Collected here are all the dining reviews from the Utah meet-up and our time in Sedona from October 1 - 11, 2013. The reviews are listed alphabetically. Links to the reviews on Trip Advisor are also included.
Barking Frog Grille (Sedona): You had me at "southwest bark"!
Visited on Tuesday, October 8, 2013; reviewed October 20, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
After a morning of exploring in Oak Creek Canyon, my wife and I were returning to our rental house through west Sedona when we spotted the Barking Frog with its slogan “An American Restaurant with a Southwest Bark.” We thought that sounded interesting and added it to the possible dining options. Glad that we did. We ended up returning there that very evening. We arrived about 6:00 and were immediately seated. Looks like this is a fairly large place with plenty of tables. We both liked the place. The service was great and the food was excellent. My wife enjoyed her margarita and there was a good beer selection for me. Definitely a place to which we will return.
After a morning of exploring in Oak Creek Canyon, my wife and I were returning to our rental house through west Sedona when we spotted the Barking Frog with its slogan “An American Restaurant with a Southwest Bark.” We thought that sounded interesting and added it to the possible dining options. Glad that we did. We ended up returning there that very evening. We arrived about 6:00 and were immediately seated. Looks like this is a fairly large place with plenty of tables. We both liked the place. The service was great and the food was excellent. My wife enjoyed her margarita and there was a good beer selection for me. Definitely a place to which we will return.
Circle D Eatery (Escalante): Excellent Meal in Escalante
Visited on Friday, October 4, 2013; reviewed October 16, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
We had a group of six (three couples) roll into the Circle D after a day of hiking in the Grand Staircase-Escalante. We were looking for a relaxed place to eat with good food and we found both here. This is sort of a diner/casual dining vibe to the place which suited us well. The service was great. Our server did a wonderful job of answering questions about the menu. The ladies in the group all tried the beef brisket, which is the house specialty. They all said it was very good. I opted for comfort food and had a burger with a bit of a southwest kick; quite tasty. They do offer a good selection of beer and wine as well.
We had a group of six (three couples) roll into the Circle D after a day of hiking in the Grand Staircase-Escalante. We were looking for a relaxed place to eat with good food and we found both here. This is sort of a diner/casual dining vibe to the place which suited us well. The service was great. Our server did a wonderful job of answering questions about the menu. The ladies in the group all tried the beef brisket, which is the house specialty. They all said it was very good. I opted for comfort food and had a burger with a bit of a southwest kick; quite tasty. They do offer a good selection of beer and wine as well.
Harry's Hideaway (Cornville): Friendly Servers and Great Food
Visited on Monday, October 7, 2013; reviewed October 24, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
During our recent visit to the Sedona area, we only had one place that we had to try for dinner based on recommendations from Trip Advisor, that being Harry’s Hideaway in Cornville. The owner of the rental house in which we were staying also highly recommended Harry’s. This must be a “can’t miss” place.
We went to Harry’s Hideaway for dinner on our first night in town, a Monday. They had just recently expanded their hours to include Mondays and miscalculated on the crowd they would have, so they were a bit understaffed for the number of patrons. There were only two servers one of who was too young to take alcohol orders. But that was fine; we were in no rush. We were seated outside in front of the restaurant; sort of sidewalk café style I guess. Still it provided us an opportunity to enjoy the sunset. While the service was a little slow, the food was outstanding. I had the New Orleans shrimp and it was great. I would definitely have that dish again! When it was time for the bill, the senior server again came out an apologized for the slow service (considering they were understaffed I thought they did pretty well), and gave us a free dessert to go. That was very considerate I thought.
We had plans to return to Harry’s Hideaway later in the week since we enjoyed it so much, but that just did not work out. But we did stop for carry-out dessert. My wife had the carrot cake and I had the flourless chocolate cake. Good choices. It is safe to say that we will return to Harry’s Hideaway during our next visit to Sedona.
During our recent visit to the Sedona area, we only had one place that we had to try for dinner based on recommendations from Trip Advisor, that being Harry’s Hideaway in Cornville. The owner of the rental house in which we were staying also highly recommended Harry’s. This must be a “can’t miss” place.
We went to Harry’s Hideaway for dinner on our first night in town, a Monday. They had just recently expanded their hours to include Mondays and miscalculated on the crowd they would have, so they were a bit understaffed for the number of patrons. There were only two servers one of who was too young to take alcohol orders. But that was fine; we were in no rush. We were seated outside in front of the restaurant; sort of sidewalk café style I guess. Still it provided us an opportunity to enjoy the sunset. While the service was a little slow, the food was outstanding. I had the New Orleans shrimp and it was great. I would definitely have that dish again! When it was time for the bill, the senior server again came out an apologized for the slow service (considering they were understaffed I thought they did pretty well), and gave us a free dessert to go. That was very considerate I thought.
We had plans to return to Harry’s Hideaway later in the week since we enjoyed it so much, but that just did not work out. But we did stop for carry-out dessert. My wife had the carrot cake and I had the flourless chocolate cake. Good choices. It is safe to say that we will return to Harry’s Hideaway during our next visit to Sedona.
North Creek Grill (Escalante): Good Food in a Lovely Outdoor Setting
Visited on Thursday, October 3, 2013; reviewed October 16, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
As part of a reunion of sorts, we had a group of about 20 folks at the North Creek Grill on a Thursday evening in early October. We had a reservation for 6:00 PM that one of our group had made several weeks in advance. The majority of the seating is outdoor, which would normally be idea, but we were experience a bit of a cold snap in Escalante during our visit. However the folks at the North Creek Grill did all they could to keep us warm. Our tables were arrayed around the fire pit and they set up three propane heaters for us which seemed to keep everyone toasty.
The service was excellent. In addition to trying to keep us warm they really did a great job in attending to our needs for the evening. The outdoor setting was inviting; we were treated to a blanket of stars while nestled in the red rocks. And the food was also pretty darn good; I did not hear any complaints from anyone in our group. Plus Roscoe the hound and the hotel cats were a nice addition and were very affectionate; OK, Roscoe was looking for food and the cats just wanted a warm lap, but it’s all good!
As part of a reunion of sorts, we had a group of about 20 folks at the North Creek Grill on a Thursday evening in early October. We had a reservation for 6:00 PM that one of our group had made several weeks in advance. The majority of the seating is outdoor, which would normally be idea, but we were experience a bit of a cold snap in Escalante during our visit. However the folks at the North Creek Grill did all they could to keep us warm. Our tables were arrayed around the fire pit and they set up three propane heaters for us which seemed to keep everyone toasty.
The service was excellent. In addition to trying to keep us warm they really did a great job in attending to our needs for the evening. The outdoor setting was inviting; we were treated to a blanket of stars while nestled in the red rocks. And the food was also pretty darn good; I did not hear any complaints from anyone in our group. Plus Roscoe the hound and the hotel cats were a nice addition and were very affectionate; OK, Roscoe was looking for food and the cats just wanted a warm lap, but it’s all good!
Oak Creek Brewery and Grill (Sedona): A Good Place for Lunch.
Visited on Thursday, October 10, 2013; reviewed October 24, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
So the last day of our visit to Sedona was overcast and rainy, so my wife and I went to Tlaquepaque and strolled through the shops. When lunch time rolled around we checked the local options and decided to try the Oak Creek Brewery. We arrived just as the place was opening at 11:30 and got a seat as soon as the doors opened. The service was outstanding and the food was very good. The menu was full of great looking options. I had a pizza. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. The pale ale was not as hoppy as I hoped, but it was still OK.
So the last day of our visit to Sedona was overcast and rainy, so my wife and I went to Tlaquepaque and strolled through the shops. When lunch time rolled around we checked the local options and decided to try the Oak Creek Brewery. We arrived just as the place was opening at 11:30 and got a seat as soon as the doors opened. The service was outstanding and the food was very good. The menu was full of great looking options. I had a pizza. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. The pale ale was not as hoppy as I hoped, but it was still OK.
Vaqueros Cantina and Grill (Jerome): I would go back to Jerome just to eat here!
Visited on Wednesday, October 9, 2013; reviewed October 26, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
My wife and spent a day in Jerome during a week in the Sedona area. After a morning of walking through the town and investigating the shops, it was time for some lunch. While my wife was shopping, I was keeping a look out for an interesting place to relax, have a beer and hopefully some good southwest food. The place that caught my eye was Vaqueros Grill and Cantina. Let me tell you, I hit a home run with this selection!
I was digging it as it had sort of an interesting look, particularly now that the Halloween season is approaching, a time that is a big deal in a ghost town environment. The service was stellar and our server was friendly and very helpful regarding menu questions. The interior is an eclectic mix of old time west, route 66 and Halloween with a pinch of Mexico.
Now for the food and drink. My wife had a prickly pear margarita which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had a good time looking through the beer list and picked the “Hop on or Die” American IPA. Very good beer and a very interesting label…so good that I had two. For lunch, I started with an order of the jalapeno poppers which were very good; not too hot that my wife could not eat them, but certainly a nice kick. We also had the complimentary chips and salsa. Now this is a very good salsa; excellent flavor and nice and thick. I think it probably had a black bean base (total guess on my part; I’m not a cook nor a foodie, but that just seems to fit). For the meal, my wife had the quesadilla and I had the burrito with mahi mahi. This is a BIG food. And even better it was an excellent dish. The Diablo sauce that covers the burrito had an outstanding kick. This was the best meal of the trip.
We had a nice chat with one of the owners after lunch. It was obvious that she was dedicated to the business and to making sure that the patrons had a good experience. I think her work is paying off in a very nice eatery that has very good customer focus and excellent food. I will certainly return the next time I’m in the area.
My wife and spent a day in Jerome during a week in the Sedona area. After a morning of walking through the town and investigating the shops, it was time for some lunch. While my wife was shopping, I was keeping a look out for an interesting place to relax, have a beer and hopefully some good southwest food. The place that caught my eye was Vaqueros Grill and Cantina. Let me tell you, I hit a home run with this selection!
I was digging it as it had sort of an interesting look, particularly now that the Halloween season is approaching, a time that is a big deal in a ghost town environment. The service was stellar and our server was friendly and very helpful regarding menu questions. The interior is an eclectic mix of old time west, route 66 and Halloween with a pinch of Mexico.
Now for the food and drink. My wife had a prickly pear margarita which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had a good time looking through the beer list and picked the “Hop on or Die” American IPA. Very good beer and a very interesting label…so good that I had two. For lunch, I started with an order of the jalapeno poppers which were very good; not too hot that my wife could not eat them, but certainly a nice kick. We also had the complimentary chips and salsa. Now this is a very good salsa; excellent flavor and nice and thick. I think it probably had a black bean base (total guess on my part; I’m not a cook nor a foodie, but that just seems to fit). For the meal, my wife had the quesadilla and I had the burrito with mahi mahi. This is a BIG food. And even better it was an excellent dish. The Diablo sauce that covers the burrito had an outstanding kick. This was the best meal of the trip.
We had a nice chat with one of the owners after lunch. It was obvious that she was dedicated to the business and to making sure that the patrons had a good experience. I think her work is paying off in a very nice eatery that has very good customer focus and excellent food. I will certainly return the next time I’m in the area.