For the love of cheese: Must-trys for cheese-lovers in Flagstaff

While it in no way helps meet New Year’s resolutions of dropping fat, cheese lovers can rejoice that this month celebrates National Cheese Lover’s Day (January 20^th). To mark the occasion, here’s a look at where to get your cheese on in Flagstaff…

Taverna Greek Grill, 2420 Woodlands Village

Definitely the best presentation of cheese in town, Taverna’s saganaki doesn’t disappoint. This dish consists of rich imported Kaseri cheese flambéed at your table. It’s served with pita sections for a fancy pants and yummy app that cheese fanatics must try.

Josephine’s Modern American Bistro, 503 N. Humphreys St.

Take your love of cheese first class with the baklava baked brie at Josephine’s. This appetizer wraps brie cheese, pistachios and orange cardamom in a phyllo shell with just the right about of honey. The result is a sweet but creamy treat to start your meal off right.

La Fonda Mexican Restaurant, 1900 N. Second St.

La Fonda’s cheese enchilada weekday lunch special(aka “G”) is a tasty bargain at $7.50 for two of the best tasting cheese enchiladas in town, rice, beans, a soda and sopapilla for dessert. Their enchilada sauce is full of flavor but doesn’t burn your mouth down. It’s a perfect compliment to the cheese melted inside the corn tortillas. It’s a must have weekly in my book.

Brix, 413 N. San Francisco

Enjoy a fine dining experience with the artisanal cheese selections at Brix. Try the French Brillat Savarin, Californian Seascape, Portuguese Palhais or one of the other carefully selected cheeses from across the world.  The plate of three to five of your choices comes with poached apricots and house made lavosh. Add a glass of one of their wonderful wine selections to complete your meal.

Beaver Street Brewery, 11 S. Beaver St.

Beaver Street has several must-trys for cheese devotees, two of which are fondues. The Beaver Street Brewery Fondue is made with sharp cheddar, caramelized onions and their Railhead Red Ale. The Whistle Stop Fondue is a classic Swiss style dish with gruyere cheese, white wine and cherry brandy.  Dip in the beer bread cubes and go to heaven. Beaver Street’s third cheese-centered app of pure creaminess is the pesto cream cheese dip made with fresh basil pesto and cream cheese baked in their wood-fired oven. Mmmm. It’s served bubbling hot with crouton rounds and sourdough bread slices.

Pizza Furiosa, 2500 S Woodlands Village

How could a cheese lovers roundup be complete without a cheese pizza. Pizza Furiosa serves up a classic with a twist to delight those who just want to enjoy melted cheesy goodness. The #8 tops their handmade crust with mozzarella, asiago and parmesan cheeses. The flavors combine perfectly for a salty, gooey gratification for your tastebuds.

Bisbee Breakfast Club named best cafe in the West

Bisbee Breakfast Club has been named "Best Cafe" in the West by True West Magazine.

True West says about Bisbee Breakfast Club:
Okay, so it’s technically located in Lowell, Arizona, not Bisbee, but owner Chris Reece was smart to tie his cafe to its extremely close neighbor. This place is usually packed, whether it’s breakfast or lunch time. We never go to Bisbee without stopping for a meal here. Not only are the huevos rancheros and the salads delectable, but also the ambience is fun, as the converted glass factory makes for interesting rooms to spread out the diners. When you stumble out of there with a full belly, just be sure you don’t fall into that mining pit.  

True West asked readers to name thier favorite cafe in the west as well. The winner: Rock Springs Cafe, just north of Phoenix and home of great pies! 

Others worth a try:

• Brandy's in Flagstaff, AZ
• La Bellavia in Flagstaff, AZ
• Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, AZ
• Mormon Lake Lodge, Mormon Lake, AZ
• Wagon Wheel in Needles, CA
• Matt's Big Breakfast in Phoenix, AZ
• Ruth's Diner in Salt Lake City, UT
• Silver Fork Lodge, Salt Lake City, UT
• Spotted Dog Cafe, Springdale, UT (Near Zion National Park)
• Jailhouse Cafe, Moab, UT.

What do you think the best cafe in the West is?

Flagstaff's Sweet Spot: December food holidays and where to celebrate in Flag

Get ready to get your sweet on. December is filled with holidays for your sweet tooth from ‘Anything Dipped In Chocolate Day” on the 16^th to egg nog (it’s National Egg Nog Month) to candy canes and maple syrup, to the delight of Buddy the Elf and his kindred spirits. Here’s a look at where to celebrate your sugar-love in Flagstaff this month…

Dec 1: National Pie Day – Start things off right this month with a big slice of pie from Pine Country Restaurant (107 N Grand Canyon Blvd, Williams). Pies range from traditional flavors like apple, pumpkin and double chocolate to more exotic delights like double butterscotch, banana chocolate peanut butter and Hawaiian delight. Let’s just say it’s a good thing there’s about 30 miles in between Flagstaff and Pine Country for your waistline.

Dec 4: National Cookie Day - Get a cookie alongside your cup o Joe today at Macy's (14 S. Beaver) to celebrate this day. Can’t go wrong with their classic homemade chocolate chip, but then I haven’t met a cookie at Macy’s that I didn’t like.

Dec 9: National Pastry Day – The cinnamon jammers at Bookman’s Café (1520 S Riordan Ranch St) is my new favorite pastry to nosh when I need a sweet treat.

Dec 12: National Cocoa Day – Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery (1500 E. Cedar Ave #40) makes a mean hot cocoa. Try their Mexican spiced hot cocoa with steamed milk served up piled high with whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a little extra buzz by adding espresso and order the Baja Mocha.  Or go for the white chocolate mocha made with white chocolate, steamed milk and espresso drizzled with dark chocolate.

Dec 17: National Maple Syrup Day – Buddy the Elf’s favorite day of the year, after Christmas, I’m sure. Enjoy flapjacks covered in maple syrup at the Mormon Lake Lodge Steakhouse (Main Street, Mormon Lake), then go for one of their guided snowmobile rides though the beautiful winter trails (if there’s enough snow by then).

Dec 20: National Sangria Day – This one is sure to take a bite out of holiday stress. Head to The Lumberyard. They have a refreshingly different white sangria made with white wine topped with whole grapes, lemon slices and a splash of apple juice. They also offer a twist on a traditional sangria sans brandy but instead has blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and a splash of lemon-lime soda.

Dec 25: Christmas – While not an official “food holiday,” Christmas is a day in which eating with your family can create lots of joyful “sweet” memories. Do so, without dirty dishes at the Little America Hotel (2515 E Butler), which is serving up their annual champagne brunch from 9a-2p. They’re also hosting a four course prix fixe Christmas Dinner from 5-9pm. Call for more info: 779-7900.

Dec 26: National Candy Cane Day – Brookside Chocolate Company (120 N Leroux) makes Oreos dipped in white chocolate and crushed candy canes that is sure to fill your sweet tooth quota of the day. Hopefully they’ll have some left after Christmas rolls around.

Get more December food holiday info from TheNibble.com.

This story was originally written for Flagstaff Live!

Flagstaff's new Aloha Hawaiian BBQ (includes full menu)

Aloha Hawaiian BBQ
16 E. Rte 66 (Across from Black Bean and next to Flagstaff Brewing Co.)
Downtown
Flagstaff, AZ
928-774-3922
Menu: see the bottom of this story
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ is Flagstaff's only current Hawaiian restaurant. This small but friendly fast food join puts everything in wasteful styrofoam containers, cups and uses all plastic silverware. That might be great for their cleanup but not so great for the environment. Most Flagstaff restaurants are very eco-concious so it is shocking to see a brand new Flagstaff joint have these types of policies that aren't really inline with community values. That said the food has a good flavor and is decently priced.

On our first visit, we tried the recommended (and one of the most ordered, along with the BBQ mix of chicken, beef and short ribs, we were told) Aloha plates: Chicken Katsu. It comes in two sizes - regular and mini. The mini is plenty big for lunch. The chicken isn't all white meat, which was disappointing but it was tastily breaded and fried. It comes with a tangy islandy-tasting sauce that compliments the crust nicely.

We also got the regular size of the BBQ beef. It has a wonderful flavor, which reminded us of Thai beef sticks. I'd definitely order that again. Both plates comes with a tiny scoop of plain jane white rice that is nothing to write home about and a scoop of macaroni salad that is basically mac pasta with mayo. It's only but again, nothing special. These seem like perfect dishes to serve some sort of fruit or vegetable with but most dishes don't come with either. The menu does show veggies with the bowls - so I would try that next time instead. Also for veggie lovers, they have an off menu plate of mixed vegetables with rice and mac for sides.
All in all, I like the friendliness of the folks at the restaurant and I like the unique (for Flagstaff) dishes but I'm not overly impressed with the restaurant. It will be a good occasional stop on the out-to-eat circuit but most days I'd rather go to one of the many wonderful Thai restaurants nearby.
MONEY SAVING TIP: Be sure to pick up one of their menus posted outside the doors. They have several good coupons!
Take a look at their menu below:

November national food holidays & where to celebrate in Flagstaff

November is *the* month when it comes to national food holidays – as it has the biggest of them all: Thanksgiving, a day dedicated to sharing delectable foods like oven roasted turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie. What’s not to love. There are several other food holidays this month too that you can eat your way merrily through. Here’s a list of a few of them and where to celebrate in Flagstaff…
 

Nov. 6: National Nachos Day – Go deluxe on your nachos today and eat the fire roasted jalapeno and bacon nachos at Criollo (16 N. San Francisco). These bad boys have cherry wood smoked bacon, asadero and jack cheese, roasted jalapeños, black beans, and house-made salsa. 

Nov. 11: National Sundae Day – While I think Sundae Day should always be on a Sunday, it’s not. That’s okay, try Flagstaff’s new sweet spot that lets you create your own sundaes with anything you want: YogurtU (1061 S. Plaza Way – behind Panda Express). This place lets you serve yourself to however much frozen yogurt you want (try the cake batter flavor) and top it with a salad bar of ingredients from sprinkles to gummy bears and everything in between. Genius!

Nov. 14: National Pickle Day – Celebrate right with a fried pickle from none other than Café Pickles (7 N. San Francisco). Order ‘em as an app for a different but delish dish that will satisfy the taste buds.

Nov. 16: National Fast Food Day – No need to go to a national chain, pop on in to the locally owned and operated Louie’s Chicken Shack (2116 E Route 66 and the new location on Milton). These guys do a nice job on their chicken strips. They’re fresh and well-seasoned. They just opened up their second location in October, about a year and a half after opening their first location, so they must be doing something right!

Nov. 17: National Baklava Day – Eat this Mediterranean dessert made with phyllo dough, nuts, butter, sugar and a sweet syrup at Greek Islands (109 E. Phoenix Ave.). This hole in the wall serves up a nice sticky layered dessert that makes the perfect ending to your meal here.

Nov. 21: Gingerbread Day – Have none other than a gingerbread man for a treat today. Bookman’s Café (1520 S. Riordan Ranch St.) sells soft, chewy and oh so sweet gingerbread men that will delight your inner child spirit and your taste buds.

Nov. 24: Thanksgiving – If you’re looking to give mom and break and go out to eat, The Cottage Place (126 W. Cottage Ave.) does a fabulous upscale Turkey Day five course feast. Do make reservations early, as they do book up quickly. Call 928-774-8431 to reserve.

Nov. 28: National French Toast Day - Being this falls on a Monday, celebrate a day early with Sunday brunch at Josephine’s  (503 N. Humphreys St.). Order the brioche french toast topped with bananas flamed in rum brown sugar sauce topped with pecans.

(This article was originally written by Angele for Flagstaff Live!)