August Music Line up:
August 4th- Rumbassa – World Fusion with Joel Rieck and Friends
August 11th - Brian Demarco, Dave Logan, and Friends
August 18th – Rumbassa – World Fusion
August 25th – Brian Demarco, Dave Logan, and Friends
Come join us as we support local music artists.
9-11 pm
Cocktails, Tequila, Tapas, and more…
I believe art is something that can be a personal and unique experience for everybody. Art can take people to a place that is all their own and it is a means of sharing with the world those things that the mind could never find words for. It’s a shame when people think that they have no business unleashing their creativity through art because they think they aren’t “good” at it. Not everyone is a great singer but we all sing in the shower at times because it feels good and that song couldn’t wait any longer. I believe the concept is the same for art. It is better to first make sure that your art is satisfying you and expressing everything that you wanted through your own style instead of worrying if it is “good” to others. Art has a lot to offer to those who approach it fearlessly and uninhibited by what others may think. I have been painting for three years and have found it to be a wonderful escape with always something new to learn. I have tried oil, watercolor, and acrylic and love them all. I am moved to create art with a whimsical feel and I my best creations are made when I put the idea of painting for an audience far out of my mind. I want art to be a part of me for the rest of my life and plan to make it apart of my elementary teaching career once I graduate from NAU. I’d love to travel and soak up inspiration and ideas for my art from as many people and places as I can. I am very grateful to the people in my life who have been an inspiration to me and have made my life very colorful. Thank you very much for looking at my pieces and if you only had to take away one thing from them I hope it is inspiration for the artist in yourself to create
-Gabrielle Mills
Pancho and Anna labeling wine bottles, by hand.
It had been 7 months since my last working vacation to Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez, Colorado. It was time to go back. With me is Bartender/Server Anna Timberlake learning life on the Ranch and a little hard work. This winter as everybody knows was a doozy! Well the vines had a rough time too. “Pancho”, Jesus Castillo (Vineyard Manager), and Joe Buckle (Winemaker) took the vineyard to the limits of Organic farming. Fires on every row to help the vines from freezing, some still have damage. Long nights, careful planning, and plenty of tequila, nursing these 15 year old vines to produce for another year. See you at Harvest!
The Chardonnay Vines
Anna "Brushing" the Chardonnay Vines
John Sutcliffe, Anna, and Caramia
Criollo is please to feature the photography of Coral Zayas through the month of May. Be sure to come by Criollo next Friday, May 7, between 6pm and 9pm, to see her work in person and celebrate Flagstaff’s (in)famous First Friday Art Walk!
Coral is a relatively newcomer to Flagstaff, she arrived in July 2009 to be the AmeriCorps VISTA Coordinator for the Northern Arizona College Resource Center. In her time in Flagstaff she is now the Program Coordinator for the joint NAU/ Flagstaff Family YMCA collaboration in this effort to provide a new college resource center facility for Northern Arizona Residents with information regarding the college admissions and financial aid process. In her spare time Coral follows her interest in dance and is part of the social dance community in Flagstaff, she enjoys spending her free time attending as many dance events as possible and is known for her interest in Latin Ballroom as well as expanding into the ballroom and occasionally the tango community in town.
Coral was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and grew up in the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex. She attended college at Elon University in North Carolina and earned her bachelors in International Studies with an emphasis in Latin America. Her interest in volunteering grew while in college and she expanded her horizons into the education, international development and philanthropy fields. She is currently a Citizen Effect Citizen Philanthropist and fundraises to support multiply school projects in rural Peru. The sales of her artwork fund these projects and by supporting her today you are not just supporting an amateur photographer but you are also providing an opportunity for students around the world to have access to a quality education. Photography has been an interest for Coral for many years and she is excited to have the opportunity to host her first gallery show at Criollo Latin Kitchen, a perfect spotlight for photographs that showcase the beauty of Latin America and its culture.
In the future Coral hopes to continue to be able to make even a small impact on the lives of students in Latin America by continuing to support organizations that help provide improved access to education in the region where her heart is. She also hopes to continue in the education field and hopefully some day go onto graduate school, where she hopes to continue to study her main interest areas: Latin American education and social policy, citizen philanthropy and volunteerism, and education access issues in the US. She hopes that her interest in giving back becomes contagious and that other individuals realize the power of the individual and learn to give back to issues they care deeply about.
Coral is the daughter of Anibal Zayas and Maria Velez, and has a brother Eddie, who is currently finishing his first year of college.
Anyone who has dined at Brix or Criollo over the last few years is probably aware that we source as much of our produce as possible from McClendon Farms in Peoria, Arizona. I always like to consult Bob McClendon before a menu change and with the upcoming summer season I thought that I would pay him a visit and get some ideas.
The first thing that struck me as I drove to Bob’s was the topography. There were no farms in sight; in fact, I drove through about 20 miles of strip malls and development before coming to a ten foot wall with a large electric gate. Hidden behind the gate I found a 25-acre oasis of citrus trees, beehives, lettuces, and an array of heirloom vegetables where some of the best chefs in the southwest come to stock their kitchens.
When I got out of the car I was greeted by a tall, suspenders-clad man who looked at least fifteen years shy of his 77 years…a testament, I believe, to his organic diet and obvious love for how he makes his living. He drove me around in a golf cart and we looked at the departing crops: the citrus, carrots, beets, chard, broccoli, and radishes that filled out our winter menus.
We talked about the crops that were just getting started and what we could expect to see in the coming month: tomatoes, eggplant, basil, sweet corn, squash and zucchini. As we roll into our first summer season with Criollo, I asked Bob about upcoming produce that may fit our new Latin concept. Bob recommended okra, micro cilantro, and sweet Patron & Shishito peppers. He also told me that squash blossom quesadillas were one of his favorite ways to prepare the upcoming crop.
So, while you can expect to see the return of ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms at Brix, you can be sure that we are going to give Bob’s favorite a try along with sautéed okra and padron peppers down at Criollo. We thank Bob for his amazing dedication to growing the best produce in the southwest and for making our cuisine that much better by allowing us to feature it. And we hope that you will be by soon to see for yourself.
Thanks,
Chef Dave
The Arizona Daily Sun featured us in a recent article, “Criollo Cuisine.”
Check it out, and leave a comment for us!
(On the Daily Sun site or here on the blog.)
Criollo has new hours:
Lunch
Monday – Friday
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dinner
7 Nights
4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Brunch
Sat & Sun
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Late Night Tapas
Friday & Saturday
10 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Also, our good friends at McClendon’s Select Organic Produce wrote about Criollo in their blog recently. Check it out here: Warming Up in Flagstaff
‘Til next time!
Monday 12/14:
$3 Mojitos, $2 Baby Cubano Sandwiches
Tuesday 12/15:
$2 Tecate, $3 Fish Tacos
Wednesday 12/16:
$3 Margaritas, $2 Tacos Ropa
Thursday 12/17:
$3 Cava Cocktails; $2 Ceviche
Friday 12/18:
$3 Modus Hoperandi, $2 Spanish Sliders
Saturday/Sunday:
$3 Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, & Cava Cocktails
Everyday:
$3 Sangria
Six weeks of frenzy has led to this……Criollo is now open for business!!
Website coming soon.
Hours:
Monday – Friday
11 am – 12 am
Saturday
9 am – 12 am
Sunday
9 am – 10 pm
