Remembrance of Restaurants Past

My first meal in Flagstaff that I can remember took place in the middle of a blizzard sometime around 1979 or 1980. I was still in high school and traveling with my parents. We stayed overnight at what is now the Super 8 on West Route 66 (next to Andy Womack's Flamingo); the lobby was a magical invitation to chilled, sodden visitors, with a fireplace burning fragrant juniper. We trudged through snow to a restaurant in the middle of the parking lot called the Consolidated Logging Company. They offered a family-size roast beef dinner that still melts in my memory's mouth to this day (today that location is a Batteries Plus).

And that is how this whole thing began.

In 1990, when I first rented a room in Mountainaire, I fell in love with the Mountainaire Tavern. Bob and Challis, from Berlin, Wisconsin, were the co-owners then. At the time, Challis made the best pies in town, bar none. They also had excellent pizza, steaks, biscuits & gravy, and the best liver & onions with mushrooms and bacon. But Challis left, I moved into town, and Mountainaire faded away for me. [Miz Zip's pie's never compared, not even Coco's.]

I can safely say that I'm a restaurant buff, and at one point (around 1998) I came the closest to having eaten at every restaurant in Flagstaff. But I started slowing down, and places starting coming and going faster than I could keep up. Nonetheless, here's my tribute to those places that I still remember, and no longer exist. My intention is to start on the southwest end of town, work my way north, and finally go east. However, restaurants have not only come and gone in Flagstaff, they have also jumped around, or expanded to other locations. Therefore, I ask the indulgence of the reader as my narrative occasionally follows similarly chaotic lines.

And so, starting at the southwestern extremity of town: on South 89A, was all-too-briefly a lovely place called Jackson's Grill. They had one of the best chicken crepes ever, but faded and was dropped. [You will see that basic theme constantly in this memoir.] Viola's Flower Garden is currently there.

I can barely remember Pine Mountain Cafe at Pulliam Airport; then it became Blu Moon Cafe, which I ate at several times. My favorite item there was the Southwest scramble; they also had a "Black and Tan" burger which I tried once, but I'm not really into monster-sized hamburgers. Then the location was Air Cafe: at first they kept the Blu Moon menu (literally! they handed out a printed menu that still said "Blu Moon"), but then they dropped the printed menu and focused on fewer items (but kept the Southwest scramble). It's closed now, and the location awaits a new concessionaire.

On the north corner of Woodlands Boulevard and Beulah Boulevard, Ramona's Cantina built a new location, moving down from Plaza Way (more on that location later). They folded almost immediately, and the place became Cilantro's, which had the best chili rellenos I ever ate. However, Pizza by George took them over, and the food went to crap. That business originated over on Cortland Boulevard, but they had a magic touch of failure, and were amazingly adept at wrecking any location they took over. Today the Woodlands location is a credit union.

Next door to the north was Fazolli's, which was a cheap, fresh, and totally acceptable Italian fast food chain. Unfortunately, they went away and now the place is Freddy's. I miss that place even more than Cilantro's.

The IHOP on Woodlands Boulevard had decent omelets, but my favorite dish was the Swedish crepes. Another location opened at Postal Boulevard: about the only time I ever eat there is when I actually need to go to the Post Office. The original Woodlands location shuttered during the pandemic, and still stands empty. For a while, I saw people repairing the roof, and was hopeful for a reopening. Alas! No such luck.

The Crown Railroad had a second location at the Woodlands Village Shopping Center. They had the best omelets in town, hands down, no comparison. They also had the best huevos rancheros, Mexican chicken fried steak, posole, and tuna melt. Unfortunately, as seems to happen so often, the landlords hiked the lease, and the tenants couldn't afford to renew. Then Country Host opened a second location there. They had a good Midwest-style chili (just like Mom's!), but were otherwise unremarkable. Now the location is part of an eyeglass shop.

Next door was Delhi Palace, which in the 1990's had good food but terrible service. Then the management changed, and suddenly everything improved. Sometime later they moved to a new location at the Hilltop Shops: originally that location was a rather mediocre Italian restaurant called the Bella Donna. Then, it became a deli called 7ate9, which moved there from the corner of West Street and 6th Avenue. They served really good deli food, featuring incredibly massive sandwiches, and the owner was a charming little old lady who went around offering free samples to people standing in line. During the pandemic, Delhi Palace dropped their outstanding lunch buffet, and never resumed it; nonetheless, they continue to be my favorite Indian restaurant.

Also at the Hilltop Shops was Pizza Furiosa, which was a reboot of Pesto Brothers, which had been located downtown. The pizza was OK, but the original Pesto Brothers had a better overall menu. Then the location became Field House, which not only had the best hash browns in town, but also the best catfish and collard greens. Like Taverna, Field House was originally a Plated Projects restaurant; then it changed owners and wasn't quite as good. Plated Projects took over the location again, turning it into Over Easy, which currently has the best breakfast in town. [Tiki Grill in the Sherwood Forest Shopping Center currently has the best catfish.]

The Shell Station on Woodlands used to be a Texaco, and for a while they had a drive-through called Alabama BBQ. At the time, they had the best ribs in town, almost as good as Barbecue Express (more on that later). I heard that the owner kept his money under a mattress and was robbed, but that may be an urban legend.

On the corner of Beulah Boulevard and Forest Meadows Street was Coco's Bakery. They had the best pies in town for many years. They also had some good "local favorites" on the menu, such as Denver potato pancakes, corned beef & eggs, Santa Fe quiche, chorizo scramble, stacked hash browns, roast turkey dinner, and liver & onions. At first I heard they were going to close, then I heard that the jury was still out, then I heard they were going independent, but then they closed after all.

On Milton Road, north of Denny's, was an expansion of Late for the Train. They originally opened on Fort Valley road (more on that later), moved downtown, and still have my favorite coffee. Now the location is Cold Stone Creamery.

Next door was Quizno's, which I only ate at once. Now it's Jersey Mike's, which I like much better.

Now I get to Green Tree Mini Mall. Downtown Flagstaff has seen many places come and go, but this place has been a microcosm of its own over the decades, and still has some places which I really like, notably Flame Broiler and My Pita Wrap. [Campus Coffee Bean had a decent food menu last time I tried it, but I was never into their coffee, and haven't been there for ages.]

Normally I'm not into thick crust pizza, but Roma Pizza had the most awesome, golden, crispy, scrape-the-roof-and-melt-in-your-mouth crust you could hope for. Then NiMarco's took over, which I'd known for years at their original South Beaver Street location, and to this day I still love their sausage and green chili pizza (I'll get to Dan's Italian Kitchen later). They also used to have the best crispy, brown calzones in town, until they dropped them from the menu.

One of Flagstaff's great losses was Buster's. I still have fond memories of their menu, such as the Sonoma chicken, smoked salmon, French onion soup, and zucchini muffins, although I admit I never tried their oyster bar. Then they changed owners, and as much as I like most other Plated Projects restaurants, their takeover was a fiasco nearly as wretchedly abhorrent as the infamous Nackard chainsaw massacre. Almost everything about the original restaurant that I loved went away, in one form or another. The muted interior decor became a Mary Kay horror show, while the zucchini muffins were shrunken and petrified like the proverbial Amazon trophy heads. When Buster's was finally put out of its misery, Trail Crest Brewing Company moved in. While they tried their best at a locally sourced menu, their brewery equipment stood idle awaiting the proper permits, and they finally shut down before they ever started brewing. Then came Grand Canyon Brewery: their spirits (vodka, rum, and gin) are magnificent, though their beer is not as impressive. Originally I wasn't into their food menu, but since then it has improved, and currently they have the best calzones in town.

Golden Dragon had a west side location which I liked, but closed almost as soon as I discovered it. Five Guys is there now: I ate there once, and they were not as good as Mama Burger (more on that later).

Salsa Brava also had a second location at Green Tree, and like their east side location had one of the best salsa bars. When the Green Tree location closed, one of the cooks opened El Capitán in its place. Their salsa bar was not nearly as good, but they excelled in a different way: on the weekends they offered a good breakfast menu, even though they didn't open until 10 AM. My favorite dish was the relleno pancakes. Since then, they were taken over by Kachina Kitchen, which moved from their downtown location (I ate there a few times years ago, but not at the new location), and now they've also gone away.

At the southern edge of Sherwood Forest Shopping Center, Monsoon built a lovely new building and offered a good Asian fusion menu. They moved downtown and now are gone. [Currently that location is Matty Gs, which I've never been to.] A decent Mexican restaurant called Plaza Bonita moved in for a while, but eventually they closed and the building was unfortunately torn down and replaced by Raising Cane's. I'm not into chicken tenders myself, but that place is quite popular, which makes me scratch my head since Louie's Chicken Shack failed to pull it off so close nearby.

In Sherwood Forest proper there used to be a bar called Cattle Baron's, which featured an annual wild game feast: I always seemed to find out about the event after it happened, and meant to get the jump on it the following year, but then they shut down, to my surprise and dismay. After several years, Louie's Chicken Shack moved in: they were originally located in the middle of a car dealership east of Arrowhead Avenue. I went there once or twice, but as I've already said I'm not into chicken tenders: I like real hunks of chicken carcass, bones and all, and in my book you can't beat the Popeyes spicy recipe at its juicy, crispy best. Louie's didn't last long, and for a while Santiago's Tamales went in. I wondered about that business decision: their tamales were OK, but not as good as the ones at Oscar's Burritos Fiesta just across the street. Finally, they went away, and now the location is a granite and remodeling business.

A couple of doors down used to be a Subway: it closed sometime after the new location opened on Plaza Way. Then it was the incipient location of the Real Kitchen, which seemingly for ages promised to open one day. When it finally did, I blinked and it was gone before I was able to try it. Now it's Tiki Grill, which as of my last visit has the best fried fish in town.

Szechuan was a very popular restaurant years ago, although I still think Hunan West is better. Since then Hot Wok moved in from their original location in the Fort Valley Shopping Center. Their distinction is a decent black bean sauce, plus a very good oriental grocery.

Another of Flagstaff's great losses was Strombolli's. Located in the old-old Pizza Hut building, they had the best lasagna in town. Their braided bread and house salad were also to die for. Then the original owner died, and the place started going downhill, even though for a while they had a Cajun chicken pasta dish that rivaled Gurley Street Grill in Prescott. After they closed, Hickory's BBQ moved in, and they had the best, moist, tender, smoked half-chicken I've ever had. For whatever reason, their menu went downhill and they closed. Then came Stinkin Crawfish, which had the best gumbo in town (I never liked Satchmo's recipe). That place is also gone.

Across Milton Road, where Chili's is, used to be a Wierschnitzel before it was torn down. To the north, where Chase Bank is, was a Long John Silver's, also torn down. I was not really into either place. [The only surviving Wienerschnitzel building in town is the Route 66 Dog Haus on the corner of Switzer Canyon. I'm not a big fan of hot dogs, but I did try their patty melt once and it was OK but not great.]

On the east corner of Plaza Way and Yale Street was originally Ramona's Cantina (see above): I never ate there. Then the location became Papa-San rice bowl. Up until then, the only rice bowl place was Teriyaki Express nearby on Milton Road (see below). Papa-San had a fantastic ginger salad dressing, but would never sell it by the bottle. They seemed to do great business, but they closed and were replaced by Tacos Los Altos, which had an excellent steak ranchero and mojarra frita, but they moved to the East Side into what I believe was a Dunkin Donuts, and became basically a burrito stand. Several years later, they reopened a West Side location at the Hilltop Shops on Woodlands Boulevard, and while the menu has wandered back and forth over the years, it's still one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Currently the location is Hiro's Sushi, which has excellent miso soup.

Further east on Plaza Way was once a pizza buffet that was wrecked by Pizza by George. To this day I don't know how a business so adept at taking over and ruining others could stay afloat. Finally, however, they bit the dust, and RIP. Then for a while the location was Our Daily Bread, which everyone raved about, but as with Crystal Creek, I thought them rather overrated. They moved over next to Michael's, then closed. That location was then a bird feeder shop for a while, and is now Mountain Spirits. For ages, the location on Plaza Way was a temp job company, and now is a cannabis dispensary.

Just south of Discount Tire on Milton Road was a Souper Salad. They had a the best soup and salad bar in town, although I thought it was pricey at the time. After standing empty for a number of years, it became Picazzo's, which had good pasta and great coffee, but I never liked their pizza. For a while they offered some excellent soups (their pea & dill and potato & leek soups motivated me to go online to study recipes and make my own versions). Towards the end they had a memorable Sriracha coleslaw, but you couldn't order it just as a side dish. Still, it was a shame to see them go. When Lone Spur opened at that location, however, I loved it: they had an outstanding chorizo scramble, and huevos rancheros that rivaled those at the Crown Railroad. Then they lost their liquor license, the food went downhill, and now they're gone.

Next to University Plaza Shopping Center was a Village Inn. Their pies weren't quite as good as Coco's, but I did like their breakfast skillets. Now the location is Chipotle and Panda Express.

A couple of doors over from Crystal Creek was Teriyaki Express, and I didn't miss them when they closed. That place was a running joke because they could never serve up a rice bowl order in under 25 minutes. Barbecue Express took over that location, and they served seriously some of the best ribs ever in Flagstaff. For whatever reason, the really nice guy who ran the place sold it to someone else, and it went right down the toilet. After it closed, Little Thai Kitchen opened. Their menu has gone up and down over the years, but they're still my favorite Thai restaurant in town. I still miss the Twist and Shout Seafood, and the outstanding green curry, and the steamed dumplings are not as good as they used to be, but I think they made a decent move by condensing their selection and offering more options for each.

On Riordan Road was Gretel's Black Forest Haus, which served decent wiener schnitzel and strudel and had a good selection of German bottled beer. At that time, while attending a training in Scottsdale, I discovered a place called Oregano's. Years ago, in Detroit, I was fond of a pizza place that featured a "stuffed pizza:" a deep dish pan pizza that featured thin bottom and top crusts, loaded with cheese, spinach, and sauce in between, with another layer of sauce on top. Oregano's offered the nearly same style, and I liked it so much that, even though I missed Gretel's, I was delighted to see them open there. However, it turned out to be a terrible location, way too small, and I was glad when they expanded and moved to two other locations. And yet, I can be nostalgic about Oregano's because they are one of those places (like Plated Projects restaurants) that periodically change their menus. Granted, new favorites may appear, but old favorites tend to vanish. Gone, perhaps forever, are the stuffed pizza, O'zone, "Shroom Boom" pasta, and sausage & peppers.

Galaxy Diner was a JB's in the early 1990's (before that it was a Big Boy, but that was before my time). When it first opened, Galaxy was actually a JB's subsidiary chain, with several other locations in Utah. But as time passed, the others all closed, and for several years the Flagstaff location was the last one left. Then the JB's chain vanished altogether, and Galaxy Diner, after a hiatus, reopened as an independent. For me, they've always been notable for a their fried egg sandwich (except for a while when they tried serving it on a greasy croissant: ugh!) and a good patty melt. Years ago, however, they had a great dish on the specials board called the Hash-O-Rama, which anticipated the popular stacked hash brown dishes of today. Today, their coleslaw recipe is still one of my favorites.

While it's also still around under different ownership, I can't help mentioning Bun Huggers. They used to have an exceptionally delicious patty melt. One of their curiosities years ago was a steak sandwich served on a strange, skinny French roll like a hot dog bun that would disintegrate in your hands. Reminiscent of Sportsman's, the bar was (and still is) a venerable hang-out for old time locals. Nowadays, however, you can no longer get half-pitchers of beer.

Across the parking lot was the first location of Brix before they moved over to North San Francisco Street. Back then they had a lunch menu, and I recall having a very good pheasant breast with wild rice. Then it was Indian Paradise, which had a wonderful tomato soup. Then it became Himalayan Grill, which was almost as good, but they started going downhill just as Delhi Palace started improving (see above). I haven't been there in several years.

Across Milton Road was Fiddlestix Night Club, which I never went to. Then it became Mulligan's Sports Pub and Fiddler's Restaurant. I liked both places while they lasted, but eventually Mulligan's became a SuperPawn and Fiddler's became Mandarin Buffet, which had the first Mongolian grill in town, but I only went there a couple of times. Since then the building has been torn down and is now a parking lot.

I only went to Granny's Closet a few times. They reminded me of what in Wisconsin we would call a supper club. When my parents retired out here, they really liked the place. I thought it was OK, but not great. Before my time it was the Lumberjack Cafe, which was the origin of the fiberglas cast of Paul Bunyan, the mold of which was recycled for the infamous Muffler Man seen across the nation.

[Across on the west side of Milton, another place which is still around and has a following is Mike and Ronda's The Place. I went there once and thought it was disgusting. A former coworker of mine liked to call it Mice and Rats.]

El Charro on South San Francisco Street was a good, old-fashioned restaurant. Whether true or not, it felt and tasted like a place that had never seen a microwave oven. I've been told that the owners were relatives of the guitarist Carlos Montoya and that he sometimes visited: as far as I know, that's just an urban legend. Later the location became the Mayor, which eventually moved to the old Mad Italian location (see below). Now it's B66, which used to be Bandoleros north of the tracks. I haven't been there yet.

Hassib's was pretty much the only Middle Eastern restaurant in town, although I considered it more of a deli. It was a great source for olives at the time, but I took exception to the fact that they used ground beef in their dolmas. Later the place was Friends, and then Alladin's. Flagstaff has yet to have what I would call a really good Middle Eastern restaurant; I have fond memories of a Lebanese restaurant in Anthem called Cafe Afify. [Pita Jungle is way overrated. My Pita Wrap currently has the best Middle Eastern food, but I don't consider it a real restaurant.] Then the location became Uncle Buzz's, which was a chocolate and Yerba Maté place; I never tried it. Then it was the Center for Indigenous Music and Culture, which I always wanted to get involved in, but it never happened; now I believe the location is vacant.

Cafe Olé was around a long time, but never really attracted me. I finally ate there once when they held a book signing for Gustavo Arellano's Taco USA. Some time later the location became Street Side Saigon, which I never went to. I'm not sure what's there now, if anything.

The Mad Italian was an interesting place in its time. "Mad I" was like something out of Casablanca, where cowboys, hippies, frat boys, construction workers, and nerds could rub shoulders, drink, and eat a slice of pizza that was not quite as bad as Totino's frozen. They also had good bouncers that could chuck the fighters out the door. I only went there during a couple of months that they showed movies on their big screen TV, and never went back. Some time later, Whyld Ass opened in their location, offering a vegan menu that was pretty good. Eventually, they moved to the old Birch Street Deli location (more on that later), but finally went down to Phoenix. Then the location became the Root, an upscale restaurant I avoided, and then the Mayor, which appealed to the bellowing college crowd but also went defunct. The Mayor was the only Plated Projects restaurant that I never bothered to visit.

I only ate at Main Street Grill on South San Francisco once or twice before they moved north of the tracks and then switched to catering. Now the location is Dara Thai, which was the first Thai restaurant in Flagstaff, originally opening at the Western Hills motel on East Route 66. I ate at the original location once, and the current location once. I still prefer Little Thai Kitchen.

Nomad's, on Phoenix Avenue, was a brilliant flash in the pan, and was my first delicious encounter with currywurst, which apparently is all the rage elsewhere in the world. They had other interesting menu items, and it was a shame to see them close.

Further west on the other side of Beaver Street was the old Bushwalker location, which made luggage and custom cases. Sometime after that business moved out, Cabo Cantina opened. They were great: their Baja style food blew Salsa Brava out of the water. I remember seeing Stanley Jordan perform there once. After that, it was a late night place called Munchies, and then was My Thai restaurant, which was not bad but not my favorite. Finally, Fratelli Pizza moved in from their original location north of the tracks (more on that later).

On South Beaver Street, La Bellavia was a nice breakfast place, with decent eggs benedict, but I only ate there once in the early 1990's and thought it was a bit limited and pricey for what you get. They spun off Brandy's on Cedar Avenue, which I actually like much better: I especially enjoy their trout and eggs. Just recently, La Bellavia became another Brandy's.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to avoid upscale restaurants, but a major exception was the Cottage Place. It was quiet, intimate, and the food and service were worth experiencing as a special treat. The head chef would even come out to chat a bit. I admit I rarely go to the Flagstaff Community Market, but I remember once seeing him shopping there, decked out in his white uniform. That location is now Flagstaff Fry Bread House, formerly Plantasia, owned by the same people as Toasted Owl, whose first location was once Canyon Pet Hospital on Mike's Pike.

Two notable places in Aspen Mills (a.k.a. Little Scottsdale) recently shuttered. Whisk and Whiskey was another Plated Projects restaurant. Once I had there a flank steak with lime rice and elote, and it was heavenly. Nonetheless, it's probably for the best that it was replaced by another Over Easy, to help ease the strain on the Woodlands location.

While I originally questioned the concept of bringing a coal-fired oven into Flagstaff, I must admit Grimaldi's had the best, freshest tasting pizza since Scott's folded (see below). I sincerely miss them.

Further east on Butler Avenue, where the Day's Inn is, was the Kettle Restaurant, one of the first places I ever ate at in Flagstaff. I don't remember much about it, but then it became Hog's Family Restaurant, which I thought was even more disgusting than The Place on Milton Road. I went in there once and it reeked of spoiled milk. The food was actually edible, but OMG I couldn't stand the stench. Finally, that location was taken over by Ponderosa, which changed its name to Northern Pines, and today that place is excellent.

Country Host, across the street, briefly expanded to the Woodlands Village Shopping Center, but finally folded. Now they're Dirty Birdies, which I have yet to visit.

Moving north of the tracks, on North San Francisco Street, MartAnne's was in what I only learned later was the old McGaugh's news stand before they in turn moved to the corner of Aspen Avenue. I ate there a couple of times before they closed, and then Lola J's took over. Lola was out of San Diego, and I loved the people and the food there, but a lot of customers complained about the long wait for orders. One time they held a unique and magnificent Thanksgiving feast, but I was the only one who showed up. Then they left and went into catering. After that, for about six months, a Texas chili place was there. The chili was great, but that was all that the poor guy could do. He couldn't run a restaurant worth beans. After he folded, MartAnne's took over the place again, until they moved around the corner next to Arizona Music Pro. Now Red Curry is at the old location.

Across the alley was Cafe Espress, which was a decent enough restaurant, but one of my friends hated it and called it Cafe Third World. Then the location became Criollo's, which had a decent paella, and is now Teatro, an upscale place which I ate at once but probably will never go to again.

Across the street was Kathy's Cafe: they had the best corned beef hash in town. They closed after a kitchen fire, sat vacant for ages, and went through a couple of places I never ate at before Na Di Li opened, the best Korean restaurant Flagstaff has seen. Mind you, I've been to better Korean restaurants in Hawaii. Nonetheless, Na Di Li had a great sizzling stone pot. I remember eating there once when a busload of Korean tourists showed up. Most of them ordered sizzling stone pots as well: I really enjoyed seeing their faces light up with pleasure. Since then, the location became Big Bowl Noodles, which I haven't been to.

In the northern section of MartAnne's current location was Babe's Chicago Beef, and they were the real thing, but they didn't last long. Fratelli Pizza originated in that same location. They are notable for their excellent cheap pesto slice. When they moved over to Phoenix Avenue, Mama Burger (a spin-off of Fratelli, I recently learned!), took over for a while before they went up to Fort Valley Road (more on that later).

Where Swaddee Thai currently is on Aspen Avenue was at one time Belgium Bistro which I liked but reminded me of the Texas chili place in that they could only do waffles and ham-and-cheese melts. Then it was a Corea House which was not great but not bad: I ate there a couple of times but usually walked by it without seeing any customers inside, and wondered how they managed to stay open.

Across the alley in the mid 1990's was Blair's Fine Dining, an OK place which I remember for their chicken cordon bleu, but someone embezzled their money and hightailed it out of town. After that location closed, the business became Thornager's, which was one of the best caterers in Flagstaff. They briefly had a location at 16 W Route 66, which also for a while was Quaff and Nosh: that place was years ahead of its time with its artisan mac & cheese. Main Street Grill cum Caterers was also there for a while. Thornager's started a banquet venue at Kiltie Lane, which I ate at once for a company party, and the Route 66 location is currently Aloha Hawaiian BBQ, which I have yet to eat at.

Cafe 19 on Aspen Avenue was a favorite of mine, especially after they opened up the courtyard in the back. Then they became Pasto's, which initially had a good lunch menu, but then they dropped it and became a dinner place only. Now the location is Late for the Train (more on that later).

Across the alley was Mountain Oasis, which had a good eclectic menu, though their hummus was way too salty. Now the location is Shane Knight Gallery.

Across the street, in Old Town Shops, Pesto Brothers opened up in the old Vino Loco location. They had a great menu, and knocked Pasto's out of the ring. I seem to recall that they originally started out on South San Francisco Street, but I may be wrong about that. They closed their downtown location and reopened on Woodlands Boulevard as Pizza Furiosa (see above).

Across Leroux Street, next to the former Gene's Shoe Hospital, San Felipe's had decent seafood baskets. The location became La Vetta, which closed almost immediately after I tried it, and then became Atria: again, one of those upscale places that I tried once but probably never again.

Birch Street Deli, in the old Bank of America building on Birch Avenue, marked my first encounter with a Cuban sandwich: I still think theirs was the best. Years later Whyld Ass moved there for a short while from the old Mad Italian location (see above).

I never ate at Manzanita's downtown location, but they were originally over on West Street where Las Gorditas currently is (more on that later). Known for their fresh tortillas, Manzanita's moved downtown to an old gas station on the corner of Birch Avenue and Beaver Street, and lasted for several years before they closed. Then a German restaurant called the Matterhorn took over, and they were excellent, better than Gretel's (see above). But unfortunately the Matterhorn didn't last either. Then came Scott's Chicago Pizza. They started out at the gas station at Railroad Springs, and featured the sloppiest and most luscious pizza in town. They literally drowned their pizza in sauce to the point where I wanted to put on a bib. When they moved downtown, they expanded their menu, including good old Chicago Beef sandwiches, but couldn't pull it off. They were replaced by India Palace for several years, which I never ate at, until Dark Sky Brewery expanded into that location.

Before I leave downtown, I'd like to mention Choi's Luncheonette, which became Downtown Diner; Hong Kong Cafe, which became Karma Sushi; and the original Grand Canyon Cafe, which changed owners, then became Proper Meats, which in turn had started south of the tracks; I ate at each of those old places just once (well, maybe twice at Choi's).

I don't recall ever eating at Chez Marc on Humphreys Street, but I drove by the place all the time while I lived in Cheshire. After that it became Josephine's: I took my Mom there a couple of times, but am not such a huge fan myself.

At the south bend of Fort Valley road was Mrs. Brown's Burger Bar, a place that was overly popular. I had a buffalo burger once, which was OK, and a patty melt, which was burnt. Then Mama Burger moved there from downtown. They were one of the best burger places in town. Since then they changed their name to Mama B's, but I have yet to check them out since they reopened.

As I mentioned earlier, Hot Wok opened at the west end of Fort Valley Shopping Center. [Sportsman's, on the east end, is still there after all these years.] Some time later Casa Duarte opened at that location; they were a spin-off of MartAnne's, and had a good menu and plenty of parking. Now it's Bow Wow's Street Dogs, which I haven't been to.

By the time that Dan's Italian Kitchen opened on Fort Valley Road, I was already familiar with NiMarco's on South Beaver Street. Run by the same owners, they had the same basic pizza recipes, and I could get a good sausage and green chili pizza there. But their masterpiece was the Calabrese spinach pie: a monstrous whale of a calzone stuffed with spicy marinated spinach and cheese. It was epic, never offered anywhere else in Flagstaff, a monument to culinary history. Since then, the location flipped a couple of times, and are now a Fratelli Pizza.

The old gas station next door saw the inauguration of Late for the Train, still my favorite coffee in Flagstaff. [I know Macy's has its cult following, but I went there a few times during the 1990's, and each time thought their coffee tasted like tepid muddy Colorado River water dripped through a hay bale]. I also visited their South Milton location a couple of times before it went away. Currently, the old Fort Valley location is The Station, which is pretty good, but I've only been there a couple of times.

Moving eastward, on Arrowhead Avenue was the Tamale Pot, which was actually more notable for their excellent stuffed sopapillas. If anything, their business model was even worse than Lola J's: it was a tiny stand with a drive-in window, but orders took forever to fill, and once you were trapped in line there was no getting out again. Years later Satchmo's opened there, before moving over to 4th Street: they still have the best ribs and jambalaya in town. Now the location is a dog groomer.

On West Street was originally Manzanita's, which I ate at once but wasn't really impressed, After they moved downtown (see above), the location became Las Gorditas. They have excellent carnitas, better than Salsa Brava, but their masterpiece is their fish soup. On the rare occasion that I go there, that's all I ever care to order anymore.

Originally located on 2nd Avenue where the Flagstaff Family Food Center is (across 2nd street from La Fonda), the Christmas Tree even beat out the Cottage as a charming, quiet, friendly venue for comfort food. Better still, they had no upscale pretensions, unlike so many other places that I've avoided. They served pickled beets and cinnamon rolls instead of a bread basket, and had outstanding chicken & dumplings and beef stroganoff. Then they moved over to Cortland Boulevard (where Toasted Owl currently is), and became the crowded, noisy antithesis of everything they stood for previously. I went to that location once, and was so shocked that I never went there again.

On Fourth Street, tucked around behind the current location of Hunan East (which used to be further north) was briefly Oasis Bar & Grill, which was a good folksy place, but I only ate there a few times.

Mama Luisa was in the Kachina Shopping Center for many years, and was OK but not great. The red clam sauce was decent, and their pesto was very good. [My favorite Italian restaurant is currently Mesa Italiana in Holbrook.]

As I've said before, The Crown Railroad had the best omelets in town. In later years, after the west side location closed, they introduced a magnificent green chili stew. From what I understand, after the owner died (he was a really nice guy) the employees took over. Nonetheless, they finally shut down, another one of Flagstaff's great losses.

I hardly ever went to Flagstaff Mall, but for a while they had a Ruby Tuesday's, which was OK but not really memorable. Then it became a Denny's, which I never went to before it closed.

I ate at Horsemen Lodge once many years ago, and thought it was great, but it was so out of the way for me I never got around to eating there again. They closed when Navajo Gaming took over the property, and it remains to be seen what will happen to the location.

On Hwy 89 and Silver Saddle Road was briefly Pig in a Poke BBQ, which had a very good menu, and was most memorable for their smoked potato salad. The place was run by an old retired couple and they didn't last long.

And that's about all I can remember for now. There may be a few other places of the past that I have been to, but have slipped by unmentioned.

September 8, 2024

[Updated September 18, 2024]

The Circular File