We started the trip with less than impressive fare. You know how travel food goes. As a result we had upset stomachs for the first 2 days. On day 3 we tried a vegetarian/vegan restaurant that had the most amazing food I've had in a long time. That there was no meat in sight of the plates was irrelevant. Did I think to get photo? Of course not. Bummer.
Just in case you are ever in Sedona, AZ though and feel like having a meal that will sit well and not tie you up in knots try this place... Choco-la-tree I had the falafel platter. On this platter was amazingly different baked falafel, hummus, and heirloom tomatoes that were YELLOW but tasted so lovely I didn't care that they looked funny.
For the evening meal of Day 3, we tried Cafe Elote. It was a nice restaurant and highly recommended. Overall, I was not-so-impressed. I think that was because I was still coming down from the fantastic food at Chocolatree and as a result the food at Cafe Elote felt very heavy. In fact, that is it. It was heavy. Full of flavor but very heavy.
The only truly sour note was the mojito I ordered. I rarely send a drink, any drink, back. This trip I did it twice. The first was a glass of iced tea that was simply light brown water. The second was this mojito. There was very little of the mint, lime or syrup in that drink. The rum was all that I could taste. It was too strong and I sent it back. Mark the day and time. Probably won't happen again.
On day 4 of the trip, we got married and then hosted dinner at a fantastic Italian restaurant that was gracious enough to open 30 minutes early to accommodate us. Go to Dahl and DiLuca for their menu. Then go to Sedona for a meal. It is totally worth the drive.
We started with their house salad - which was pretty good. Followed that with their bruschetta and calamari. The calamari was accompanied by two different sauces for dipping - the basic marinara (which was NOT basic) and a cream sauce. Both were fantastic. The bruschetta, in my opinion, is the tell tale sign of whether the restaurant was a good choice or not. On this night I knew we were in for a treat! The bruschetta was phenomenal. I could have eaten that alone for dinner.
Then we ordered off the menu.
They make their own pasta there. I am now a firm believer that homemade pasta is crucial to the perfect Italian dish. I will be learning once I have time to cook again. I ordered a shimp dish with a marinara sauce. The dish was supposed to come with mushrooms in it too, but they were able (and happily so!) to leave those out for me during the prep. I wish I'd thought to get a photo of it. Simply amazing. My mom ordered their version of chicken alfredo, which was also outstanding. Most alfredo sauces are very heavy and all cheese. This one was different. It was light with a healthy dose of cheese, but wonderful saucy texture of fresh cream as well. I almost wished I had gotten that.
Dessert was special. They have a pastry chef who is on staff at their sister restaurant, but she does all the special events. Seth and I were able to decide on tiramisu bites, cheesecake wedges and a fruit tart. I will admit I didn't find myself all that excited about a fruit tart. After eating it, though, I will also admit I was completely mistaken. The desserts were the perfect finish to a perfect meal. Each one was a bit of heaven on its own. The cheesecake had a tiny little lemony gummy thing as a garnish that was my final bite of that dessert. I can't even describe how delightful each was. Here. Just look at the photos. I took two - one for the presentation and one for a better look of the desserts themselves.
The tart was a combination raspberry, kiwi and blueberry bits. It had some sort of sweet sauce as the base for the fruit. I would hate to have to pick a favorite, but for the surprise of what it was, the fruit tart definitely won that prize!
I would have gone back to Dahl and DiLuca several more times this trip, but so many other good restaurants were available in Sedona Seth was reluctant. Suffice it to say, when I next go to Sedona (and I will return!), one of my first stops will be at Dahl and DiLuca.
One of the last meals we ate in town was at a pizza joint in town that had also come highly recommended. (Rule # 83 of traveling with children: At least one meal during trip must be devoted to either spaghetti or pizza). Picazzo's pizzeria was a lunchtime adventure. We had hiked around a while at Red Rock Crossing and decided to stop for lunch and dinner fixin's before heading back to our cabin. The restaurant's take on things is to make organic Italian food. You can even get gluten free meals there.
Instead of getting the usual large round of pizza, we opted to do their lunch menu. By doing this we could get a slice of pizza and a salad. The pizza is good. The salad selection is out of this world.
I would have liked to get something more than pepperoni pizza, but the puttanesca pizza that Seth ordered was topped with olives in addition to the artichokes, tomatoes and whatever other yummy stuff was on it. So my plate (above) looks a little boring compared to his. I had the pepperoni and a Greek salad. Both were exactly what I would expect, and both were very good.
Below is Seth's plate.
The pizza is puttanesca - tomatoes, spinach, olives, artichokes, and goat (or feta) cheese. The bite I had convinced me that it would have been worth it to pick off the olives. The salad he got was another crazy amazing choice. Pear gorganzola with raspberry vinaigrette. I'm not a huge fan of mixing fruit with my vegetable salads. Just seems unnatural to me. However! Once again, I will have to reconsider that notion. This salad was too good and should never be paired with a piece of pizza. The chef should require patrons to eat either the salad alone or the pizza with another salad. There was just too much yummy on that plate. The dressing was "raspberry" but was hardly noticeable. It added a tang to the sweetness of the candied pecans and mustiness of the cheese. It was the perfect mouth party.
Our parting meal from Sedona was at a restaurant in the historic district where we paid for the location and had underwhelming food. The Cowboy Club and Grill served a salsa with catcus which was very good, an amazing prickly pear mojito, but after that it fell off. I ordered salmon which was seared on the grill and ended up tasting burnt despite the hickory plank it was set on to smoke. Seth ordered a buffalo (?) steak, I think. At any rate the best food on the table was the baby back ribs plate for the little girl. All in all, it cost way too much to be worth the quality of food. I walked out wishing I had spent my last night in Sedona with the people at Dahl and DiLuca.
I've heard a story that New Orleans is such a foodie city that bad restaurants just can't make it. I think (other than the Cowboy Club) Sedona might be much the same way. Chain restaurants are hard to find because of their scarcity and because they are hidden pretty well. McDonald's was hidden and unobtrusive and only Burger King was highly visible.
Go there. Visit those places and eat. A lot.
Happy wanderings.
