Page 39 - the NOISE November 2013

sanctuary for taste Buds
the chefs at mountain oasis reveal a Bold new menu
story by steel Wotkyns photo by Mike Frankel
the first place I remember eating when I came to Flagstaff 14 years ago was downtown at Mountain Oasis. All these
years later and with owners Jeff Opper & Linda Kouragian running it, Mountain Oasis is still a quintessential haven with a full bar, good food and a relaxing atmo- sphere.
Ms. Kouragian & Mr. Opper have recent- ly added an exciting new dinner menu featuring world flavors with many tempt- ing new dishes to accompany some en- trees that locals insisted stay on the menu.
The two were working in Florida at an upscale steak and potatoes place when Mr. Opper found Mountain Oasis while vacationing here. “We wanted to offer the best food for the best price – the tastes that we love to share with people,” says Ms. Kouragian. “We always wanted our own place. I had never been out here. Jeff is the one who found it.”
The two business partners took over and bought Mountain Oasis in the first part of summer 2001 from then-owner, John Bifano. Ms. Kouragian mentions, roll- ing her eyes, “Yeah, that was right before 9/11.”
Besides its perfect location in what I consider the very heart, the chakra cen- ter of Flagstaff if you will, Mountain Oasis also stands out because of variety. “You can sit four people down at a table: one vegan, one vegetarian, one seafood lover and one steak lover – everyone can get something they love,” explains Ms. Koura- gian. “It doesn’t matter what walk of life you choose.”
For example, on the new dinner menu there’s Brazilian Steak, a chili and herb- rubbed ribeye number grilled and topped with fresh fruit salsa. Then, a few lines
down, the hungry patron will spot, a Szech- uan Braised cod: it’s braised with a chili ginger sauce, served with fresh beans. Here’s one for a now-salivating vegetarian: Red Thai curry made up of a curry peanut sauce and red Thai peppers with your choice of protein (chicken, shrimp, or tofu for folks like this veggie), your choice of spicy heat accompanied by sautéed green beans and brown rice and beans. Geez, maybe I shouldn’t be writing this story this close to mealtime – is it just me or do others find it difficult to write when your mouth is watering so much? ...
But, okay, back to the red Thai curry: “I make my own red Thai curry sauce,” says Ms. Kouragian, so spicy or mild rules the day.
“Now they can have it as hot as they want.” “We also try not to be too expensive so
people can enjoy it,” Ms. Kouragian says over- all of the Mountain Oasis menu, adding their prices are “just right.”
While mind-boggling choice and variety are very fun for the patron, the new Mountain Oasis dinner menu is often different for the restaurant’s chefs.
“It’s challenging too,” expounds Mr. Opper. “It’s a curse and a blessing.” He mentions the chef will “get slammed” with several orders at once – and there are many of the new ones to prepare. However, there are many upsides
and certainly that’s so for patrons.
“We can go with local produce and what’s
in season,” Mr. Opper says. “In the restaurant field right now it’s more challenging — peo- ple are trying to stay away from things,” he ex- plains. For example gluten and wheats are a big “no-no” for some patrons with their diets.
“My first year here I had a lady call up and complain about the garlic in our mashed po- tatoes,” recalls Mr. Opper.
Really? I love garlic in mashed potatoes – see there you go, I’m getting that watery
mouth effect again. So that led us into an aside about garlic. Ms. Kouragian said she’s heard of a dessert that was elephant garlic covered in chocolate and because the ele- phant garlic doesn’t have that bite, it’s milder, and the combination worked. That got me thinking about just getting a few heads of garlic and baking them. Yum, well, anyway ...
Another thing about Mountain Oasis is its atmosphere, a restaurant that truly has a vibe, a relaxing, inviting dining space due in large part to the healthy semi-tropical flora provid- ing a center aisle to the eatery’s floor plan. But it’s also about the small details in décor, and the ever-changing local art on the walls.
Mountain Oasis is renowned for its juices and smoothies from a full fruit bar. “A lot of people come in and have those for their breakfast,” says Ms. Kouragian. She can add things including vitamins, spirulina, protein powders — even peanut butter. “We also do the soy dream, the rice dream and we have fruit yogurt for smoothies.”
This marvelous downtown restaurant, open from 11AM to 9PM for lunch and dinner, enjoys a diverse array of patrons. When asked about locals, Ms. Kouragian says there are quite a few that make the “Mountain O” their dining room away from home. “We’d like to have more, of course,” she adds. “There’s still a lot of people who just don’t come downtown and they’ve lived here for 20 or 30 years.”
“We get people from everywhere — it’s amazing the people we’ve met over the years,” observes Ms. Kouragian. She imparts neat anecdotes about locals and how that has factored into recent menu changes and how a few menu items have become mainstays.
“There’s a local chiropractor who came in for eight years and ordered the same thing every time,” reminisces Mr. Opper.
With Flagstaff as a gateway to Grand Can-
yon and other world-class attractions on the Colorado Plateau, Mountain Oasis attracts people from all over the world.
“We have people who have been looking forward to coming to Flagstaff just to eat here,” says Mr. Opper. “We’re in a lot of travel books.” At least one Mountain Oasis desert has an international follow- ing as well. “Our crème brûlée is probably the best people have had,” says Mr. Op- per. The restaurateurs have had people in from France who have said the crème brûlée is more exquisite than back home.
I had this insight into the window of Mountain Oasis and how challenging and
“always-on” being in the restaurant busi- ness in Flagstaff would be. Mr. Opper was doing payroll and preparing to open on the first day I visited. Ms. Kouragian was chopping up a yummy looking garnish, maybe ginger? when I came back for a fol- low up question. But, with all of that, the pair seems undaunted; the food – high- lighted by the new dinner menu – is much more than worthy for locals and visitors. “We’re actually offering better quality food,” says Mr. Opper.
As the seasons change, the two are looking ahead, at least a little, and Mr. Opper reveals that when they do holiday meals, like for New Year’s Eve, “We’ll have six or seven specials for that night. We
‘wow’ people. I had someone call for New Year’s Eve yesterday.”
Mountain Oasis, with its global cuisine & juice bar, is at 11 East Aspen • 928-214-9270.
| Steele Wotkyns is an aspiring writer & principal of the public relations firm, WotkynsPRplus. steelewot3@gmail.com
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