Back in September of last year the Missus and I took a wonderful road trip. For our first stop, it was between Phoenix, Sedona, or Flagstaff. While the Missus enjoyed the hiking in Sedona, we didn't care for the restaurant scene that much. And we'd do a bunch of hiking during this road trip and there was one stop I was interested in close to Flagstaff; so FLG it was. The drive was pretty long, it took us over 8 hours. We did stop for a quick lunch in Phoenix at Flower Child and headed back on the road. We got in just after 430pm and checked into the Residence Inn. We liked this location when we were last in Flagstaff and our dining destination for the two evenings here were in walking distance.
We had dinner reservations for 6pm and headed out a bit early just to stroll around the historic downtown area.
Just a couple of blocks from downtown, in a former carriage house that was built in 1909 was our dinner destination; Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar.
While the service was a bit slow, the staff was very friendly and this was far from being a stuffy fine dining destination. The Missus enjoyed the wine list and I started with a nice cocktail.
We started with the Elk Tartare and the Wood Roasted Mushrooms.
The Elk Tartare was nicely chilled, though it was on the mushy side in terms of texture.
Those yellow dots were an egg yolk emulsion…I would have preferred a drippy egg yolk as the emulsion really didn't add much to the dish, the horseradish was also strangely mild in flavor. The celery leaves did add a nice boost of palate restoring flavor. Perhaps if they chopped it a bit smaller you could get more than three bites.
The Wood Roasted Mushrooms was another dish that suffered from having a bit too much going on.
The local mushrooms were so earthy, with a mild sweetness and had been nicely roasted which created a layer of smokiness. The miso black garlic puree was so salty and just overwhelmed the wonderful mushrooms.
The bread soon arrived. Like many other places, Brix is now charging for bread and butter. It was $5 at the time of our visit.
I had ordered the Cavatelli.
The pasta, which is similar to shells was pretty thick and overcooked, making it quite mushy. I could have used more basil in the pesto and more pine nut flavor. The preserved lemon was quite strong in flavor and as with the mushrooms, it over powered the dish. The fava beans were wonderful, adding a nice nutty flavor to the dish.
The Market Fish was cooked to perfection.
Crisp skin, moist flesh, and that watercress added a wonderful crisp bitterness. The cannellini beans were undercooked and hard…and you know how the Missus us about Her beans, right? The tomato consomme was salty, but added nothing else to the dish. It was kind of sad since the fish was done so nicely. 
In the end, the friendly folks working outshone the food. Yes, service was a bit slow, but the staff were so nice. I just wish the dishes were more to our taste.
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
413 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
On the way back to our room I wanted to take a look at the Hotel Monte Vista.
Why you might ask? Well, the Hotel Monte Vista has been named the most haunted spot in Arizona (check out the stories on that website)! There are supposedly several, ahem, "guests" who have never checked out. There's a "phantom bellboy" that knocks on the door to room 210…in fact, John Wayne is said to have reported this ghost to the staff several times. You can even read about some of those "ghosts" on the hotel's website. And also on this website as well. You know me and stuff like this, right?
Why didn't we stay here? Well, having already having spent a couple of nights at one of the most haunted hotels in the US, without any disturbances, I really didn't feel like pushing my luck. Plus, I was pretty tired after all that driving and wanted a good night's sleep, which is what I got.
In the morning we woke and I went downstairs to the breakfast buffet and took some stuffs back to the room. I then headed out to grab us some coffee. I had a place located just two blocks away named Firecreek Coffee Company on my list so I headed on over.
The gentleman working was quite nice and friendly. I got the Missus and Ethiopian Pour Over which She said was ok and I enjoyed my Cold Brew.
I'd gladly return here.
Firecreek Coffee Company
22 Historic Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Having had a light breakfast and bolstered by caffeine we were ready to head on out.
For some reason; perhaps we're missing good Mexican food, the tortillas seemed even better than before….such wonderful maize flavor! And perfect for dunking or enfolding around the luscious, rich, and tender beef head. The soup was quite rich and viscous, had a nice "zing" of heat, and a squeeze of lime just took the edge off the richness.
This was a nice start to our stay on the Big Island. And the Missus was to even get Her "Suisan fix" over the following days as well.
In some ways this really represented the neighborhood, bright colors and varying textures. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, just wonderfully runny, with no off flavors. I really got to appreciate the peppery-minty-anise tones of hoya santa. The hoya santa rellena was filled with mildly milky and sharp queso menonita and even more tasty beans. Didn't care much for the "salsa" which was watery and weak. The plantains was an interesting addition, though perhaps it made things a bit too sweet for me.
Walk up and you can read the menu in the front window. The weekly specials are on the White Board at the bottom; each is $1 less than the menu price. Walk in, order, pay and find a seat. Beverages will be brought to your table. 
Bento A ($13.50)-Baked salmon, chicken teriyaki, fried seafood, California roll. Rice, salad and
this really wonderful miso soup are included. (You can order a bowl for $1.75 if it's not included with your meal; worth it) 
The Ginger Seafood Bento ($11.25). One salmon piece, one squid piece, two fish
and two shrimp. All cooked well and coated in a really refreshing ginger sauce. Edamame, chilled noodles, rice and salad are included.
I have found myself ordering the Vegetable Delight Bento ($11.50) quite often. Eight pieces of tempura, eight pieces of Garden Roll, edamame, salad and rice. Of course, everything is properly fried and so very fresh.
Hot tea ($1) is a good quality green and the cup is kept refilled. 
The chicken katsu salad ($8.50) can be a meal. The chicken is plump and juicy with a crunchy-light fried coating.
The fried calamari ($7.50) serving is now only four pieces, but each is quite large. Again, expertly fried crunch batter and the squid is so tender.
The vegetable tempura appetizer (or side order, as the case may be) ($7.50) has eight pieces and light, non-greasy fry.
I can't believe we had never tried the mix yakisoba ($10.50) until 2022! Shrimp, chicken, beef, veggies and quality eggy noodles. This is served with rice or salad. A really nice meal. 
Walking the door, the area to the left is where you order To-Go; the original 'footprint' of Lucky. The restaurant expanded to having Sit-Down in 2014.
Wonton crisps along with house-made sweet and sour sauce are brought out while you peruse the menu. A pot of hot tea (choice of jasmine, oolong or green) is $4.50.
The one item we always ordered to-go are these lettuce cups ($10.79). Minced chicken, water chestnuts, carrot, white and green onion, toasted almonds served with a half head of lettuce, hot mustard and hoisin sauce. This appetizer can stay in the refrigerator and still tastes good later in the day. It was our Covid-19 staple.
The wonton soup ($9.99) has a rich, deep flavored, chicken-pork broth and is filled with chicken, shrimp, vegetables and large pork filled wontons. As you can see, more fillings than broth- a meal all by itself.
Spicy pork ($14.79). The pork is stir-fried with bell pepper, bamboo shoots, zucchini, carrot, celery and onions in a house-made Kung Pao sauce. The pork is tender, the vegetables are still crisp; this is such a perfect melding of flavors and texture. (Entrees are served with a choice of steamed rice, brown rice, chow mein or (as above) Singapore noodle).
Sesame chicken ($15.79) is properly fried so the batter remains light and crisp even on the bottom pieces of the serving dish. The sweet and spicy sauce has a bit of heat (not too much; you can taste the batter as well as the chicken with each bite).
The 2023 Tournament of Roses with the theme "Turning The Corner" has concluded. The Rose Parade was held on January 2 (the Parade is never on a Sunday; the first parades in the 1800s had floats that were horses pulling carriages and horses were needed for church on Sunday; the tradition stands). Following the Parade, the floats line up at the end of the five mile Parade route, end to end, and are displayed after the Parade and the next day. This year, I drove up with my friend, 
The Sweepstakes Award, for the most beautiful entry encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment, went to the float sponsored by Donate Life, "Lifting Each Other Up". A spectacular asian street dragon is the centerpiece of the float. There were 44 memorial floragraphs representing those who had given the gift of life. Those were removed before the rain, so the families could have a memory. 
You can see the empty circles, where the floragraphs had been, in this photo. 
Trader Joe's entry, "Onward" won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment. The three piece float was magnificent and whimsical. 
Walking along the floats: an alligator, a shark and crested birds were some of the many details not seen during the television broadcast. 
The Kiwanis entry, "Catching the Wave of Service" was so beautiful.
The City of Alhambra entry, "Together We Rise" received the Tournament Volunteer award. 
Elks U.S.A entered "Elks Investing in Our Communities"- a magnificent float. 
More details- hummingbirds, snails and bees might have gone unnoticed during the quick TV viewing. Yet so much work was put into the design and decoration of each and every one of the 39 floats in the 2023 Parade. (I have photos of all the floats if you want any specific pictures).
"Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language". The float designs are being submitted and construction will begin. As an aside, each float always has recorded music while it drives down the Parade Route. This theme will have the floats designed and coordinated with the music. It should be fun. 
cc was looking forward to going to Portos after our morning of walking. 
She and I needed lunch. A cubano sandwich, cuban style black bean soup, turkey and cheese croissant and (to go, for The Mister) a rustic chopped chicken salad (which includes house candied bacon-yum!). There were, of course a few bakery items. However, we were here on January 3-just before Epiphany, the 12th night after Christmas and the 'end' of the holiday season. 
Traditional celebratory sweets to celebrate Three Kings Day were for sale; however the Rosca de Reyes was already sold out. We each purchased a Galette des Rois.
Puff pastry filled with a layer of almond frangipane cream as well as a touch of guava jam (for a Cuban twist). The 'baby' could be hidden into a slice by us (if there were more than two of us sharing this tart) and whoever found it could wear the crown. The Mister and I shared wearing the crown. 
There were no Roscas, but the seasonal Rosquitas, a sweet bread topped with dried, candied fruits made some nice bites for us this year. 
Honda is a Sponsor of the Tournament and their float is not judged; that's why it is not completely covered in organic materials.