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November - February 2014-2015 DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 2015
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Questions with
PJ’s Village Pub and Sports Lounge Interview by John Johnson • Photographs by Tom Johnson
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re you looking for a place where you can have appetizers, entrees, beer, wine, and specialty drinks while enjoying entertainment? Your search ends with PJ’s Village Pub & Sports Lounge in the Village of Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona. They offer a huge dining area, open kitchen, sports memorabilia, music and one of the largest selections of TV’s in the area for watching your favorite sporting event. PJ’s is a friendly hometown bar catering to the needs of those who want to enjoy the fun and food of a pub in the vicinity of Sedona. PJ’s Village Pub & Sports Lounge began in 1999 with the purchase of the business by entrepreneurs Phil Kelley and John Ehalt. “The Pub is the Hub” and “A Local Place for Local People” became a reality and today PJ’s is one of the most popular hang-outs and eateries in Northern Arizona for locals and visitors. Their menu is a cross section of American classics and a blend of Southwest and Mexican cuisine. The Friday Night Fish Fry and Saturday Prime Rib specials are raved about by patrons, and all their beef is Certified Angus Beef. PJ’s is well-known for bar food that’s better than bar food. PJ’s “CHEERS-like” atmosphere is apparent when you walk in the door any time day or night. AZ WINE Lifestyle sat down with owner John Ehalt for a game of 21 Questions.
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What makes the Pub the hub? All walks of life in and around the Village are represented at the Pub. The Pub has become a social gathering place similar to the public houses of olde. PJ’s is a place where strangers become friends and locals and visitors are treated like family. Why do the locals hang out? The Pub provides great food, cold beer, conversation and companionship. There is a little something for everyone. november
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The Pub is a place where people come together for relaxation and laughter. Why is your bar food better than bar food? The food we serve is what I would want for my family, friends and neighbors. Our fare delivers taste, comfort and variety. We serve only “Certified Angus Beef” and select our products with care. Every item that Chef Luis prepares is homemade and as fresh as possible in our local market. What can you tell us about your Boomer Burger, PJ’s Mexican Tacos, and the Southwest Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich? Over the years I have served the “Boomer Burger” under several different names. Here in the Village I named it after Billy Mathews (aka Boomer), a good friend and true warrior (GRHS). Our love for the street food of Sonora Mexico led to our Street Tacos. They were originally made from the fat cap of our famous prime rib dinner. We need more than the fat cap now, and offer them with house made carne asada or pork carnitas. Philly is a great town with great food, but we are in the west, and with a little tweaking to the original cheesesteak sandwich and we have a mouthful of pleasure. What can you tell us about your chef and staff? Chef Luis is an awesome artist. He and the entire kitchen staff strive to combine the freshest and most cost effective dishes to offer our customers. Our floor staff is an incredible team, making every effort to ensure the best service possible. The bartenders are unrelenting in mixing top notch cocktails and providing the best entertainment and sports around. Behind the scene are the cleaning crews, ordering and maintenance. Advertising and planning are all accomplished by me, my wife Maureen, and our manager Megan. Martin is the early guy; he checks in all orders and maintains our supplies. Do you have daily food specials? We offer a daily special seven days a week. Chef Luis also AZWINE lifestyle . com
prepares an “extraordinary special” three to four times a week when we can obtain fresh seafood or special meat cuts. In addition to these awesome dishes, we also have an amazing fish fry on Fridays, prime rib dinner on Saturdays, and Happy Hour offerings. Do you also have drink specials? We have different daily specials and our bartenders can whip up some dandy libations. We have a full bar and a specialty cocktail menu to satisfy any thirst. What are some of your special events? St. Patrick’s Day is our most exciting day of the year, with traditional Irish celebration and food. We also have several events throughout the year that are not to be missed, such as: Halloween, Cinco-de-Mayo, Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve, the End of Summer Bash and our annual Chili Cook Off.
How long have you been doing this in Sedona? I have been in the Sedona area since 1993. The last sixteen years have been here at PJ’s Village Pub. Where did you get all your sports memorabilia? A considerable number of items have been donated by friends, visitors and relatives. A few items are from my own collection. Over the years it has become an ever growing reflection of the Pub and our clientele. What is your favorite sports memorabilia item in the pub? My personal favorites are the autographed baseballs by Sandy Koufax, Dusty Baker, and Jose Lima. What makes your customers keep coming back, whether they are a local or visitor? I think it is the ambiance of the Pub. We strive to maintain a peaceful and comfortable “Home Town” atmosphere. What are all those TV’s for? PJ’s is the spot for sports. With 9 screens we are able to subscribe to all of the NFL, MLB and NBA packages to promote the sports theme. Those TV’s make sure that you will never miss your favorite sports while enjoying a cold beer or a great meal at the Pub. AZWINE lifestyle . com
What can you tell us about the wine scene at PJ’s? We have exciting news on this front. We have a new wine cooler, and are working on upgrading our wine lists to better suit the desires of our wine drinkers. Will you be serving Arizona wines? Yes. As the local wine scene grows we see the need to grow with it. We are currently featuring Javelina Leap Wines. My favorite choice is Prospectors Blend. We will continue to expand in this area to meet the needs of our local wine culture. Because PJ’s is an over 21 club, what do you do about designated drivers and getting people home safe? We have a designated driver program and make every effort to ensure taxi or individual rides are available, if necessary. We do, however, ask that our customers drink responsibly. Remember to “Designate Before You Celebrate”. Do you work with charities in your community? We are very involved with the Sedona Food bank, and many of our annual events are fundraisers for local charities. We also work closely with John Cornelius every year, fundraising for the Veterans Hospital in Prescott. Tell us one deep, dark secret that makes PJ’s the happening place for all these years? The secret to PJ’s is our patrons. The “Publicans”, as we call them, inspire us to always be the best at what we do. november
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How did you get into this business? Having a place like the Pub was a lifelong dream. After years in the corporate world I had an opportunity for early retirement and we were off and running.
Can people reserve PJ’s for a large event? We can usually accommodate small to medium groups; however, we can sometimes adapt to larger groups with advance notice. PJ’s is a popular place and we do often have house events. Just give us a call and we will always do our best to meet our customers’ needs.
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Do you have live music? We have a variety of live music on alternating weekends and occasionally on weekdays. We try to provide an atmosphere of excitement and lively entertainment for all of our guests. Some of the best talent around performs at PJ’s.
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Kitchen Secrets
Photo by Tom Johnson
PJ’s Village Pub & Sports Lounge
Crab Crusted Wild Alaskan Cod with Grilled Asparagus and Baby Heirloom Tomato & Citrus Salad Recipe Serves 4 Crab Crusted Cod 4 7oz. wild Alaskan cod filets 6 oz. blue crabmeat 2 stalks celery 1 small red pepper 4 green onions 1 tbs. red onion 1 lemon (juice & zest) 1 tbs. whole grain mustard Finely dice celery, red pepper and onions. Add crabmeat, whole grain mustard, lemon juice and zest. Mix well and set aside. Arrange cod filets on a baking dish. Top evenly with crust mixture. Bake at 350° for 10 – 12 minutes, until cod is cooked through and flaky. Add grilled shrimp as desired. Baby Heirloom Tomato & Citrus Salad Dressing 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup olive oil 1 tsp. freshly snipped parsley 1 tsp. freshly snipped thyme Juice from 1 lrg. orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime and 1/2 grapefruit Salt & pepper to taste. Whisk all ingredients together. Chill until ready to serve. Salad 2 cups spring mix Approx. 15 baby Heirloom tomatoes 1 ea. segmented orange & grapefruit Place all salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss with dressing just before serving. Serve salad and crusted cod with grilled asparagus. Enjoy!
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PJ’s Village Pub & Sports Lounge 40 West Cortez, #7, Sedona, AZ 86351 928-284-2250 • pjsvillagepub.com Open Daily
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