Monday, January 6, 2014

Brunch at 5 Points Market and Restaurant

Posted By on Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 11:30 AM



I'm a sucker for breakfast food, so I have been looking forward to this day since I talked to Beth Jones about the 5 Points Market and Restaurant opening next door to Cafe Desta in the Armory Park neighborhood.

I noticed that no one was taking advantage of the patio seating in the courtyard in front of the restaurant. Why wouldn't anyone want to enjoy breakfast on a hot winter day? After entering the new establishment I realized why everyone was eating inside. My attention was automatically drawn to the large stainless steel open bar. The dining area is nicely spread out and accommodating for multiple sized parties. The eatery separates itself seamlessly from empty shelves that will soon carry grocery items.

The menu is currently limited to breakfast and brunch items. Entrées titles aren't very creative, but straight to the point. The only meat item on the menus is the Smoked Salmon Benedict, but the rest is all vegetarian friendly. There's an a la carte section where you can purchase a side meat or veggie dish.

The most appealing menu item to me was the ($8) Breakfast Toast. I sipped on some locally brewed coffee from Café Aquí and lemon flavored water while I waited for my food. I was tempted to order the $6 apple cucumber parsley drink, but I needed my morning coffee fix. Finally, I was greeted with two over medium eggs on top of a large slice of toast from Garst Bavier's bakery. Coincidentally, Bavier and his mother were enjoying their Breakfast Salad and Smoked Salmon Benedict next to me. Both of their dishes looked appealing, but I was very content with my choice.

The chianti jelly spread on the bread and eggs complemented the pesto chevre and cilantro. The portion size was enough, but another slice of heritage red fife grain bread wouldn't hurt. The arugula salad and heirloom tomato slices topped with balsamic vinegar were a nice touch. Compliments to cook Conor Jensen.

The service was nice, but I had to keep reminding more than one server for a coffee refill. I wasn't a fan of the sugar dish because I had to ask another spoon after every refill. There could have been some background music, but the sound system was limited to a small speaker connected to an Apple laptop. There's enough space for live acoustic music to compensate for the pending sound system, but that should come in time. The expected growing pains didn't negate from the experience and food.

The general manager Brian Haskins says the ingredients are going to come from local sources in the near future. The holidays made it difficult to get local produce before the soft opening. Jasper Ludwig created the menu and co-managing the new brunch spot. Ludwig says it's a matter of time before customers can buy a sandwich from the deli and beer and wine.

Hopefully, the Armory park residents spread the word so the rest of Tucson give this place a shot. You can feel the potential and good vibes from the community. It's only a matter of time before you can buy local produce, eat lunch and dinner while enjoying live musical performances.

5 Points Market & Restaurant is located at 756 S Stone Ave. The newly founded establishment is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Click here to visit their Facebook like page.


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