Do you have tastebuds? Then you will like this carne asada.

America's Taco Shop sells the best carne asada.  There are three locations, but I have only been to the location at 7th St north of McDowell.

Even if you don't like Mexican food, you will love this meal.  If it's your first time, pick the carne asada burrito.  It is not like any burrito I've had before.  No beans.  Just the tastiest meat imaginable tucked into a tortilla with caramelized onions, guacamole and magical goodness.  

 The carne asada burrito.

And on Friday they serve a chunky, delicious ceviche! 

Saint 22: Falling down the rabbit hole in Arizona

Saint 22 just opened on Friday, and it is a veritable wonderland for people who enjoy whimsy and/or yarn.  They owners are Glen and Kelly.  Glen (pictured above at the counter) is a yarn connoisseur and a marvelous knitter.  His hand dyed yarns come in a colorful array, and his knitted creations are displayed throughout the store.  Kelly is the creative designer responsible for the delightful displays within the store.  Kelly is also the artistic designer for Sky Harbor Airport!  

SAINT stands for Simple Accessories Inspired Necessities for Today!  Along with all kinds of yarns, you can find dresses, stuffed animals, small bags to carry odds and ends in your purse, and decorations of all kinds.  Knitting instruction is also available!  

I bought some lovely bamboo yarn, and I plan to make a mesh bag with it.  Glen graciously printed and gave me a pattern so I could copy the one on display in his store! 

 

So many beautiful yarns!  

 

 Mushroom and pumpkins!  And look at Gary's hot water bottle cover!  He designed it himself! 

There is even a section for pet necessities!

So check it out!

1507 W Thomas Road.  602-265-3338.  W-Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5. 


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Buffalo Dip at Maizie's Cafe

Buffalo Dip!   Boomtastically Delicious!

Everything I have tried at Maizie's Cafe is super yummy, but my favorite item is the buffalo dip.  The first time my fiance and I went to Maizie's, the waitress tipped us off to the buffalo dip, telling us it had a cult following.  This is very understandable.  The dip is a hot, rich blend of buffalo goodness.   This dip is definitely one of my favorite things about Arizona, and the restaurant is the perfect (and only) place in which to enjoy it.

Maizie's Cafe also has a menu of tempting cocktails.  The signature blood orange cosmo is sweet and refreshing.  So is the Grapefruit Sunshine shown below.

We have gotten Matt's Pesto Manifesto Pizza everytime we go.  It is meaty and pesto-y. 

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Honey Locust Pod Crunching

Definitely one of the best thing about Arizona is stepping on these curly brown pods:

They are about the length of my foot, and they crunch marvelously.   I believe they come from a honey locust tree.

Desert Tiki!

Hula's Modern Tiki is a fun place to grab a drink and eat with friends.  I went there last Friday with some friends from work.  There is indoor and outdoor seating.  It's April in Arizona, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to soak in the perfect weather outdoors.



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My two favorite things about this restaraunt are:

1) The blood orange martini: half of it's missing because it is too delicious!

2) The cheesiest macaroni and cheese.  This is listed in the sides section, but it is covered in yummy melted cheese, just the way I like it.  And it's breadcrumb free.  No pesky breadcrumbs getting in the way of macaroni and cheese enjoyment.


Here's the tasty meals my friends chose:

 

A burger

 Dukes Luau Pork Plate

Spicy Tofu Tacos

Ringtails in the Rafters at El Tovar

I spent March at the Grand Canyon and had the fortune to visit El Tovar for dinner one night.  Before going, I asked every server I could find to tell me secrets about El Tovar.  So I discovered two.   1) The builder, Fred Harvey, haunts El Tovar and a few servers have seen him and his "girls" (the women who worked at El Tovar upon it's opening).  And 2) Up until a few years ago ringtails (pictured below) lived in the rafters of the restaurant.

I understand that one of the highlights of the meal is the spectacular view of the canyon, however my fiance and I went after dark.  Still, our dinner was excellent.  At the suggestion of the servers with whom I had spoken, we ordered mozzarella roulades of prosciutto and pesto.  This was my favorite part of the meal; they were so delicious with the peppers.  Excellent suggestion! 

Every person I spoke with before going suggested I try the mignon, so I ordered this for my entree.  It was just as tasty as everyone had described.

My fiance had the wiener schnitzel (sorry for the fuzzy image) which he enjoyed.

I'm glad they have solved the ringtail situation, but I did find myself looking up to the rafters during my meal, hoping to catch a glimpse of a striped tail. 

My favorite things about Arizona

1. The Grand Canyon.  Incredible. 
2. Loop 101 (not during rush hour).  I loved watching this freeway be built.  I loved flying down it in high school before it connected to anything useful.  This is my favorite freeway in the world. 
3. Cafe Poca Cosa in Tucson - My favorite restaurant in Arizona.  Try the Plato Poca Cosa.  It is comprised of three delicious entrees selected by the chef.  Different every time!
4. Saguaro cacti with many arms.  The more arms the better!  Can't have too many arms on a cactus.
5. Warm weather.  No shoveling snow.  Swimming and rollerskating year round.
6. Kartchner Caverns.  Beautiful rock formations. 
7. Tea at the Phoenician.  I went once with my aunt while she was alive, and it was elegant and scrumptious.
8. Eegees.  The namesake item (eegee) at this restaurant is a frozen slushy with real fruit in it.  The monthly rotating flavors are awesome.  My favorite are cranberry and black cherry.
9. Bookman's.  An entertainment exchange store.  You can trade books, movies, music, magazines, video games, and board games at this store!   Always some new treasures to unearth here.
10. Maizie's Cafe & Bistro.  A cute restaurant with very tasty food.  Get the buffalo dip. 
11.  Prescott's Whiskey Row.  A row of bars with nice people and good drinks. 
12.  Scottsdale Fashion Square.  Everything you could wish for in a mall.  Chanel included. 
13.  Sedona's beautiful rocks.  
14.  Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium.  It feels like visiting a zoo from the 1970's.  I love the smell of the plants at this zoo.  The aquarium is awesome and the range of animals is amazing.  Best of all, you can be just feet away from a rhinoceros with just a small log fence between you and he.
15.  Blue Ridge Reservoir.  Really beautiful winding river.  Perfect for the timid kayaker. 
16.  Mund's Park.  There is a party every weekend and everyone's invited.  There also seems to be a neighborhood garage sale every weekend.  A very relaxing village of cabins.
17. Saguaro Ranch Park.  Large park with free roaming peacocks.  There is a new playground with a space age theme which is irresistibly fun and surprisingly dangerous.
18. The Phoenix Library System. 
19.  We have an Ikea and an H&M.  Who doesn't love the luxury of accessible, inexpensive European housewares and clothes?
20.  Downtown Flagstaff. 
21.  ASU's campus.  I went to U of AZ, but ASU has a wonderful campus.  There are snake exhibits in the biology building.  There are rock gardens you can rearrange.  The Interdisciplinary Science & Technology Building looks like something out of a movie or video game.
22.  The peacock farm halfway between Phoenix and Tucson.
23.  Chili Pepper's Restaurant in Casa Grande.  I can't find an online presence to verify the name, but the food has to be laced with crack; it is so addictive. 
24.  Blossoming orange trees.  They smell amazing.
25.  My family lives here!

Arizona is Stellar!

After staying at the Grand Canyon for the month of March, I realized the Grand Canyon is enormous and amazing.  It got me to thinking that perhaps I had not been appreciating all there was to appreciate about living in Arizona.  So I have made a goal to explore Arizona, find its stellar treasures and share them on this blog.