Holiday Luncheon Friday, December 15 | 11:00am - 2:00pm Soup & Salad Bar
White Bean and Lentil Soup Roasted Corn Chowder ~ Mixed Greens & House-made Dressings Apple & Pear Orchard Salad Roasted Fall Vegetables Quinoa Cranberry & Arugula Salad
Hot Food
Assorted Artisan Bread Basket ~ Winter Squash Ratatouille Blistered Green Beans Chorizo and Cornbread Dressing Roasted Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes Mixed Grain Rice Pilaf Seared Salmon with Sherry Lobster Fricassee Chicken Dijon with Melted Leek Butter
Carvery
Cider Spiced Rotisserie Pork Loin with Apricot Chutney New York Striploin with sauce Au Poivre
Desserts
Assorted Cakes, Pies & Cheesecakes Holiday Cookies, Brownies & Bars $27.95++/Person Reservations: 928.525.1100
Call today to schedule your consult and show your legs off again this summer! Are you suffering from painful, swollen, varicose veins? Trust the leading, local Vein Specialist and Interventional Cardiologist at Mountain Heart to deliver advanced treatments and remarkable results. · Covered by most insurances and Medicare · Minimal recovery time
Your Local Vein Care Specialists
Dr. Andrew Atiemo, MD, FACC EDUCATION: Medical Education Harvard Medical School, M.D. 8/96-5/00 Post-Graduate Training Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Internal Medicine Internship and Residency Johns Hopkins Hospital Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship –6/03-6/06 Johns Hopkins Hospital lnterventional Cardiology Fellowship-6/06-6/07 Undergraduate- University
of Maryland- B.S. Program Biological Sciences, Summa Cum Laude 2007 -American Board of Internal Medicine – Board Certification in Interventional Cardiology 2007-2017 2006- American Board of Internal Medicine – Board Certification in Cardiovascular Diseases 2006-2016 2003- American Board of Internal Medicine – Board Certification in Internal Medicine 2003-2013
2000 S. Thompson St. Flagstaff, AZ 928.226.6418 www.mountainheartcares.com
Expertise and Special Interests Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Andrew Atiemo is a talented clinician, teacher and author. He has recently joined the exceptional team of cardiologists at Mountain Heart. Dr. Atiemo is also the co-founder of Heart, Mind and Soul, LLC – a health and fitness company. After completing his medical education at Harvard Medical al School, Dr. Atiemo trained ained in internal medicine at Brigham igham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital. His passion for cardiology led him to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland where he trained in general cardiology and interventional cardiology. During his time at this
world renowned center, Dr. Atiemo performed over 400 heart catheterizations and authored publications in several peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Atiemo is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Atiemo is also a member of the American Academy of Phlebotomy. When not working, Dr. Atiemo enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Where wellness and prevention are primary to your health At Northern Arizona Healthcare Medical Group – Flagstaff, the doctors, nurses and other experts at our primary care practice work together to keep everyone in your family well. With same-day visits and extended hours, we’ll fit right into your busy schedule.
Call 928-913-8800 to make an appointment.
Open 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. 107 E. Oak Ave., Ste. 201, Flagstaff
Creating healthier families…together
NAHealth.com
Calendar
ABOUT TOWN
Favorites of the month from the area’s abundant offerings in art and entertainment
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PARADE OF LIGHTS
Historic Downtown Flagstaff, 6-9 p.m. Flagstaff tradition shines with the Holiday Parade of Lights presented by Vora Financial and the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce. The dazzle begins at Beaver and Elm, continues down Aspen and then up San Francisco. Bring hot chocolate! Free.
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CHRISTMAS IN THE MOUNTAINS
Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, NAU, 3 p.m. Master Chorale of Flagstaff welcomes the Flagstaff Youth Chorale, the Harter Memorial Handbell Choir and a guest orchestra for a celebration of holiday music. Tickets are $20, discounts for seniors and students. Free for children 12 and under. www.masterchorale.net
NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVAL
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Authentic Native American art and artisans, cultural performances, raffle, photos with Santa and more. Presented by Native Americans for Community Action and the First Nations Development Institute. Free admission. www.facebook.com/NACAflagstaff
ONGOING IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: RADIO PLAY
Doris Harper-White Community Playhouse, through Dec. 17 The Theatrikos stage becomes a 1940s radio studio in an adaptation of the holiday classic that begs the question: What makes a person rich? Performances are Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets range from $13-24 plus fees. theatrikos.com
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PINE CONE DROP
Weatherford Hotel, 10 p.m. and midnight Watch and cheer as the six-foot tall lighted pine cone falls from the third floor of the historic Weatherford Hotel at the corner of Aspen and Leroux. Fireworks follow this New Year’s Eve tradition. Free.
ONGOING WINTER WONDERS
High Country Conference Center Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., through Jan. 31 The center’s art gallery showcases stained glass and watercolor works by local artists. Free admission. december17 namlm.com
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Surprise someone special this holiday.
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Over
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Voted Best Jeweler Year After Year by Arizona Daily Sun Readers 204B E. ROUTE 66, HISTORIC DOWNTOWN FLAGSTAFF,AZ 86001 PHONE: (928) 773-8914 • www.jeffkarljewelers.com
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MATTERS OF TASTE
Holiday Favorite
Tradition reigns supreme at Little America By Gail Collins
A
t the flick of a switch, one million lights flash and glow against fir branches, reflected in the glistening snow. This elicits a collective whoop of joy. It is the official kickoff to the Christmas season at Little America Hotel, where holiday happiness reigns supreme. At Christmas, we embrace the simple delights. From glittering lights to sweet smells from the oven, a child’s eye offers the gladdest view. Little America in Flagstaff caters to the child in all of us at this time of year. Beyond decorations and lights, guests can be whisked 3,794 miles to the North Pole to meet Santa and his elves. Riding a trolley through a magic portal, they are transported to the busy enterprise of toy making and reindeer training. There is private time with the bearded
man himself to make special requests plus a photo and a chance to help the elves before sipping hot cocoa by a roaring fire. This is the North Pole Experience. Since 2009, thousands of families have visited Santa this way each year. Little America brought the North Pole Experience to Flagstaff in 2012. The all-inclusive, 90-minute adventure is a multi-generational memory maker—a Norman Rockwell moment we can all live. Holiday customs have long been the backbone of Little America, and their legacy diners crowd family tables. “We harken back to home and everything wonderful,” said food and beverage manager Sally Maroney. But it’s done in a bigger way, like the giant, hand-decorated, yard-square gingerbread house.
Silver Pine's merry mule 16
Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
With five fish dishes, it’s great choice. The jumbo shrimp is lively with pesto and a smoky, spicy cocktail sauce presented on a berm of avocado and lettuce with matchstick radishes. Like the gingerbread masterpiece, built by pastry chef Vanessa Ronspies, Silver Pine’s desserts tap timeless treats. The three-layer chocolate mousse cake, wrapped in printed ganache, is palatably pretty, and the Toll House pie is a gooey cookie in pastry, served with the chef ’s award-winning ice creams. The bread pudding combines cinnamon rolls with custard for indulgence. No holiday is complete without libations, and the bar tailors them seasonally. Warm spices, cider and eggnog are incorporated with twists on standards, like the hot toddy
with cinnamon apple whiskey and brûléed lemon. A merry mule is an aromatic vodka and ginger beer with cranberry lime served in an Arizona copper mug with a rosemary sprig. The pear sidecar conjures up pie aromas in a delicate, spice-rimmed glass with a citrus curl. Go for the happiest hours—3-6 p.m. six days a week and every hour on NFL Sundays—for craft brews, wine and specialty cocktails at soft price points. Like its holiday traditions of lights and a turkey dinner, Little America Hotel respects its loyal following. Showcasing 500 acres of serenity amongst Northern Arizona’s sky, pines and peaks, this icon celebrates 44 years for all the best reasons this season.
Lit t le A merica Hotel and Silver Pine Restaurant, 2515 E . But ler Ave., (928) 779-79 0 0. On l ine at f lagsta ff.lit t leamerica.com
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The Cold Brew Ol’ Fashioned at Annex.
BY THE BOTTLE
Old-Fashioned
Revival
The heart of a cocktail is four ingredients: spirits, sugar, water and bitters.
By Nancy Wiechec
“I
t’s that simple,” says award-winning bartender Alex Veléz, who’s been stirring things up as beverage director at Southside Tavern since September. Just in time for December soirees, we asked Alex to give By the Bottle a history lesson in the old-fashioned cocktail, made fashionable again by the hit TV drama Man Men. “It’s not unusual for television to bring a cocktail back to life,” Alex tells us. “It happened with the cosmopolitan with Sex in the City.” The old-fashioned, he continues, has its roots in cocktails first documented in the 1862 book “How to Mix Drinks or The BonVivant’s Companion” by Jerry Thomas, a flamboyant personality known as the father of American mixology. In “How to Mix Drinks,” Thomas calls the cocktail a “modern invention” and suggests that the combination of spirits, sugar, water and bitters was first used as a tonic for relief from various ailments. He gives recipes for a gin cocktail and a whiskey cocktail containing the four basic ingredients. By the late 19th century, the basic cocktail was supplanted by fancier, more complex concoctions. People who favored the old-style cocktail began calling on bartenders to “make mine the old-fashioned way,” says Alex. Thus, the name old-fashioned. An old-fashioned made with whiskey has long since been an American tradition. Alex starts his old-fashioned with one turbinado sugar cube and a few dashes of bitters in a short glass. He crushes the sugar cube and adds a blend of rye and bourbon whiskeys, stirs, and then adds a handcut cube of ice, a tiny splash of soda water and a twist of orange zest warmed by the touch of a flame and dropped into the glass. “It’s the perfect example of what a cocktail should be,” he says. “It’s so simple but has complex notes and flavor.”
A flame briefly ignites the whiskey as Alex Veléz prepares a classic old-fashioned at Southside Tavern.
Wood and caramel tastes come from the whiskey, herbaceous hints from the bitters and a pop of citrus from the zest. Sugar and a dash of water bring it all together for mellow, well-rounded sipping. Oh, there’s no cherry in Alex’s old-fashioned. He said adaptations like adding orange or lemon slices, maraschino cherries and other fruits and sodas are throwbacks to the cocktail boom of the 1950s, when kitsch ruled the bar scene. Variety though is the spice of life, and every local restaurant, lounge and bar has its own take on the old-fashioned. At Annex Cocktail Lounge, Nick Williams astonishes with his Cold Brew Ol’ Fashioned made with cold-brewed Firecreek coffee, rye whiskey, barrel-aged maple syrup, two styles of bitters, a Luxardo maraschino cherry and a branded piece of orange peel. The McMillan Bar & Kitchen serves up a Rhubarb Rye Old Fashioned made tart with rhubarb bitters. And, SoSoBa presents its Smoked Orange Old Fashioned with house-made smoky orange bitters. Whatever variation is offered, you’ll know that when you imbibe an old-fashioned, you’re sipping a bit of cocktail history. december17 namlm.com
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THE ARTS
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
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THE ARTS
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
FUSD1.ORG
Get kids outside by making a school tax credit donation to Camp Colton
Camp Colton is a hallmark of the 6th grade student experience in our community. This transformative residential education program fosters resiliency, builds resourcefulness, creates enthusiasm for learning, and develops STEM skills. Created in 1971 by educators and community members, Camp Colton introduces children to the natural environment through hands-on outdoor activities. Camp Colton has served over 41,000 children and continues an important tradition of getting kids outside. “Camp Colton is a wonderful place. We learned new things and made new friends. After Camp Colton, I will be a new person. I’ll respect wildlife more than ever and I will have more confidence in myself.” - 6th Grade Camper
Support Camp Colton
Ali Bastek Photography
Support the Camp Colton experience by designating your 2017 Arizona School Tax Credit Donation to Camp Colton by April 16, 2018. Making a tax credit donation allows you to choose where your tax dollars are spent, giving you the power to invest in Camp Colton. Generating annual operating support for Camp Colton is a community effort and relies upon funding from THIS tax credit program, FUSD, Friends of Camp Colton, and individual donors. Arizona allows a tax credit of up to $200 for individuals and $400 for married couples filing jointly. Your tax credit donation ensures that the Camp Colton program remains free-of-cost for all FUSD 6th graders.
How to Donate
Online at www.fusd1.org • Choose $ Tax Credit Donations • Choose Tax Donation Payment Page • Choose an FUSD Middle School (MEMS or SMS) • Type in donation amount • Type in CAMP COLTON in the description box • Follow payment instructions
Write a check • Make check payable to Sinagua or Mt. Elden Middle • Write CAMP COLTON in the memo line • Mail or deliver check to: FUSD Tax Credit Program - Camp Colton 3285 E. Sparrow Ave., Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Questions?
Please contact Camp Colton’s. office at 928.527.6109 or mgiannola@fusd1.org
Ali Bastek Photography
Thanks for mailing or delivering your contribution and this form to: FUSD Tax Credit Program - Camp Colton 3285 E. Sparrow Ave. - Flagstaff, AZ 86004 (Please Print) Apply the enclosed donation of $____________________ to support FUSD-Camp Colton. The school I am donating through is ___________________________________________. Name: _________________________________ Address: ____________________________ City: _______________________ AZ Zip: _____________ Phone: _____________________ Email: _____________________________________________________________________ I’m a Camp Colton Alumni/Year attended:________________
Thank you for your generous support of Camp Colton!
E
ach morning Patty and Tyler Allenbaugh watch as the sun casts its warm glow upon Mount Elden and the foothills of the San Francisco Peaks. “All I could think about was the f irst day that I would wake up here,” Patty said, recalling the anticipation of living in their new home. “After all the frustrations and diff iculties, it was all about f inally getting to be here, to be able to enjoy coffee in bed while looking out at this beautiful view.” The A l lenbaugh home is located in R ain Va l ley, a delightf u l spot the couple chose for their F lagsta ff Family Fa rm, a sustainable fa rm-sha re project headed by Tyler. Completed in Aug ust, their 1, 20 0 squa refoot custom house was designed by Pat t y, who brought to the project a back ground in a rchitect ure and design, modern tastes and inspiration from tiny-home concepts.
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
“I like to say it’s a modern industrial farmhouse,” she said of the new home. Two bedrooms, one bathroom and a living room-kitchen combination make up the interior. A slanted metal roof that rises toward the mountains offers a highceiling profile that accommodates large glass windows and doors. The roof also provides cover for two outdoor patios that nearly double the living space. Noticeable from the roadside is the home’s industrial farmhouse expression. Vertical corrugated Corten siding with its natural weathering properties offers a rustic look, while large wooden beams frame the front patio and the Sierra Pacif ic sliding door entrance. Inside, the f loor plan is simple and clean w ith nat ura l elements tak ing the lead. Unf inished concrete f loor f ills the kitchen-living space. Barn doors and the master bedroom backboard feature
beetle kill pine with its unique splashes of blue and magenta hues. The small bathroom has a walkout to the back porch, where Patty intends to put an outdoor tub. The couple chose Ikea kitchen cabinets. “The secret is a professional install,” Patty noted. Ca r rera qua r tz covers t he counters a nd a la rge apron-f ront sta in less steel sin k adds f unc t iona l it y a nd st yle. On one wa l l, f loat ing boxes d isplay t reasu res t he couple has col lec ted in t hei r t ravels. A nd in t he second bed room, a row of f loat ing shelves holds book s a nd ot her fa m i l ia r objec ts. Patty said that every square foot in the house has function. “We use every room and space in this house, nothing is wasted. We love it that way.”
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
SPOTLIGHT
Spirits Master Alex Veléz Q: Until we read your bio, we had no idea bartending was a competitive sport. What do these competitions do for the craft? A: Competitions push the limits, boundaries and the creativity of the competitor. The learning experience is incomparable and that knowledge gets transfererred into bar menus, concepts and the structure of venues, elevating the craft not only locally but also around the world. Q: What’s one cocktail we’ve never tried, that we should? A: The Southside cocktail is a simple drink that is often overlooked, now that gin is trending, we can appreciate this wonderful and refreshing cocktail from the 1860s—gin, lemon juice, mint and simple syrup.
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hen someone has passion for what they do, you can see it in their eyes and hear it in their voice. Alex Veléz is one of those people, thrilled to delight his guests with masterful drinks and the stories behind them. Veléz is new to Flagstaff, but a familiar face in the world of cocktails and spirits. Originally from Puerto Rico, he pursued a degree in psychology all the while refining his skills in bartending, mixology and beverage marketing. He’s worked in Chicago, Las Vegas, Santa Fe and San Francisco. In Puerto Rico, he mixed drinks at the Parrot Club, the Caribe Hilton and Dragonfly. In Chicago, he developed beverage concepts for the Hyatt Regency and worked at the famous Checkerboard Lounge in the city’s Southside, where he served such icons as Mick Jagger and Buddy Guy. He’s been a finalist and winner of several cocktail and spirit competitions and has been featured in Food & Wine, Conde Nast, GQ, Travel & Leisure and other publications. He once served as a consultant to the Spike TV show Bar Rescue. Today, Veléz is working to reimagine the bar and dining experience at Southside Tavern. In this issue of Mountain Living, he helped us tell the tale of the old-fashioned (page 19). Q: You’ve worked in some big food and entertainment cities. How did you come to work in Flagstaff ? A: A colleague of mine, wanted to spice things up in the bar scene around Flagstaff. He sent me an invitation to come and play, and here I am. I think Flagstaff is a beautiful place that often gets overlooked. There is culture and history and a young, vibrant crowd that roams the city looking for a place to enjoy food and nightlife.
Q: You handcut and handshave ice for drinks. Why is that important? A: The act of hand cutting the ice and shaving ice is important because it shows attention to detail, care, time and dedication of the bar staff. Also, the showmanship aspect is appealing to guests. As for what it does to the drink: A big ice cube creates a slower dilution rate, making the drink or spirit consistently cold without being watered down—a better sipping experience, a total joy to the palate. Q: How can we be good bartenders when entertaining at home? A: Have everything prepared, organized and ready before your guests arrive. Make sure that safety is always f irst. As host, you are responsible for the well-being of your guests and friends. Q: What new things are in store for Southside Tavern? A: Southside will be soon changing its name to Southside Chophouse. We will be changing our happy hour, dinner and cocktail menus. We have a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu, have brought in a new general manager and have had some key people join our bar team. Our goal is to provide an upscale dining experience in a casual setting with excellent service and excellent food and drink. We hope that anyone and everyone feels that they are at home when they join us, whether they are sipping a $2 beer or a hand-crafted cocktail, whether they are enjoying one of our new appetizers or having the blue-cheese crusted, hand-cut ribeye. After the new year, we will bring things one step further by sharing the story of the Southside cocktail from its beginnings in 1866 in New York to our version here in Flagstaff. We hope to bring a new experience to Flagstaff, one that represents some of the great history of our mountain town.
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