Noshing Around

New: North Fattoria Italiana

NoRTH Modern Italian Cuisine, at La Encantada (2995 E. Skyline Drive), is being rebranded and remodeled. It closed recently to make way for construction that will culminate in its reopening as North Fattoria Italiana. Visitors to the new restaurant can expect a casual feel modeled after a "Tuscan farmhouse," according to a press release. The new menu is full of artisan pizzas, antipasti, house-made sausage and more Italian goodness than we can list here. There will also be brunch on Sundays, happy hours and reverse happy hours when North reopens Wednesday, Sept. 19.


New at the Co-op

There's something new happening every time I stop in at Food Conspiracy Co-op, 412 N. Fourth Ave. Most recently, I found the store had added a salad bar and a hot-food line stocked with mouth-watering dishes too fragrant and delicious to pass up. Or, if you come in a little earlier, you'll find an interesting selection of muffins and bagels made fresh each day. We've also heard that the store has received a grant from the city to install a water-harvesting system on the roof, which will pave the way for the installation of a garden in the back. Add that to the renovations that are changing the appearance of the store inside and out, and you have the makings of a whole new chapter for the age-old co-op.


Totally Greeking Out

A restaurant called The Little Greek has opened at 1101 N. Wilmot Road, in El Dorado Plaza. It's owned and operated by members of the Kranis family, who have a heap of experience in the Tucson restaurant business. Expect flaming plates of kasseri cheese, traditional Greek soups, braised lamb shanks and much more; www.thelittlegreektucson.com.

The Tucson Greek Festival, at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, is right around the corner, on Sept. 20-23. The annual event offers a huge array of souvlaki, spanakopita, gyros, appetizer plates and Greek-style pork ribs. The dessert menu is also long and mouthwatering, and there will be Greek beer and ouzo; www.tucsongreekfest.com.

The Fat Greek restaurant, at University Boulevard and Park Avenue, is boarded up after a water pipe broke and flooded the place. Owner George Markou says the restaurant will feature a bigger menu with more traditional dishes and seafood when it reopens around the end of the year; thefatgreek.biz.