Coffee Pot Restaurant | Dahl & DiLuca

Saturday - 1 June 2002: Sedona, Arizona - We have heard a common problem in the vortex is insomnia.  Because of all the energy buzzing about, some people may have a difficult time sleeping. I normally sleep like a log and the minute my head hits the pillow, I am out. Not in Sedona. I must be absorbing all the energy because I am awake 4 or 5 times each night. Not enjoyable! I am a reasonable, though spiritual, person, and can't really believe there is more "energy" here than anywhere else - but it is a poser. DT is having no trouble sleeping here at all.

Anyway, I was so excited because I slept straight-through from 4:40 (last time I looked at the clock) until 7:15! It was a bit cloudy and I was hoping it would be a bit cooler, but no luck. By the time we got out of bed and put the coffee on, the clouds were gone and it was going to be another scorcher. (The temperature did only get to 90 today though.) DT went for a run before it became too hot and I had plans to make a nice pancake breakfast, but we noticed our batteries were low and since we were plugged into 50 amp service, something was wrong. And, since we had gone ONE FULL DAY without anything going wrong with the motorhome... DT decided maybe he needed to clean the battery connections again. It takes about one hour, but I can now happily report we are charged-up and all systems (except the engine thermostat) are GO. To clean the connections, we must unplug the coach and turn-off all power systems. Then each battery - we have 6 - has to be unhooked and the bolts and connectors must be cleaned in a baking soda solution, rinsed and reattached. Poor baby was working up a sweat AFTER his run! We are eternally grateful to the nice electrician, camped next to us at Mt. Lassen last July, for teaching "us" how to clean the battery connections! I gave them a home-made pizza, but in hindsight, it wasn't nearly enough in trade.
 
We had heard there was a Farmers Market at Tlaquepaque today, so we wanted to get over there. I even brought my camera, in hopes of taking photos of mounds of fabulous, colorful produce. What a joke! There was a Hawaiian guy playing slack guitar (in all honesty, he was very good), two guys selling honey (some of which was from even from Arizona), a baker selling muffins, a guy selling bananas (obviously NOT from Arizona) and a woman selling candied almonds. Not exactly the type of Farmers Market I am used to in Oregon... but, we were at Tlaquepaque for a mission - Lisa wanted a certain style of turquoise necklace. The shop we wanted to visit was closed last night, so we went again today and were happy to find several nice things for several nice girls. I do a fair share of economic stimulation and I can tell you, the shop keepers in Sedona are happy for your business. I think the economy may have taken a bit of a hit lately... we have heard since 9/11 tourism is down... you wouldn't know it from the traffic in Sedona... but none-the-less... they take your money with a smile and give you a discount.
 
After all this RV repairing and shopping, it was well after noon and we needed breakfast, so we headed uptown to the Coffee Pot Restaurant - famed for their 101 omelet's. The cafe sits in front of a famous coffee-pot-shaped red rock formation. Mary suggested we eat the Coffee Pot Restaurant. What a fun place - with crazy, colorful decorations of gigantic kachina dolls on the wall. People in Sedona are very friendly. We had a conversation with a local about the golf courses. Actually, she struck-up a conversation because she admired my purse! No, not the new, medium version - but a different, new, brown tote! Since they have no "department stores" in Sedona, they hungrily search for ways to shop. I told her to dot.com it! She also told us that after living here for 20 years, they may have to leave as they are getting older and there is little medical care here.

A number 50 - chiles, tomato & cheese with home fries and a biscuit

They feed you well at the Coffee Pot. The menu - breakfast all day - is so large it is printed on an 8-page newsprint tabloid. Omelets are ordered by number-only, please - no substitutions!  101 combinations are available and if you are not interested in the usual ham and cheese variety, they also offer such variations as jelly omelets and also a guacamole omelet. You also have your choice of grits, hash browns or home fries and toast or biscuit. I had a #50 - chilies, tomatoes and cheese - with home fries and a biscuit. The biscuit was absolutely the best I have ever had. Seriously. It was so fluffy, it must have been made with pure lard. It was more like a cakey-shortbread than a biscuit. Grandma could not have made a biscuit this tasty. DT tried #73 - turkey, green peppers, avocado and Swiss cheese - with grits and sourdough toast. DT says we must have been in a vortex, as the food was so tasty and - with coffee and juice - it was only $15 for two. "Can't beat 'dem grits."

Later, we took a drive south on 179 to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built in 1956 by Marguerite Brunwige Staude, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. This modern landmark, with a huge cross on the facade, rises between two red-rock peaks. All the guide books say it is "non-denominational", but it is operated by the Phoenix Roman Catholic Archdioceses. There was some sort of prayer service going-on, so we did not intrude too much. We visited the gift shop, which carried a vast array of mezuzahs and menorahs, so that is some sort of crazy Archdiocese. The photo below is for my Mother-in-Law, who just adores this chapel.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross


Snoopy Rock

We have been hearing about Snoopy Rock since we have arrived in Sedona. We even thought we had found it several times - I convinced DT it was next to Coffeepot Rock... but I was WRONG. (First time ever.) Finally, we found the rock formation - which with enough beer and squinting, kinda looks like Snoopy laying on his back. As a beagle owner, I should have spotted it right away. I feel ashamed, but here it is for your enjoyment!

Tonight we had reservations at Dahl & DiLuca - a pretty famous restaurant in Sedona. It is operated by a husband-wife team. Dahl & DiLuca lived up to all its accolades. We had to wait in the lounge for a moment, but had a fun time chatting-up the locals. The restaurant does not have a bad table - it is a large, open dining room. Lisa Dahl greets every table and also sang several songs with the pianist. We tried our favorites for starters: Caprese and Caesar salads. The soup of the day was, for some strange wonderful reason, Gazpacho. It was wonderful - nearly as good as my recipe and was topped with tortilla strips. DT had the special pasta - tomato fettuccini with all sorts of seafood - salmon, mussels, calamari. shrimp and clams -- and I went "normal" (for once) and tried their chicken parmesan. DT said his pasta was outstanding, and my chicken parmesan was divine. Dahl & DiLuca is really a wonderful restaurant, with a friendly ambiance and an interesting decor. We happily recommend Dahl & DiLuca.

RV Park: Rancho Sedona RV Park