After our wonderful tour of the Grand Canyon, we took a short rest, then decided to head out for an early evening. I had a place in mind, but as we wandered down North San Francisco Street (can't get the flaneur out of us, I guess); the Missus went into a shop called The Artists Gallery to do some shopping……..it seems that all of the folks who sell their art and crafts here were also at the Art in the Park the previous day. As we were leaving, I took a look upward and saw the "FLG Terroir" sign in the window above.
This was one of the places I had on "my list"; so we headed upstairs. Man, this place was quite large and the selection of wine was quite good.
The Missus enjoyed Her two glasses of wine and I reacquainted myself with an "old friend" from Belgium.
The seats with a view were taken; so we just sat at one of the tables. I went over to the counter and also ordered us some food.
Which arrived piping hot. First to arrive was the "Poutine" ($5) (after our time in Montreal, I needed to add the quotation marks).
This version had thick mushroom gravy, which wasn't too bad, the fries were crisp; but the cheese curds were mushy. Decent seasoning though a bit on the salty side. To us, this was the better of the two dishes.
Next up was the Shrimp and Grits ($10).
This version was made with red curry and coconut grits. Can't say I'm fond of this combination of flavors as it really overpowered the grits. The shrimp were fine, if a bit on the muddy side and the carrots and zucchini nicely prepared.
Overall, I thought the prices were quite reasonable. The food is a bit "fusiony", but the Missus enjoyed the wine selection, the service was very friendly…..one of the bar staff was even from San Diego!
We'd be happy to return when we're back in Flagstaff.
FLG Terroir: Wine Bar & Bistro
17 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Currently only open for takeout
After heading back down to San Francisco Street, we headed south, crossing over Route 66 and arrived at our next destination. Alice, in her fine blog "Alice's Restaurants" lists Tinderbox Kitchen as one of her favorites. While we weren't quite in the mood for a full meal; the folks from Tinderbox Kitchen own three properties lined up right next to each other. One of them, called "the Annex", a cocktail lounge serving some basic eats seemed like just the thing to end our evening.
It was a beautiful evening so we headed to the area called "the yard", which was quite interesting….especially the wall in the back of the property. I later read that this was once a Basque Handball Court.
We decided on something simple to munch on; the Annex Nachos with Chorizo ($12), which turned out to be quite good.
The chorizo had a nice, mild smoky-spice. The chips were crisp, the avocado heavy, thick guacamole very nice.
I had the Hip Stag – a Pineapple Infused Mezcal based cocktail. Loved the notes the cilantro-lime bitter added. This was slightly smoky and not overly sweet.
Meanwhile, the Missus was captivated by the smoked cocktail menu and started off with the "Coffee and Cigarettes" which featured Pipe Tobacco Smoke and Espresso Beans. I didn't think She'd like it; but the Missus really enjoyed this…..so much….that I didn't even get a taste!
She definitely wanted another drink after this one and settled on the Irish Whiskey (and Pipe Tobacco Smoked) "Red Badge of Courage".
Which She enjoyed even more.
And then it happened. A group of younger folks were having a competitive round of Jumbo Jenga. One of the young men was really "chirping" quite a bit….and he was backing things up by beating all his friends. He saw us watching and started trying to convince us to play……there's no way I'd play. But the Missus; bolstered by a couple cocktails decided to have a go before we left.
I was amazed to watch Her beat this guy in three moves! The young man was stunned and asked the Missus how often She played. Her response? "I've never played this before….but it's all math….geometry. Maybe you should spend more time in class and less time out drinking?" Oooooh snap!
As you can tell, we enjoyed the cocktails, the vibe, and the service was wonderful. The Missus really does want to return here.
Annex Cocktail Lounge
50 S San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Current Hours:
Thursday 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 10pm
Saturday 9am – 10pm
We stopped at a couple of shops on the way back to our hotel. We talked about how much we enjoyed the friendly folks in Flagstaff.
And look forward to returning again someday. The Missus will want Her smoked cocktail fix!
Thanks for stopping by!
Gotta love how the Misses put him in his place! I hope his friends enjoyed it too!
Great story about the Missus and Jenga! The first time I played Jenga was with a bunch of civil engineers; needless to say, I did not do well.
great adventure!
Great Jenga story. St. Bernardus makes excellent brew.
That was really funny Jason!
I was shocked at how quickly and decisively She did things Sandy.
It was Kat!
I really enjoyed that Junichi. Hadn’t had St Bernardus in while.
Snap! is right! Hahaha!
It was highly entertaining Jan!