Gail G. Collins – Page 5 – Freelance Writer, Author, Editor & Photographer

NiMarco’s proves itself to be a true, hometown pizzeria

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Story and Photos by Gail G. Collins

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.

Continue reading NiMarco’s proves itself to be a true, hometown pizzeria“

Best Overall Restaurant, Wait Staff, Wine List, Fine Dining: 1899 Bar & Grill

Best of Flag, December 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

Following through on the motto, “high altitude, no attitude,” with proper execution, 1899 Bar and Grill won top spots as Best Overall Restaurant, Wait Staff, Wine List and Fine Dining. Those are high marks, worthy of the care, consideration and oversight that translate into delicious dining.

But 1899 is more than a lovely venue with global cuisine; it is an integrated product of Northern Arizona University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management Program. While the staff is not comprised exclusively of program students, the living-learning lab offers business career experience with some yummy benefits, like a meal provided daily to each employee, regardless of how many days they work in a week. That hits the spot. Moreover, a position at the front or back of the house instills accountability, responsibility and hard work as the best training for life in general.

Best Bar Food, Best Brewery—Lumberyard Brewing Company

Best of Flag, December 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

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.

Best New Restaurant: Tiki Grill

Best of Flag, December 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

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.”

Best Chinese Food: Golden Dragon

Best of Flag, December 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

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.’”

Best Tacos: Tacos Los Altos

Best of FLAG, December 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

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.”

Matters of Taste: Cornish Pasty Co.

Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, December 2021

Photos and Story by Gail G. Collins

Mining is a risky and challenging occupation. It also becomes the lifeblood of towns or regions creating legacy employment. In the 1200s, Cornwall England’s men mined tin, and their wives and mothers fed them well. They packed lunchboxes with a meat and vegetable pastry — called a pasty (pah-stee) — crimping the edges to seal it. The nourishing handholds contained a savory and sweet filling on either end with an initial to mark the difference. The miners were covered in arsenic, so the crimped edge provided a safe handle and was discarded afterward, but not wasted. Those edges kept the “knockers” or ghosts of the mines away.

Growing up in Saltash Cornwall, Dean Thomas consumed pasties five days a week, and on Fridays, his Nan (grandmother) indulged him. Pasties are filling and portable, so have retained their appeal. That said, some things can be improved upon, and Thomas set about doing so in 2005.

With formal culinary training and a decade of U.S. experience, he opened the Cornish Pasty Co. in 2005. Showcasing the classic pasty, the Oggie, he found success from the start. Thomas grew the menu for choice-loving Americans, expanding the brand with five Phoenix-area locations along with restaurants in Flagstaff, Las Vegas and Boston.

The brand champions consistent, superior ingredients and employee-to-partnership careers. Ryan Hays is the Flagstaff example. With an industry background, he began working for Thomas 11 years ago, advancing from server to manager to owner. Workers learn the ropes, respect the brand and are rewarded with company investment.

“Longtime employees keep up the pride and values in prepping the food, and that quality translates to customers,” said Hays of the Flagstaff shop, which opened in 2017.

Word-of-mouth advertising garners local trust and regulars, who Hays credits with keeping the lights on. Name recognition aids the tourist trade and a good measure of hospitality industry referrals.

The scratch kitchen makes dressings, soups, gravies, pastry and bread daily. Meats are roasted in-house.

“The only things in our freezer are ice cream and peas,” Hays joked.

Matter of Taste: Forêt FLG brings easy French to Flagstaff

Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, November 2021

Written by Gail G. Collins

Consider French cuisine — rich butter and cream seduces us.

Yet, one can’t help but admire the trim figures of the fashionable French, who dine on it. It might seem contradictory until we examine their habits.

First, there is the lack of snacks. Grazing like un lapin (a rabbit) is discouraged, even for children, and eating while moving — grabbing a burger at a drive-through and the theatrics to pull off the consumption — is strictly non non. Also, though flaky croissants beckon, they are not a daily indulgence.

The larger meal is lunch, enjoyed at a leisurely pace, balanced with a light, late supper. Occasional fine dining is savored in courses with companionable lingering, and portions are half of America’s platters. Desserts contain has less sugar — perhaps even yogurt or cheese — but fats fulfill the satiation factor and flavor. So, while the French invented culinary techniques, such as poaching, flambéing, and braising, their appreciative habits are as understated and tailored as the Dior label.

Such are the aims of Forêt FLG’s owner-chef, Sam Greenhalgh. Free-range eggs, European butter and 18-month-cured jambon are the French framework of his recipes.

“There is room in this town to offer a healthy, fresh, bright breakfast,” he said, adding, “Diners can finish their portion and feel satisfied, not need a nap.”

His business partner and mother, Natasha Greenhalgh, always knew they would open something together. Located in the former Stronghold Coffee Café just off Beaver Street, the space caters to breakfast and lunch. Greenhalgh was welcomed by the neighborly competition, who appreciate another choice for eggs and coffee.

Refreshing the café in the historic Anderson Feed Building was a family affair. Greenhalgh’s uncle and father contributed long days, muscle and woodshop skills for a soft opening in early August. Preserving the character with painted concrete flooring, butcher block counters, art and greenery provide a pared back, light-filled locale. Smooth, upbeat vocals welcome guests.

“We don’t compromise on quality, but we won’t outprice locals,” Greenhalgh said. “A college student can come in a get a burrito and coffee without breaking the bank.”

Matters of Taste: Aspen Deli a casual downtown favorite

Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, October 2021

Photos and Story by Gail G. Collins

A sandwich — it’s a simple, portable handhold with all the necessary ingredients for a meal buttressed by bread. In other words, it’s the perfect luncheon invention. In fact, it was the brainchild of John Montagu, the 4th Ear of Sandwich, who crafted the phenomenon in order to eat and remain at the gaming table. The splendid creation bears his title.

There is an art to assembling this veritable feast between crusts. Bread is the canvas. It is also where art becomes architecture. Whether one prefers rustic ciabatta or a granary slice, the bread should be substantial, not sloppy — a foundation upon which to build. Spreading a condiment provides a barrier to mushiness or adds moisture. Next, cheese imparts strength as well as sharp, nutty or velvety appeal. Meat often showcases, and greens cap it off. The British Sandwich Association — now, there’s an organization worth its salt and pepper — actually crowns champion sandwich makers annually at the Sammies Awards.

Premium ingredients differentiate and drive customers to their favorite deli for the real deal. Aspen Deli utilizes Boar’s Head meats and cheeses to handcraft sandwiches on Village Baker breads, kitted out with homemade sides. Situated across from city hall in downtown Flagstaff, they draw a steady fan base with a casual approach and novel options.

“We mix it up to keep regulars coming in,” said co-owner Carlos Turrieta. His goals are, “Making people happy—their smiles—and exceeding their expectations.”

Matters of Taste: Red Curry Vegan Kitchen

Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, September 2021

Story and photos by Gail G. Collins

In Thai culture, meals are a social occasion, and dishes are enjoyed family style — the more, the merrier. There aren’t courses, but choices from many categories served together. These include a variety of colorful stir-fries and fragrant curries, plus soup and pineapple or mango for dessert. A mix of sweet, salty, sour and spicy elements creates a satisfying supper.

Each October in Thailand, a vegetarian festival takes place over 10 days in tribute to Taoist belief barring meat consumption or harming animals in order to refine minds and bodies. The event fosters rich traditions and spiritual practices, but also challenges celebrants, clad in white for purity, to free the soul of wrong and cleanse the body as acts of devotion.

Memory of this joyful celebration pushed Chada Tirakul to fulfill her dream and open Red Curry Vegan Kitchen, her second Thai restaurant in Flagstaff.

“This was a beautiful time in Phuket, and personally, I eat vegan two to three times a week, but in September and October, I am a solid vegan,” she said.

The earnest business graduate grew up cooking with her father for family gatherings and worked as a student in a Thai restaurant, knowing down deep that one day she would open a restaurant of her own.

Tirakul ran herself ragged in the early years to make a success of Dara Thai before she trained up the next generation to take over the reins. After ventures in Taos and Santa Fe, her committed partner, Sasiya Stoneburger, joined her in launching Red Curry in early 2014, the first vegan eatery in Flagstaff. The aim of bringing authentic Thai food as vibrant, vegan fare “… whisk(s) you away to the streets and markets of Phuket,” just as Tirakul hoped.