THE SALSA FESTIVAL

We had a home base in Safford Arizona for three days . We stayed at the historic Olny house. This was a bed & breakfast built in 1890 in a Western Colonial style . Our hosts Chris and Deborah went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. They served us a wonderful breakfast. It was a very quiet and comfortable establishment. It was the perfect place to recover from our daily calorie intake.

The Salsa Festival was held Friday and Saturday. It was held in the town square of Safford. There was Salsa Tasting and a Hot Air balloon demonstration. The Hot Air Balloon's were pretty spectacular lit up in the early evening'

Saturday's highlight was the Jalapeno eating contest. I was too full to enter. It is a good thing because I think I could of been a contender. There was a salsa contest. Most of the restaurants on the trail entered. They did not enter the Usual salsa, but salsa made especially for the competition. It was a pleasant local event.

Everybody we met in Arizona was very friendly. Our visit to the Tortilla factory was a lot of fun. The Owners knew right away that we were tourists. I am wondering if my camera, plaid shorts and Hawaiian shirt gave us away. He right away brought us a steaming hot, fresh, tortillas. He invited us in the back to look at his operation.

We were watching the Raider Game at the Manor House. The 'Head Cook Joe', was taking a break and watching the game with us. He was impressed that we traveled from California. He then made us a special salsa. It was the best of our trip. He also made us spectacular dinner. We experienced a part of the country that we would of never of thought of visiting. The Salsa Trail and Festival brought us to this part of Arizona. We are a lot richer for the experience. (and a lot heavier).

SALSA TRAIL FOOD

Twelve Mexican restaurants in three day.Some food was spectacular. Some was not so hot. Not so hot literally. We noticed a lot of common themes in Mexican food in this part of Arizona.

THE FOOD

Click on the highlighted "The Food" to view pictures and narration of all the food we sampled

"The Usual" salsa

All the restaurants on the Salsa Trail serve a similar salsa. When you arrive, you were brought a basket of chips. These chips were not always fresh. It would be accompanied by two small bowls and a plastic ketchup container dispenser filled with salsa.. This salsa was no more than a tomato sauce with a slight hint of chile and oregano. There would be slight variations. Some would maybe have 'chunky tomatoes',a couple of chile flakes or some bits of green roasted chile. We never experienced any real heat. Cilantro is a rare herb around these parts. Oregano is the herb of choice. The salsa on the right is 'The Usual. The one on the left was made specially for the salsa competition.There were a few standout salsa's. "Manor House, Charo's and La Casitas were a few restaurants that had some very good Salsa.

Another Regional item was the "Cheese Crisp". Almost every place on the trail had a variation. The cheese crisp was a fried flour tortilla with usually American Cheese. Our favorite was from "La Mana" It had Green chile and cubes of pork. The dish was mild but very, very, tasty. It was almost like eating a thin crust pizza.

The last common theme noticed was American Cheese. American Cheese covered everything. Even the apple pie had American Cheese.

THE PRAGMATIC CHEF

Dancer's at the Salsa Festival


Our first stop was Phoenix Arizona. This was no easy task. It was a 12 hour drive. We were motivated

by the fact We were going to meet our good friend Scott Pinkerton. Scott is the Genius behind The Pragmatic Chef. The Pragmatic Chef is an informative and humorous blog. He shares recipes, grilling tips and food related stories. We have been a fan for several years.

We rolled into Tempe, Arizona, parched after our trek through the desert. We headed straight to the Four Peaks Microbrewery. It is a huge Cavernous warehouse located next to Arizona State University. This is the place to be. It was packed. We bellied up to the bar and had a 'Raj IPA'. It was very good. It tasted like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on steroids. This was followed by a cask conditioned Oatmeal Stout. It smelled like coffee and chocolate. I was in beer nirvana. We had to leave to make our dinner date with Scott.



We met Scott at a Restaurant in Scottsdale called the 'Carlsbad Tavern'. This place had a cave and bat theme. The temperature was 102 degrees. There were misters cooling the outside seating area. Scott arrived and we recognized each other even though we have never met. We grabbed a table and surveyed the menu. The food theme was Southwestern. Chile's were present in all the dishes. This is just what we came for. We ordered numerous items to get a taste tour. Our favorite item was the Habanero Hamburger. It lit up our mouth with a fruity delicious after burn.



It was great to finally meet Scott. We chatted like two old friends that have been apart for awhile. Of course the majority of our conversing was about food and chiles. We said our goodbyes and Scott presented us a very generous parting gift. It was some of his products. It included his special Olive Oil, Vinegar and his famous Survival Spice. Thanks Scott!!!!!!!!! We hope to see you again soon! Oh and Julie, We will cherish the pasta.

THE SALSA TRAIL

The Salsa Trail has been conquered. We achieved a lofty goal that Trencherman Extraordinaire Bozo Miller would be proud of. It was a 22oo mile journey to Eastern Arizona. We tasted and experienced the 'Salsa Trail and Festival in Safford Arizona. The Salsa Trail consisted of 12 restaurants, Chile Company and a Tortilla factory. It was 3 days of a belt expanding adventure. I had to lay on the bed to buckle my pants today. It reminded me of the 'Disco Days' when 'Angel Flight pants were the fashion.

The Salsa Trail was the brainchild of the Graham County Chamber of Commerce. You should buy the starter kit to begin your adventure. It consists of a T-shirt, hat, magnets, water and an official salsa. Once you have your kit it is time to eat.

I would like to present our journey in three parts. Tomorrow We will meet Scott Pinkerton of 'The Pragmatic Chef'. Saturday we will experience the food. There will be a slide show with a little narration of all food consumed. To conclude we will meet some of the people of Safford Arizona. We will go to the Salsa Festival. Sit back and come on a journey with us to the Salsa Trail.