Tinderbox Kitchen - Flagstaff, AZ

Great Staff=Great Service

2010-02-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here it is February and I realize the last item on the Blog was about New Year. How fast time is moving in our first year the the TBox. Thanks to all our local diners who Chef Scott and I are getting to know pretty well. As always, we will keep working to make your experience here a memorable one with great service and Scott's ever-changing and always delicious food . Also, this is a great time to thank our staff here at the TBox. A majority of them have been here since the beginning and are working right through our "slow" season with great visions of what's to come. So thanks Joe, James, Luke, Derek (for your cooking and your pictures), Matt, Jenny, Brette, Olivia, Loni, Lisa, Corina, E.J. for your commitment to this place.

Valentine's Day is approaching and, yes, we will be open on that Sunday, February 14 for a special dinner. And, "gasp", we are taking any and all reservations. Come join us for a great dinner and some wine. It's a good chance to "try us" again and see what's different on the menu or to venture in for your first experience. Come as a couple or, buck the trend and put together your V-Day group for a great excuse to get together.

Don't forget that TBox is offering Happy Hour Monday-Friday from 4-7. Chef has put together a great nosh menu with $6 apps including the best tacos in town. Drink specials include $3 beers (20 oz style), $6 glasses of wine and $5 house cocktails (we leave that one up to Liv and Matt). Another great snack is Scott's Big Time Burger--not always around but a great treat when you find it here--Ground Steak, House Steak Sauce, Cheddar, Smoked Bacon (of course) and House Made Pickles--Bar Side Only so grab your seat at the bar after work and try it out.

Happy 2010

2010-01-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year Flagstaff. The new year was brought in with style here at Tinderbox. We had our first New Year's Service which consisted of 3 seatings and an incredible menu from the kitchen. The 10:00 seating was great with some staying around to ring in the New Year with the TBox staff. 2010 should be a great year. Look for exciting changes at TBox starting with a new website. We hope to have it operational within the next month or so. When finished you can check the ever-changing menu to see what Chef has planned for you that night as well as other great features. The drink menus are also changing--look for some exciting cocktails and offerings from Matt and Olivia. As for the kitchen, yes, the menu is constantly changing so watch for your old favorites or, of course, find some new ones. The featured item running now are the Hog Jowls (or Pig Cheeks); braised and delicious this is another Flagstaff first--come on in and expand your eating comfort circle. With all the snow coming to our area, it is a great time to come on in and have some satisfying American Comfort Food-Redefined!

New Happenings

2009-12-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

TBox is hitting its stride and Chef Scott and I are working on some exciting things:

TBox Lunch Blue Plate Specials. You've experienced Chef's amazing dinners now try us out for lunch. Our location is just 180 steps from the railroad tracks and the food is well worth the extra steps. Besides the daily changing soups, we are fully implementing our lunch "Blue Plate Special" starting Tuesday (12/15), the Blue Plate includes the daily special with a soft drink and lunch portion of our famous fried to order cake doughnuts for only $8.00. The Blue Plates are:
TUESDAYS: Hand Crafted Meatlof Sandwich
WEDNESDAYS: Tuna Melt with Oregon Cheddar
THURSDAYS: Sloppy Joe's
FRIDAYS: Chef's Pot Pie
SATURDAYS: Turkey Cutlet with Gravy and Mashers

TBox Happy Hour. Need a break at the end of your day? Join us at our bar for our new happy hour. We are opening the bar an hour earlier so from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. you can enjoy some $6 apps like Duck Nachos, Meatloaf Sliders, House Crafted Sausage with Mustard Sauce, Simple Greens with Goat Cheese or Chef's incredible Potato Aioli on House-Baked Focaccia Bread. Our Drink Specials include:
ANY WINE BY THE GLASS for $6
ANY 20 oz. DRAFT BEER for $3
HOUSE COCKTAIL for $5
We are also continuing our Bar Side Bites which includes a glass of wine, draft beer or house cocktail with the Chef's Tapas Trilogy for $7
Walk on down and unwind before heading home, or come down for an early drink and snack before dinner.

Freemark Abbey Wine Dinner. Our Wine Dinner event has been resceduled because of snow. Our new date is January 18 (Monday) and will include an incredible paired 5-Course meal with Freemark Abbey's Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet. Freemark will be with us along with representatives from Valley of the Sun Fine Wines for a great fun and information filled night. Call us to reserve your seat. The cost for the great wine, food, information and fun is $85.00 per person.

New Year's Eve. Join TBox for your New Year's Eve celebration. We are scheduling 3 seatings (5:30; 8:00 & 10:00) to celebrate with Chef's three-course meal. You will have a choice of appetizer, soup or salad and a hand-crafted entree. The 5:30 and 8:00 seating are $55 per person and the 10:00 is $65 per person and includes a champagne toast.

Come and join us for some fun!

First Friday Artwalk

2009-12-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Even on a cold December Friday night the First Friday Artwalk had downtown teeming with people. We were happy to have a bunch of you here at TBox for a quick dinner (or not so quick even) before you ventured out to catch some local art. Chef Scott and I were particulaly proud to have one of the displaying artisits here with us last night--David Brookover http://www.brookovergallery.com/. If you didn't catch his work last night you have to go by the Echo Canyon Art Gallery at 14 N. San Francisco St. http://www.echocanyonarts.com/ The collection is titled "Vistas of an Untamed West" and includes amazing black and white photography of the western USA. Here's one example I love! Thanks to the boys at Hidden Light Gallery http://www.hiddenlightllc.com/for hanging out with us last night. Hidden Light is an amazing little spot located on South San Francisco St. near NAU. The tallent from Hidden Light is what brought us those amazing Brookover prints.

As the weather turns cold, you can rely on Chef to create warming comfort food dishes for you. Today he's featuring his Beef Stew, Pork Pasole and as always the unmatched Meatloaf. Dinner will continue to give you that feeling of Sunday Dinner but with a flare served up with great tableside attention from the best wait staff in Northern Arizona. See you soon and remember if you're cold ask Olivia or Matt for their signature Hot Toddys.

6 Mos. New

2009-11-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's official, The Tinderbox Kitchen is a whopping 6 months old and what a ride it has been! Chef Scott and I are thrilled with the following we've established, the good press, the great diner reviews and most importantly the friendships we have made. Flagstaff has really embraced this "south-of-the-tracks" spot and our fine dining with attitude atmospere. In our early life, Chef has made some great new "faviorites" following our mantra of American Comfort Food-Redefined. In fact, its been so great, look for a cooking class at the Seasoned Kitchen next month (http://www.seasonedkitchenaz.com/) where Scott will share some of these receipes and techniques with a few of you.

The next six months should continue to be exciting; the food and drink menus continue to evolve and, as they are ever changing, will continue to give you exciting options. We will have great special functions from private parties to wine dinners to tasting menus to our new "Bar Side Bites" happy hour...if you have an idea pass it along. So come on back, we would love to see you again and if you haven't done so yet, sign up for our e-mail list so we can keep you up-to-date.

Fall Wine Dinners-Great Food with Great Wine

2009-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Time for some great wine and food! TBox is hosting two great winery in Nov/Dec and we are taking reservations for the dinners now. Our first event is coming quick; Nov. 4 Chef Scott is teaming with a representative from Opolo Vineyards (Paso Robles, CA) with the help of one of our favorite distributors, Quail Distributing. The dinner will include some past appetizers as you arrive and then a paired 4-course meal with discussions on the taste profiles and the wines

Our second dinner is on Dec. 8 and is with our friends from Valley of the Sun Fine Wines who are bringing Freemark Abbey with them to discuss their four varietals. Again Chef Scott will work with the winery to pair his great food to fit the profiles of the wines.

The cost is an all inclusive $85 per person. If you think both dinners sound great let us know and we will knock off $10 per dinner for you. Call us soon!

Keep on Working

2009-10-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

September ended with TBox's participation in the Take Action Tuesday campaign. Downtown Flagstaff businesses banned together to donate a portion of the proceeds from that Tuesday night to a great cause; Camp Colton (http://www.friendsofcampcolton.com/). Camp Colton provides a week-long camp for every public school 6th grader and what a great time of the year to be outside. Starting in October (today as a matter of fact) we are premiering our "Bar Side Bites" special. From 5 pm to 7 pm (Mon-Thurs) in our bar side dining room we will be offering a tapas trilogy from Chef Scott along with your choice of a draft beer, select glass of wine or house-derived cocktail for $7.00. So come on in for a quick after work bite and a drink. We are also exploring some great food events, wine dinners, guest chef dates, etc. so stay tuned.

If you are interested in Chef's tehniques, check out his October 14 cooking class at the Seasoned Kitchen in Downtown Flagstaff (http://www.seasonedkitchenaz.com/). His topic will be "Pork, Pork, Pork" one of the favorite staples here at TBox. Seating is limited so contact Tony at the Seasoned Kitchen ASAP at 928.213.5942.

With fall comes the opportunity to showcase new food profiles, keep in touch for Pheasant Stuffed Egg Noodles, Braised Rabbit, Great Lakes Walleye, and House-Smoked Pastrami. At TBox, Chef Scott and I are living by the motto that if we keep working to make the restaurant constantly unique and fun, we will see alot more of you! Come on in soon.

Fall is Coming

2009-09-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely creeping up on us here in Flagstaff. It won't be long before the San Francisco Peaks are draped in the gold leaves of the Aspen trees. Phoenix, get ready for your trip north to see the fall colors. The days are incredible right now with warm sun and cooler temps. Nights are clear and crisp. Now is a great time to get out for a hike, a mountain bike or stroll around downtown. I am sure we will tie back into a nice late blast of summer but for now I love the change of "seasons."

With the changes, it is perfect on the TBox patio for a nice lunch with a glass of wine and Chef Scott is prepping some nice fall oriented items. The menu, while always changing at the whim of Chef and based on what looks intereting from our purveyors, is undergoing some "seasonal" changes as well. With that we are also exploring some new seasonal cocktails and wine selections. Look for house-infused vodkas and interesting wines (including some AZ wines)--our inventive bar tenders are working on concoctions now.

Chef and I are working on some great food events for the Fall and Winter seasons so stay tuned for all the information and, if you want a e-mail with the goods, sign up at our website http://www.tinderboxkitchen.com/. We'll keep you informed about menu changes, special events, specials and any other worthwhile Flagstaff food information. See you soon for a cocktail and amazing meal!

Duck For Everyone!

2009-09-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

How many ways can we get you to try arguably the most delectable meat? I am talking about Duck Confit...take a rich piece of duck leg cook it slow and low in those delicious juices and then present in ways only Chef Scott can come up with. We have had it with the signature Mac-N-Cheese...a bubbly bowl of jalapeno mac and cheese with a whole, fall-off-the-bone, duck leg confit stuck in the middle; how about the soup of white bean and shredded duck to start a delicious meal, or our favorite the Buffalo Wing Style Duck Leg confit---take a duck leg, dredge it, quick fry it and serve it with house-made wing sauce and a salad of carrot and celery dressed in our own Goat Cheese "Ranch" dressing now that is American Comfort Food with a twist. Chef may push your food limits but we guarantee you will not be disappointed you strayed from the safe choice.

New Things

2009-07-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Great activity here in Flagstaff with the AZ Cardinals in town for training camp and the weather about as nice as you could hope for, the streets are croweded with people. Add to that the great review in the July 22 AZ Republic and TBox is enjoying a fun and busy summer.

Chef Scott is working on some exciting changes (as if the daily menu changes weren't enough). Starting on a soon upcoming Monday we are going to feature a Chef's Tasting Menu as our dinner. Scott will work up an amazing 3 or 5 course meal for our Monday "menu." So, those of you that have tasted what Chef can prepare or those looking for a great, unique dining experience, make your reservations. Once we have it set, I will start sending it out to our loyal e-mail club members or call on Monday to see what is in store.

August?

2009-07-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Is it August already? Our first summer is flying by and we want to thank the local community and the summer resident support. Chef Scott and Kevin want to thank all who have supported our vision and we will continue to push for the best dining experience in Flagstaff. During our first year we have been proud to be part of food events like Palette to Palate benefiting Coconino County Community College, the Taste of Flagstaff to benefit Victim Witness and the upcoming Wine and Dine in the Pines to benefit NAU Athletics. We are also proud to have been selected as the venue for the AZ Highways reception during its "Passport to Flagstaff" weekend and the VIP Dinner for the Wine & Dine in the Pines event. We were also pleased to have been featured by the AZ Republic as one of three destination restaurants in Flagstaff on the cover of its Wed., July 22 Food section along with fellow restaurants Pasto and Cuvee 928. Come on in if you haven't visited yet and see what all the buzz is about.

Summer Events

2009-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

The TBox is excited that many have looked to hold special events at our new restaurant. This Saturday we will be hosting the AZ Highways VIP cocktail reception on our patio. Chef Scott Heinonen will prepare various passed appetizers we will have a cash bar available and High Country Spirits will be sampling their Prickly Pear Vodka.

On August 19th, NAU has asked us to host their Wine & Dine in the Pines VIP dinner. We will be teaming with Alliance Beverage to feed 40 lucky people. Chef Scott Heinonen will serve a tasting menu paired with wine. Tickets are available through NAU athletics and include the dinner and entrace to the big event at Snowbowl in August.

We are also the destination for some individual special parties with several birthday gatherings, retirement dinners and family get togethers. The patio works great for informal large groups up to 18 or so.

Come on in to check us out or send me your email address and I will keep you up-to-date on the happenings, specials, menu changes, etc.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

The 4th is here and so is the summer kick off of Flagstaff, AZ activities. Our mountain town is jumping with activities all weekend long; parade, fireworks, music....We hope to see the revelers here at the T-Box for a delicious lunch or dinner. The weather is cooperating for beautiful evenings on the patio and Chef Scott Heinonen has prepared some delicious dishes. Our wine list is slowly expanding with a small, eclectic collection. Our bartenders are hard at work creating signature cocktails for your enjoyment as well like our TBox Shandy, the TBox Tea, the Tinderbox Cooler and the Detroit Silver Bullet (in honor of Scott's and my hometown-yes it has cherries in it). So stroll on down the short 180 steps from the railroad tracks on South San Francisco and check us out.

Tuesday?

2009-06-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

I guess summer is in full swing here in Flagstaff. Tuesday night and we were full of happy diners. Patio was open with full tables on a beautiful summer night. We are open for lunch as well between 11 and 2 Tues. though Sat. Love to see our repeat diners. It helps that Chef keeps the menu changing on a daily basis. If you haven't been in yet come on down to the South side. If you have we can't wait to see you again.

What a Weekend!

2009-06-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks Flagstaff for a great and busy weekend at the Tinderbox. We served many new comers and repeat diners throughout the weeked and the place was lively from Wed straight through to Saturday. We are still waiting for a great run of patio sitting weather so that you can enjoy your meal al fresco next to the historic Basque handball court that makes up the outside wall. Hoping for an equally energetic crowd this week. The summer season is gearing up and we look forward to being a part of the excitement this year.

See you soon.

PATIO IS OPEN

2009-05-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Patio at Tinderbox is open for your eating and drinking pleasure; the weather here is beautiful. This is what we all wait for here in Flagstaff. Join us for a Shandy or a TBox Tea.

Old Time Favorites, New Twists

2009-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

OK, so Tinderbox is all about American Classics, Redefined. That means that Chef Scott Heinonen takes everyone's childhood memories and twists it into something unbelievable. Here is your challenge...send us an e-mail (kevin@tinderboxkitchen.com) with your most memorable dish from your childhood (or that dish you constantly feed to your family), we'll review those ideas pick one or two at a time, recreate them and put them on our menu. Make sure to leave us your e-mail address and we will let you know if your recipe was selected and when it will be served. Come on Flagstaff you know you want that Tuna Casserole again (only irresistible) or that over cooked pork chop this time perched on Garlic Mashers with a secret sauce.

Visit our web-site at www.tinderboxkitchen.com for an example of the ever-changing and evolving menu.

New Week

2009-05-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's a new week at the Tinderbox Kitchen. We had a blast over the Memorial Day weekend packing the place for dinner on Friday and Saturday. Lunch is in full swing to offer quality and inventive dishes to Flagstaff workers as well as the summer tourists getting out of the Phoenix summer heat. The patio is open and a great place for lunch under the umbrella or cocktails before or after your meal. As the temps heat up, come in a try our famous version of the Shandy cocktail or enjoy a nice glass of wine with Chef Scott's ever-changing menu.

See you soon!

2009-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday and we are now open for LUNCH from 11-2 at 34 S. San Francisco St. Scott is opening with some fresh salads (add salmon or shrimp if you like) and a BBQ Balogney Sandwich (can't get more in the Comfort Food zone than Balogney). Patio is open and a great place for a nice meal. Stop in.

Flagstaff, Here we are!

2009-05-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all for your early (and some often) support of the newest food establishment in town. Our opening during Art Walk went great with Mayor Presler paying us a visit. We started with a bang hosting many local "celebs" and friends and will continue to strive for making your evening a great experience. Check back often as Chef Scott Heinonen will continuously shake up the menu to keep it interesting, fresh and...well...comforting.