are happening at the Mercado San Agustin Public Market. Located on Avenida del Convento at the west end of Congress, the bustling marketplace will soon be home to an wonderful new restaurant - Agustin Brasserie.
Situated in the northwest corner of the plaza, Agustin Brasserie features classic bistro food in a casually elegant space. The welcoming interior at Agustin includes a dining room with intimate tables and banquettes finished in warm wood tones; crisp white walls - and strikes the perfect balance between vintage and modern. The adjoining bar area has additional table and bar seating, a custom made marble bar with large globe shaped lights creating the perfect ambiance. Outdoor dining includes courtyard patio seating as well as a roof top lounge with an up close view of A Mountain - and will quickly be discovered as one of the most special places to watch the spectacular Tucson sunsets.
Owner Glen Stosius is excited to see it all come together. "It has been a dream come true for us, with just weeks before opening, we are ready and we are totally committed to offering the finest quality food, the utmost in customer service in a relaxed and sophisticated environment."
Stosius is best known to Tucson foodies as the General Manager at RA Sushi in Tucson since it opened at La Encantada in 2003. His impressive background also includes positions at the venerable Jean-Georges in NY City and at Casa Tua in Miami, before relocating to Tucson to open RA.
As the culinary director at Agustin, Stosius has overseen the development of the menus (lunch, dinner and the afternoon menu) which include many classic Brasserie -inspired dishes, like: housemade Country Pate, Nicoise Salad, Duck Confit, Spinach Lobster Fromage Flatbread and more. Agustin has wide appeal with many special items for seafood lovers - including Whole Grilled Fish, Sea Bass Carpaccio, Soup de Poisson, Soft Shell Crab BLT, a fresh daily selection of Raw Bar items and more. The menu also includes a variety of, meat, poultry and vegetarian options including Pepper Crusted Black and Blue Burger, Grilled Portobello Cap, Roasted Chicken, Tenderloin and more. Many of the ingredients used in the dishes and cocktails at Agustin are purchased at the weekly Mercado Farmers Market held in the courtyard - it doesn't get more "local" than that!
The Agustin team also includes some of Tucson's restaurant superstars; like Pete Hoge, award-winning bartender/mixologist who ruled the bar at Kingfisher Bar and Grill for over 15 years and has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant business. He has spent the last few months fine tuning the cocktail list and is thrilled to be managing the bar program at Agustin, "the cocktail menu is all about old-school, hand crafted, classic cocktails". As in the creation of the food menu, the cocktails at Agustin are all made with the finest, freshest ingredients available. The final result is an exceptional cocktail list featuring classic libations such as the Pimm's Cup and Sidecar, as well as New Orleans' favorites like the French 75 and Big Easy.
While a grand opening is planned for mid- February, those who would like an early preview of the bar offerings at Agustin can enjoy some of Pete Hoge's cocktail creations in the courtyard at the Mercado Beginning on Thursday, Feb 2, daily from 3pm-7pm until official opening.
Agustin Brasserie (100 s. Avenida del Convento, just west of I-10 on Congress), located in the Mercado San Agustin is open six days a week. Lunch & Dinner: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Bar open until 1am, Brunch: Sunday 8am - 2pm Afternoon Menu: Tuesday - Friday 3pm-6pm. Closed Mondays. For more information visit the website at www.agustinbrasserie.com
