Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
474
WHERE TO DINE
In Patagonia
For good coffee and pastries, check out
Gathering Grounds,
319 McKeown Ave. (
&
520/
394-2097;
www.mygatheringgrounds.com), which also serves ice cream and has a deli.
Velvet Elvis Pizza Company
ITALIAN This casual hangout sums up the unusual
character of Patagonia's residents. Faux-finished walls ooze artiness, while paeans to pop
culture include shrines to both the Virgin Mary and Elvis. The menu features a variety
of pizzas heaped with veggies, cheeses, and meats, but if you can remember to plan a day
in advance, you should call in an order for the Inca pizza (made with a quinoa-flour
crust). Add an organic salad and accompany it with some fresh juice, microbrew,
espresso, or wine.
292 Naugle Ave.
&
520/394-2102.
www.velvetelvispizza.com. Reservations not accepted. Pizzas $12-
$45; other dishes $7.50-$10. MC, V. Thurs-Sun 11:30am-8:30pm.
In Sonoita
Grab good breads and pastries, hot breakfasts, and sandwiches at the
Grasslands Bakery
& Café,
3119 Ariz. 83 (
&
520/455-4770;
www.grasslandsbakery.com), which is an
outpost of organic foods. There are even tastings of organic wines and loads of house-
made salsas, jams, and other items for sale. The bakery is open Friday and Saturday from
10am to 3pm and Sunday from 8am to 3pm.
Canela
SOUTHWESTERN This little restaurant at the crossroads of Sonoita is
the most upscale restaurant in the area and is an absolute must if you are in the area for
a wine-country getaway. The menu changes frequently to take advantage of what's fresh
and seasonal, but may include carrot soup with poblano chiles, bacon-wrapped quail, leg
of lamb with saffron-braised fennel, or duck tamales. This is the quintessential Arizona
wine-country restaurant. The Sunday brunch is a great way to begin an afternoon of wine
tasting at area wineries.
3252 Ariz. 82.
&
520/455-5873.
www.canelabistro.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses
$17-$25. AE, DISC, MC, V. Thurs-Sat 4-9pm; Sun 11am-3pm.
The Steak Out
STEAK This is ranch country, and this big barn of a place is where
the ranchers and everyone else for miles around head when they want a good steak. A
classic cowboy atmosphere prevails—there's even a mounted buffalo head just inside the
front door. The restaurant's name and the scent of a mesquite fire should be all the hints
you need about what to order—a grilled steak, preferably the exceedingly tender filet
mignon. Wash it down with a beer, and you've got the perfect cowboy dinner.
At intersection of Ariz. 82 and Ariz. 83.
&
520/455-5205.
www.azsteakout.com. Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses $8-$36. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 5-9pm; Fri 5-10pm; Sat-11am-10pm; Sun
11am-9pm.
14
4
SIERRA VISTA & THE SAN
PEDRO VALLEY
70 miles SE of Tucson; 189 miles SE of Phoenix; 33 miles SW of Tombstone; 33 miles W of Bisbee
At an elevation of 4,620 feet above sea level, Sierra Vista is blessed with the perfect cli-
mate—never too hot, never too cold. This fact more than anything else has contributed
to Sierra Vista becoming one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona. Although the city
