Day 11: Striking out

As we approached Flagstaff, we decided we could stand to eat, so we pulled off on the historic Route 66. The GPS directed us to Salsa Brava, a fresh Mexican grill that had been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. As we pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, we realized the local time was only 10:15am, so they were not yet open. The other DD&D location in Flagstaff was Brandy’s Bakery, and we were sure they would be open since they served breakfast. We headed that way, but much to our chagrin, there were more than a dozen people waiting outside looking at menus when we drove into the parking lot. Not wanting to wait that long, we pulled back onto the interstate and headed east about an hour to Holbrook. A dining guide we had browsed at Barnes and Noble had suggested Joe and Aggie’s Café, a restaurant that served Mexican and American food. Unfortunately, as we passed it, we found it closed. That was the theme in Holbrook with many closed restaurants, likely due to the holiday weekend.

We finally happened upon a place called Mr. Maestas that was open, so we decided it would do. We entered an old building overrun with what my husband would call kitch (decorations), including the grill frame for an old Willy’s and several old style wagons and tricycles hanging from the ceiling. The hostess greeted us warmly and led us to a table, handing us a menu that featured a list on the front called “You know you’re having a bad day when…” and a list on the back giving mileage to other cities from Holbrook (I think that's worse than the street signs in Brady pointing us to surrounding cities!). I ordered the taco salad, and he ordered the chimichanga. My taco salad did not have a bad taste but wasn’t really anything special; it filled me up, and the guacamole was fresh. His chimichanga had quite a bit of spice, but he said it tasted good. While there, a group of 4 British tourists joined us at our large cafeteria style table; they were as confused by the choices on the menu as Americans seem to be by the choices on British menus. We were able to give them a few explanations to help them with their lunch decisions (such as the difference between a burrito and an enchilada and the fact that a chimichanga is a fried burrito), but we hope Holbrook was not a major stop on their vacation and their only experience with Mexican food in the U.S.