(This story, written by me, originally appeared in the 2/26/09 issue of
Flagstaff Live!)
Man does not live by health food alone. Some days you need
that sugary sweet taste of a good donut or pastry to start
the day off right. Luckily, Flagstaff is a great place for
sweet-toothed folks to live and love (eating). Here are a few
places to find that perfectly sweetened morning sunshine for
your mouth …
Malone’s Bakery and Deli
1490 S. RiordanWanting the fresh, sugary goodness of a donut for breakfast
on a fine wintry morning? Malone’s is where you want to go.
They make the best homemade donuts in town in several
varieties—glazed, chocolate, maple and cake. Homer
Simpson would definitely approve!
Also on the menu are lots of other sweet morning treats like
Bavarian cream horns (quite a sweet punch and, I would
argue, more of a dessert but still good anytime of the day),
long johns filled with Bavarian cream (and my husband’s
fave sweet treat in the whole city), muffins, apple cinnamon
burritos, cinnamon twists, cinnamon rolls, pecan coffee cakes
and more.
If you’re looking for variety with great taste, this
is the stop to make.
Village Baker
1421 S. MiltonThe Village Baker isn’t just for bread loaves anymore. When
they opened their new location behind Strombolli's, they
added an array of scrumptious breakfast pastries. The fresh
fruit Danish is fabulous and my fave. They also serve up
cinnamon rolls, cheese Danish, and apple, mixed berry and
cheese strudel. And if there’s a particular something you’re
craving and can’t find anywhere, Village Baker will custom
make anything you want with just a few days notice. You can
call them for details on custom orders at 773-9310. I’ve
never had anything here that wasn’t top of the line, so you
really can’t go wrong.
It’s About Coffee: The Factory
2620 N. Steves Blvd. (in Kachina Square)This coffee house is also known for its fab cinnamon rolls.
They claim to be the best in Flag, and they are indeed quite
tasty. They’re ooey and gooey and you’re going to need to
get plenty of napkins. Be sure to ask them to heat it up for
ultimate enjoyment. The icing is a sweet, cream cheese-
style that really tantalizes the taste buds when warm. It’s
About Coffee also bakes up muffins. Both, of course, are a
fine choice with their coffees.
Macy's European Coffeehouse, Bakery and Vegetarian
Restaurant
14 S. BeaverMacy’s is a Flagstaff must for good food and good-for-you
food. Even their sweet treats aren’t all bad for the bod with
such items as the vegan almond tofu Danish. The most
popular sweet breakfast treat on their menu is the almond
cream cheese Danish. It’s not what you’d call health food,
but it is magically delicious. Other breakfast sweets include
scones (which I personally favor), muffins and berry Danish.
Café Espress
16 N. San FranciscoCafé Espress is another good choice for indulging that
morning hankering for something sweet. They bake up such
goodies as cream cheese Danish, turnovers, muffins and
bear claws. Of particular note are their turnovers and bear
claws, which are as popular as they are tasty. I personally
vote bear claw as the way to go here. Mmm.
Profile: It’s About Coffee: The Factory Restaurant and Coffee House
The omlettes and other breakfasts come with hashbrowns or "those other potatoes" as they're called on the menu (which are onions, peppers and potatoes sometimes known as "potatoes o'brien") plus toast or a biscuit.
My daughters (ages 4 and 2.5) split the children's pancakes and sausage- which came with two big flapjacks and two sausages. They gobbled it up in a hurry and asked for more. Luckily the train kept them entertained, as did having some of my breakfast.
Junipine Cafe is located in a beautiful location in the midst of Oak Creek Canyon, just north of Slide Rock State Park. It's the perfect spot for a quick getaway for locals and a nice rest stop of tourists. (And it's a part of the Junipine Resort hotel, which is a nice location for visitors who want to check out Flagstaff, Sedona and the Grand Canyon without staying at a place that feels super touristy, though I can't speak to the rooms because I've never stayed there.)
The claim to fame at Junipine are their fish dishes, they say. They use locally caught trout and fly in other fish fresh from the coast. The lunch menu includes blacked or season fish specials, fish tacos, several salads, burgers, sandwiches and a soup of the day. Dinner has many of the same items plus steak, fajitas and more fish selections... all at higher prices of course. They also serve up breakfast, with items like trout and eggs, waffles and pancakes on the menu.
Prices are inline with Flagstaff and Sedona restaurants at about $10-$15 per person for lunch, so they're more expensive then they should be for each entree but what you would expect for this nice location. And dinner puts them up into the expensive range at closer to $20-$30 per person. If you have a party of six or more - even if some of your party are babies that don't order - they take it upon themselves to add a 18% gratuity. That's also unheard of in this area, where most places don't include kids in their party totals when automatically adding gratuity. When we asked about it our waitress was really snippy and rude and quite frankly it ruined the nice, relaxing experience of our lunch today. She also got defensive when I asked why she charged us for milk that the menu said came with the kids' meal. They're also not on top of things when it comes to drink refills. So I wouldn't say service is their string point but all in all Junipine is a nice change of place and really feels like a nice getaway, even though it's just down the road.
La Bell is known for their Swedish Oat Cakes ($4.25 for one). These huge buttermilk and oat cakes are served with a hot cinnamon apple topping. They taste like a treat, but they’re pretty good for you. (A perfect combination.) They’re so big that if you eat a whole stack of three oat cakes, they’ll take your photo and hang it on the wall… plus if it’s a weekday they’ll give you a free coffee mug too. You can also order a side-sized oat cake, which is the size of a normal pancake other places, for $2. It’s the perfect size for kids or to pair up with the Spuds Medley ($5.95), which is what we did.
This breakfast joint also does the classics well. The omelet ($7.75) is filled with your choice of cheese plus two additional fillings (we choose cheddar cheese, sausage and ham.). It comes topped with hollandaise sauce and is served with an English muffin and a side-sized buttermilk pancake or country potatoes. (These are the side options for almost all the breakfast entrees here). The omelet was cooked perfectly… not overly dry, full of flavor and juicy without being too salty. The sausage chunks were huge instead of being crumbled, which was a little weird but tasted yummy. We opted for the buttermilk pancake as one of our sides and it was excellent: sweet and fluffy. The English muffin was also fresh and tasty.
Blogger Template by 
Posts
