Crème Brulee at The Asylum.
Crème Brulee at The Asylum
Tucked inside the spooky Jerome Grand Hotel (built in 1926 as the United Verde Hospital), The Asylum is more than just a spot to enjoy lunch or dinner – it’s an experience. For starters, the sweeping views of Jerome and the surrounding Verde Valley are truly breathtaking and make it a spot worth visiting. The excellent cuisine is another reason to linger. The Asylum is a fine dining restaurant that serves modern American cuisine. We’re big fans of the Char-Broiled New York Steak and the Roast Maple-Leaf Duck Breast. But for a true finish, we always order The Asylum Crème Brulee. You’ll relish in cracking into the caramelized sugar crust that gives way to a decadent Madagascar vanilla bean custard. “We make them in house with a high-elevation recipe we have perfected in the last 23 years,” says the restaurant’s co-owner, Jennifer Nagel-Pasich. “It’s a blend of sweet cream and a little hint of salt, nice crackle sugar top made with Sugar in the Raw and bruleed to order.”
Peach Cobbler at Creekside American Bistro.
Peach Cobbler at Creekside American Bistro
Chef Mercer Mohr is one of Sedona’s most celebrated chefs. His concepts include Mesa Grill, fine dining French spot Rene, Rascal Modern Diner at The Wilde Resort and Spa and Creekside American Bistro. The menu at Creekside Restaurant changes seasonally, but rest assured you’ll be able to choose from American comfort food, gluten-free dishes and vegetarian options. During our visit, it was all about the Ahi Tuna Burger, chunks of tuna mixed with green onion, fresh ginger and shallots topped with a delicious wasabi aioli. The ahi is served on a roll and comes with your choice of arugula salad or – our favorite – crispy, skin-on, seasoned fries. If the weather is ideal, make sure you request a table on the veranda, which is suspended above Oak Creek in the boughs of sycamore and cottonwood trees. But don’t miss the Peach Cobbler. It’s one of Creekside’s most notable dishes. “The recipe came from my mother, Joan Hufford Mohr, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. That recipe goes back several generations in the Hufford family. We traced it back to St. Louis in the late 1800s. The recipe is now served in all the Sedona properties,” says Mercer.
Key Lime Pie at Mariposa.
Key Lime Pie at Mariposa
Chef Lisa Dahl is one of Sedona’s most prominent chefs, with five different concepts and six total locations in town. We’ll do a quick summary: Guests can indulge in a variety of creative burgers at the Village of Oak Creek’s Butterfly Burger, which resembles a sleek city lounge. They can order a variety of pizzas at both of Pisa Lisa’s locations. Cucina Rustica and Dahl & Di Deluca Ristorante Italiano both serve hearty Italian fare. West Sedona’s Mariposa Latin-Inspired Grill is well known for its breathtaking red rock views and stellar Latin influenced cuisine. Lisa picked her key lime pie as her restaurant’s best dessert. The one at Mariposa (this dessert is also served at Cucina Rustica and Dahl & Di Deluca) is served with coconut Chantilly cream and toasted coconut. The reason why she chose it is simply because she loved eating her mom’s version. “Of all of my mom’s desserts, her Key Lime Pie and cheesecakes were what we kids loved the best,” says Lisa. “When it comes to Key Lime Pie at our restaurants, I have to say ‘Whoa Nellie,’ and we only produce it between May and October. Since key limes can be hard to obtain in abundance, we use Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice as one of the secret ingredients to make you pucker up and say, ‘I’ll have another piece, please.’”
Lemon Pistachio Tart at Enchantment Resort’s Che Ah Chi
Lemon Pistachio Tart at Enchantment Resort’s Che Ah Chi
Tucked deep into West Sedona at Enchantment Resort is Che Ah Chi. Although only open to the public seasonally, Che Ah Chi is a true Sedona dining treasure. Enjoying American fare made primarily with Arizona ingredients while you soak up the magical red rock views of Boynton Canyon is an experience made to be savored. You can sit outside or stay inside and admire the views from expansive windows. Some menu highlights include the Peach & Burrata appetizer, Venison Mole and Pan Seared Halibut. The wine list is award-winning. Che Ah Chi also serves six different excellent desserts. One of the top options is the Lemon Pistachio Tart. “One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom making a lemon meringue pie,” says Pastry Chef Deborah Heyd. “Inspired by these fond memories, I wanted to create a sophisticated, adult version by pairing it with pistachio and blueberry. The saltiness of the pistachio crust and sweetness of the blueberry jam balances the tartness of the lemon custard.” Reservations are required here.
Tres Leches Cake at Molé Sedona
Diners can dig into authentic, made-from-scratch Mexican cuisine at Molé Sedona perched on the second floor of the Arabella Hotel Sedona. Molé is a concept from Wild Thyme Restaurant Group, one of the most prominent groups in Sedona with four total restaurants. Find homemade tortillas, salsas and mole (of course) at Molé Sedona. Nearly everything on the menu has a Southwest twist. You can taste that influence in menu items including the Iron Skillet Cornbread that’s made with hatch green chilis or the Lamb Abodo, a Colorado lamb shank that’s served with ancho molé sauce, mint crema, queso fresco and cilantro. Finish your meal with the classic Mexican dessert, Tres Leches. This crumbly and moist sponge cake is topped with whipped cream, a sprig of mint and a sliced strawberry. The cake is then resting in the sweet milk mixture that diners can dip the cake into for an even sweeter experience.
Brown Buttercake at The Vault.
Brown Buttercake at The Vault
Taking its name from the bank that once called this spot home – don’t miss the silver vault door by the bathrooms before you leave – The Vault’s expansive windows showcase Sedona’s best asset: its red rocks. When the weather’s nice, you’ll want to snag a spot outside so you can soak up those vistas. But the interior is a place you’ll want to spend time in too. The brightly lit, contemporary restaurant features a marble bar that anchors the entire restaurant. For starters, we ordered the shareable and sports-party-perfect Trash Can Nachos, featuring tortilla chips, shredded beef, cheddar jack and queso fresco, black beans, jalapenos, cilantro, pico de gallo, red onions and sour cream. Sandwiches, burgers and hearty entrees like the Prime Filet and Short Rib Street Tacos round out the menu. But the dessert menu is not to be upstaged by those hearty entrees. The truly epic dessert featured on our cover is from The Vault’s Brown Buttercake. Diners can delight in digging their spoons into the decadent buttercake that’s topped with chopped praline pecans, whipped cream, a sprig of fresh mint, sliced bananas and served with vanilla bean ice cream. The entire dessert is then drizzled with maple caramel sauce and dusted with powdered sugar to finish.
Flourless Chocolate Cake at ShadowRock Tap + Table
ShadowRock Tap + Table at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock manages to strike that rare balance of both fun and elegant. The entrance to the restaurant – located on the ground floor of the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock – features a plush lounge area where diners can enjoy their food and play games like shuffleboard. Guests can look forward to modern Southwestern specialties including Carnitas Tacos and Baja Striped Bass. As much as we love ending a night here with a s’mores kit underneath the stars outside on the patio, when we’re searching for a more upscale dessert, we’d opt for the Flourless Chocolate Cake. This truly decadent and thick, circular chocolate cake is perfect for when you’re craving something that’s indulgent. The entire cake is drizzled with both chocolate and caramel sauces and garnished with a sliced strawberry.
Gelato at Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria.
Gelato at Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria
Located on a hilltop overlooking downtown Cottonwood, the 9,000-square-foot Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria is remarkable for a number of reasons. For starters, there is simply nothing like it in the area. It features a restaurant, vineyards, a bottling facility and a private tasting room. But one of its top features out of many is the gelato program. On the bottom of the hill where the tram takes off is the Merkin Vineyards Pocket Park Gelateria. The program is led by Kelley E. Foy (one of our past featured Open Portfolio artists), who creates inventive gelato that is typically made with local ingredients. Diners can enjoy flavors like pomegranate lemon, vanilla bean and booze, lavender malvasia and prickly pear plus. The menu rotates frequently, but expect the unexpected.
Pastel de Elote Con Cajeta at Elote Café
Elote Café has developed a strong following ever since it opened its doors back in 2007. And for good reason: Chef Jeff Smedstad’s modern Mexican cuisine is excellent. Uptown Sedona’s Elote Café’s Elote appetizer is a must-try dish. The fire roasted corn served with spicy mayo, lime and cotija cheese is a texture-rich and flavorful dish that we order every time we’re here. But the Pastel de Elote Con Cajeta dessert is another noteworthy dish that has a refreshing Southwest twist. This Veracruz-style sweet corn cake is topped with homemade goat milk caramel and vanilla agave ice cream. The entire dish is then topped with dried corn kernels to finish. Like much of what is on the menu at Elote, this dessert was inspired by the chef’s travels throughout Mexico. Jeff told us that it was inspired by a cake he had in a little coffee shop in Veracruz called La Parroquia.
The 40th Anniversary Dessert at Cress on Oak Creek at L’Auberge de Sedona
The 40th Anniversary Dessert at Cress on Oak Creek at L’Auberge de Sedona
Cress on Oak Creek has long been one of Sedona’s most incredible dining experiences. The setting at L’Auberge de Sedona is spectacular. Dining on the banks of Oak Creek with the trees all around and the creek bubbling right beside you is truly magical. Cress serves food all day, but if you’re looking for the full experience, the tasting menu is a must-order. It changes frequently, but during our most recent visit, we devoured plates like yellow acorn squash soup and a softshell crab. This year, L’Auberge de Sedona is also celebrating its 40th anniversary in a variety of ways. Cress is serving a Ruby Red cocktail, since rubies are the gem associated with 40th anniversaries. Cress is also commemorating the milestone anniversary with a special dessert. Created by Pastry Chef Donna Yuen, this dessert is her modern take on a French profiterole. These are filled with creamy chocolate and vanilla Chantilly, topped crispy chocolate craquelin, drizzled with a Valrhona dark chocolate sauce and garnished with candied cocoa nibs. Hurry in if you want to try this. It’s only available through July.
The Cowboy Cookie at Colt Grill
The Cowboy Cookie at Colt Grill
Since its opening in January of 2017 in Cottonwood, Colt Grill flourished quickly. Its popularity is more than evident; Colt has four locations in Northern Arizona. This includes one in the Village of Oak Creek. And once you sink your teeth into the smoked barbeque here, you’ll see why so many have fallen for Colt. The meat is moist, tender and delicious. We loved the four different sauces that accompanied each cut of meat. As delicious and can’t-miss as the barbeque here is, the Cowboy Cookie dessert is equally notable. The gigantic Cowboy Cookie is adapted from the recipe owner Brenda Clouston made for her own children. The cookies are made fresh daily from scratch. The primary ingredients are oatmeal, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, real butter, real vanilla and walnuts—making this sweet, texture-rich and ultimately irresistible.
The Ultimate Dessert Platter at The Clinkscale
Eric and Michelle Jurisin own one of Northern Arizona’s largest restaurant groups, The Haunted Group. They’ve been a part of the community for decades. Their first restaurant, The Haunted Hamburger in Jerome, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The group’s newest spot is The Clinkscale, which opened in 2020. Located on the ground floor of a boutique hotel, this modern restaurant takes its name from the historic building (constructed in 1899) it calls home. The Clinkscale manages to feel both modern and historic at once. Expect hardwood floors, leather and steel accents and exposed brick. Brunch here is always a good idea. We immediately devoured our savory and sweet Lemon Ricotta Pancakes topped with blueberry compote and maple syrup. The Original Egg Sandwich – bacon, avocado, tomato, American cheese, basil aioli – was decadent, flavorful and hearty. The rest of the menu is packed with sandwiches and salads. Dessert fans are in luck. The Clinkscale serves an epic dessert called The Ultimate Dessert Platter that would satisfy even the largest sweet tooth. This platter comes complete with beignets, flourless chocolate cake and a peach cobbler bread pudding. The entire plate is finished with sliced strawberries, blueberries and dollops of whipped cream.
