It has now been a decade since the Newton, a small complex of several retail tenants, opened at the site of the old Beefeater’s location in Uptown Phoenix. Named for Jay Newton, the owner of the legendary steakhouse, the vintage building had fallen into disrepair before its restoration and reopening. After ten years, some turnover was inevitable, and while the Changing Hands bookstore and event space at the center of the Newton has remained, other occupants have changed. After a good run, Southern Rail closed and yielded the space to new arrival Tesota.
Tesota occupies the prime spot at the south end of the Newton, facing Camelback Road across the street from the park-and-ride lot that connects the stations at Central and Seventh avenues on the B Line. The Central/Camelback station offers the better option for walking the short distance to the restaurant. Bike racks are found prominently placed right outside the Newton’s main entrance. On the west side of the building next to Cartel Coffee, an old Southern Rail sign, presumably one too difficult to remove, remains, but otherwise the exterior branding has been updated.
The restaurant’s shaded patio and interior space have also been refreshed, but with a light touch. The furnishings, layout, and overall aesthetic are minimally altered, although the artwork on the walls now reflects more of the international influences in Tesota’s menu. The diverse cuisines that factor into the kitchen’s approach draw from the ownership, which is the same as at Mexican-influenced restaurants Gallo Blanco and Otro Cafe, and the head chef, Jared Porter, whose career has included both pizza at the Parlor and Asian-inspired foods at the Clever Koi.
The risk of having everything from fried rice to al dente pasta on the menu lies in trying to be all things to all people. Fortunately, Tesota executes a relatively narrow slice of each of the cuisines it incorporates to produce an array of dishes that generally excel on their own terms while also complementing one another. If there’s ever been a misstep, it might have been an early appetizer, since discontinued at least for the time being, that was described as “rice paper dumplings” but turned out more like egg rolls, tasty although much heavier than anticipated.
Other items fulfill their expectations more effectively. A platter simply named “Bread & Spread” features classic hummus, edamame guacamole (and to think people ridiculed the New York Time for including peas in their recipe), and white beans with slices of a Noble country loaf and tortilla chips for dipping. Harissa shrimp are not highly spicy but full of vibrant flavor from a mix of Middle Eastern heat and pesto. Noble bread appears here as well, and it’s essential for enjoying every last bit of the sauce that surrounds the lightly cooked crustaceans on the platter.
A raw bar extends the restaurant’s involvement with seafood, typically with multiple varieties of oysters on ice and choices of several sauces to accompany the chilled bivalves. Entrees involve pasta dishes such as fresh Sonoran Pasta bucatini with shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, and olive, as well as gemelli with sugar snap peas, multi-colored carrots, English peas, and fresh dill. The gemelli bowl seems a little under-flavored at first taste, but the trick is to mix in the salty ricotta with ground pepper found near the rim of the vessel to add another dimension to the dish.
The Asian side of the menu is reflected in a simple yakisoba. In contrast to sweet preparations found elsewhere, this bowl is full of smoky, salty, and umami notes. The main topping is shiitake mushrooms, which can be complemented with chicken or shrimp. A standout sandwich is Sicilian chicken salad with arugula and olive tapenade inside crusty bread. Pizzettas include a straightforward margherita, a Spanish white pie with serrano ham, and a daily feature, which was recently topped with butternut squash, chorizo, broccolini, and pistachios.
For meats, Tesota offers an a la carte approach with choices of salmon, a half chicken, a pork cutlet, and New York strip and flat iron steaks. The beef served here is as tender as Jay Newton would have wanted decades ago, and the accompanying onions and chimichurri add another level of flavor. Sides that can be paired with any of these proteins include Japanese eggplant, wok-fired vegetables, white sweet potatoes, truffle mac-and-cheese, and charred cabbage. The last one is not a delicate slaw but instead a hearty slab that is crisped on the outer layers.
Tesota’s lunch and dinner menus vary only slightly, but on weekends, that selection of everyday favorites is augmented with an added selection of brunch offerings, including baby Dutch pancakes. These large-format baked pancakes, actually more of German origin, come in sweet variations and one semi-savory version with elote and subtle bit of green chili. Desserts include an inevitable but tasty chocolate cake, a lighter coconut pudding enlivened by almonds and chocolate shavings, and a more rich olive oil cake with toppings of cream and a fruit compote.
Tesota’s full bar includes draft beer, wine, mocktails, and original drinks like a Kan-Sou margarita, which marries the Mexican presence of tequila with the Asian influences of yuzu and togarashi salt. A refreshing citrus and carrot cocktail lands somewhere between a smoothie and a margarita. While the menu at Tesota is more diverse, contemporary, and original than the steakhouse fare served for years at the same location, the preservation of the building maintains a connection to the past as the Newton enters its second generation of tenants.
300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix AZ 85013
https://www.tesotaphx.com
PHX Rail Food 