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!)