Northern AZ’s Mountain Living Magazine, February 2017
Written by Gail G. Collins
Date Night is a newish term for the long term means of sustaining a relationship. The Oxford definition reads: A period when a couple can take time for themselves away from children and responsibilities. Kids and responsibilities acknowledged, as a practical matter, that sustenance should start the minute a couple moves from dating to partnership. There is no quicker way to undermine the love of your life than to take it for granted. Prioritizing and pursuing our lover makes for a woo-nderful life. However, planning is key. Great dates don’t just happen. So what makes for a great date night? Because honestly, who wants a mediocre date night? First and foremost is food—there’s nothing more sensual than sharing a meal. Second is ambience—cue the violins. That’s not necessary; it simply needs to be intimate and inviting enough to catch up on being a couple. Third, make plans for another date night. And when those big moments roll around, like an anniversary or Valentine’s Day, you’ve honed the skills to kick it up a notch.
Cottage Place Restaurant in downtown Flagstaff knows a thing or three about special evenings. It’s been the thrust of their longtime success. Since they opened their doors in 1994, Frank and Nancy Branham have introduced new ways for people to delight in a meal and one another, whether through holiday prix fixe events, a monthly 6-course tasting menu or novel entrees. “It’s a small restaurant, so we think outside the box,” said Frank. “Our upscale, niche wine tasting dinners began in the 90s when no one else was doing it.” Now, some patrons attend each month from Prescott and even Phoenix. As the name implies, the Cottage Place offers cozy seating at tables and banquettes surrounding a fireplace with Northern Arizona scenic landscape art. The demure, familial atmosphere belies the flavor awards garnered. A short list includes: Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence for 15+ years, Arizona Daily Sun’s Best Fine Dining and Wait Staff for many years plus Best Overall Restaurant in 2016, as well as Open Table’s Top 100 Restaurants and Best Overall in 2012. Personally, Executive Chef Frank, a culinary graduate of the “hardknocks school,” has been voted Northern Arizona’s Chef of the Year three times.
For a small town, Cottage Place has seen its share of big city boasts in dining reviews, but it is the precious memory makers that remain the story. The Branhams are familiar with many regular clients’ birthdays and anniversaries—like the couple, who staked out a window table for 14 years running on Valentine’s Day, and another, who books each New Year’s Eve. One pair held their wedding dinner at Cottage Place and returned each year, even after they moved to Colorado. Others make a family tradition of Christmas Eve. People are happily surprised when the chef stops by every table, helps people with their coats and clears dishes or performs other routine tasks. People know and recognize the chef as “the guy with the crazy pants.”
“We never get complacent in our routine,” Nancy said. The full color menus and over–the-top decorations for holidays in addition to the food set Cottage Place apart. A recent monthly Tasting Menu featured pan-seared scallops with lemon beurre blanc and tomato basil relish, chef’s soup, duck confit and pear salad with candied walnuts and brie, cranberry sorbet intermezzo, and an entrée choice of maple-glazed rack of lamb or cocoa-crusted venison, plus apple flambé with house made cinnamon pecan ice cream.
“The wine was a personal development project for me,” Frank noted. He meets weekly with purveyors to keep the list extensive with local, domestic and international bottles. Fish is flown in from Oahu, lamb from Australia and beef from the Midwest with local produce utilized when possible.
The soups and sauces bear the right balance of flavors, “and often a little heat because it’s Arizona,” Frank joked. It’s labor-intensive—a demi-glace requires 18 hours prep and lobster bisque employs meat and shell for a deep stock plus smoky paprika—and customers appreciate the fuss. Nearly every Valentine’s Day menu features the option of Beef Wellington, individually seared, layered and wrapped in lattice puff pastry with mushroom duxelles.
“Our aim was to create something that makes people happy,” said Frank. That’s a successful recipe for a great date night. NAMLM Learn more at www.cottageplace.com