Where to celebrate April food holidays in Flagstaff

Pasto's Portabella & Eggplant Fries

Did you know April is national grilled cheese month. A whole month dedicated to this comfort food that can be so very different, depending on how deluxe you make it – that’s awesome! This month is also national soy foods month, soft pretzel month and garlic month. Now let’s take a look at the more food holidays and where to celebrate them in Flagstaff…

April 12: Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day – So not only is this the month of grilled cheese, but April 12 is also the official grilled cheese eating day of the year. That means you have to head to Diablo Burger (120 N Leroux St # 112) and try their Uncle Dee’s grilled cheese done right with three cheeses, pesto, grilled tomato, fresh basil and a fried egg, if you so desire. And they come with those scrumptious DB fries!

April 16: National Eggs Benedict Day – This day calls for going to none other than La Bellavia (18 S. Beaver St). They have more than a dozen types of eggs benedict. Here they serve up eggs poached on an English muffin topped with hollandaise sauce plus a pancake or country potatoes (hard choice!) with all sorts of toppings choices from avocados to artichokes to Canadian bacon and so much more.

April 16: Day of the Mushroom – Right in the middle of the month is a day devoted to mushrooms. They’re so versatile and so good. If you too love mushrooms, check out Beaver Street’s (11 S Beaver St) juicy rustic portabella sandwich, Pasto’s (19 E. Aspen) light and airy portabella and eggplant fries served with a balsamic butter sauce, Cuvee 928’s (6 E. Aspen Ave) baked mushrooms with farmer’s cheese, truffle oil and grilled bread, and Salsa Brava’s (2220 East Route 66 ) grilled portabella fajitas and portabella and spinach enchiladas.

April 22: Earth Day – It’s Earth Day, so respect the earth and its offerings and head to Picazzos (1300 S. Milton Rd) where you can get organic cocktails, organic salads, organic pastas, and even organic pizzas. They serve local and sustainable foods, use recycled stuff as well as recycling stuff. Perfect for celebrating the Earth!

April 22: National Jelly Bean Day – If you need a reason to get on FourSquare on your smart phone, national jelly bean day is it because Brookside Chocolate (120 N Leroux, Suite 103) gives everyone who checks into their shop on FourSquare a free ¼ pound of Jelly Bellys, no purchase necessary. How awesome is that!

April 24: Easter – Okay, not an official food holiday, but you can celebrate with a fine burnch buffet in Little America’s ballroom (2515 East Butler). They’re having roasted prime rib, honey glazed ham, a chocolate fountain and much more.

April 26: National Pretzel Day – This day demands a trip over to Wildflower Bread Company (530 East Piccadilly Drive) for their homemade pretzels. They’re delish!

April 29: National Shrimp Scampi Day – Check out Horsemen Lodge (8500 Highway 89 North) for this food holiday. They have deluxe shrimp scampi sautéed traditionally with fresh garlic and herbs in a white wine butter sauce. (And you can even find a coupon for 20% off on their website: horsemenlodge.com).

For more food holidays this month, check out TheNibble.com.

This article was written by me orginally for Flagstaff Live!