Profile: Josephine's Modern American Bistro
- Anthony Cosentino, Chef/Owner
503 N Humphreys Street, Flagstaff, AZ. 86001 - www.josephinesrestaurant.com
- Open 7+ years
Examiner: What makes your establishment unique?
Chef Tony: We are located in a beautiful historic building converted from a homestead. On the National Historic Register for its architectural significance. The building is the first made with the local volcanic rock in Northern Arizona.
Examiner: What is a little known factoid about your place?
Chef Tony: We are one of the only, if only that has a true wine cellar. The two foot wide volcanic rock foundation provides the ideal atmosphere for storing wine.
Examiner: What is your specialty?Chef Tony: Cooking everything from scratch from our salad dressing to the ice cream we put on our desserts.
Examiner: What is your patrons' favorite thing about your establishment? What's your favorite?
Chef Tony: The two fireplaces in the winter and beautiful flowering patio in the summer. My favorite thing is the open kitchen which the patrons almost walk into when they come into the restaurant. I love the direct interaction with the customers.
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Examiner: Anything new on the horizon that people can look forward to trying?
Chef Tony: We are going to be doing a brunch on Saturdays and Sundays this summer. I was a little hesitant to take it on but the more I think about it the more excited I become. I plan on making our jam from scratch and muffins and some other fun stuff.
Examiner: What is the top thing you recommend visitors to your city do/see - besides your business, of course?
Chef Tony: Well the obvious thing to say would be to see the Grand Canyon but to be honest I haven't been there in years. If you like the outdoors Flagstaff has got it all. On a day like today I can either go up skiing at Snowbowl or go for a mountain bike ride or hike in Sedona. We have lakes to canoe in, canyons to hike, rocks to climb and trails to ride.
*This article is part of a new travel series profiling chefs, owners, managers and people behind the scenes of restaurants in the realm of Out West Food Review - Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.*
Profile: Fournos Restaurant
The best Mexican food I’ve had in Arizona... that about sums up Sedona’s Javelina Cantina in one sentence. Located south of the “Y” on Highway 179 in the upscale Hillside Shopping Center, this restaurant is welcoming as soon as you walk in the door. The décor is modern southwest with stone and metal used heavily throughout. It really reflects the city’s chic artsy atmosphere. Large windows let patrons enjoy the famous Sedona scenery without the heat. But the best spot to sit is on the patio, which features a relaxing red rock waterfall and a great view of the city.
For the main course, I had the South of the Border Combo Uno ($14.95), one of Javelina Cantina’s signature meals. It comes with one cheese enchilada, one green corn tamale, and one taco plus rice and beans. The enchiladas were, simply said, awesome. A tortilla filled with hot cheeses topped with a flavorful tomato-based sauce with just enough kick but not spicy. Also, thankfully, they weren’t greasy like too many other Mexican restaurants. The tamale was about twice the side of typical tamales. It was covered with melted cheese and served without a husk. It was nice to have a vegetarian tamale. Too often you don’t get much variety in this dish. The masa was thick with a corn, cheese and green chile center. Again, full of flavor but not spicy. I’m thinking that must be a trait of Sonoran-style Mexican food, which I’ve honestly never heard of before eating here. The chicken taco was my least favorite part of my combo but still decent. It was filled with super-thinly shredded chicken but a little dry and bland in comparison to the other items. I added some of the guac we had for an appetizer and it really improved it. My dad opted for beef tacos on his combo and thought they were much better than the chicken ones.
My husband ordered the Steak Fajitas ($17.95). They were perfect for one, but probably not enough to share like at other places. The steak was marinated and grilled with onions, tomatoes, and red peppers. The juices all ran together making a savory sauce. The meat itself was very tender and far above your average fajita meat. The fajitas come with warm flour tortillas, guacamole, and a special spicy sour crème sauce that they call crème fraiche. Javelina Cantina also serves chicken ($17.95), shrimp ($18.95), Tilapia white fish ($17.95), or garden vegetable ($14.95) fajitas.
Not to be overlooked are Javelina Cantina’s margaritas. What Mexican restaurant meal would be complete with one of these! This cantina is not messing around with their margarita menu. It has at least ten different varieties… from a standard frozen concoction ($6.50) to a Green Monster ($8.00), which is a standard margarita with a Midori float, to a Fiesta Titanic ($12.75), which has a mixture of mango and prickly pear margaritas with Midori and Blue Curacao added.
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With El Charro, what you see is what you get. It’s a simple, family owned Mexican restaurant without any bells and whistles, but good service and food by people who care about making it. Inside a converted home in the midst of a Flagstaff Neighborhood, this isn’t the place you’re going to see many tourists. What you’ll find instead on most weekday afternoons are NAU employees who took a short walk from their office to grab lunch. That’s when I recommend going to El Charro because their great lunch special makes this place definitely worth trying.
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