Eat Here-Barking Frog Grille

Yes, here it is-another restaurant review. I may start doing this full-time instead of cooking at home...back in November, my husband and I had dessert at a restaurant in Sedona called the Barking Frog. I know the name is a little off-putting, but we had passed it a few times and decided to give it a try. We had the churros, and they were really good. We really liked the ambiance of the restaurant, so we decided we would go back again.
We ended up eating there for our anniversary. The staff was very friendly, and we were notified by the hostess that there were two dining rooms. In one there are no hamburgers or children- I have to say I chose that one.

Large fireplaces give the room a wonderfully homey feel, but don't let that fool you. The service and food are definitely first class. The menu has a southwestern-French feel. It may sound odd, but it actually works quite well. We started out with rotisserie chicken nachos. Before that made it to our table, the chef sent out a small appetizer that was a bite of caprese, drizzled with a cilantro pesto instead of the traditional basil pesto. It was amazing. The mozzarella was fresh and delicious, and the cilantro pesto was very good.
The nachos arrived in a timely fashion and they were piled high with fresh guacamole and queso fundido. The guacamole had fresh corn in it, which I love, and the nachos were layered with a delicious chili.  We were very pleased. The next thing to make its way to our table was  refreshing lime sorbet, sent out as a palate cleanser between courses. It was a few small bites (or just one, if you are my husband) and it was very good.
We ordered the lamb porterhouse, and I have to say it was fantastic. There were two porterhouse lamb steaks on the dinner, served with sweet potato fries and a latke. The lamb had a finely chopped green apple chutney, which was also very good and complimented the lamb perfectly. I had ordered it medium-rare, and it was cooked to perfection. There was none of the gaminess that sometimes accompanies lamb, just a deliciously seasoned, tender and flavorful piece of meat. My husband and I weren't wild about the sweet potato fries, but that's just preference. I really liked the latke, it was also lightly seasoned and complimented the lamb well.
Unfortunately, we didn't have room for dessert, but I am glad we had the churros and ice cream the last time we were there. They had a delicious looking selection of desserts, and we will probably make our way out there again just for that.

Barking Frog Grille
2620 W. Arizona 89A
Sedona, AZ 86336
928.204.2000

Barking Frog Grille

Eat Here-The Rose Restaurant

A few weeks back my husband and I decided to spend a night away from the kids. We really needed it, it has been quite a while. We were supposed to go away for a weekend in August, but extenuating circumstances prevented that, so it got postponed and shortened. My husband found a restaurant for us to visit, somewhere new for us to try out.
The Rose Restaurant in Prescott, Arizona is inconspicuous. It occupies a house that has a nostalgic look about it. As you enter, there is a lovely little area that was a household foyer in a former life. You might be greeted by the owner, a sweet middling woman from the midwest. She makes the place. She greets each patron at their table, announces the specials, and pushes her homemade pies. She bakes the pies herself, and that evening we had the privilege of sampling her handmade pecan pie. But I will tell you about that later.

The restaurant is sprawled across the ground level of a spacious house, with tables and chairs situated perfectly in the now-open rooms. There are enough seats to make you feel like there are other people around, but not so many that the room lacks privacy.
The restaurant has a definite French flair, but classy, updated decor keeps it feeling fresh. The menu holds traditional offerings, many with an updated twist.
We started with the Brie and roasted garlic, it was delicious. My husband thinks it was the best brie he has ever had. It was cooked to perfection, as was the roasted garlic, a creamy, delicious addition to the platter. There were actually a couple of appetizers I wanted to try, but I wasn't sure if he would like all of them.
We settled on the prime rib and lobster tail. My husband and I are not really big eaters, so usually if we have a starter, meal and dessert, we split all of it between the two of us.
The prime rib came with fresh veggies and a potato gratin dish, both were delicious, but the prime rib was stunning. Cooked to perfection and so tender! The horseradish sauce was perfect, and the lobster tail was divine. Everything was seasoned perfectly, in my opinion.
We ended with a slice of pecan pie, one of my favorites, and it was perfect. I know I have used that word many times, but there are no other words like it! If I had a restaurant, I would model it after the Rose Restaurant. It is definitely on my list of places I want to return to, and I would recommend it again and again.

The Rose Restaurant
234 South Cortez Street
Prescott, AZ 86303-3939
(928) 777-8308

Eat Here-Picazzo's

On our recent trip to Sedona, Arizona, we ate at a lovely little restaurant called Picazzo's. The full name is actually Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen. The main thrust of the restaurant is, obviously, organic, but you also have gluten free options.
We had a late lunch so we just planned to have some dessert, but the aroma of freshly baked pizza overwhelmed us and we decided to split a small one. We had the classic, it was topped with organic pesto, ricotta, mozzarella and Italian sausage.
After just a few minutes our pizza arrived. The crust was thick and chewy, reminiscent of fresh baked french bread. The pesto was absolutely delicious, and we made short work of the pizza. The service was very good, although they were a bit busy, especially for a Tuesday night, so we did not see our waitress as much as I would have liked.
I was really in the mood for chocolate (weird, huh) so we ordered a gluten-free brownie, topped with organic vanilla bean ice cream. It was alright, but it really reminded me of diet food and I am not a big fan of diet food. Don't get me wrong, I would eat there again and I probably will the next time we travel out here. I give the place four stars out of four. The food was good, it was not expensive, the pizza we split was fifteen dollars and for about twenty-five we had a decent meal. That is comparable to Chilis, who is not organic, gluten free or local. By a long shot.
I say, bravo, Picazzo's!