I was in Phoenix for business and decided to take a day trip to Sedona. My colleague had hitched a ride with me and due to the early start we were real hungry by lunchtime. We had seen the main tourist strip of Sedona and perhaps unsurprisingly, the eateries did not look up to much. We took a short drive South and found another strip with lots of fast-food chains.
Luckily, my colleague glanced at the map we had picked up form the Tourist Information centre in the small village of Oakwood on the drive up. He noticed that a restaurant called the Barking Frog was on the map – just as we saw it appear on the right! I pulled in to the car park and we agreed it was by far the best option we had seen so far.
Entrance to the Barking Frog was via an imposing set of double wooden doors that opened to reveal an entrance hallway leading to a small welcome desk and a woman on the telephone. As we loitered in the hope of being greeted and seated, I had a look around; there was a small bar to the left, with a good selection of Whisky (‘The Lounge’); an outdoor seating area (‘The Patio’); a large table next to a fountain (‘The Pond’); and another seating area at the other side of the bar (‘Fireside’). It was clear that this was meant to be an upmarket establishment, and it would have been if it wasn’t for the fact that we were still loitering while telephone lady continued her chat.
We got a bored and went to find a waitress by ourselves – and did so without too much of a problem. We were seated in The Lounge and given some menus. There was a good mix; everything from small plates like Chilli Dusted Calamari ($7.99) and Chilled Crab Tacos ($10.59), to Signature meats like Dry Aged Beef Ribeye ($27.99) with more than a few surprised in between.
The waitress worked hard and made recommendations as appropriate; we opted to try some Cactus Fries ($7.99) for novelty value as a starter. I ordered Poblano Relleno ($16.99), which sounded a bit different; Fire roasted pepper hand stuffed with Mexican cheeses and some appropriate accompaniments. My colleague chose the Flat Iron Carne Asada ($21.99). We each had a beer ($4.50) to drink.
After ordering we reflected on the décor. Think of an up-scale restaurant that opened in the 80s and you are starting to get close.
Our Cactus Fries arrived pretty quickly and were actually made from cactus. I thought they would be French fires with a little spice on them but they were green and crunchy. They were not unpleasant although I would not order them again; my colleague raved about them for days after so you should give them a try.
The service here (initial front desk lady aside) was very good; our mains arrived when they should have, and came with a smile. My pepper was just that; an enormous pepper stuffed with a few smaller peppers and oodles of cheese – nice cheese, not the plastic American cheese. It came with rice and a spicy salsa. I enjoyed this vegetarian dish, which is unusual – vegetables (or indeed anything vaguely healthy and / or green) are not generally my thing. My colleague’s steak was served with mashed potatoes, which were deemed “fine”, however the steak was labelled “delicious” so I guess they were doing something right.
The guys that own The Barking Frog also own two other restaurants in Sedona, which are less formal, less pricey and have a more authentic wild Western feel to them. On my next trip to Sedona, I will return to The Barking Frog (and maybe try one of the other restaurants too; I could buy a hat first) as I know my kids would love it and with a name as cool as this who wouldn’t?
The Barking Frog, 2620 W State Route 89A, Sedona, AZ, 86336. Website
