My friend and I went on a two day trek to the Petrified Forest National Park...Painted Desert...and Winslow, Arizona. We stayed the night in the La Posada Hotel..which I have always wanted to do. It was only appropriate to have dinner in the Turquoise Room...which have also always wanted to do. It was so enjoyable we also ate breakfast their the next morning.
Dinner:
We started with salads. Cindi ordered
the Ch’ishie Farms Summer Sumac in a cranberry-sumac dressing, garnished with
pickled beets (which Cindi asked them to hold.), grape tomatoes, cranberries
and crumbled goat cheese.
I
ordered the Southwestern Caesar – Romaine tossed in a house-made Caesar
dressing with roasted pumpkin seeds and Parmesan cheese. Garnished with roasted red peppers and a
Parmesan Crusted Cracker Bread. It was
delicious. The roasted red peppers had a
sweet taste. The Cracker Bread was
perfect to accompany the salad.
Entrée-
we both ordered the Shrimp with Pappardelle Pasta – wild caught American Gulf
shrimp tossed with fresh pappardelle pasta made by Pasta Mia, in a mild
chipotle cream sauce with peppers, corn, tomatoes, asparagus and fresh
cilantro. It was served in big bowls and
a large spoon. Perfect.
Our
waiter was Salvador. He was a most
wonderful waiter. The food was delicious
and the service was second to none.
The next morning here's what we had for breakfast:
Cindi
ordered Mary Jane’s Omelet – fresh spinach and mushroom omelet with cheddar
cheese and served with the spicy green chile breakfast potatoes. Cindi choose
the blueberry muffin which she didn’t like.
She also didn’t care for the spicy green chile breakfast potatoes...but
I tasted them…and I thought they were quite good. They were like scalloped potatoes.
I
ordered Warm Prickly Pear Cactus and Spice Bread Pudding – creamy bread pudding
mde with almonds, pine nuts raisins, cherries, cranberries, candied peel and
spice…baked and topped with prickly pear cactus syrup, whipped cream and
strawberries. It was loaded with all
those goodies. I was surprised how I was
filled up so rapidly. I loved it. Plus the presentation was beautiful.
One doesn’t have the opportunity to order this
wonderful sounding dish…so I did. I
later noticed that it was also on the dessert menu..so I am really happy to
have ordered it I was too full last
night to order dessert. Plus…this was a
fun morning meal.
The Turquoise Room
303 E. Second Street
Winslow, Arizona
(928) 289-2888
theturquoiseroom.com
Hours: Breakfast:
7–11 am
Lunch: 11–2 pm
Travelers Menu: 2–4 pm
Dinner: Starts at 5 pm;
last seating at 8:30 pm
Martini Lounge: Open until 10pm
“A
Brief History of the Turquoise Room
In 1997 Allan Affeldt
& Tina Mion acquired La Posada from the Santa Fe Railway. It had been
closed for forty years. From 1930 to 1957 the Fred Harvey dining room at La
Posada had been the finest in the region. La Posada was gutted in 1961 and
turned into regional offices for the Santa Fe Railroad. Nothing was left of the
once fabulous interiors designed by Mary Colter. Allan and Tina wanted to bring
fine dining back to the grand hotel, but nobody thought it was possible.
Allan & Tina
convinced their old friend John Sharpe to take on the project. John was one of
the most famous restaurateurs in Southern California, with fancy restaurants
all over Orange County. It took three years for them to design and renovate the
old dining and kitchen spaces and they reopened in 2000. But what would they
call the restaurant?
The Super Chief was
the deluxe train between Los Angeles and Chicago. It was called ‘the train of
the stars’ because of all the rich and famous guests. The Santa Fe Railway
commissioned their first dome cars – six ‘Pleasure Domes’ – for Super Chief.
All were built in 1950 by the Pullman Standard Company and were among the most
expensive railcars ever built. They were each named Plaza something: Plaza
Santa Fe, Plaza Lamy – and were numbered 500, 501 etc. Each one had an upper
dome lounge over the center, a starlight lounge forward (the ceiling panels
were perforated so when lit it looked like starry heavens), a step-down bar,
and a private dining room called ‘The Turquoise Room’. The Pleasure Domes would
be next to the dining car and used the same kitchen. The Turquoise Room was by
reservation only and was advertised as the finest dining on wheels. The lavish
interiors were designed by Mary Colter. Colter also designed the beautiful
‘Mimbreno Ware’ china pattern exclusively for the Turquoise Rooms. The china
was Colter’s deco interpretation of classic Mimbres pottery. The Pleasure Domes
were in Santa Fe operation 1950 -1971, then AMTRAK until 1980, and then sold to
private owners. Allan named the new restaurant The Turquoise Room as an homage
to Mary Colter and the Fred Harvey Company. At the time Allan did not know that
any of the original Pleasure Domes survived.
In 2016 the Winslow
Arts Trust found and acquired the #502 ‘Plaza Lamy’ Pleasure Dome and moved it
to La Posada for restoration. You can see it just east of the depot museum.
Since then we have acquired a number of original pieces of Pleasure Dome
furniture, which will be on display when the beautiful railcar is once again
open to the traveling public.
La
Posada and the Turquoise Room quickly built a reputation as the finest historic
hotel and restaurant on Route 66, and among the finest boutique hotels and
restaurants in the Southwest. John Sharpe was twice nominated for a James Beard
award as best chef in the Southwest for his unique interpretation of regional
and railroad classics, from Hopi Piki Bread and Navajo Churro lamb to Fred
Harvey Boilerman breakfasts. After working together for twenty years John
retired in 2020 but all of the Turquoise Room team stayed, from management to
the kitchen crew. The legacy of improbably fine dining in the high desert
continues. Thanks for being our guest!”
-Allan
Affeldt & Tina Mion
