This winter I began travelling for work. As a fundraiser for a Midwest liberal arts college, I find myself traveling to better weather in the winter. Florida, Arizona, and California are all flooded with Midwestern people this time of year. These destinations all have some things in common, namely; snowbirds, spring breakers and business travelers like me all seeking a little Vitamin D.
While these places bear a lot in common based on their tourist populations, differences struck me the most in the restaurants, bars, the dishes I ate, and the interactions with people who have made these places their home.
We eat everywhere we go and often our experiences with food are an invitation to curiosity about the differences that led to that day’s menu.
Here is the first of my reflections about my trips to the desert, the oceans, and cities.
Taking the Desert by Storm:
10 Restaurants in 3 Days
My first trip to the desert gave me goosebumps. One morning as I drove from Phoenix to Tucson. As the sun was rising , I came up on The Sonoran Desert with breathtaking views of ancient cacti with a mountain range backdrop. It is stunning to see something for the first time. To realize that you could have gone a lifetime without knowing this specific brand of beauty.
I started my trip in Phoenix and its suburbs which were sprawling, busy, and neon. It was loud in every way. Huge (and ugly) parking lots taking up space for our convenience. Highways created with a giant population in mind. Flashing bright lights on buildings, water towers, anything. The lights as the cactus blossoms I would later discover. It felt the color scheme was asserting the landscapes’ brightness. Hundreds of suburban downtowns surround the primary city with tourist bars that have little separation between outdoor and indoor spaces make the streets feel alive and united to the businesses around them. I constantly felt like I should be enjoying a beach-y beverage and having fun. I was grateful that although I was on business, I was staying with friends so that i wasn’t drinking alone.
Celebrating Happy Hour in Old Town Scottsdale with a dear friend, we confided our recent successes and failures over Bahama Mamas and a giant pretzel.
I ate at Mojo’s a coffee shop attached to a country club. When we entered, the person insisted that since it was my first day in Arizona that they let us sit in the main dining patio. The view of the golf course and mountains was breathtaking. She explained why she moved to Arizona after growing up in Michigan with a smile that suggested that we should really all live in a place with mountains.
I had my first meal at Shake Shack. I met friends at a wine bar where everyone sat by heat lamps as the desert heat dissipated into the night.
The next day I had meetings in Scottsdale. While still surrounded by mountains and aloe plants, Scottsdale felt typically suburban. I ate at two different Fox Concepts restaurants, Olive & Ivy and Culinary Dropout. The food was delicious and creative while clearly in the safety net of a corporate chain. I had a Seared Tuna Salad with cashew, ginger vinaigrette, wasabi pea, cucumber, red pepper, avocado. Fresh and light, it felt west coast and flavorful. I had separate meetings with former college roommates who ended up in Arizona for opposite reasons and were happy to get reconnected.
As I drove to Tucson for a busy final day of meetings, I felt even more invited into the desert, border culture, and incredible hosts.
I had breakfast with a retired couple at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens. Arriving a little early, I got to sneak a peek at the plants that were so different from my nearby arboretum. Walking into the bistro was as captivating as the food I ate there. Little did I know that my one day love affair with the flavors and spaces in Tuscon was just beginning with my Chul Brunchalada melted together in bursts of flavor. Two Eggs, Red Corn Chorizo Sope, Mexican Cheeses, Shredded Chicken, Red Chile Sauce, Willcox Beans. I was shocked that breakfast could have so much flavor.
Lunch at the The Arizona Inn , a luxury hotel and dining experience, was more vibrant than my midwestern expectations. AJ and I celebrate our holidays at The English Inn in Eaton Rapids that while delicious and intimate, is far more serious and dark. Bright blue water glasses, light flooding the room, and incredible and creative salad, left me feeling light and eager to continue exploring.
I met my favorite alum of the day at La Cocina. The sign outside read Bar. Food. Music. and it did not disappoint. This courtyard style restaurant had live music and surrounding shops. After two big meals that day, my prickly pear lemonade was plenty refreshing. Once again, I enjoyed a staple that had been infused with regionally specific flavors. I talked with a retired Spanish teacher from the Pacific Northwest who started wintering in Tucson for the weather, before becoming connected to No Mas Muertos and the migrant community. I told her about seeing my first cactus that morning and we bought a cactus spoon holder to commemorate the experience for me.
I ended the day at Seis Kitchen. Another courtyard with live music and local artisans selling their products. Tacos, guacamole, chips, and margaritas can be staples of my diet anywhere but the food took on new life in this space of Latin American influence. I relaxed into the evening with the flavor of a place.
As I look back on this whirlwind trip, the most unique thing was that as i met with 20+ people who all live year round in Arizona, they each shared with me their favorite restaurants and their own story of falling in love with the desert. None of these people grew up there. Their stories were all vastly different of why they moved there: jobs, fighting seasonal depression, a retirement home, a boyfriend who was traded to the Diamondbacks, etc. They differed in politics, personality, and reason for liking Arizona. However they were all proud to witness my first moments of enchantment with the flavors, plants, and geography of place that is now their home.
They were excited to share their favorite place over their favorite meals, and my did we eat well. Many mentioned the place we would go next time. I can’t wait.
Valhalla's Table 