“Finding Flagstaff“

Kathleen Allen, Arizona Daily Star, Sunday, July 11, 2011

One of the signs that a city is growing up is its culinary scene. And there’s no doubt about it: Flagstaff is growing up. Over a four-day weekend, we couldn’t resist the temptations. . . .

. . . we hadn’t been to the relatively new Criollo Latin Kitchen (16 N. San Francisco St.). We headed off to the casual restaurant.

And, frankly, we’re glad we did. The restaurant goes local as much as possible, and you can taste the difference.

. . . [ Read the complete Criollo review here.] . . .

But the absolute best we tried in Flagstaff was Brix Casual Fine Dining & Wine Bar. . . .

It wasn’t just the cozy table in the beautiful garden, fragrant with the herbs that fill the flower beds and sit in pots on tables; the vast, sophisticated wine list – more than 150 bottles from mostly West Coast wineries; or the impeccable service, warm and friendly but not cloying.

It was Brix’s food, which is hyper-local, thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented. . . . it was hard not to be completely seduced.

That pork, cubed, cooked and served on a couple of skewers, was crisp from a grilling over an open fire. While not as pink in the center as we like it, it was not overdry, and came with a hefty helping of earthy ivory lentils, a sweet black currant chutney, and meaty guanciale – that’s an Italian bacon that’s made from cured pork cheek. It’s got a peppery taste and a delicate texture.

And the seared duck breast ($27) – oh my. Meaty, with a crispy skin and a pink tinge to the poultry, it was juicy without being greasy, and delicately gamey.

We finished with a made-there Venezuelan chocolate ice cream ($6), which was as dense and creamy as a gelato. We scooped that up with buttery shortbread cookies, slowly sipped a cup of fine coffee, and marveled at how Flagstaff, indeed, has done a lot of growing up in the last few years.

‘Hot List 2007′

[ PDF ]

Top 95 New Restaurants in the World
Conde Nast Traveler
May 2007

‘Flagstaff Fall’

[ PDF ]

“Flag’s Best Restaurant”
Sunset Magazine
September 2007

‘Great Escapes’

[ PDF ]

“A Taste of Flagstaff”
Phoenix Magazine
May 2007

‘Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar’

[ PDF ]

“New Flag restaurant serves up wine, regional cuisine”
Arizona Daily Sun
May 2006