July 2013
Since Mitch Wiewel and Itzel Arvizu opened Madrid Tapas y Sangria over a year ago, a number of Spaniards have passed through. While en route to the Grand Canyon, the travelers were lured by the menu of familiar offerings: Gambas al ajillo—or garlic shrimp—served in an earthenware ramekin called a cazuela; stuffed piquillo peppers, an imported sweet and slightly piquant chili filled with manchego; and melon con jamón, fresh cantaloupe wrapped in Serrano ham. The caliber of dishes caused guests to insist Wiewel speak to them in Spanish. “I’m going to have to work on that,” he said. Continue reading “The Spain Attraction”
Restaurateur Paul Moir has worked to bring both Brix and Criollo to the downtown scene. While these restaurants were not the first to provide haute cuisine to the Flagstaff market, they did create a deep bench of fine dining options and a sharper focus toward local and seasonal foods. Moir’s recipe for establishing a restaurant also lent a helping hand to the success of Diablo Burger. Moir is also expanding his range with three new establishments in Tucson’s downtown—including Diablo Burger’s second location.
Like many eateries with a South of the Border menu, Flagstaff’s Café Ole on the Southside pulls out all the stops with its décor. The folksier, the better. The restaurant, whose motto is “fresh Mexican cooking from the heart,” stops traffic on South San Francisco with its brightly-painted front covered in angels, harvest produce and a huge, scarlet heart wishing peace and 10,000 blessings. 
If anyone needs an excuse – and this writer doesn’t – to contemplate sweets and consume treats, May, in its salute Mom, is the perfect one. Use it to taste-test your way through a glass-fronted case of chocolates or lick fingers messy from tearing at a sticky bun. Either way, one’s dedication will assure that the mom who first put a cookie in your own little paw receives the best gift for the holiday. 
This month, MartAnne’s Breakfast Palace celebrates a dozen years of serving chilaquiles to a salsa-slurping, chorizo-crazed, egg-static group of diehards. A sign at the restaurant’s entrance states the obvious result: The House That Chilaquiles Built.
Somewhere along the way, Salsa Brava owner-chef John Conley developed an obsession for wood-fired fare. A decade ago, he built an Alan Scott artisan brick oven in his backyard, and two years ago, he bought a mobile, wood-fired oven. Conley says a plethora of recipe experimentation ensued. And with that, he ventured into the Italian restaurant business with the opening of Fat Olives in November 2012. As you might have guessed, the hallmark of Conley’s second successful eatery on Route 66 is the oven. 
Though it’s located at the crossroads of Interstate 40 and Butler Avenue and connected to the Days Hotel, Northern Pines Restaurant is not a typical eatery just off a highway exit. Unlike the usual chains, diners and fast good joints, Northern Pines serves up high-end food and has its thematic focus on Arizona and Flagstaff.
Josephine’s Modern American Bistro has been serving delicious food to devoted guests since 2002. The big appeal is as tried and true as the historic home on the hill and the classic fare on the menu. The restaurant is chef-owned, so the food is forefront. “We also have a unique atmosphere in town,” said Chef Tony Cosentino. “Others have to create it, but our house with its garden patio and porch, two fireplaces, coffered ceiling, diamond sash windows and wainscot paneling are built in. And our warm, homey ingredients served with a twist invite people to relax and have a good time. That’s the big appeal.” 
As Tinderbox Kitchen unlocks their door at 5 p.m., its Annex bar next door is already hopping. On a chilly night in the fading light, the friendly clamor is inviting. So are the fresh sausages on offer amongst a short list of dishes scrawled across the chalkboard menu. This glorified waiting room for diners began in 2010, and has grown into a bar in its own right. 
Whenever I am in Florence – once to kick-start my son’s culinary career – I eat at Ciro and Sons. It is the heart and soul of everything Italian, from a family affair amongst the kitchen and wait staff to the always al dente penne arrabiata. Order a carafe of the local red wine and sigh. This is all well and good when you are in Tuscany, but we are lucky enough to spend our days in our own pleasure town of Flagstaff.