From a market of butcher stalls in the 11th century to the meat-packing industry in the late 1800s to the apron-clad neighborhood butcher, armed with a cleaver and advice on supper, meat has mattered. In the past, sourcing, sustenance and sustainability were not always considered, but together, they yield superior protein and products.
Such are the aims of Proper Meats + Provisions on Route 66 in making one heck of an award-winning deli sandwich.
“The sandwiches are ridiculously big,” says owner Paul Moir, “because that’s what I want to eat.”
The fried chicken po’boy is piled high with house-made smoked andouille, slaw and spicy remoulade made with guajillo chili. It’s as good as it gets outside of New Orleans. Sweet and spicy wings on mizuna greens go Asian dressed with roasted garlic and toasted sesame.
The signature PMP cheesesteak is shaved, tender roast beef with triple peppers, onions and provolone on a hoagie. The pastrami is the best-seller for a reason. It’s an eight-day process of brining, smoking and steaming the higher fat, flavorful briskets. A peppery stack of meat with Swiss on grilled bread makes for a melty meld with fries and a pickle spear.
The sandwich list is long, including Ahi tuna salad, a daily sausage special and classics like a turkey club, Reuben and roast beef. Other options include a layered Cobb salad or loaded fries, BBQ chips or wings to nosh with a local brew.
The artful butcher offers specialty cuts of meat which can be traced back to the source and curated products not commonly found in big box stores.
The classic cocktail resurgence has been blooming like the floral note in Earl Gray-infused gin for the past 20 years. A stylish spirit with a dash of bitters and a twist, served in a sparkling glass is elegant and as attractive as the barkeep who suggested it.
As history repeats itself, gin is the rage again. And why not? There is no spirit with as storied a history.
Keeping it classy, James Bond drank a gin martini, while Gatsby, Bogart, FDR, WC Fields and Hemingway routinely turned to gin. Even the drinker’s rallying cry, “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” refers to gin.
Other elements add dimension to a drink, harmonizing flavors. Bitters, a blend of herbs and roots distilled in alcohol, perk up champagne cocktails, Manhattans, rum punches and more. Smoke, infusions, aging, fruit and heightened creativity all contribute to decoctions that harken back while pushing the envelope.
Looking for such “art in a glass?” Try Annex, winner of the Best Cocktail. Established in 2010, the playground has evolved into Northern Arizona’s premier cocktail lounge. Its speakeasy vibes are echoed in the smartly-attired bartender, tasking bottles from iron shelving and pouring behind a steel bar. Brick banquettes butting wood tables afford groups a place to gather. And parties can spill onto the enormous patio.
“We serve high-end cocktails in an unpretentious atmosphere.” Simply put, general manager Ryan Bailey says, “Annex is a neighborhood bar with the best cocktails in the state.”
Our generation was raised on the interplay between TV celebrity chefs and the home-cooking experience. These chefs would enter our homes and, each night, demonstrate their culinary skills to us and millions of other viewers around the nation, and as a result, our kitchens occupy an important space in our homes. It’s no wonder that open restaurant kitchens would magnify this appeal. The chance to sit next to a kitchen of busy cooks, to see a meal flambé, to hear the sizzle of a hot pan and feel the dynamism of a team in action. We lean in. It lures us. They are on stage, and we are the engaged audience.
It was actually this camaraderie and energy that first attracted Rochelle Daniel to cooking at age 15. The Phoenix native made her mark at Scottsdale’s Fat Ox. She was a finalist on Food Network’s Chopped Grill Masters; touted as one of the Valley’s “Top 5 Sous Chefs” by the Arizona Republic and “Best Sous Chef” by AZCentral before her induction into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame in 2017.
Daniel took her cred to L’Auberge de Sedona to revamp and rebrand the property’s restaurants. There, she fell for Northern Arizona, and a partnership with Karan and Kunal Patel plus Barry Levitan created Atria. The hyper-seasonal spot opened last December.
“I swore I would never do an open kitchen,” says Chef Daniel. “The loud intensity of the kitchen should be hidden.” And of course, Atria hosts a grand bar, Chef’s Counter, which corners its open kitchen. With a laugh, she adds, “This kitchen can give guests a show without disturbing them—our staff is on stage.”
The vicarious chef reminds staff not to hustle too much—even as they keep preparation on track—because guests pick up on the anxiety and will feel the need to move on. Her focus for them is to “embrace and enjoy the moment.”
Daniel reflects, “We offer guests a little bit of grace and inspire them with attention to detail as they celebrate important moments in their lives.”
General manager Darva Fields, with a similar resume as Daniel, aims to elevate the service at Atria. Chef Maribel Silva, who attended school with Daniel and a team player since, and Chef Anthony Suazo comprise core staff and know how Daniel needs things done.
It’s all paid off with Best of Flagstaff wins for Best Fine Dining and Best New Restaurant for Atria.
When Route 66 vanished from road atlases, it was the second blow to small towns like Winslow. Its heyday sparked in the 1880s as a railroad town, but by 1960, engines stopped rolling down the rails. Then, the completion of Interstate Highway 40 in 1977 also sidelined communities, threatening livelihoods. Could an idea and action put that famous road and its historic towns back on the map?
The Mother Road had sidled past pine forests, volcanoes, painted deserts and more as it crossed Arizona, and in 1985, a guardian angel began to organize towns to invite folks to visit. Angel Delgadillo, a barber, is credited with reviving the spirit and nostalgia of road trips and Americana to Route 66. Still, it took dedicated groups in these small towns to clean up and restore their main streets.
Then in 1972, the Eagles sang about “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” and a flatbed Ford. It was a throwaway line from Take it Easy, but it became an invitation to the town. Build on it.
That’s exactly what Sonia and husband Gary Ybarra did alongside her father Ray and his wife Kelli Martinez. Before Sonia retired from her career in healthcare, she began part-time work on Main Street as a distraction while Gary was away on construction jobs. The bustle of tourists surprised her, and the state of buildings on cross streets in the historic center bothered her.
She thought, “Maybe, I’ll open a little café down there some day…”
When the building became available, the thought became action. They could create a bed and breakfast above to provide income to renovate the downstairs. In the fall of 2019, the Flatbed Ford B & B opened, inviting guests to “sleep on the corner.” Then, a year of hard work began below. Both families, including children, and an uncle in the plumbing business, gutted the place and refaced it.
“It’s been a labor of love and a good bonding thing with my father. Always far away on business, I’ve seen more of him in the past year than in the past 50,” Sonia joked.
The building has its own story, of course. Built in 1908, proprietor J. W. Marley ran the City Meat Market with choice steaks selling for 25 cents per pound. The Bow family from China ran it as a grocery until 1976 and raised five children. The apartment provided rent, operated as a medical clinic and the Union Fuel and Transfer Office.
Flatbed Ford Café straightened its red-checked curtains and opened its doors in August 2021. Route 66 signs and memorabilia punctuate the place, plus hand-glazed tables and wood rescued from fencing on Martinez’s property.
“I wanted a nice restaurant, where everyone can come in, eat, drink coffee, be happy and feel at home,” Sonia said. “I wanted to accommodate the local community, win them over. Tourists are a benefit.”
In 2022, NiMarco’s celebrated 42 years in business. Making good pizza wouldn’t grow the venture; making the best pizza was the only option. Fresh, not frozen, dough, cheese grated daily, scratch sauce and of course, quality, creative toppings build their premium pizzas.
Their winning objective: To provide a great product with a smile and do so in a timely fashion.
Dough is critical to a good pie, and NiMarco’s makes it “Flagstaff-style,” a term coined to describe the thickness and texture that doesn’t easily fall into Italian regional categories. Daily, dough is mixed and kneaded.
NiMarco’s is particularly picky about cheese, sourcing an aged product and grating it fresh. “I’m paying someone hours each day to grate cheese,” says co-ower Dave Ledbetter, “but it makes all the difference—creamier, melts better and tastes best.”
The sauces are house-made from quality tomato products. In fact, Ledbetter visited the Modesto, California farms to see where his tomatoes are grown and packed.
Hands down, the most popular pie is the pepperoni pizza. The Popeye, jam-packed with a garlic butter base, piled high with spinach, Roma tomatoes, red onion, bacon and mozzarella is a top seller as well. South of the Border begins with green chili sauce, topped with jack, cheddar and mozz cheeses, jalapeños, black beans and fresh tomatoes to bridge the choice between Mexican and Italian for dinner. Monster meat is billed for the carnivore, loaded with the usual suspects plus handmade Italian sausage and ham. The homage pie, Gary’s Special, shoots the works with pepperoni, sausage, olives, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers.
They say luck resides at the intersection between hard work and opportunity. That sums up the success of Lumberyard Brewing Company, which attracted voters with their benchmark bar food and veteran brewing skills.
Three decades ago, if you had asked founding owners Winnie and Even Hanseth if they would be brewing beer, they might have seen themselves seated at the table instead of waiting on it. The same goes for head brewer Gary Blazevich with an environmental sciences degree, who enjoyed tipping them back in Issaquah, Washington. Director of brewing operations Gene Almquist fell headlong for brewing after his first effort. At Lumberyard, great ideas and talent triumphed.
Lumberyard has garnered a consistent list of awards over the years at acclaimed national beer competitions, such as the Great American Beer Festival, where Pumpkin Porter won hearts. In fact, the combined slate of ribbons for Beaver Street and Lumberyard breweries totaled 13. Trends also encourage variety, like New England-styled Hazy Angel, a light lager and promising hit.
“It’s an easy-going IPA that’s hop forward,” according to owner Kelly Hanseth, next generation in the family business. The aim is, “brewing true-to-style,” and she added, “The Flagstaff IPA is the most popular canned beer — the number one distributed seller.”
The other standard that beer drinkers order is Railhead Red, an amber and my favorite.
Everyone appreciates a special meal — tables laid with white cloths, china and fussy food once in a while. But where we hang out with friends in flip flops to shoot the breeze, tip one back and eat what makes us grin is what makes it all worthwhile.
Perhaps that propelled Scott McClelland to turn from the chic settings that upheld his culinary experience to open Tiki Grill and offer guests a place on the sand where he had found happiness.
“The aim is attentive, caring service, good tunes and cocktails,” McClelland said.
Sounds like a winner – Best New Restaurant, to be exact.
He added, “It’s a chill vibe in a cool setting with the same high caliber of food, served in paper boats with flip flops and board shorts.”
Diners voted Golden Dragon as the Best Chinese Restaurant, so you can trust the reviews: “This is what Chinese food is supposed to taste like;” “pure taste, comfortable environment;” and the capper, “generous as well as delicious,” from a mother with seven boys who dined there and will be back.
The raves are constant for the hot and sour and egg drop soups, so you know where to begin when ordering. But other bestselling appetizers include the crab puffs, which according to general manager Kinson Li are, “crisp, full of goodies and cream cheese,” in a mouth-popping size.
Three partners share in the ownership of Golden Dragon: Jimmy Liang, Randy Lee and Winnie Cheng. Liang is from Toisan in the Guangdong region, while chef Sun Chung is Cantonese with an extensive cooking background.
As Li puts it regarding the recipes, “They each have their own ways and focus on fresh food made with quality ingredients to stay on point. The heart of it is in return customers, so we work for that ‘wow factor.’”
When a business treats its customer as king, the effects are positive. That claim propelled Tacos Los Altos de Jalisco to uphold its status as Best Tacos in Flagstaff for the second year running.
“We appreciate our loyal customers,” said Jose Flores. “A couple of them stop by daily, and by the time they park and come in, their order is ready.”
Flores is the son of one partner with the same name, who is better known as Chepe. Alongside partners Jose Rodriquez, or Pepe, and Saul Rodriquez, they work together in the family-owned shop serving traditional recipes adapted from their hometown in Villahildago, Mexico. In fact, no less than 15 family members support the thriving enterprise.
The family hails from Jalisco, where they owned a restaurant, forming their foundation in the food industry. In the 90s, they moved to the U.S. and further honed their culinary skills. The big opportunity came in 2006, when the partners took over the former Tacos los Altos on Route 66.
“We have worked hard to maintain the previous business’ customer base,” says Flores, “but we moved around about 65-percent of the menu.”
Our inclination toward a good thing is to enjoy and preserve
it. For four decades, that’s been the case as coffee lovers consistently crowd
Macy’s European Coffee House and Bakery, south of the tracks in downtown
Flagstaff. The town’s first roaster and coffee house opened in 1980, and many
who came to love it as students at Northern Arizona University are happy to see
it just as they remember it all those years ago.
Owner Tim Macy, who prefers the term caretaker, feels that
timelessness is part of the coffee shop’s intrinsic charm.
“Everyone is welcome in a spirit of unity—treated with
respect and love,” he says. “Macy’s is a microcosm of what the world will be
one day.”
With an easy smile, he then quips, “I got lucky—people loved
Macy’s.”
It was more than luck; it was knowledge, determination and
firm principles that propelled Macy’s idea to open a coffee house. It was also
a man named Carl Diedrich, a German who had—after fighting at the Battle of the
Bulge, marrying into a family coffee, tea and cocoa business, studying the
coffee industry in Naples, Italy, and purchasing a coffee plantation in
Guatemala—built a retail coffee business from his garage with a hand-fabricated
roaster. Macy was inspired to learn from the innovator and self-taught man but
initially struggled to reach him. Finally, he convinced Diedrich to teach him
the trade when he showed up at his strip mall shop in Costa Mesa, California.
“Once a week, I would buy a pound of the best coffee I’d
ever had in my life and hang around to learn the business,” Macy says.
Following what became a three-year mentorship, Macy chose to
open his own shop in Flagstaff because of its college setting and great
potential. He bought equipment and rented the space where Middle Earth Bakery
had been. His first roaster, hand-built by Diedrich’s son, took center stage in
the front window. In February 1980, with little more than a penny left to his
name, Macy opened his doors.
At this point, Macy needed to educate the public about
coffee. At the time, 99 percent of the best coffee was imported to Europe with
a paltry amount making its way to the U.S. Macy would change that by serving
50-cent espressos and classy cappuccinos. People were captivated by the aroma
of coffee roasting. It even caused a stir with the local fire department.
“For the first year, every few weeks, the fire department
showed up, thinking there was a problem,” Macy recalls.
Diedrich supplied the coffeehouse with beans for 10 years
before Macy began an alliance with Erna Knutsen. The “godmother of specialty
coffee,” as she was known, traveled the world, reinvesting locally and
promoting growers’ schools long before the advent of the fair-trade trend.
Knutsen won the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Lifetime Achievement
Award in 1991, and was again honored as a founder of the specialty coffee
industry in 2014. Today, Macy works with small-source farms, paying above
fair-trade prices.
For
all those reasons, Macy assures, “Now in Flagstaff, we have the best coffee in
the world. You can find a similar product, but nothing better.”
Macy’s has long thrived on rare relationships. Early on, a gal applied for work at the coffee shop. As incentive, the budding artist flashed a sketch of a person, soaking in a cup of coffee bliss, drawn on a napkin. The student had limited availability so couldn’t be hired, but Macy paid her for the sketch, dubbed “the ultimate cup,” which became the shop’s logo.
