Best of Flagstaff 2022 – Gail G. Collins

John Conley comes full circle as Salsa Brava and Fat Olives sweep up six awards in Food & Drink

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Written by Gail G. Collins

A satisfying success in this life is to come full circle. Where one’s achievements align with the passions we set out to pursue, and while it takes a steady head, hard work and perseverance, it just might be our attitude—humble and grateful—that allows one to recognize and embrace that success.

In the beginning, any small business boasts one fired-up, know-it-all employee. Heck, he has invested heart, soul and bank account. It wasn’t any different for John Conley, owner of Salsa Brava and Fat Olives Wood Fired Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen.

Conley began cooking at 13 and has continued ever since. Coming from a large family, cooking kept him fed in more ways than one, and the loud chaos of a kitchen felt natural. After high school, Conley became a Heber Hotshot for the US Forest Service and attended NAU’s hotel and restaurant management program. Equipped with a penchant for Mexican travel and culture, a job at the original Salsa Brava was also a good fit. Then, rushing headlong, on the cusp of finishing his degree, Conley used his savings to buy Salsa Brava at age 21.

He shut down the place for three months and transformed it from counter service to a full restaurant, opening with one employee—John. “I had $200 to my name and slept in the shop,” Conley remembers. But that first week, firefighters battling a blaze needed 500 lunches each day for nearly a week—he was making money.

The new menu at Salsa Brava was unfamiliar, except in Sonora, known for its seafood, beef and produce. Shrimp and lobster enchiladas, Baja tacos and more, showcased flavors from the grill—al carbon—plus a range of salsa options. Thirty-five years later, that aim remains.

A lot of details have shaken out in the meantime, but the food is unshakable. The salsa requires 1,000 pounds of hand-cut tomatoes weekly, and with inflation and a hurricane, the price of a 20-pound case of fruit has skyrocketed six-fold. Also, COVID brought healthy changes to the salsa bar, where an enormous amount became wasted daily. Still, chips and salsa are free at Salsa Brava, and they come with a trio of scratch salsas.

“We spend four hours a day making salsa,” says Conley. “It’s the most expensive thing in our restaurant.” Best Salsa—an award well-earned.

Voted Best Tacos also, Salsa Brava’s choices range from Maui pork, carne asada, smoked chicken and carnitas to shrimp, cochinita pibil (Yucatan BBQ pork) and adovada pork, and the menu includes combination and traditional plates, enchiladas and fajitas.

NiMarco’s proves itself to be a true hometown pizzeria

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.

Satchmo’s struts their stuff winning Best BBQ and Catering

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Written by Gail G. Collins

Everyone knows what great barbecue tastes like, but only devoted pitmasters understand the balance of fuel, fire, fastidious poking and flavor that is required to elevate it. It also takes rubs, char, smoke, method and a little madness to craft meat that melts in your mouth.

A smoker is a delicate environment, affected by variables, such as humidity and temperatures. Critically, smoke is an ingredient, not a method of cooking where spice is crucial. And pros will tell you, it’s not in the numbers on a thermometer, but in the nudge and jiggle that define when the meat is just right.

From the dedication and skill required, it’s clear, barbecue is serious stuff.

“Aside from the coals, achieving the perfect smoke ring is affected by weather, humidity and more,” says Jamie Thousand, pitmaster and owner of Satchmo’s, winner of Best BBQ and Catering. Thousand is self-taught—and education earned in a fervent, backyard relationship with meat and grill. This led to competitions, pulling a trailer on the Phoenix BBQ circuit where he honed his smoke skills before opening Satchmo’s in 2009.

There is a whole Creole side to Satchmo’s as one might guess from the name attributed to the King of the Trumpet. The décor, from instruments and paintings, mounted on Mardi Gras-colored walls in deeper shades of mustard and plum, gives more than a nod to New Orleans jazz. Recipes honor the Holy Trinity—onions, bell peppers and celery—with a personal, style-enhancing gumbo, jambalaya and catfish.

Meat that matters: Proper Meats + Provisions serves up award-winning deli sandwiches

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Story and Photo by Gail G. Collins

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 Annex Cocktail Lounge pushes the envelope with their high-end drinks and unpretentious atmosphere

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Written by Gail G. Collins

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.”

Atria’s open kitchen offers a new perspective on fine dining

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Story and Photos by Gail G. Collins

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.

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

Best of Flagstaff 2022

Story and Photos by Gail G. Collins

Their winning objective: To provide a great product with a smile and do so in a timely fashion.

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.

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