trip report
 

Hi,
went to sedona/gc/scottsdale.

Sedona was my favorite..beautiful. Stayed at enchantment-spa is wonderful but all treatments were booked..so book way in advance.
Dined at Cowboy club-awful
Havalina cantina-OK
GC=stayed at el tovar in basic/big room..food was awful at el tovar restaurant.

Scottsdale-stayed at the fairmont-big/very nice room...really liked the resort but it is big!!! Wonderful whole foods right down the street..wish had discovered sooner..would have saved on lunches and dinner. Hotel is great for kids.
Best meal in scottsdale was at a steak/seafood restaurant..I am blanking on the name..it was wonderful!! Best meal we had by far!!
Also waited in line at the world famous Pizzico Bianco..what an experience!
Letme know if anyone needs more details.
Judy

Judy-
Can you please be specific about why Cowboy Club was "awful". We are planning to go there in early June. Thanks.

I need the name of that steak place!! And more info on Pizza Bianco, please. Was it great? Worth the wait in line?

the cowboy club is dark and other than the cowboy who rings the bell when it opens there was nothing so wonderful. Please know we are very jaded and have been to so many nice restaurants ...my mom had salmon..nothing special..the only fun thing was the cactus fries..go early have a beer and the fries and then go elsewhere. I thinks its for tourists..also not cheap!

The restaurant in phoenix was Eddie V's...it was great and nice atmosphere..try the shrimp appetizer (black pepper shrimp..awesome!)
I'll write more about the pizza place later

Cowboy Club may indeed be for the tourists, but Sedona has a dearth of good restaurants, I have no idea why.

"...a dearth of good restaurants..." -- says you, friend. I live here. Have for 25 years. And Sedona has plenty of excellent places to eat. Want names of a few? Here goes: Rene's in Tlaquepaque, also Oak Creek Brewery in the same place. Shugrue's in Hillside. Judy's on 89a at Soldier Pass Road. L'Auberge. Picazzo's on 89a. The Heartline on 89a. And at least a dozen more. But if you insist on having creamed hummingbird navels on toast...well... I can't help you.

Great ideas, USNR. Thanks.

Maybe I'm easy to please after a day of hiking. My only real problem is that too much closes by 9PM.

I thought Cowboy Club was fine. It's not a gourmet restaurant but a good beef type restaurant. I had a good meal there. As to being touristy, well it's on the main street of a tourist town and I was a tourist.

I ate at the above mentioned Oak Creek Brewery. Same opinion as CC. Not gourmet but a good meal. I got there at 9PM when they were closing and they still seated me and made a good meal.

I thought Picassa Pizza (Sedona West) was very good for gourmet pizzas and salads.

Cowboy Club and Picassa were full while Oak Creek Brewery wasn't probably due to the fact they were about to close.

I was there for 3 evenings so that's it.

There is very good food in Sedona. But it isn't at the Cowboy Club, IMO.

Cucina Rustica is excellent, pricey but very worth it. Rack of lamb there is great. Lovely wine list. Sister restaurant, Dahl and Deluca, is good Italian. Make reservations.

Personally I love the little places. Like Minami for Japanese in the village. Small place run by a Japanese man and his ex-wife, excellent sushi (nice little sushi bar also) but also other hot Japanese dishes. Nice sake.

I like Marketplace Cafe, located surprisingly in the small outlet store center in the Village. Live music on Friday and Sat. night, neighborhood people, little cozy bar, simple good food. I wrote a nice comment on their website and the owner sent me a gratis gift certificate, which I will use at the end of April on my next trip.

Thai Spices is good, in west Sedona. And India Palace is great Indian food.

The grill at Junipine, a few miles up Oak Creek Canyon, can be good for dinner, esp. when they have caught fresh trout in Oak Creek, which flows right behind the restaurant.

Love Shugrue's Hillside.

I want to try Bistro Bella Terra.
I like Pizza Picazzo also, but Moon Dog's Pizza rules.

Thanks to USNR, I have discovered Judi's, another place where locals go for good unpretentious food. Their baby back ribs are great.

I really want to be sitting upstairs at the railing at OAxaca and having one of their great margartias and an appetizer right now.

Thank you, emd. You have restored my faith in the ability of people to appreciate good food in Sedona. I agree with your choices completely.

We had a wonderful time at Cucina Rustica also. Another great meal at a hotel restaurant and I can't remember the name but it is the hotel with all the lights especially at christmas.

I think it may have been called Joey's. Food was fabulous.

Yes, that is Joey's Bistro in Los Abrigados, directly behind Tlaquepaque. Also there is Steak 'n Sticks, another great place.