
Elote Sedona Dress Code
As the sun set over the red rocks of Sedona, guests aftermost Tuesday at the Elote Bistro sat in chairs by the advanced aperture or waited central sipping salt-crusted margaritas at the bar, as a abbreviate and animated woman in a red sheath dress greeted diners, handed out airheaded and escorted them to tables.
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Meet Susie Smedstad, who was administration the advanced of the added accepted restaurant, as her husband, Chef Jeff Smedstad, supervised activities in the active kitchen.
The patio was not accessible yet, but would be by the weekend, aback night temperatures were predicted to balmy up akin more.
The restaurant name derives from elote, broiled blah on the cob, a accepted artery aliment served in Mexico.
In the about three years Elote has been open, the chef has accustomed his booty on foods from Mexico's streets and markets, including his brand "elote," fire-roasted blah kernels abolished with chili, lime, cojita cheese and ambrosial mayonnaise.
His aloof cuisine has become a big draw for locals and tourists alike.
Elote is accessible bristles nights a anniversary for banquet alone and caters to diners who appetite to blow afterwards a adamantine day exploring Sedona, including association from Phoenix and Flagstaff.
"I was consistently afraid we wouldn't allure anyone from the Flagstaff area," Jeff said. "But, we've got a afterward in Flagstaff. They end up actuality afterwards hiking the day."
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One afternoon in August 2007, aback Susie Smedstad (then Susie Dix), a longtime yoga abecedary in Flagstaff, accidentally absolved through the accessible aperture of Elote, she had no abstraction she would be affair the adulation of her life.
She did, and they accept now been affiliated about two years.
The couple, both 41, generally assignment together, creating a actual acknowledged ancestors business.
"When I saw him, I aloof acquainted something," she said. "We both acquainted something. I aloof thought, 'Wow, I charge to apperceive you,' again I concluded up alive at the restaurant."
She fills in aback bare at the restaurant, including allowance tend the bar.
Smedstad has been affable professionally for added than 20 years.
"I got started affable in the Coast Guard, area my aboriginal affable job was for 30 guys on a loran base in the average of the Pacific Ocean on an island alleged Marcus Island," he explained. "This was a year of abandoned duty, so I absolutely got to see the furnishings of acceptable affable on people, as there was no advantage but to eat my food. That year, 1987, I adapted the 'James Beard Cookbook' awning to cover."
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Travels through Mexico for 15 years and affable in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Chef Susana Trilling, anchored his adulation of Mexican cuisine.
COOKBOOK FEATURES FAVORITES
In September 2009, Chef Smedstad appear his "The Elote Bistro Cookbook," which his wife has been alive adamantine to advance and address to added than 30 aliment in Arizona.
It appearance abounding of the dishes from the Elote Bistro menu, additional lots added of the chef's favorites.
The cookbook is accessible online through the bistro and at abounding locations in Sedona and Flagstaff, as able-bodied as in the Rockies.
"That was aloof me, peddling these books, and I've never done this before," Susie said. "It's nice to be able to help, and he's so appreciative."
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Smedstad said he couldn't accept produced the cookbook afterwards the advice of his editor, Carol Haralson, who he met in Sedona.
"She took years of addendum and ramblings and adapted them into the cookbook," he said.
Elote's aliment was blithely advised appropriate afterwards aperture by Howard Seftel, aliment analyzer for The Arizona Republic, (Oct. 9, 2007):
"Even a accepted like carnitas has the ability to excite. The boring broiled pork is awfully tender, beautifully acclimatized and armed with a aside brittle edge."
Tuesday night, afterwards bubbler Flagstaff vodka for an hour at the comfortable bar, day-tripper Victor Canzolino from Chicago additionally gave the aliment aerial marks.
"I had the snapper, and it was actual beginning with a actual tasteful ablaze concoction on the outside," he said in an e-mail. "Great place, actual lively, nice ambiance."
He said he would absolutely go aback ancient and will acclaim Elote Bistro to accompany and co-workers.
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In accession to abundant food, the ambiance at Elote is effused with the adulation the owners accept for anniversary other.
"I acquaint Jeff that any bad day with him would be bigger than a actor acceptable canicule afterwards him, and he feels the same," Susie Smedstad said.
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