Right after our last trips to France, "Home", Taiwan, and before out latest trip to CDMX and Guadalajara…..whew, am I behind on my travel posts or what? We decided to revisit Santa Fe and a couple of other places. One of the towns I always wanted to visit is Prescott. You know me a oddball history, right? Turns out that Prescott was twice the Capital of Arizona; first between 1864 to 1867 and then from 1877 to 1899. Much of the reason was due to the prosperous mining of gold and silver in the area. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and Virgil Earp were residents of Prescott (though Wyatt Earp was also a San Diego resident for a while). Anyway, I thought a stop in Prescott on the way to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos might be a fun stop.
I got our accommodations set at the Motor Lodge which was a few blocks from the main square of Prescott and I'm glad we stayed here. Each unit was sort of a vintage "boutique" motel unit.
We loved the patio area and it was a one bedroom unit with a small kitchen; which we didn't use, but appreciated. The place was very comfortable!
And one of my favorite posters ever!
The staff was really friendly and nice as well.
The Motor Lodge
503 South Montezuma St.
Prescott, AZ 86303
After taking a nice break, we headed off to our dinner destination. The main street in Prescott is South Montezuma Street and it heads past the main square, Courthouse Plaza where the impressive Yavapai County Courthouse is located.
We took a turn on West Goodwin Street, right at the beginning of Prescott's Whiskey Row, which I would quickly check out the next morning. A couple of blocks down was our destination. El Gato Azul. We were about 15 minutes early for our 530 reservation and there was a line outside the restaurant! We got a table outside on the patio area. Man, the place was packed! It seems like folks eat early in Prescott. The hostess seemed a bit stressed and was short with folks but the rest of the staff was very friendly and we started with some cocktails.
The menu was an "interesting" fusion of Spanish-Mexican-European-you name it, fusion-tapas like dishes.
We placed our order and the first to arrive was the "Mediterranean Nachos" ($10).
This would end up being our favorite dish of the night. The combination of briney Kalamata Olives, pungent pickled Garlic, Milky Mozzarella, meaty artichoke hearts, and pickled onions on crisp tortilla chips was quite refreshing. The Chimichurri was mild, but that was probably for the best as it let all the ingredients "sing".
Next up was the Chorizo Hash ($9).
The Yukon Gold potatoes were nice and sweet, but the chorizo was very mild in flavor, lacking spice and herbaceous smokiness that we enjoy in a good chorizo. Not sure about the overly chewy baguette either and the so called "pico de gallo" didn't add much to the dish. In fact, we asked if there was hot sauce available and two bottles were provided.
Both were quite tasty; but for us the habanero hot sauce was spicy-acidic, with a nice smoky-fruitiness we enjoyed. This was our "crutch" for the rest of the meal.
Interesting thing to note. The place was packed with folks waiting in line when we arrive at 515. By 6pm it was starting to empty out!
Next up were Green Chili Carnitas ($9). Which were basically pseudo carnitas tacos.
The flour tortillas were too thick, almost like a pseudo pita of sorts. The carnitas were slightly porky, but needed more salt and seasoning. Plus the meat to cabbage/tortilla ratio was skewed in favor of the latter. We must have used half the bottle of hot sauce on this.
The last item to arrive was the "Guacamole Pizza" ($11), which should probably be called a overly-cheesed pita.
The pita was decently crisp, though it said cumin fried pita on the menu, it could have used a larger dose of cumin. Not enough guacamole for our taste and this definitely needed more salt as well.
The meal started quite well, and the staff, other than the surly hostess were so nice. We loved the vibe and the meal started well. Good thing we had those bottles of hot sauce as they saved the meal.
Here's a photo of the very pretty front of the restaurant I took the next morning.
El Gato Azul
316 West Goodwin St.
Prescott, AZ 86301
There was a silver lining to this visit though. From our seats on the patio, we noticed this stream and a little path along it.
As we left the restaurant, we noticed stairs headed down to the trail along the creek.
Apparently this is Granite Creek. And according to the City's website, the area along what is called the Granite Creek Corridor is being "protected and enhanced" to ensure its sustainability.
We strolled Northward. It was a pleasant walk.
Until the point the creek was emerging from under West Willis Street. We then got back to street level and strolled back to our accommodations.
While we didn't see too many folks out and about; those we saw would greet us with a smile and "hello".
And there seemed to be a sense of humor present as well.
Yes, Prescott, Arizona!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Entry for Rotary International, "Clean Water, The Music of Life" was being tested with weight (people) onboard. You can see a rectangular slot at the front end of the 'keyboard'-that is where the 'Spotter' for the float will be watching for traffic and hazards during the parade. He or she will be communicating with the driver, who only looks down and follows the 'Rose Colored Line' painted on the street.
The entry by the City of Alhambra, "Celebrating the Year of the Dragon"was tested in its full open position. 
But every float has a maximum height and width it must be able to collapse down to so it can proceed along the Parade Route. The doorway of the decorating barn is that maximum size. 
"Chimes of Liberty Protecting Our Future" is the 2024 entry by the Fraternal Order of Elks, a Service Organization.
This detailed float will certainly be an eye catcher! You might notice the hands are missing from the Fife and Drum Corps- the faces as well as the hand flesh tones are being decorated with various spice blends/mixes by professionals (not us volunteers).
Lutheran Hour Ministries entry, "Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord" passed its third mechanics and maneuverability test and is ready to be decorated beginning on December 2. You can see the rectangular slot for the 'Spotter' in this photo.
Step inside, order and pay. We were directed to a table and soon enough, our orders were delivered. 
Pretty much a standard first time order for us: Har Gow ($3.99), Shumai ($3.99), Crescent dumplings ($3.59) and egg tarts ($3.59) were brought out first. Fresh and warm, great flavors.
The soup dumplings ($7.99) took a little longer and were steaming hot. (I took the photo before asking for a spoon, but there was no leakage) quite a bit of soup and a thin dumpling skin). Tasty.
There were utensils in the drawer under the tabletop-but no spoons. 
Tea was $1 each (so, one green and one oolong) and you could get more hot (as well as chilled) water at the counter.
Of course we're talking about good pork XLB. This was basically, meh…. The wrappers were too thick, there wasn't enough "soup" in the dumplings, and the pork filling was tough.
It was good. I liked the wrapper, which was tender, with a bit of heft, and a nice al dente pull to it. The filling was also nicely seasoned, more of a course chop with large pieces of tender, briny-sweet shrimp. There were perhaps a bit too much Chinese chives in this, but overall no complaints. I did not care for the dipping sauce that came with the jiaozi, it had sweet tones I didn't care for. I just ended up using the black vinegar provided on the table.
Here's another fairly quick name change! The place just opened in January. Based on my 
The broth was a bit richer than what we had on our previous visit here which was nice. The tamago a bit over-cooked but nicely flavored. For some reason, I like the savory-sweet flavor that the black garlic oil adds to this bowl. The noodles were perfectly cooked on this visit as well.
The plate was quite heavy on the proteins. Personally, I liked having only one scoop rice as I will often tell the folks at turo-turo places to give me "half rice" these days. 
I've yet to find decent Huli Huli Chicken outside of Hawaii and versions I've had 
The mac salad, though a bit over-mayo'd was nicely seasoned this time around. I could make out hints of vinegar which really elevated it. 
I liked the kalua pork, it was moist and tender, not overly salty, with a decent smokiness to it. In fact, the Missus tried the leftovers and said it 
Man, these were super stuffed, full of porky goodness, hint of sweet- savory tones, and wrapped with rice paper. It was slightly more chewy than I prefer, but man, the overall package was much better than anything here is San Diego. This also heated up well in the air fryer!
Again the greens and frites were quite good. That Andouillette was quite, well, rotund, literally bursting at the seams. This was quite funky, shades of 