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!*

A look at all of Flagstaff's Thai restaurants

There’s something exotic about the foods you find at Thai restaurants. You almost feel special as you savor each of the flavors hitting your taste buds, like someone has just invented and hand crafted this delicacy just for you to enjoy. That's the beauty of Thai food and its combinations of edible aromas from curries with tumeric and coconut to sweet and spicy noodle dishes and still others flavored by limes, lemon grass, peanuts, hot chilis or mint. We're lucky here in Flagstaff, of all places, to have so many top quality Thai restaurants to enjoy. Take a tour around town of these fine eateries....

Swaddee Thai
115 E. Aspen Ave.
773-1122
swaddeethai.com
Swaddee is at the top of my list for Thai, especially their interpretation of the classic pad Thai with chicken. The number three heat level is perfection bringing together sweet, tangy and spicy in each bite. If you’re new to Thai food, the pad Thai is a great starting dish, it’s Thailand’s national noodle dish afterall, and Swaddee is the place to try a superlative example of it.  Pad Thai has wide noodles with a meat, bean sprouts and egg tossed in a sweet and sour sauce topped with ground peanuts. Other entrees to try: Pad Won Sen with its transparent noodles stir fried with your choice of meat, egg and veggies and Thai Barbecued Chicken prepared with Thai spices, coconut milk and a hot and sour sauce. The atmosphere here is relaxed and inviting as you sit back in the big booths awaiting your pleasure. The lunch specials are an added bonus. For about $8 you get a small salad, mini egg roll, steamed rice (except noodle dishes) and your choice of a chicken, beef, pork, or tofu entrée. Those include red, green, or yellow curry, pad Thai and others. Full menu details are on their website.

Little Thai Kitchen
1051 S Milton
226-9422
For twelve years, Little Thai Kitchen has been serving up delightfully aromatic dishes with friendly service tucked in a teeny tiny yet quaint feeling spot big enough to serve about 20 people elbow to elbow. The dishes here are on the smaller side and the meat portions aren’t always plentiful. But the food is all carefully prepared and enjoyable. Dishes have some of the coolest names in town like The Evil Princess of a Wild Jungle, which by the way is a highly recommended entrée of chicken, mushrooms, herbs and spices bathed in a creamy coconut sauce. Others of note: Cashew Gai, Gang Kiew Wan, Southern Fried Rice, Ginger Fish and Tiger Rolls. Entrees come with a small salad as an appetizer, which has the best peanut dressing in town. They have the same menu for lunch and dinner, no lunch specials.

Dara Thai
14 S San Francisco Str
774-0047
This popular Flagstaff eatery has a pleasant, almost romantic atmosphere with colorfully painted walls, some adorned with murals and old photos. Their lunch specials are fairly priced in line with other Thai food in town and come with soup or salad. Here I’d opt for the cucumber chicken soup. Its chicken broth is infused with cucumber plus big chunks of chicken and cucumbers. Dara’s dishes are imbued with rich flavors through and through. Try Tofu Rhad Prik –fried tofu chunks with red curry, bamboo shoots, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers, the Tropical Heatwave with your choice of meat, green curry, veggies all covered in a coconut cream sauce, or classic pad Thai. The medium spiciness leaves lips tingling for a while after your meal which is a nice reminder of the lovely meal you just ate.

Bangkok Thai
2112 N 4th Street
527-3293
Bangkok Thai is an unassuming cozy restaurant with a pleasing and relaxing grass green, black and white color palate, though you’d never guess from the outside as you drive up to the strip mall that houses it. The bustling lunch crowd is a reassuring sign when you walk in. The staff is friendly and attentive. Lunch specials range from $6.50 to $9 and feature a salad with your entrée. The pad Thai here is sweet and mellow with little bits of a jazzy spiciness that ring in every few bites. Not a lot of chicken but what is in there tastes good. Others to try: Panang, garlic shrimp and the Jungle Tofu with fried tofu in coconut milk, fresh lemongrass, straw mushrooms and Thai spices.

Pato Thai
104 N San Francisco St
226-8940
Located adjacent to Hotel Monte Vista, Pato Thai is a simple restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere in a good location for downtown wandering. The menu is traditional with specials at lunch starting at $6.95 including an appetizer of fried wontons and small salad. Dishes here are plentiful with nice meat portions. Spicy is something they understand, so consider dialing down a notch from your normal Thai heat level. Dishes to try here: Panang, special pineapple fried rice and, of course, pad Thai, though I find the chicken in the pad Thai here a bit dry but the noodles and sauce are delightful.

Dara Thai Flagstaff, Arizona (includes menu)

Dara Thai
14 South San Francisco Street
(928) 774-0047
check out the lunch menu (as of February 5, 2010) at the bottom of this story

Dara Thai is a popular Flagstaff Asian eatery. It has a pleasant atmosphere with colorfully painted walls, some adorned with murals and old photos.
On street parking can be difficult to find in front of the building on busy San Francisco but you can park around the corner. Though walking on the snow and ice covered sidewalks on the side streets can be a challenge.
While many people have recommended trying Dara I only recently went their for lunch, where you seat yourself and wait for service. We waited at least five minutes for our waitress to come bring us menus and it wasn't busy at all.
Their lunch specials are fairly priced and in line with other Thai food in town and come with soup or salad.
The cucumber chicken soup is quite different. It's chicken broth infused with cucumber plus big chunks of chicken and cucumbers. It's a little salty but pretty good tasting. I'd opt for it over the salad, which is a nice size but the dressing is really peanuty.
I came to Dara with a Thai food virgin. He's been hesitant to try Thai food as he only recently began to enjoy Chinese food. (What can I say he's from the Midwest.) He went with simple on this visit - sweet and sour pork. He compared his experience with the Chinese food cousin of sweet and sour - they practically tasted the same he said only this was a touch more rich in flavor and the breading was light and crispy. I found the sauce very sweet with an exotic touch compared to Chinese sweet and sour pork. Though I am not a big fan of sweet and sour, Chinese or Thai. There's many other better things to be found in both food varieties.
I ordered my standard for trying a new Thai restaurant: Chicken Pad Thai. It was full of rich flavors. The chicken moist, tender and was imbued with the spices not just tossed in with the noodles. I got the medium spiciness and my lips felt warm for quite a bit afterward. But there wasn't any burn while eating it. Just a nice amount of flavor. It was quite tasty and I was full and satisfied until dinner time.
All in all, I found Dara Thai much better than Pato Thai, which is just down the street. But I still think Swaddee Thai is the best Thai in town.