Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1100899
Right Top Photo: Jack Burke; Right Middle and Bottom Photos: Genie Davis The Bisbee Hospitality Group, helmed by Michael Page, is a family business whose members literally grew up in town. The charming Santiago's Mexican offers a full bar with great margaritas, and robust menu items including delicious green corn tamales, and chile rellenos. Dessert: the Mayan Chocolate Pudding. The group also owns Bisbee Coffee Company, sublimely located over a vortex, for a peaceful vibe along with your almond milk mocha latte, or Mexican hot chocolate. Beans are brewed in-house, and pastries are made onsite: try a gluten-free chocolate chip muffin or light-as-air cranberry orange scone. At Bisbee's Table, enjoy the Fresh Thai Salad with radish sprouts, cabbage, cashews, and peanut soy vinaigrette, or a Bisbee Slaw salad; the San Ramon with spinach, pears, and pecans is customizable from the standard version which includes fluffy goat cheese. There's a hearty veggie burger on the menu; gluten-free bread and pasta are always available. So are craft brews. Speaking of craft beer, a visit to the friendly Old Bisbee Brewing Company will get you a tasting menu of terrific beers with your mountain view; try the smooth brown Copper City Ale, first brewed in town in 1881, or the super-pale, champagne-like Salut. Want a bite to eat? Try the wonderful vegan chili straight from Rod Kass, owner of Bisbee's top-end eatery, Café Roka. Café Roka is destination dining — locally sourced, fine-casual. Kass serves a multi-course meal including soup, salad, sorbet, and entrée. Dishes change seasonally. We had tomato cauliflower curry soup, salad with Dijon dressing, a lemon/ lime sorbet, and vegetarian lasagna. Go vegan with the delightful Chile Poblano & Sweet Corn Risotto Cakes. Desserts are terrific, too. After a stop in Tombstone – where the past is preserved with a fun reenactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and authentic original structures are now lively tourist attractions, we moved on to Tucson. Talk about repurposed property: the McCoy Hotel was once a 1960s-era motel re-imagined with the catch phrase "Art. Wine. Coffee." From the fully restored original pool to murals on every exterior surface created by Arizona artists, you'll want to stroll the grounds to take it all in. Each room has a green tea memory-foam mattress, and organic sheets. The lobby bar serves up tasty fresh morning oatmeal with toppings from nuts to chocolate chips; coffee is Tucson- brewed; beer and wine are local, too – with one glass of either gifted to arriving guests. No visit to Tucson would be complete without a stop at Old Tucson, nestled at the foot of the Saguaro Mountains. Step back in time at authentically preserved old film sets, learn about filmmaking history and Arizona lore; ride a stagecoach, and thrill to stunt fights. Dine on delicious vegan jackfruit BBQ at Big Jake's. At the Tucson Art Museum, we loved Carlos Estevez' Entelechy, capturing human spirituality through metaphysical works; Arizona artist Patricia Carr Morgan's immersive Blue Tears movingly reveals the fragility of un- replenished glacial ice. Explore nature yourself at Saguaro National Park – enjoy expansive views, native hieroglyphs, and terrific hikes amid the saguaros. Our second night's stay was right at the park's doorstep: Cat Mountain Lodge, an eco-friendly B&B in a vintage ranch setting. Hiking and biking trails, burbling fountains, and a small sculpture garden are at your doorstep; each unique room features lush, local heirlooms and artwork. For a final Arizona meal, the original family-run El Charro is a 95-year tradition of abundant, fresh, and flavorful Mexican food. We visited the buzzing, modern El Charro del Mar. At all the small chain's locations, there's a new item on the menu with a planned national roll-out – it's already available at Maryland's Baltimore- Washington International Airport. That item is vegan, which owner Ray Flores calls "the future of food." It's a delicious, protein-rich hemp tamale, with a textured, nutty flavor that includes hemp, flax, and chia seeds. It goes great with a Prickly Pear Margaratini. Dessert? Champagne fried strawberries. It's a perfect meal – for Arizona explorers, and the planet. So, if you are looking for an easy, eco-friendly get-away, visit Arizona! This time of year is just perfect! Right Top Photo: Jack Burke; Right Middle and Bottom Photos: Genie Davis with spinach, pears, and pecans is customizable from the standard version which includes fluffy goat cheese. There's a hearty veggie burger on the menu; gluten-free bread and pasta are always available. So are craft brews. Speaking of craft beer, a visit to the friendly Old Bisbee Brewing Company will get you a tasting menu of terrific beers with your mountain view; try the smooth brown Copper City Ale, first brewed in town in 1881, or the super-pale, champagne-like Salut. Want a bite to eat? Try the wonderful vegan chili straight from Rod Kass, owner of Bisbee's top-end eatery, Café Roka. Café Roka is destination dining — locally sourced, fine-casual. Kass serves a multi-course meal including soup, salad, sorbet, and entrée. Dishes change seasonally. We had tomato cauliflower curry soup, salad with Dijon dressing, a lemon/ lime sorbet, and vegetarian lasagna. Go vegan with the delightful Chile Poblano & Sweet Corn Risotto Cakes. Desserts are terrific, too. After a stop in Tombstone – where the past is preserved with a fun reenactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and authentic original structures are now lively tourist attractions, we moved on to Tucson. Talk about repurposed property: the McCoy Hotel was once a 1960s-era motel re-imagined with the catch phrase "Art. Wine. Coffee." From the fully restored original pool to murals on every exterior surface created by Arizona artists, you'll want to stroll the grounds to take it all in. Each room has a green tea memory-foam mattress, Arizona artist Patricia Carr Morgan's immersive Blue Tears movingly reveals the fragility of un- replenished glacial ice. Explore nature yourself at Saguaro National Park – enjoy expansive views, native hieroglyphs, and terrific hikes amid the saguaros. Our second night's stay was right at the park's doorstep: Cat Mountain Lodge, an eco-friendly B&B in a vintage ranch setting. Hiking and biking trails, burbling fountains, and a small sculpture garden are at your doorstep; each unique room features lush, local heirlooms and artwork. For a final Arizona meal, the original family-run El Charro is a 95-year tradition of abundant, fresh, and flavorful Mexican food. We visited the buzzing, modern El Charro del Mar. At all the small chain's locations, there's a new item on the menu with a planned national roll-out – it's already available at Maryland's Baltimore- Washington International Airport. That item is vegan, which owner Ray Flores calls "the future of food." It's a delicious, protein-rich hemp tamale, with a textured, nutty flavor that includes hemp, flax, and chia seeds. It goes great with a Prickly Pear Margaratini. Dessert? Champagne fried strawberries. It's a perfect meal – for Arizona explorers, and the planet. So, if you are looking for an easy, eco-friendly get-away, visit Arizona! This time of year is just perfect!