Author: Sedona Best

Creekside American Bistro has served breakfast, lunch and dinner above Oak Creek since 2008, from a spot at the Y with covered outdoor decks that look straight at the red rocks. It is the original restaurant of Chef Mercer Mohr’s Mercer’s Kitchen group, which also runs Mesa Grill, Rascal and Rene at Tlaquepaque, and it has been voted Sedona’s best happy hour nine years running. Sedona Monthly’s 2026 breakfast guide gave it best overall breakfast view. What to Order Breakfast and brunch (7:30 to 11, brunch dishes until 4): chilaquiles $19, huevos rancheros $21, Belgian waffle or French toast $18,…

The Belfry Wood-Fired Grill and Brewery is the brewpub inside a 1928 Baptist church on Main Street in Cottonwood, which spent decades as a Pontiac dealership before the city put out a call in 2013 to save the building. It opened as the Belfry on October 1, 2020 with a rebuilt bell tower and a working bell from about 1900, 16 or more taps of house beer, two patios and a beer garden with TVs, casual dining downstairs and a finer room upstairs, and live music Friday through Sunday. Managing partner Bob Conlin also owns Bobby D’s BBQ in Jerome.…

Bella Vita Ristorante is the Italian dinner house at Sedona Pines Resort on the far west end of 89A, two miles past the last stoplight toward Cottonwood, which keeps it a regulars’ place: two indoor rooms, the Red Room and the Gold Room, a patio that is among the largest in Sedona, an indoor fireplace and live local musicians on weekend evenings. Executive Chef Rafael Garcia runs the kitchen, and the restaurant describes itself as the number one Sedona restaurant on TripAdvisor, a claim we could not verify ourselves. What to Order The signatures: calamari $20, bruschetta $16, polpette marinara…

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Last Film Show” showing Aug. 5-10 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. The future belongs to storytellers. Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized in the enchanting new film that celebrates the power of cinema “Last Film Show”. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies…

Coconino National Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West is officially retiring Saturday after 33 years of serving in the Forest Service, taking care of public land, and serving people. Her lengthy career began in northeast Utah in 1989 on the Ashley NF and over the years took her to places such as the Prescott NF in mid-Arizona, Colville NF in northeast Washington, and many temporary detail assignments to regional offices, the Washington D.C. office, and many other national forests and districts. West became Coconino National Forest Supervisor on July 26, 2015, and served just over 7 years, leading the Forest toward…

By Rabbi Alicia Magal Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website. Come join us either in person or online. See jcsvv.org for instructions to register for in-person services or online links. Visitors are welcome to attend services. On Friday, August 5, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles,…

By Amaya Gayle Gregory We will never find tranquility, peace, lasting happiness within duality, except for the moments or two when the illusion of equanimity is part of the unfolding expression. It, like all things in separation, is fleeting, appearing like a little child, waving her hand, a big broad smile lighting up her face, whispering follow me, catch me if you can. Maybe that’s why this feels like a pre-school planet. When peace arrives, we associate what we were doing at the time, the thought we were thinking, the practice we were undertaking, the person we were with, and…

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the thrilling comedy “I Love My Dad” showing Aug. 5-11 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Inspired by writer, director and star James Morosini’s true life experience, “I Love My Dad” follows Chuck (Patton Oswalt), a hopelessly estranged father who desperately wants to reconnect with his troubled son, Franklin (Morosini). Blocked on social media and concerned for his son’s life, Chuck impersonates a waitress online and starts checking in with Franklin. But things begin to spiral when Franklin falls for this imaginary girl (Claudia Sulewski) and…

… our friends with wings display a wonderful beauty when they are perched and waiting for a reason to fly, but the true beauty occurs when they leave the perch and enter flight. They have complete control over each flight feather as well as their ability to shape the airfoil of their wings. Each flight feather is controlled to provide maximum control over flight, take off and landing … sudden alterations in flight path when in pursuit of prey. In the top photo we have an adult Bald Eagle on his way to a quiet bay in search of food…