Lucky Foods for the New Year (and where to find them at Flagstaff restaurants)

Would you believe that good luck in 2010 may be as simple as eating the right things to ring in the new year? All over the world, there are New Year’s customs that involve eating special foods to bring good fortune over the upcoming twelve months. Here’s a look at some of the customs and where you can find some of the foods in Flagstaff…

Southerners eat up black eyed peas and collard greens to bring luck in the new year. Tinderbox (34 South San Francisco Street, 226.8400) is your best bet in Flagstaff for some Southern charmed foods. (If you were wondering, the legend of the lucky black eyed peas comes out of Vicksburg, Virginia during the civil war. The town supposedly ran out of food but was saved when they discovered black eyed peas.)
Southerners also add corn bread to their New Year feasts, corn bread symbolizing the wealth of gold. You can find corn bread at Big Foot BBQ (120 N. Leroux, 226-1677), Beaver Street Brewery (11 Beaver Street, 779-0079), and Satchmo’s (1924 East Arrowhead, 774-7292).
Another on the lucky list: noodles. The Japanese find good fortune in them. Get served a tasty helping of Japanese-style noodles at Karma Sushi (6 E Rte 66, 774-6100) and Sakura (1175 Old Route 66, 773-9118).
Cabbage and sauerkraut are considered to bring luck. You can find authentic German sauerkraut at the Matterhorn Grill (103 S Birch, 226.7388). For cabbage, check out the Corned Beef and Cabbage at Collins Irish Pub (2 N Leroux, 214.7363). They’ve also got you covered with their Fish and Chips – made with lucky cod.
If all else fails – anything green from broccoli to lettuce to grapes, even green jello will supposedly buy you some new year’s luck, as green represents money. On that note, a salad’s got you easily covered with all the green. Add an extra blessing by adding shrimp (a Japanese food eaten at the new year to represent long life). So for that extra lucky, long life salad try the Southwestern Shrimp Caesar at Oregano’s (605 Riordan Road, 773.8600). Speaking of green things, keep 12 grapes in your pocket to eat at midnight. In Cuba and Spain, this is considered to bring good fortune in the 12 months ahead.
For your sweet tooth – consume your luck by devouring a filled donut, as is the tradition of several European countries. Stock up ahead of your New Year’s Eve bash with good ones from Malone’s Bakery & Deli (1490 S. Riordan Ranch Road, 913.0133) or Mountain Delights Bakery (inside the Flagstaff Mall).
Whatever you do – don’t eat lobster or chicken to ring in the new year, both are considered to bring bad luck.
But do leave a little something of each food on your plate, no matter what you order. It’s considered to symbolize a well stocked pantry and luck for the year ahead, at least according to the Germans.

Sources for background on lucky foods for the New Year: epicurious.com and fabulousfoods.com.


This story also will appear in Flagstaff Live's December 31, 2009 issue.

Where to find good lunch specials in Flagstaff

Flagstaff lunch specials
By Angele Sionna

Back to school time is here. Time for meeting and greeting new classmates and colleagues… or getting to know the ones you have even better. A perfect way to do so is a nice lunch out on the town. So here's a few places with good grub and lunch specials to maximize your hard earned cash and enjoy friends and food.

El Charro
409 S San Francisco St
About as close to campus as you can get (about 2 short blocks north of the Wall Aquatic Center) is this little family run Mexican dive. It has been a part of Flag for decades. For $7.50 here you get a soda or iced tea, 2 choices of items from the a la carte menu (like a cheese enchilada and a guac tostada - my favs), rice, beans, and a sopapilla or tortilla. The service here is always friendly and attentive to boot.

Fratelli Pizza
119 West Phoenix
A great spot to relax and enjoy a friend or two or five is Fratelli. Fratelli's atmosphere prompts conversation and the staff always has a smile. The lunch special here is hard to beat and served up quick. For six bucks you get a soda, a slice and a side salad or a soda and two slices (I like to get a pesto slice and salad with ranch). You can upgrade to a beer instead of a soda for $1.65 more – tax included!

Hot Wok Express
1000 N Humphreys St (at the far west end of the shopping center)
For about $6, Hot Wok Express- just north of downtown and just south of the hospital- has a lunch special to satisfy and it’s even better if you’re in a hurry. You can call ahead and pick it up at their drive thru window. A total bonus! My favs here are the Moo Goo Gui Pan, Orange Chicken, and Chicken Lo Mein. Along with the entrée you also get soup, fried or steamed rice, an egg roll and crab puffs included in that lunch special price.

Swaddee Thai
115 E. Aspen Ave.
A little bit of paradise tucked inside an unassuming building downtown is how Swaddee Thai feels when you walk in. The lunch specials here are about $8 and include a salad, 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. And you pick your level of spiciness to suit your palate. Go to swaddeethai.com to check out all the options.

Sakura
1175 West Route 66 (inside the Radisson Woodlands Hotel)
When you think lunch specials you may not think of Sakura, a place known more for date night or a special celebration, but their teppanyaki lunch specials are quite a good deal, considering. For $9 to $12 bucks for the single item entrees you get a mini-feast – consisting of your meat or noodle selection (I rec opting for the grilled hibachi chicken or steak), soup, steamed rice and hibachi veggies plus a little fire show and get to watch the chef make lunch right in front of you... And boy is it yummy! Now don't go there looking for a quick bite, as I’ve found it takes at least an hour - depending on the crowd and number of chefs working that day. You can check out their full lunch menu at sakuraflagstaffsushi.com.

Flagstaff's Finest Dining Establishments

(*Note: This story first appeared (also written by me) in Flagstaff Live! on February 12, 2009*)

Romance (and snow) is in the air these days. Celebrate it at Flagstaff’s finest dining establishments, where the atmosphere compliments the mood of love and the food is elegant and decadent. The menus vary with the season to bring you the freshest ingredients possible, so sample the flavors of the season of love.
It’s hard to go wrong at any of these three restaurants, unless you’re looking for a bargain. The fab food and ambiance come with a price to match, of course. But at least you’ll leave satisfied, so go ahead and treat yourself.
If you go at lunchtime to either Josephine’s or Brix, you can still get great food but at slightly more wallet-friendly prices. Just something to keep in mind, but who can put a price on love?

Josephine’s Modern American Bistro
503 N. Humphreys
779-3400
www.josephinesrestaurant.com
Josephine’s is the kind of restaurant that catches your eye from the moment you drive up. With its dark, volcanic rock columns and beautiful, inviting stone patio, it’s a romantic setting anytime of the day. The ambiance increases in the evenings with twinkling lights draped around the historic building. Josephine’s is my favorite fine dining establishment in Flagstaff. They’ve got a unique blend of flavors, as well as variety, and a comfortable atmostphere. The modern menu features bold and flavorful combinations to delight both the eye and the stomach. Josephine’s proclaims on their menu to be free of “ethnic constraints,” instead blending “ingredients and techniques from many different cultures.” This is the place to go for flavors that will dance through your mouth, popping with originality in their combinations.
For dinner on Valentine’s Day they’ve got a special menu, which you can check out on their Web site, along with their everyday lunch and dinner menus.

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar
413 N. San Francisco
213-1021
www.brixflagstaff.com
Brix is anything but everyday, not that you wouldn’t want to eat here everyday if your bank account could stand it. The food is fantastic. So fab in fact that Condé Nast Traveler named them among the top 95 restaurants in the world in 2007. That’s a pretty good rec if I’ve ever heard one.
Brix describes themselves as “a casual fine dining restaurant serving seasonal, farm focused, contemporary American cuisine.” The food is fresh and fanciful, but the place is still relaxed enough to wear shorts at lunch in the summer without getting dirty looks. Still, it’s chic enough to serve as a great spot to go and enjoy vino with or without the food.
They too have a special V-day menu for l’amore. You can check it out, along with their everyday lunch, dinner and wine menus, on their Web site.

The Cottage Place Restaurant
126 W. Cottage
774-8431
www.cottageplace.com
The Cottage Place is a romantic little house with food to compliment the atmosphere, Valentine’s Day or not. They’re only open for dinner Wednesday through Sundays, so no getting in on the delightful menu at lunch for a little less dinero. But this is a place worth saving up for. Your taste buds will thank you for sure.
The menu includes everything from classic filet mignon to more unique creations including hazelnut encrusted pheasant breast, forest mushroom ravioli, and chef tableside specialties for two like rack of lamb and chateaubriand.
They have a special Valentine’s Day menu from Thu, the 12th through Sat, the 14th, but reservations are already booked full on V-day. Cottage Place also offers a different kind of fun evening out for a date with specialty cooking classes. You can check their Web site for info on when they are offered, as well as peruse their menu.

Japonais, Je t’aime
Wanna take your sweetheart somewhere upscale but not overly fancified? Check out these great Flagstaff Japanese food gems.

Sakura Sushi and Teppanyaki
1175 W. Rte. 66, inside the Radisson Woodlands Hotel
773-9118
www.sakuraflagstaffsushi.com

Karma Sushi Bar and Tapas
6 E. Rte. 66
774-6100
www.karmaflagstaff.com

Hiro’s Sushi Bar and Japanese Restaurant
1312 S. Plaza Way
226-8030
www.hiroflag.com

Sakura

By Angele Sionna

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Sakura's known for their fire-side atmosphere"][/caption]

1175 West Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ
Inside the Radisson Woodlands Hotel
Menu at: sakuraflagstaffsushi.com

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>= a favorite, can count on it being good every time

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxxxx= you’ll love it

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
lunch: $$$ = $15
dinner: $$$$=$20

Value (what you get for your money)
lunch: ***** = superb -lots of quality/taste for what you pay
dinner: ** = okay - overpriced (compared to lunch)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Plates are set on fire as part of the "Ring of Fire""][/caption]

Pyro-chefs that set the tables on fire daily. These “rings of fire,” as Sakura calls them, are the first thing you’ll notice that sets this Japanese restaurant apart from any other restaurant in Flagstaff, or anyone I’ve ever eaten at, actually, anywhere in the world. Once you get over the serious heat in your face (that my oldest daughter loves to watch, by the way), and the food is served up, you’ll know why Sakura has been recognized by Food & Wine magazine as one of the “Best Restaurants of the Southwest” and has been voted Best Japanese restaurant for ten years by readers of the Arizona Daily Sun. There have been weeks that I’ve eaten at Sakura twice because I just couldn’t help myself. I love their Ginger sauce, and at lunch you just can’t beat their prices for what you get. It could be the best overall value for lunch in town. Dinner is a different story, though. You basically get the same size meal but with a salad for about $6 to $10 more. Not a bargain.

Now before I go any further, I should say that I am only talking about Sakura’s teppanyaki food cooked and served at the big tables in this review. I’ve never eaten at the sushi bar, so I can’t speak to it. I brought a friend to eat here from out of town and she ordered sushi and gave it two thumbs up, but that’s the extent of my sushi knowledge at Sakura.

Sakura is a place where I tend to bring guests (along with Beaver Street for another meal on their visit). My mom, who used to live in Japan, always asks to go here when she comes to town. Sakura is basically like the famous chain restaurant Benihana (which you can find in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver and other cities across the U.S.). A trained chef cooks everything in front of you. My favorite day to go to Sakura is when the head chef is on duty (generally, I can find him there on Wednesdays). He has extra special skills and my husband and I always give each other “the nod of inner excitement” when we see him pushing the food cart over to our table. It shows in the delicious way he seasons the food that he is in charge here for a reason. (Plus, he's really nice.)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Food is served hot & fresh, grilled right in front of you"][/caption]

When you get to Sakura, you’re seated around a long rectangular table with everyone facing the grill. After the waiter takes your order, you wait for soup that comes with every entree (and other appetizers) to be brought out. Then your chef arrives at your table pushing the food cart with all of the ingredients that will become your lunch or dinner. Depending on the chef, the show changes. Some go all out with theatrics, some really get into making the “ring of fire,” others are serious business about making the food. But that’s one of the things I like about Sakura. No matter which chef you get, you’re going to have a unique experience and you’re going to have a good meal.

There is one downside to the Sakura experience, it can take forever from the time you arrive to the time you leave. We've spent three hours here at lunch before when we sat at a crowded table where everyone ordered appetizers. Normally, it takes closer to one hour and some change. Faster, if there's more than two chefs on duty, but that seems rare at lunchtime.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Chicken & Shrimp entree with double ginger sauce"][/caption]

As far as the food goes, your best bet is to go hungry... then order the Sakura Grill ($13.95, lunch; $23.95, dinner), which is kind of a big sampler plate with grilled shrimp, chicken and steak. All the teppanyaki meals come with steamed rice and hibachi vegetables. A lot of food, but oh so good. It is all cooked to your specifications, seasoned with soy sauce, butter, salt, wine, vodka, and/or teriyaki sauce (depending on what you order, of course) and flamed grilled to release all of the scrumptious flavors waiting inside. I’ve never had anything here that was too dry. It’s always juicy. My personal favorite is the “Chicken & Shrimp” ($11.95, lunch; $20.95, dinner). Other entrees include: Salmon ($11.95, lunch; $18.95, dinner), Mahi Mahi ($11.95, lunch; $23.95, dinner), Calamari ($10.95, lunch; $17.95, dinner), Hibachi Chicken ($9.95, $16.95), Spicy Steak ($10.95, lunch), Vegetable Yakisoba ($8.95, lunch; $14.95, dinner), and more.
I have to recommend skipping the teriyaki sauce, something folks new to Japanese tend to order. I make this suggestion only so you can enjoy and savor the flavors of the food. It is so good you don’t need a heavy sauce like that. Though if you do opt for it, Sakura does have a good teriyaki sauce.

The side of ginger sauce that the chef serves up when he finishes cooking your meal is my favorite. It adds just the right zing to your meats. It is a touch sweet, a little zesty, and a whole lotta tangy. I like it so much I order two ginger sauces instead of the spicy mustard sauce. I use it on everything. If it’s your first visit, try both to see what you like.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="The head chef cooking up fried rice"][/caption]

I like to order a side of fried rice ($2.50) as the main course for my two year old, then “help” her eat it and share some of my plate with her. It is cooked with eggs, green onions and spices. Sakura does have kids versions of the meals for $7.95-$9.95 for older kids. The portions are always generous, so no one goes home hungry after eating here, even if you share with your tots. We’re usually so full from eating lunch at Sakura that we skip dinner or just have a small salad.
If you can make it to a desert without exploding, the green tea ice cream is yummy. It has a weird texture for ice cream. It’s not creamy, so much as it is chalky. But I like it and so does my daughter. If it’s your birthday, they serve some to you with a candle and a song.

I suggest skipping the soda and ordering hot green tea. It takes fantastic and it’s free. Nice bonus, though it doesn’t say so on the menu. Sakura also serves a selection of Japanese beer and sake, if you’re so inclined. I like the Kirin Lager ($4).

**TIP: Sakura offers a great discount for NAU employees – 20% off! It just makes the Sakura experience even better. But be sure to ask for the discount and present your card. The waiter won’t offer it. We found out about this about a year into eating there when another group asked for their NAU discount. My husband immediately got out his NAU ID card and asked for the discount too. And we’ve been reaping the benefits ever since!

For more photos of Sakura, click HERE.