Downtown restaurant The National recently expanded hours to include dinner service from 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. They hosted us for dinner to check out some of their offerings created by chef Thomas Boone and the kitchen team.
While the space utilizes abundant natural light from the windows during the daytime, the candles and moody lighting come out at night. The dinner menu features approachable comfort classics with a touch of sophistication.
To start, we had a round of bright summery cocktails, including a Scott Street Shuffle, white negroni, and Mission Julep.
In honor of the now-closed downtown diner Grill, the National offers a Big Bowl of Tots. In lieu of Grill’s pesto sauce, National provides their house aioli.
The Beets + Spiced Yogurt course features the roasted beets along with carrots tossed in a cider gastrique. Fresh herbs and pickled peppercorns help brighten the dish.
The Hemp + Kale salad features curly kale with avocado, cannellini beans, pepitas, and toasted pine nuts and hemp seeds in a zippy Dijon vinaigrette.
On the heartier side, the Chicken + Mac features house mac and cheese with sharpness from white cheddar, gooeyness from American cheese, and a satisfying stretchy cheese pull from queso Oaxaca. The crunchy fried chicken on top is drizzled with their house hot honey.
The Crispy Skin Salmon lives up to its name with a delicately crispy skin, topped with chives and Dijon vinaigrette. Underneath sits a bed of white wine farro.
An arugula salad and chive béarnaise adorn tender, cast iron butter seared flatiron steak and fries for the Steak Frites.
As a vegan option, the Spaghetti Squash Bolognese features a hearty roasted sauce made with portabella mushrooms.
The National will also host live music during brunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Starting on June 28, they will also host live music 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays. Beginning July 10, they will host jazz with The National Jam during dinner service 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays.
Also, note — they are closed July 1-6.
We also documented our visit on a Reel that we’ll post on our Instagram once it’s ready, so stay tuned.
The National is located at 98 E. Congress St. For more information, visit thenationaltucson.com. Keep up with The National on Instagram.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
