Thanksgiving Road Trip - Day 2

(Note:  This is a day late in posting - I wrote most of it last night, but was just too exhausted and went to bed early, so I finished this morning and am posting now.  Also, today is a driving day, so not sure how much I will have to post tonight.)


My morning started with breakfast at the hotel.  This Best Western has a good buffet breakfast with more choices that you’d think you’d find at a budget hotel.  Sometimes they even have eggs to order!  I just had some waffles and ham to get my day going.  Afterwards, I walked around uptown Sedona, but most places weren’t really open yet.

 

I decided to drive to the other side of town and see what’s in West Sedona.  At the far edge of town are a few loop roads that take you out into the Red Rock areas.  I drove around those for about an hour to just admire the views and stop and take a few pictures.  You can find some amazing views just about anywhere in Sedona.

I drove back towards uptown since it was getting to be time for lunch.  I settled on a brew pub at the Tlaquepaque plaza down in Oak Creek in the canyon.  And interestingly enough, it’s called Oak Creek Brewing Company (www.oakcreekbrew.com).  It’s on the second level and since it was such a lovely day, I decided to eat on the patio looking over the courtyards.  I ordered their house Hefenweisen (a nice light wheat beer) to partake of while enjoying the sunshine.  I also ordered a club sandwich with fries.  The beer was quenching and refreshing, and the sandwich was actually very delicious.  They were very generous with the cheese (I think there were three types!).  The fries were okay, but nothing special – but were crisp nonetheless.  It made for an enjoyable afternoon.

After lunch, I headed back to the hotel to drop off some stuff I bought, and then go back into uptown to do some more shopping.  I picked up a couple of dirt shirts (they actually color them with the red rock dirt – it’s a neat color) for myself, and my niece and nephew.  I also dropped by a shop that had wine tastings from some Arizona wineries.  I wound up walking out with 4 bottles!

I wound my way back to the hotel again, dropped off more stuff, then got ready to head out for my jeep tour.  I had booked a tour with Pink Jeep Tours to do the Diamondback Gulch off-road tour.  For two hours, they take you out into the red rocks and canyons and you definitely get jostled.  I loved it!  And it turns out, the guide I got this time was the same one my friend Fuzzy and I had the last time we were in Sedona – Mike Roda.  It took us a few minutes to figure it out.  That was about three years ago when we were here last and did a tour.  I wound up getting to ride shotgun, so I got full view of everything. 


When he takes you out, you don’t just get a jeep ride off road, you get some education as well.  The guides at Pink Jeep learn about the geology, geography, etc. and relay that kind of info to the guests.  It makes the tour that much more interesting.  And you get some spectacular views of the area. 
Sadly, it was over way too quickly and Mike took up back to the depot.  He did give me a recommendation for a place to eat though – and not a tourist destination:  Dan’s Bistro over on the west side of town.

I headed over there for my final meal in Sedona.  It’s a little hole in the wall in the middle of a bunch of strip malls.  From the outside, it’s non-descript, but when you walked in, while I wouldn’t say there’s WOW factor, it is very quaint and you are greeted by warm and friendly staff.  It was still on the early side of the evening, so I had my pick of tables.  I picked one over by the window.


My server, Richard, was quick to greet me and take a drink order.  An associate brought me an amuse bouche of risotto that’s been made into a ball, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep fried.  It was accompanied by a sun dried tomato and a drizzle of a balsamic vinegar reduction.  It really did amuse my mouth and was a great introduction to me ensuing meal.

Oh, I forgot to mention – they don’t have a liquor license, so it’s BYOB.  I couldn’t justify a whole bottle since I was eating by myself (and had to drive back to the hotel), so I had water and an Arnold Palmer – which I must say was one of the best Arnold Palmer’s I’ve had.  They had the mixture of lemonade to tea perfect!


For my first course, I ordered the Carpaccio – a lovely plate of rare, thinly sliced sirloin topped with arugula, oven roasted tomatoes and shaved reggiano and dressed with a citrus aioli.  It was basically a deconstructed steak salad and was wonderful.  All the flavors melded together beautifully.
For my main course, I chose the Fettuccini Alfredo with salmon.  When it arrived, there was this large, grilled salmon steak sitting atop a bed of fettuccini.  The salmon was season well and cooked to perfection, and worked well with the fettuccini.  It was a very generous portion and I got full quickly and couldn’t finish it.  But I loved the dish.

 

Lastly, Richard tempted me with dessert.  All sounded great, and even though I was full, I couldn’t pass up one of them.  He told me about the White Chocolate Pomegranate Cheesecake, and I was sold.  I figured I would bring back what I couldn’t eat and have with coffee in the morning (which is exactly what I wound up doing).  It was rich, sweet, tangy, and a little salty too – it was absolutely, stunningly delicious!

I can’t wait to come back to Sedona to spend more time and explore even more of the food scene!