FLAGSTAFF
If you plan to head up to Flag for some snow time, get there early, or go during the week. The Flagstaff CVB (www.flagstaffarizona.com) has a great map of places around town where you can go to play.
After your day of play, check out Tinderbox Kitchen (34 S. San Francisco St.) for some interesting, but highly approachable, fare (which Chef Scott calls American Comfort Food with a twist), Pasto (19 E. Aspen) for some soulfully delicious Italian food (full of DOC ingredients) or Diablo Burger (120 N. Leroux St.) for a grass-fed burger with good-guy accompaniments (organic and regionally local). Where to stay? Inn at 410, Starlight Pines or England House (all B&Bs with great food and service).
PHX
Marketers have been picking up on the phrase (give or take a couple words) - Real Arizona – for a couple years now. Anyone who has read Arizona’s history knows the Real Arizona contains a good dose of wild and nefarious behavior which most of the state’s towns like to wink at but not own as their current way of life (except, maybe, Jerome). So we know most of the time, there’s a good dose of spin that comes with the label.
There are some restaurants, however, that come pretty darn close to fitting the phrase Real Arizona, not because of untoward characteristics, but by virtue of the ingredients that make up their menu. One is FNB in Scottsdale (7133 E. Stetson – where Nobu’s Sea Saw once thrived). Chef Charleen Badman was born in Tucson, started her culinary expertise at the side of Donna Nordin (Cafe Terra Cotta, Tucson), worked alongside Chrysa Robertson (Rancho Pinot), and earned the requisite big city kudos from her restaurant Inside in NYC. Chef Charleen’s seasonal menu is chock full of Arizona produce, meats and cheese, Owner Pavle Milic’s decision to carry AZ wines almost exclusively reflects one of Arizona’s more respectable characteristics of uniqueness.
TUCSON
If you’re going down to Tucson for any of the several events happening this month and you plan to stay a couple days, check out Peppertrees Bed & Breakfast Inn (520-622-7167) near the university. Jill McCormick and husband, Ron, own and operate the inn. They have a Four Seasons background, which gives them the propensity to anticipate your needs. Plus, Jill is an incredible cook. She opened the Four Seasons restaurant in NYC and owned a crazy cake bakery in D.C. She takes her talent to the breakfast table with extraordinary dishes that you won’t find anywhere else in this state. Plus, you have a dish of house-made goodies (chocolates, fruit, etc.) waiting in your room when you arrive (remember she anticipates your needs). The eclectic rooms have appealing interiors with full kitchens that are stocked with everything you’ll need.
There is a nice little trail system in the Tortolita Mountains that takes you all over the Lower Sonora Desert just north of Tucson. Hohokam signs (petroglyphs, mortar holes, pottery shards) pop up all around the area. Take Dove Mountain Blvd. north from Tangerine Road to several trailheads. Contact Pima County for more information
After the hike, check out two restaurants tucked-away in the Ritz Carlton, Dove Mountain resort further north on the boulevard. Turquesa (the casual poolside venue) has Latin American food that “sings on the plate.” High-profiles have been known to break away from the corporate grind to have a Sonoran Hot Dog or Cubano sandwich. Cayton’s restaurant in the Dove Mountain Golf Club serves a great lunch. The Short Rib Sliders are, understandably, the most popular item on the menu. The Prickly Pear Margarita, created here, is served in every Ritz around the world. Frank Lloyd Wright fans will take to the Craftsman design.
EVENTS (where to find Christine)
Join Christine on a wildflower walk at Boyce Thompson Arboretum on March 20th, at 11 a.m. Learn some of the secrets of the desert’s spring wildflowers on the hour-long walk. Boyce Thompson Arboretum is located 3 miles west of Superior on Highway 60 at milepost #223. Walk is free with $7.50 admission.
Join Christine on another wildflower walk at Boyce Thompson Arboretum on April 3, at 11 a.m. This may be the swan song for the season's wildflowers. The Arboretum is located 3 miles west of Superior on Highway 60 at milepost #223. Walk is free with $7.50 admission.
Join Christine on a wildflower hike at Arboretum at Flagstaff on July 17th. Learn some of the secrets of Arizona’s high country’s wildflowers on the hour-long walk. The Arboretum is located 3.8 miles south of Route 66 on scenic Woody Mountain Road, on Flagstaff’s west side. The first mile of Woody Mountain Road is paved and the remaining 2.8 miles are unpaved, but suitable for all vehicles. Walk is free with $7 admission.
Join Christine and David for a night of skinny tire fun at the Arizona Outdoor Travel Club’s November meeting at 7 p.m. in the Scottsdale Civic Library located at 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Just east of Scottsdale Rd. and south of Indian School Rd.). Free.
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