We are traveling in the southwest(Utah, Arizona & Colorado) in 2 weeks. What are the regional foods that we should try(that you Like!) in this area? We really enjoy eating foods that are unique to an area.

Also are there some regional restaurants that we may not have in PA? I have already heard about In and Out Burgers. Any others??

Sonic? The ones out west have green chile burgers.

An executive at a gorumet food store took me to lunch in Phoenix one day, when I only had a feew hours in the city and she wanted to impress me. Her choice was the Hyatt at Gainey's Ranch (or some very similar name)

Other than that, my other great meal in Phoenix was at the Stockyard restaurant in Phoenix, my theory being that this was, sort of, cowboy country and therefore a great steak was a local meal.

BAK

New Mexican food, including posole, green chile, and carne adovada. All of this stuff is HOT! Tandoori Girl is right; around the Southwest, most of the fast food places have green chile as an option on burgers.

Oh, here's a good one: at The Fort restaurant in the west Denver foorhills try an order of Rocky Mountain Oysters.

R5

Oops! I forgot to add a couple of items to my list.

Navajo tacos and fry bread are also worth trying. You can often find them at local restaurants around the Four Corners, also at highway pullouts near big attractions. Get the fry bread with honey. Sopapillas are the New Mexican equivalent of New Orleans beignets.

When my husband and I traveled from Texas, we were puzzled by the trend of coffee getting weaker the farther we got from any coast. Once we moved to a house at 7500 feet elevation, we realized that it had to do with the boiling point of water being too low to make the coffee strong enough. Espresso drinks taste just fine, though.

If you like beer, you might try some of the regional microbrews like Fat Tire.

I was in Phoenix recently and fell in love with Sam's Cafe. Everything on the menu was good. They make their own corn chips and sweet potato chips and serve a variety of margaritas. We asked for recipes and brought home their cookbook. I tried a black bean and corn salad last night and got rave comments from friends. The meatloaf is mixed with chorizo sausage and served with a wonderful mashed potato flavored with chipotle and chunks of carrot. The food wasn't too spicy. I bought Prickly Pear Cactus syrup so I could make a margarita recipe. Sam's is associated with two other restaurants Canyon Cafe etc but I don't know where they are located. Sam's is located in the Arizona center within walking distance of the convention center/Hyatt. The airport shuttle driver recommended it.
Last night a friend said she had been to a cooking school in Sante Fe where she bought a case of Hot Chili Honey.
In Sedona I didn't have as much time to poke around as I would have liked but enjoyed the variety of salsas with free tastings at one food shop. I also brought home a sweet puffed corn pop snack that my husband quickly consumed. It sort of tasted like molasses corn.
Have a great time!

I believe Judy is looking for food TYPES not necessarily restaurant recommendations. Any info would be of interest to me also.

topping

If your in Tucson, a must drink is an Eegee.

Hey there, well, if you're going to Denver, there are lot's of great Mexican food restaurants. I was just there this week and a great family style place is Benny's. Excellent Chicken Chimichanga's and Margarita's

The best Navajo Tacos and Indian fry bread we've found (other than at the New Mexico state fair) as at the Cameron Trading post, just east of the Grand Canyon.

Utah is the beehive state and we found roadside honey stands. Also, if you'll be near Bear Lake (norther Utah) they're famouse for their raspberry shakes