{"id":71,"date":"2014-06-22T04:39:35","date_gmt":"2014-06-22T10:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=71"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:31:15","slug":"the-turquoise-room-winslow-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=71","title":{"rendered":"The Turquoise Room – Winslow, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"The
The fabulous La Posada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The concept of “fast food” had a far different connotation during the Southwest’s Frontier days than it does today. This is especially true if one traveled via railroad through hundreds of miles of desolate, open country. In the more densely populated and genteel east there were often several cities between most destinations. This allowed for frequent rest and refreshment stops. Passengers rode in relative comfort in Pullman cars with dining cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the wide open west, only twenty minutes were allowed during each of the infrequent stops. Further, the food was as miserable as the travel conditions. According to Keith L. Bryant’s History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway<\/em>, “meat was greasy and usually fried, beans were canned, bacon rancid and coffee was fresh once a week<\/em>.” No doubt it was gastronomic distress that prompted the following ditty documented on the book Hear the Lonesome Whistle Blow<\/em> by Dee Brown: “The tea tasted as though it was made from the leaves of sagebrush. The biscuit was made without soda, but with plenty of alkali, harmonizing with the great quantity of alkali dust we had already swallowed<\/em>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The welcoming interior of the Turquoise Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One man, an English emigrant named Fred Harvey was determined to change the deplorable railroad travel conditions in the west. With a background as a restaurateur and later as a railroad employee, he brought good food at reasonable places served in clean, elegant restaurants to the traveling public throughout the Wild West. Historians agree that he also introduced civility and dignity. The Fred Harvey Company’s expansion included hotels, restaurants and lunchrooms throughout the Southwest (Arizona, California and New Mexico) as well as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and eventually anywhere the Santa Fe railroad system had major terminals including Chicago and Saint Louis. By the late 1880s a Fred Harvey dining facility existed every 100 miles along the Santa Fe line. Meals at a Harvey establishment epitomized the highest standards for cleanliness and fastidiousness. Fine China, crystal, Irish linens, sumptuous portions and great value were hallmarks of a meal at a Harvey facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1920s, the Harvey Company decided to build a major hotel in Winslow, the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Being centrally located, Winslow was thought to be ideally situated for a resort hotel. No expense was spared. Construction costs for grounds and furnishings have been estimated at $2 million or about $40 million in today’s dollars. La Posada, the resting place, was the finest hotel in the Southwest during the railroad era. Today it remains not so much a re-creation of the great railway era, but an accumulation of memories and treasures in the form of exquisite art, history and beauty. Its opulent flow includes arched doorways, hand-painted glass windows, glittering tin chandeliers, Southwestern hand-hewn furniture and whimsical art. It is a magnificent complex, one of the finest hotels in the entire West.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Heirloom
Heirloom Squash Blossoms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is only fitting that a hotel with the grandeur and splendor of La Posada have an elegant area set aside for the finest in dining. That would be the Turquoise room which has been recreated to reflect the ultimate in stylish railroad dining. The Turquoise Room is indeed a fabulous restaurant, viewed by experts as one of the very best in the Four Corners region. The braintrust behind the restaurant is chef and owner John Sharpe, an Englishman like Fred Harvey with a similar commitment to outstanding food and impeccable service. That commitment was recognized in 2011 when Sharpe was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as the best chef in the southwest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe is committed to using only the finest and freshest ingredients possible, many of them grown locally. An avid gardener, he also grows heirloom vegetables and herbs for the restaurant, including the giant squash blossoms that appear on his menu on occasion. Every once in a while Sharpe also pays tribute to the great days of the Fred Harvey Company with retro dishes from the great railway era, but for the most part his cuisine might best be labeled as regional contemporary Southwestern. An even better label would be fabulous! Several items are menu mainstays: roast prime rib, grilled steaks, fresh fish, pasta, elk, quail, pork, chicken, lamb and a vegetable platter. Desserts are made in-house on a daily basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Porterhouse
The Engineer’s Porterhouse Steak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24 August 2008<\/strong>: Sharpe’s giant squash blossoms<\/em> are things of beauty! Piped into each beer battered squash flower is a tamale-like concoction of corn meal and two types of cheeses topped with a corn salsa and drizzled with fresh cream. You will savor each bite and mourn the last one. It is one of the best appetizers we’ve had in any Arizona restaurant. An excellent pairing with many Turquoise Room entrees is the Don Juan Sangria<\/em> cocktail made with red wine, port, sherry, brandy, triple sec and citrus juices served over ice. Sliced oranges, lemons and limes float on the sangria and add to its full-bodied, hearty flavor. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you’ve ever lamented the lack of game gracing menus at restaurants throughout the Southwest, you’ll be thrilled to see several game favorites featured at the Turquoise Room. Better still, some entrees include more than one game favorite. One sure to please entree for the gaming gastronome is the Native Cassoulet with Churro Lamb, Duck Leg and Elk Sausage<\/em>. Cassoulets are generally rich, slow-cooked bean casseroles containing meats (typically pork, sausage, mutton or goose), but Sharpe takes some liberties with that definition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Prime
Prime Rib au jus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8 September 2007<\/strong>: Sharpe’s version starts with Tohono O’odham<\/em> (a Native American tribe formerly known as the Papago who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico) grown tepary<\/em> (a drought-resistant bean grown in the Southwest) beans<\/em> cooked with locally raised Churro lamb, chilies and spices. The Turquoise Room’s Churro lamb chop<\/em> is fork tender and absolutely delicious with nary a hint of gaminess or fat. In fact, the meat is very distinctive for lamb with a subtle wild flavor likely resultant from the Churro breed’s diet of shrubs and herbs in the sparse deserts of the Southwest. This is some of the best lamb I’ve had anywhere! The duck leg confit<\/em> is similarly wonderful–a duck leg seasoned and slowly cooked in duck fat. The Turquoise Room’s rendition is sinfully tender and moist with a crispy and golden brown skin. The spicy smoked elk sausage<\/em> may surprise you because it actually lives up to its billing. The sausage’s pronounced smokiness quickly gives way to a spiciness that will play a concordant tune on your taste buds. It is slightly coarse as sausage goes, but is tender, moist and delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n

8 September 2007<\/strong>: Another dinner entree featuring game is aptly named the Wild-Wild-Wild-West Sampler Platter<\/em>. This entree features grilled quail with prickly pear jalapeno glaze, seared elk medallion with blackcurrant sauce and a cup of chunky venison, buffalo, wild boar and scarlet runner bean chili served with sweet corn tamale and fresh vegetables. Every item on this entree is stellar in its own right, but together they put to shame just about every combination meat platter you can think of. The seared elk with blackcurrant sauce<\/em> edges out the grilled quail with prickly pear jalapeno glaze<\/em> as the best of the lot, but not by much. Both are absolutely delicious, prepared to absolute perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cream
Cream of corn and smooth black bean soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24 August 2008<\/strong>: If you’re of a carnivorous bent but don’t necessarily desire an entree with multiple meats, the purist in you might prefer The Engineer’s<\/em> Porterhouse Steak<\/em>. This is a one-pound Sterling Silver center-cut Porterhouse you can cut with a dinner knife. That’s how tender it is. It is served with a spicy (perhaps chipotle infused) steak sauce that is actually worth using on this slab of meat. Prepared to your exacting specifications (medium is my recommendation), it is juicy and delicious on both the larger short loin side and the more tender and flavorful tenderloin side. Some restaurants call this cut of meat the T-Bone, but by any name, it is often a challenge to prepare correctly because of the uneven temperature distribution in preparation. The Turquoise Room obviously has mastered the art of preparing this delicious cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

24 August 2008<\/strong>: Another fine meat option is the Premium Angus Prime Rib Roast Au Jus<\/em> served with horseradish cream, a medley of fresh vegetables and a choice of baked potato or red caboose mashed potatoes. This cut is available in an eight-ounce or fourteen-ounce cut. Prime rib is not for the faint of heart. For optimum flavor, it’s best served at about medium rare, a degree of “doneness” which may give the appearance of bloodiness that turns off the queasy diner. Preparing prime rib at anything above medium is sacrilege and detracts from this flavorful slab of meat. Needless to say, the Turquoise Room knows how to prepare prime rib. Cut into it and the succulent juices (albeit a bit red) flow onto your plate. Bite into it and you’re in heaven. A little bit of marbling goes a long way on this cut of beef and that’s what you’ll get–that and a whole lot of flavor. If you’re an aficionado of prime rib, this one will please you. You might not be as pleased with the baked potatoes which are on the small side and may not be completely heated all the way through. While most of the potato is tender, some is just a bit tough, an indication of inconsistent baking. Still, you add a little butter and a little sour cream and you’ve got a nice dinner accompaniment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Double
Double Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle for Two<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24 August 2008<\/strong>: All dinners include your choice of Caesar salad or the restaurant’s signature soup, a cream of corn and smooth black bean soup<\/em> served side-by-side in one bowl and topped with a red chile signature. As impossible as it may sound, the chef actually managed to keep separate on a bowl two very distinct yet very complementary soups as warming and comforting as the definition “comfort” soup itself. The Caesar salad<\/em> is magnificent! It includes roasted red peppers, pumpkin seeds and Parmesan crusted tepee of the restaurant’s red chile cracker bread. <\/span><\/p>\n

24 August 2008<\/strong>: The restaurant’s desserts are decadent and delightful, none quite as much as the Double Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffl\u00e9 for Two<\/em>. It takes 25 minutes to bake this extravagant treat, but it’s worth the wait. A rich dark chocolate souffl\u00e9 is baked to order and served with whipped cream, dark chocolate Grand Marnier sauce (poured into a cavity atop the souffl\u00e9) and whipped cream. It’s a nice way to finish a meal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arizona
Arizona Green Chile Eggs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Portion sizes at the Turquoise Room are generous but you’ll still be tempted to lick your plate so as not to waste a morsel or dribble of your entree or dessert. Fortunately dinner is followed by breakfast only a few hours away and breakfast, though not quite the equal of dinner, is an extraordinary event at this terrific restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n

9 September 2007<\/strong>: One of the breakfast entrees that makes it so are the Baked Beef Machaca Chilaquiles<\/em>–shredded beef machaca with tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices, scrambled with two eggs, smoky red chile tomato sauce, crispy red and blue corn tortilla chips and jalapeno jack cheese. This entree is topped with crema fresca and roasted corn salsa and served with black beans. What a wonderful wake-up call. For most New Mexicans the smoky red chile tomato sauce would barely register on the piquant scale, but that’s okay because this breakfast entree is so replete with flavors competing for the rapt attention of your taste buds. Every ingredient plays on its partner ingredient and the resultant tune is a masterpiece.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Baked
Baked Beef Machaca Chilaquiles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9 September 2007<\/strong>: The best part of waking up, however, just might be Arizona Green Chile Eggs<\/em>— creamy polenta in a pool of green chile, tomatillo sauce topped with two eggs, covered in melted jalapeno jack cheese and garnished with roasted corn salsa and diced fresh tomatoes, black beans and served with warm corn tortillas. I’m somewhat loathe to credit anything in Arizona that includes salsa or chile, but the Arizona Green Chile Eggs have me issuing an apology to the Grand Canyon State’s use of ingredients New Mexico restaurants do best. This is an outstanding breakfast entree! <\/span><\/p>\n

22 June 2014<\/strong>: Perhaps only in Italy is polenta used on breakfast entrees more than at the Turquoise Room. Chef Sharpe’s rendition of polenta will remind you it’s so much more than “Italian grits” and can be made more sophisticated and interesting than simple coarse yellow cornmeal. In addition to the aforementioned Arizona Green Chile Eggs entree, polenta also graces a breakfast entree called The Corn Maiden’s Delight<\/em>, a bowl of warm yellow corn polenta topped with fire-roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach, two poached eggs, jalape\u00f1o jack cheese and fresh roasted corn salsa. The very best qualities of this dish are showcased in the combination of its individual components, the more the merrier. Alas, there is so little of the roasted corn salsa (onions, green peppers) that you’ll have to use it sparingly. My preference would have been to cover the entire dish with this salsa. All breakfasts save for waffles and pancakes are served your choice of La Posada’s blueberry muffin, bran muffin, cinnamon roll, English muffin or white, wheat or sourdough toast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Corn Maiden’s Delight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9 September 2007<\/strong>: Traditionalists might instead order something like the Silver Dollar pancake<\/em> entree which includes two eggs, three pancakes and your choice of bacon, sausage or ham with spicy green chile breakfast potatoes. Rather than have your pancakes with maple or blueberry syrup, douse them liberally with prickly pear syrup. Prickly pear syrup has a higher fruit to sugar ratio than most syrups which is something you’ve got to appreciate if you don’t want a major sugar rush first thing in the morning. <\/span><\/p>\n

22 July 2012<\/strong>: The lunch menu includes one of the most unique dishes I’ve seen on a restaurant menu anywhere, piki bread with hopi hummus<\/em>. It’s a dish you might order for the experience of eating something so authentically Native American and uniquely different, but probaly not because someone has told you it’s a great tasting dish. The most unique aspect of this entree is the piki bread, finely ground blue corn blended with burnt juniper berry ash. Ash, in fact, is texturally what the bread resembles. This bread is crumbly (as in blow away light) and won’t stand up to the lightest portion of the bad-dap-suki, the “Hopi hummus” with which it is served. Hopi hummus is also unique, but its greatest resemblance to hummus is textural. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Piki Bread with Hopi Hummus:<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

22 July 2012<\/strong>: Much more traditional is the crispy pork carnitas platter<\/em>, large pieces of crispy pork with red and green salsas, white tortillas, black beans and sweet corn tamale. The carnitas are tender tendrils of pork perfectly made for the smallish corn tortillas. Add a bit of the red or green salsa and you’ve got very good tacos. The sweet corn tamale is essentially two scoops of a sweetened corn masa without any of the pork.<\/span><\/p>\n

Breakfast, lunch or dinner, one of my favorite items at the Turquoise Room is the Late for the Train Coffee<\/em><\/a>, an organic Turquoise Room blend. It’s a mellow, rich coffee with a delicate roasted flavor. Since our first visit to the Turquoise Room in 1997, it’s the only coffee we’ve had at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Crispy Pork Carnitas Platter: Large pieces of crispy pork Carnitas, with red and green salsas, white tortillas, black beans and sweet corn tamale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fred Harvey would undoubtedly be very proud of the La Posada Hotel and the Turquoise Room, its fine, fine-dining restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Turqouise Room<\/span><\/strong>
\n303 East 2nd Street (Rte 66)
\nWinslow, Arizona <\/strong>
\n(928) 289-4366
\nWeb Site<\/a><\/strong><\/span>LATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 22 June 2014
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 8 September 2007
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 6
\nRATING<\/strong>: Outstanding<\/strong><\/span>\u2013A stand-out; delivers a memorable dining experience through a harmonious blend of exceptional food, attentive service, and consistent quality
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$$ – $$$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Silver Dollar Pancakes, Baked Beef Machaca Chilaquiles, Arizona Green Chile Eggs, Native Cassoulet with Churro Lamb, Duck Leg and Elk Sausage, Double Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffl\u00e9 for Two, Crispy Pork Carnitas Platter, The Corn Maiden’s Delight<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The concept of “fast food” had a far different connotation during the Southwest’s Frontier days than it does today. This is especially true if one traveled via railroad through hundreds of miles of desolate, open country. In the more densely populated and genteel east there were often several cities between most destinations. This allowed for frequent rest and refreshment stops. Passengers rode in relative comfort in Pullman cars with dining cars. In the wide open west, only twenty minutes were allowed during each of the infrequent stops. Further, the food was as miserable as the travel conditions. According to Keith L. Bryant’s History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, “meat was greasy and usually fried, beans were canned,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,561,127,553],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona","category-rating-outstanding","category-southwestern","category-across-america"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Turquoise Room - Winslow, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=71\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Turquoise Room - Winslow, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The concept of “fast food” had a far different connotation during the Southwest’s Frontier days than it does today. This is especially true if one traveled via railroad through hundreds of miles of desolate, open country. In the more densely populated and genteel east there were often several cities between most destinations. This allowed for frequent rest and refreshment stops. Passengers rode in relative comfort in Pullman cars with dining cars. In the wide open west, only twenty minutes were allowed during each of the infrequent stops. Further, the food was as miserable as the travel conditions. According to Keith L. 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This is especially true if one traveled via railroad through hundreds of miles of desolate, open country. In the more densely populated and genteel east there were often several cities between most destinations. This allowed for frequent rest and refreshment stops. Passengers rode in relative comfort in Pullman cars with dining cars. In the wide open west, only twenty minutes were allowed during each of the infrequent stops. Further, the food was as miserable as the travel conditions. According to Keith L. 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