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!)

Flagstaff dessert deals

If sugary goodness is your thing, check out these Flagstaff dessert deals to get your sweet tooth going...

• Oregano's: Free big ol oeey gooey birthday cookie on your bday!
• TCBY: Waffle Cone Wednesdays - enjoy frozen yogurt in a waffle cone for a buck.
• Bookman's Cafe: Get in early enough most week days to enjoy day old - but still fantastically delicious- pastries for $1.
• Stone Cold Creamery: Mondays, buy a premium Love It size shake or Signature ice cream and get a free kids ice cream with mix-in. Tuesdays BOGO kids ice cream with mix-in. Thursdays 1/2 price shakes before 5pm.
• La Fonda: Lunch specials come with sopapillas covered with honey.
• El Charro: Lunch specials come with sopapillas covered with honey.

Know of more good deals on desserts, leave a comment below!

5 Flagstaff classic restaurants to enjoy all over again during NAU's Homecoming

Flagstaff is filled with lots of good new things and plenty of classic eateries to enjoy just as much now as you did back in your NAU college days. Here's a list of five Flagstaff restaurants to enjoy all over again and make new memories at...

1. Granny's Closet
2. Martanne's
3. Mike & Rhonda's The Place
4. La Fonda
5. Beaver Street Brewery

Bonus: You probably never had the money while you were a college student, but if your budget allows, The Cottage Place is Flagstaff's finest.

Click on the restaurant links in the left hand column for reviews on these and more area restaurants.

10 new local Flagstaff restaurants to try when you come back for NAU Homecoming

Northern Arizona University celebrates Homecoming on October 22, 2011.
While you're back in town enjoying the old memories of yesteryear, enjoy these ten new(er) (ie, have opened in the last five or so years) non-chain restaurants Flagstaff has to offer for some good eats and new memories...

1. Tinderbox Kitchen (Down-home classics with fancy pants twists)
2. Diablo Burger (one of the country's best burgers made with local beef)
3. Criollo Latin Grill (classy food, flavors & atmosphere)
4. Louie's Chicken Shack (delish fried chicken strips)
5. Pizza Furiosa (from the chef/owner of Pesto Brothers)
6. Greek Islands Restaurant (hole in the wall tasty Greek food)
7. Big John's Texas BBQ (take out for a nice picnic)
8. Scott's Chicago Pizza (get the pepperoni rolls for an app)
9. Mama Burger (no-nonsense solid burgers)
10. 1899 Bar and Grill (NAU's new fine dining restaurant)

Or try these yummy new spots that also have other locations outside Flagstaff:

1. Taverna Greek Grill
2. Oregano's
3. Wildflower Bread Company
4. Pita Jungle
5. Chipotle
6. Panda Express

October food holidays and where to celebrate them in Flagstaff

Halloween dominates the thought of October, but this month is filled with other holidays in the food arena. For starters, we’re in Eat Country Ham Month, Fair Trade Month, National Apple-Cookie-Dessert-Pasta-Pickled Peppers Month (and that’s just half the “National __ Month” list) and we haven’t even discussed the weeks of honor from American Beer Week (the 2^nd week of the month, which is also National Food Bank Week so be sure to donate while you’re indulging too) to Chicken Soup for the Soul Week (4^th week of October). And now, for the national food holiday days to celebrate this month, take a look at the below Flagstaff suggestions…

October 4: National Taco Day

Treat yourself for 99-cent tacos at the local treasure that is La Fonda (1900 N 2nd St.). They not only have top notch Mexican food, but the service is hard to match. They’re friendly and always on top of everything here. That’s a winning combination.

October 11: National Sausage Pizza Day

Sausage is singled out on the pizza front this month. Two completely opposite but solid sausage topped pies to try: Scott’s Chicago Pizza’s (103 Birch Ave) Southside Classic with Italian sausage, mushroom, onion and bell pepper and Pizza Furiosa’s (2500 S Woodlands Village Blvd) #9 with chorizo and pepperoni The whole month is National Pizza Festival Month – so you might as well go around town and hit up both (and the rest of your pizza favorites), just to be in the spirit of all things cheesy and delicious while you’re at it.

October 17: National Pasta Day

On this day dedicated to a staple of most of our menus –pasta – go for the best pasta in town, the house-made goodness that is Pasto (19 E. Aspen). They’re currently featuring a nice variety like crab maccheroni, corkscrew pastas in a creamy cheese sauce with blue crab; pennette Mediteranea, small penne pastas in a combination of red onion, roasted tomatoes, artichoke, arugula, olives, capers and feta; and the classic and delish spaghettini e popette, which is a thin spaghetti topped with tomato sauce and meatballs.

October 21: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

The combination of two wonderful flavors – pumpkin and cheesecake should take you to Beautiful Leaf Bakery (2028 N. 4th St). They make basically every flavor of cheesecake in three to nine inch sizes. A rich, creamy treat you totally deserve, so go for it!

October 25: National Greasy Foods Day

For tasty grease-filled goodness, go to Mountainaire Tavern (110 Mountainaire Rd.). They serve up some mean homemade beer battered onion rings, fried mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli. All served with ranch. Who said you wouldn’t eat veggies today!

October 26: Pretzel Day

Wildflower Bread Company (530 East Piccadilly Dr.) makes yummy oversized pretzels that are perfection for a filling snack or a nice plus with one of their fine soups, like the roasted garlic tomato.

October 31: Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day

While you’re out there getting free candy, trick or treat for UNICEF too. They’ve been doing this fundraiser to help kids since 1950. Find out more at youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat. Also while you’re out on Halloween, don’t miss out on the city’s annual Halloween Harvest festival of fun downtown.

For more October food holidays – and there are a ton this month – go to TheNibble.com.

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

Scott's Chicago Pizza in downtown Flagstaff, AZ

Scott's Chicago Pizza
103 Birch Ave.
Downtown Flagstaff
Menu & coupons on their website: scottschicagopizza.com

We finally made it to Scott's new location downtown Flagstaff.
This restaurant is in a great spot, walking distance to everything downtown and NAU's North Campus (and right off the new bus line). It has a nice little patio to sit and enjoy Flagstaff's weather and inside is quaint.
You must start with the house-made pepperoni rolls. They are delish - and really could be a meal of their own. The yummy crust rolls up around pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and some of their tasty sauce like a pizza eggroll or mini calzone. I'm getting these every visit. They could be a whole meal if you don't share. The kiddos will love them too.
Another great option - due to Scott's wonderful thin crust and flavorful sauce is the calzone. They do calzones of the day or build your own.
The Chicago-style deep dish isn't my fav pizza pie in town. I much prefer stuffed Chicago pizza, not the cornmeally crust that Scott's deep dish has. But the ingredients are quality. They have slices of the day for a quick lunch or get a whole pie for a nice family dinner. Scott's also makes a thin crust, which is the way to go if you're ordering a pizza here.
The menu also features soups, salads, Chicago dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, chicken parmesean subs and other goodies.
Check out Scott's coupon page on the restaurant website for some good deals.
All in all, Scott's new expanded menu (and restaurant) has some delish options for the whole family and the space is great too. I'll be going back here much more often now that I've discovered their calzones and pepperoni rolls - some of the best in town!

Where to celebrate September food holidays in Flagstaff

Mmm mmm mmm. September is National Breakfast Month. Plus it includes an homage to bacon (with International Bacon Day falling on September 3rd), a whole week for waffles (the second week of the month), a month of celebrating biscuits plus another (September 26^th) and it wouldn’t be complete without a day dedicated to coffee, the breakfast beverage of choice (September 29^th). Flagstaff has so many good spots for celebrating breakfast (La Bellavia, Brandy’s, Martanne’s, Mike and Rhonda’s all pop to mind instantly). Here’s a look at more food holidays this month and where to celebrate them in Flagstaff…

September 5: Cheese Pizza Day

New Jersey Pizza Company (2224 East Cedar Ave.), despite the incredibly long wait that seems to come with ordering from them, has the most delectable cheese pizza with house-made, hand pulled mozzarella. I often ignore the wait because it is just so mouthwatering! For a different take on this classic – try Pizza Furiosa’s (2500 S Woodlands Village Blvd) cheese pizza which includes mozzarella, asiago and parmesean cheeses. Delish and different!

September 10: TV Dinner Day

Who says a TV dinner needs to be frozen and subpar? Not me! Make it much better with a delivery from Hot Wok Express. (1000 N Humphreys St -928-226-1007). The Chicken Lo Mein, Orange Chicken, Moo Goo Gai Pan and Broccoli Beef are can’t fail options. Order up and plop down on the couch with some college games on the tube – and you’re good to go!

September 13: National Peanut Day

Thai peanut sauce lovers go crazy… celebrate national peanut day with your favorite peanutty dish. My choice – Chicken Pad Thai level three with a side salad at lunch at Dara Thai  (14 S San Francisco) for just $6.95. Hard to beat all around!

September 15: National Linguine Day

Go for Cottage Place’s (126 W. Cottage) “Twilight Menu” for some ultimate linguini. They’re serving up a smoked salmon linguini and a beef stroganoff over linguini –on this special menu, served between 5pm and 6pm.

September 16: National Guacamole Day

Who says you have to go Mexican for delish guacamole. I love Oregano’s (605 W Riordan Rd) Guaca Tony. It’s an Italian take on this classic mushy green dish made with basil, roasted garlic and avocado. It’s served in a heaping mound on their pizza crust 'chips.' It’s a meal or an app and it’s G-O-O-D!

September 18: National Cheeseburger Day

No question I my mind – make the trip to Diablo Burger (120 N Leroux), the joint that made me a true lover of burgers. Order up a Marilyn (aka cheeseburger) with one of the many cheeses on hand – from Pepper Jack to Swiss.

September 28: Drink Beer Day

Only one day dedicated to beer (what a shame) and it’s on a Wednesday. But go on a pub crawl anyway (with a designated driver in tow, of course) from the Flagstaff Brewing Co. (16 E. Rte. 66) to Beaver Street Brewery (11 S Beaver St) and on over to The Lumberyard (5 S San Francisco). All make delish house-crafted brewskis to enjoy all day long.

Check out even more food holidays in September at TheNibble.com.

*This story was originally written for Flagstaff Live, also by me!*

11 of my favorite patios to relax in Flagstaff

Peak Side Cafe

I love dining outdoors and Flagstaff is an awesome place to enjoy good food and good weather at the same time. Here's my favorite 11 patios to relax on... (click to read previous articles I've mentioned these restaurants in, including reviews)

1. Cafe Ole
2. Diablo Burger
3. Tinderbox
4. Josephine's
5. Peak Side Cafe
6. The Lumberyard Brewing Company
7. Ski Lift Lodge
8. Brix
9. Wildflower Bread Co.
10. Flagstaff Brewing Co.
11. The Cottage Place

Peak Side Cafe at the Snowbowl in Flagstaff, Arizona

Peak Side Cafe
Top of Snowbowl Road (by the Snowbowl Sky Ride) (off Hwy 180)
Flagstaff (about 7 miles north of downtown)
Menu
Open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays

The Peak Side Cafe at the Snowbowl is a relaxing restaurant to take in beautiful scenery and fresh mountain air. The patio is expansive - and very family friendly. (There's even sidewalk chalk in the concrete portion of the patio to enjoy.)
This casual eatery has some solid dishes, not the best in town by any means, but good enough to make for a nice casual meal with the whole family before or after a hike, disc golf, or ride up the Skyride to the top of the peak.
Try their house made soup. I had a big bowl of the roasted red pepper soup. It was spicy and flavorful - and complimented the view nicely. The weather up there is always soup weather!

Celebrating National Food Holidays in August in Flagstaff, AZ

Everything from s'mores to steak is honored in August. Check out these highlights of where to enjoy national food holidays this month in Flagstaff...

National Mustard Day: August 6 (1^st Saturday)

Perfect day to try RisingHy Honey Mustard. It’s made right here in Flagstaff. You can buy it at the local Farmer’s Markets or enjoy it at several local eateries. Find a bunch of RisingHy’s recipes that incorporate their devilishly hot mustard on their website.

National Zucchini Day: August 8

Celebrate your favorite squash variety with the tasty stylings of Buster’s (1800 S Milton) zucchini muffins that come in their yummy baskets of bread! They’re reason enough to go to Buster’s. Or go the opposite route, by getting this green veggie fried right up at the Ski Lift Lodge (6355 N Hwy 180). Their fried zucchinis are so fresh and delish. Perfect “disguise” for getting your veggies in.

National Filet Mignon Day: August 14

If you’re looking for the best steak in town, head to the Cottage Place (126 W. Cottage Ave) and order up the filet mignon. The aged tenderloin cut of beef is always perfectly prepared with bearnaise sauce and is accompanied by fab whipped potatoes. Truly mouthwatering.

National Potato Day: August 19

All hail to this most delicious day, celebrating a hardy and often under-appreciated but never under-consumed edible tuber. Some of the best potatoes in town are found fried up and tossed in herbs at Diablo Burger (120 N Leroux). Chef Richard Fernandez’s housemade potato chips at the new Pizza Furiosa (2500 S Woodlands Village Blvd) are another good way to enjoy your taters today. They come with all of his paninis.

Eat a Peach Day: August 22

Prepare for both Eat a Peach Day and National Peach Pie Day (two days later) by doing some shopping at the Flagstaff Market (Sundays 8am-noon in the City Hall parking lot, Wednesdays 4-7pm at 2257 E Cedar Ave). Biting into a juicy peach is just about as close as you can get to natural perfection. But it never hurts to bake them up in a pie a la mode, either!

Banana Lover’s Day: August 27

“Go, go bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” Treat yourself to some of Wildflower Bread Company’s (530 East Piccadilly Dr.) banana bread in celebration of Banana Lovers Day. This sweet, sticky bread will have you cheering. Another must-stop for banana lovers – Jospehine’s (503 N. Humphrey’s). Their brunch menu includes Brioche French Toast with Bananas Foster (bananas drenched in a rum brown sugar sauce and flambéed).

Eat Outside Day: August 31

Wrap up the summer by celebrating this day outdoors at one of the best patios in town. There are several good ones to choose from along San Francisco. You can never go wrong with Café Ole’s (119 S San Francisco) laid back oasis. Tinderbox (and The Annex) (34 S San Francisco) has a nice outdoor space – perfect for enjoying one of their delightful Shandys. Just up the street you can take in the sun at The Lumberyard (5 S San Francisco) while sipping one of their homebrews or sangrias with fresh fruit. Head up the street a bit more and tuck into the small, secluded patio of Brix (413 N San Francisco). Where you can wine, dine and toast the end of another fabulous Flagstaff summer.

Coppa Cafe in Flagstaff, AZ (menu)

Coppa Cafe
1300 S. Milton Rd #107, Flagstaff
928-637-6813

The Coppa Cafe is the newest restaurant to open in the space previously held by East Coast Deli, and many others before them. Coppa has a European menu with a variety of daily specials. Here's a look at their menu:

Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Needles, CA a welcome break in the desert

Wagon Wheel Restaurant
2420 Needles Hwy, Needles, CA (Just off I-40 on Rte 66)
Menu: wagonwheelneedles.com

The drive along I-40 from the Grand Canyon to LA gets tedious about the time you get to Needles, California. But the Wagon Wheel can help fix that. After years of driving straight through Needles with their ridiculously high gas prices (stop in Kingman and/or Barstow instead for gas), we finally decided to stop at the Wagon Wheel. If you've gone this route, no doubt you've seen their bright yellow signage on their old west looking building adorned with wagon wheels (of course). They've been open since 1978 and for good reason.

While Needles folks seem to like to proclaim their city is "hotter than hell," the Wagon Wheel is a welcomed air conditioned oasis with a relaxed atmosphere, great waffles and, well, nice clean restrooms, essential for the traveling folks. They also have a fun old fashioned pony ride that little kids will enjoy. Plus browse their Route 66 gift shop for some unique finds.

Their menu features traditional diner fare from chicken fried steak, omeletes and waffles to monte cristos, meatloaf sandwiches and burgers. Breakfast is served all day, except waffles which are only served til 1pm. So be sure to pass by in time for waffles. They're a perfect treat and a nice pick me up for this section of road.
Every time we go this way from now on, I'll be stopping in for a nice Belgium waffle with strawberries on top!

New Flagstaff eatery: Pizzicletta

Pizzicletta
*203 W Phoenix Ave, Flagstaff
*Only open for dinner, closed Mondays
*Menu at pizzicletta.com, specials of the day on their Facebook page

Walking in to the uber tiny Pizzicletta you are immediately taken by its size, with one long slender table in the middle, two sets of bar seats, a glassed off pizza prep area and a gigantic custom oven.... and the overwhelming heat inside the small space. (So hot that my 5 year old asked if she could just sit by the door and not eat because she was burning up and miserable after 5 minutes inside... it was quite sweltering at 5pm on a July night in there.)

I have been looking forward to trying Pizzicletta since I heard they were opening up shop bravely near two of Flagstaff's most popular pizza joints. Plus their menu looked intriguing and very European.

We ordered the pizza special of the day (a tomato, ricotta and spicy sopressato) as well as the classic Neapolitan margherita. They cooked up fast, as is tradition with the super thin style (good thing because that heat was hard to take). The special was marvelous - wonderful crust, perfectly crispy and chewy with that wood fired flavor mixed with the delish sauce and high quality toppings. Each pizza is definitely for one person, being really thin and about 9" round (which makes them quite pricey at $11-$13 each). The margharita was also good but not as special as the special.
All in all, I would not recommend Pizzicletta for families, large parties, or dates. The space just doesn't accommodate those types of dining experiences in a good way. There's also really no "kids" pizzas on the menu (no cheese or similar and it's hard to pay $11 for a pizza for each kid too, as that can add up quickly), but then this isn't a place really designed for kids, and that's okay, but just know before you go. I probably won't be coming back in the summer to eat in and I won't be going back with my kids at all. So I'll have to give Pizzicletta another try on a girls night out this fall when it cools off. The flavors are great but the taste doesn't outweigh the negatives for me at this time.

Where to celebrate July's food holidays in Flagstaff

Right in the heat of the summer comes a variety of food holidays with such varied tastes. July is National baked Bean Month, Bison Month, Culinary Arts Month, Grilling Month, Hot Dog Month and Ice Cream Month. It’s also home to the following food holidays…

July 6: National Fried Chicken Day

Get some finger lickin in on Fried Chicken Day at Louie’s Chicken Shack (2116 E Rte 66). They made their own unique batter that makes for juicy chicken strips. Mmm mmm good.

July 9: National Sugar Cookie Day

Sugar Mama’s (116 S San Francisco) has your sugar cookie fix for today. They make a mean sugar cookie with royal icing. Perfect for an afternoon snack break along with a cup of coffee to really get your energy levels going.

July 10: National Pina Colada Day

If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, this day falls at the perfect time for Arizona residents, usually in monsoon season this time of the year. Refresh as you watch the rain sprinkle down from the patio at Picazzo’s (1300 South Milton) with a tropical tasty pina colada in hand. They’re not technically on the menu there, but you can order one anyway made with their organic liquor.

July 13: National French Fries Day

Without any hesitation whatsoever, head to the best spot in Flag for fries: Diablo Burger (120 N Leroux St). Theirs are scrumptiously cooked and tossed with Herbs de Provence for the perfect aromatic presentation for your nose, mouth and tummy.

July 20: National Hot Dog Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day and Fortune Cookie Day

Hope you’re hungry today with all these food holidays. Start off with a plump juicy dog with your favorite condiments from Primo’s (113 S San Francisco). Then head over to the Galaxy Diner (931 W Rte 66) for an old fashioned Ice Cream Soda (Go for the Brown Cow). For dinner, get your Chinese on at Golden Dragon (2730 East Lakin Drive) and finish up your meal with a fortune cookie.

July 24: National Tequila Day
With over two dozen tequilas in house, Plaza Bonita (1551 South Milton) is the place to go for a tequila taste testing party tonight. Whether you’re looking for silver, reposado, anejo or gold, they have the full spectrum of price points for all tequila lovers to enjoy including top shelf favorites like Don Julio, Tres Generaciones and others.

July 27: National Crème Brulee Day
Celebrate this sweet holidays with a desert stopover at Jospehine’s (503 North Humphreys). They make some of the best crème brulee around. Their creamy sweet cup of heaven tastes even better with a cup of coffee out under the stars on their relaxing patio.

July 24: National Lasagna Day

Celebrate lasagna day a little early and head to Frank’s Daily Bread (1490 Riordan Ranch Rd) on Wednesdays when lasagna with meat sauce is the lunch special of the day. For $7 you get a big slice of lasagna, side salad, garlic bread and a drink. It’s the only day lasagna is available there.

July 30: National Cheesecake Day

Beautiful Leaf Bakery (2028 North 4th Street) makes over a dozen varieties of cheesecake from their most popular traditional and strawberry cheesecakes to unique blends like Black Forest, Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate, Lemon, German Chocolate, White Chocolate Raspberry, and many others. Plus, they’ll make any other flavor you desire. All are available in 3-9” sizes.

Check out more food holidays happening in July from TheNibble.com.

(Note: This article was written, also by me, for Flagstaff Live!)