Morsels

The Tohono Chul Tea Room will get a new name and a makeover this summer.

On July 1, it will be rechristened Garden Bistro, reflecting the direction the popular eatery has been heading since the current operator Albert Hall took over three years ago.

Hall, the chef-owner of Acacia Real Food & Cocktails, will end his Tea Room tenure June 30. Hall said he did not bid to renew his contract with the park.

"We just felt like it was time to maybe move in a different direction," said Hall, who also is the chef-operator of the seasonal Garden Cafe at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Tohono Chul Executive Director Christine Conte said specifics about the Garden Bistro including the menu have yet to be worked out between the park and the new operators - Tucson restaurant industry veterans Jason Hartenbach and Patrick Fahey.

The pair operates the Mobile Bistro gourmet food truck, whose tapas-style menu traverses a range of cuisines including Cajun, Pakistani, Asian fusion and traditional and new American, according to their Facebook page.

Conte said the Tea Room under Hall took giant leaps into the bistro arena; the overdue name change reflects that. The new menu, she added, will maintain the park's mission of focusing on fresh, local and Sonoran regional cuisine - a hallmark of every operator who has run the restaurant in the 25 years since it opened.

One thing that won't change with the name is the popular daily teas, Conti said.

Ra! Ra! Ra! Sis boom BA! Dine out for a cause

Arizona-based Ra Sushi will host a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Starting Sunday and running through June 2, all Ra locations - including at La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Drive - will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of certain menu items to St. Jude.

Known as "Nicky's Week," the fundraiser was created in memory of Nicholas "Nicky" Mailliard of Scottsdale, a St. Jude patient and nephew of one of Ra's founders. Nicky died of brain cancer in February 2005, at 13.

The Nicky's Week menu includes select drinks along with edamame, pork gyoza and garlic citrus yellowtail tapas.

A new, wild reason to like Wednesday

Wildflower, 7037 N. Oracle Road, is kicking off a monthly series called Wildflower Wednesday Suppers next week. See if you can guess which day.

The event features a four-course, family-style dinner with wines. Hors d'oeuvres start at 6 p.m. and dinner follows at 6:30. Seating is limited, and the cost is $50 per person. Call for reservations at 219-4230.

summer Wine and beer tastings downtown

Don't have the cash or the time to tour France this summer?

Maynards Market and Kitchen, 400 N. Toole Ave., is launching a series of Friday wine tastings leading up to a wine dinner the last Friday of the month. Wine tastings are $15 and include hors d' oeuvres. Wine dinners are $80 with wine pairings, excluding tax and tip.

The wine tour starts June 8 with a tasting focused on the region of Languedoc/ Roussillon, followed June 15 with Bandol.

Here's the rest of the lineup:

June 22 - Armagnac/Cognac tasting.

June 29 - Bordeaux wine dinner.

July 6 - Southern Rhone wine tasting.

July 13 - Beaujolais tasting.

July 20 - Burgundy tasting.

July 27 - Burgundy wine dinner.

Aug. 3 - Alsace tasting.

Aug. 10 - Loire Valley tasting.

Aug. 17 - Chablis/Champagne tasting.

Aug. 31 - Paris wine dinner - the finale is $100 with wine pairings.

Across the street, the Cup Café is launching beer tastings and dinners. Tastings are every Saturday, followed by a beer dinner on the last Saturday of the month.

Sample four to five beers with light bites for $10. Beer dinners are $35-40, tax and gratuity additional.

Arizona beers are featured in June, followed by France and Belgium in July and German brews in August.

The Cup is in Hotel Congress at 311 E. Congress St.

Cathalena E. Burch Kristen Cook Kristen Cook