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!)