Autumn in Zion Canyon

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Thunderbird Restaurant

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Albion Basin

Where I eat on Highway 89

One of my favorite things about a roadtrip is eating in new places. High-brow, low-country, I'll try them all. I've driven the entire historic route of U.S. Highway 89 for my project, a lot of miles, a lot of meals. I want good food after a hard day's photography, and I have found some great places to eat. Here are some of my favorite places:

Arizona
Tucson	El Charro Cafe	There are four locations, but I prefer the original restaurant in the central district, which has been there longer than the Highway itself. Mole, carne seca, and they will ship tamales.
Phoenix	my Mom's	My Mom makes the best lasagne.
Yarnell	Cornerstone Bakery	Once on a scouting trip Mom and I stopped here for a coffee warm-up. I now have a standing order to bring her eclairs if I am driving through Yarnell.
Prescott	129 1/2 : An American Jazz Grille	Fine dining, but not too fussy. Menu has changed since my last visit-a reason to get back to Prescott. Might want a reservation, especially later in the evening when the live music gets going.
Flagstaff	Beaver Street Brewery	After a full day drive from SLC to Flagstaff (I probably stop more than most), I'm glad to know that this place will be serving good food until at least 11 pm.
Page	Strombolli's Restaurant and Pizzeria	I get the Strombolli Calzone, large enough that I eat half and pack the rest for lunch the next day. Strombolli's closes in the winter.
Utah
Kanab	The Rocking V Cafe	The last thing I'd expect in a rural Utah restaurant is an extensive vegetarian menu. It looked good, but I had the elk. I'd stay in Kanab on the way to Zion NP so I could eat here again. Full bar too, not always easy to find in Southern Utah.
Springdale	The Spotted Dog Cafe and Pub	Springdale isn't on Highway 89, but it is the main gateway to Zion. The chef at the Spotted Dog is sourcing scallops, salmon, and other gourmet items, and he knows what to do with them. An "eat your fancy food in fleece and flannel" kind of place, one where I feel comfortable eating alone.
Panguitch	The Flying M Restaurant	A real coffee shop, full American breakfast. And a full liquor license. Hopefully you won't need both at the same time.
Salina	Mom's Cafe	Save room for pie.
Salt Lake City	Coffee Garden	Two locations, one in Sam Weller's Bookstore on Main Street. I'm not a coffee drinker, but my husband says the Coffee Garden staff can make the best latte on the planet. (There's one other place in Auckland, but it's not on Highway 89.) If I'm in town, I'll be having one of their pastries for breakfast on Saturday morning. And free wireless.
Salt Lake City	Bambara Restaurant	This is our household's special occasion restaurant. Actually, there is a lot of fine dining in SLC, but this is my choice for my birthday and my husband's choice for business dinners.
Perry	Maddox Ranch House	People drive an hour from SLC for the chicken-fried steak. It's a must-drive-by in the evening to see the spinning neon creation.
Garden City	Hometown Drive In	Highway 89 is lined with shake shacks, but the Hometown Drive In is one of the few open on Sundays.
Wyoming
Alpine	Yankee Doodles Cafe	Everything, EVERYTHING in the place is red, white and blue. Must have been a huge After-the-4th sale at decorating time. Burgers, freedom fries, and plenty of flags.
Jackson	Virginian Restaurant	Jackson is a foodie town, but sometimes what I want is an honest American breakfast. You can get it here.
Jackson	Jackson Whole Grocer	I'll stop here for a sandwich and snacks on my way into the park. The deli is full-stocked with takeaway foods for the road.
Grand Teton National Park	Mural Room, Jackson Lake Lodge	There are several classic national park lodge dining rooms on the Highway 89 tour, like El Tovar and the Old Faithful Lodge. I enjoy the dining experience in all of them, but I like the food at the Mural Room best.
Montana
Livingston	2nd Street Bistro	Drive the hour north of Mammoth Hot Springs to eat here. I might move to Livingston just so I could eat here. This one is "better than it has to be."
Great Falls	Mackenzie River Pizza Company	A small chain of Montana restaurants that doesn't feel like it. The Great Falls location is next to the Missouri River, the patio lovely, the staff charming.
Choteau	Log Cabin Cafe	Another fabulous pie place, if you get there early enough.
Babb	Cattle Baron Supper Club	Don't be misled by the simple exterior - winters are hard in Montana. The food is inside, big beautiful pieces of beef. This is not a place for light appetites or vegetarians. The waiter tried to interest us in dessert, a comical proposition considering the steak I had eaten.

These are my recommendations, but keep in mind that I haven't eaten everywhere (yet). If I missed your favorite road food spot on Highway 89, won't you please leave a comment with the details?

Mixed greeting card set

Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park

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Fiesta Cross, Tumacacori National Historic Park

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Tucson International Mariachi Conference

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Waterworks at Arizona Falls, Phoenix

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Lomaki Ruin, Wupatki National Monument

The Sinagua people built these dwellings above the western edge of the Painted Desert in what is now Wupatki National Monument. The volcanic peaks in the nearby San Francisco range have erupted as recently as 1100AD. Resulting ash deposits enriched the fields of the arriving Sinaguans. At its peak, the pueblo community grew to about 2,000 and built a rare meso-American-style ball court.

Virgin River, Zion National Park

U.S. 89 parallels the headwaters of the Virgin River in the Long Valley east of Zion National Park. The river, carving for miles through the Navajo sandstone layer of the Colorado plateau, exits the Zion Narrows into a cottonwood valley enclosed by sheer cliffs soaring upward over 2,000 feet. At the mouth of Zion Canyon, the river bends around the Watchtower, eventually joining the Colorado drainage at Lake Mead.

Desert Spiny Lizard, Zion National Park

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Rodeo queen's saddle, Mt. Pleasant Utah

Small town rodeos are like semi-pro baseball, a path to bigger events for the talented and fun for all. Rodeo contractors supply each town with bucking stock, clowns and pick-up men for the bull and bronc events. Local girls practice barrel-racing all summer, only to have their horses balk at the sight of the crowd. Rodeo queens, who competed in horsewomanship to earn their titles, ride all day, barrel-racing, chasing stray calves and galloping flags around the arena.

Wedding mendhi, Sri Ganesa Temple, South Jordan, UT

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Salt Lake LDS Temple Square

Constellations of holiday lights illuminate Temple Square of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The plaza marks the origin for the Cartesian grid system of street addresses for the Salt Lake City region. U.S. Highway 89 borders one side of Temple Square, on a street aptly named North Temple. The Assembly Hall was the second building constructed in the complex and now hosts free music concerts in the holiday season.

Ann Torrence Photography