Roadtrip - El Gato Azul, Prescott, Arizona

Right after our last trips to France, "Home", Taiwan, and before out latest trip to CDMX and Guadalajara.....whew, am I behind on my travel posts or what? We decided to revisit Santa Fe and a couple of other places. One of the towns I always wanted to visit is Prescott. You know me a oddball history, right? Turns out that Prescott was twice the Capital of Arizona; first between 1864 to 1867 and then from 1877 to 1899. Much of the reason was due to the prosperous mining of gold and silver in the area. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and Virgil Earp were residents of Prescott (though Wyatt Earp was also a San Diego resident for a while). Anyway, I thought a stop in Prescott on the way to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos might be a fun stop.

I got our accommodations set at the Motor Lodge which was a few blocks from the main square of Prescott and I'm glad we stayed here. Each unit was sort of a vintage "boutique" motel unit.

We loved the patio area and it was a one bedroom unit with a small kitchen; which we didn't use, but appreciated. The place was very comfortable!

And one of my favorite posters ever!

The staff was really friendly and nice as well.

The Motor Lodge
503 South Montezuma St.
Prescott, AZ 86303

After taking a nice break, we headed off to our dinner destination. The main street in Prescott is South Montezuma Street and it heads past the main square, Courthouse Plaza where the impressive Yavapai County Courthouse is located.

We took a turn on West Goodwin Street, right at the beginning of Prescott's Whiskey Row, which I would quickly check out the next morning. A couple of blocks down was our destination. El Gato Azul. We were about 15 minutes early for our 530 reservation and there was a line outside the restaurant! We got a table outside on the patio area. Man, the place was packed! It seems like folks eat early in Prescott. The hostess seemed a bit stressed and was short with folks but the rest of the staff was very friendly and we started with some cocktails.

The menu was an "interesting" fusion of Spanish-Mexican-European-you name it, fusion-tapas like dishes.

We placed our order and the first to arrive was the "Mediterranean Nachos" ($10).

This would end up being our favorite dish of the night. The combination of briney Kalamata Olives, pungent pickled Garlic, Milky Mozzarella, meaty artichoke hearts, and pickled onions on crisp tortilla chips was quite refreshing. The Chimichurri was mild, but that was probably for the best as it let all the ingredients "sing".

Next up was the Chorizo Hash ($9).

The Yukon Gold potatoes were nice and sweet, but the chorizo was very mild in flavor, lacking spice and herbaceous smokiness that we enjoy in a good chorizo. Not sure about the overly chewy baguette either and the so called "pico de gallo" didn't add much to the dish. In fact, we asked if there was hot sauce available and two bottles were provided.

Both were quite tasty; but for us the habanero hot sauce was spicy-acidic, with a nice smoky-fruitiness we enjoyed. This was our "crutch" for the rest of the meal.

Interesting thing to note. The place was packed with folks waiting in line when we arrive at 515. By 6pm it was starting to empty out!

Next up were Green Chili Carnitas ($9). Which were basically pseudo carnitas tacos.

The flour tortillas were too thick, almost like a pseudo pita of sorts. The carnitas were slightly porky, but needed more salt and seasoning. Plus the meat to cabbage/tortilla ratio was skewed in favor of the latter. We must have used half the bottle of hot sauce on this.

The last item to arrive was the "Guacamole Pizza" ($11), which should probably be called a overly-cheesed pita.

The pita was decently crisp, though it said cumin fried pita on the menu, it could have used a larger dose of cumin. Not enough guacamole for our taste and this definitely needed more salt as well.

The meal started quite well, and the staff, other than the surly hostess were so nice. We loved the vibe and the meal started well. Good thing we had those bottles of hot sauce as they saved the meal.

Here's a photo of the very pretty front of the restaurant I took the next morning.

El Gato Azul
316 West Goodwin St.
Prescott, AZ 86301

There was a silver lining to this visit though. From our seats on the patio, we noticed this stream and a little path along it.

As we left the restaurant, we noticed stairs headed down to the trail along the creek.

Apparently this is Granite Creek. And according to the City's website, the area along what is called the Granite Creek Corridor is being "protected and enhanced" to ensure its sustainability.

We strolled Northward. It was a pleasant walk.

Until the point the creek was emerging from under West Willis Street. We then got back to street level and strolled back to our accommodations.

While we didn't see too many folks out and about; those we saw would greet us with a smile and "hello".

And there seemed to be a sense of humor present as well.

Yes, Prescott, Arizona!

Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

[MikeC]

Yeah, my experience in Arizona, New Mexico and Western Texas is that their tortillas are universally thick and pillowy, like pita. Don’t even bother trying to find a “burrito sized” tortilla like anything you’d find in San Diego.

[Kirk]

We'd actually get some good tortillas at one of stops in Santa Fe Mike! Though it was an James Beard awarded restaurant.....so that might explain that!

[Som Tommy]

Good looks good. To bad it didn’t deliver

[kat]

beautiful path!

[Junichi]

Love the little free library in front of the restaurant! Good thing the hot sauce delivered.

[Kirk]

I know ST!

We enjoyed the after dinner stroll Kat!

The hot sauce saved the meal Junichi! We should have found the shop that sold that brand.