Elote
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After many trips to Sedona we were finally able to get reservations at the highly sought after Elote restaurant. This of course is due to the fact that they now take reservations since they have an actual building location and aren’t a hotel restaurant anymore. Regardless, we were very excited to finally be able to dine at this establishment.
Elote used to be located at the Arabella Hotel just south of the main downtown stretch of Sedona. To get a table would require getting there shortly after their opening as the tables are first come first serve. We were thrilled to find out that Elote had moved to its own location just off downtown Sedona and now they take reservations. From what we saw while waiting for our table, reservations are required, and they won’t take any walk-ups.
Once we were seated we were given some water and chips and salsa to munch on while we figured out what to eat.
We started off our meal with an order of goat cheese balls and elote. With the elote being the namesake of the restaurant we figured it must be great, and it did not disappoint. The elote came out in a bowl with super creamy fire roasted sweet corn with spicy mayo, cotija cheese, lime, and a healthy amount of seasonings that add a nice kick. They included some large tortilla chips for scooping too. Simply put, it was amazing. This was followed up with the goat cheese balls. These were light and creamy goat cheese balls that are covered in crushed pumpkin seeds and are fried and drizzled with honey. It's basically dessert.
Throughout dinner we shared a few of the signature drinks that Elote serves. We ended up ordering the ginger margarita, cava sangria, and pineapple mezcal. All of these drinks were great, and keeping with the Mexican theme were all filled with tequila.
For our main entrees Taylor picked the buffalo mole poblano, and Michelle chose the carnitas with arbol sauce, which was the dinner special that night. The carnitas were large tender chunks of pork carnitas in a tangy pool of spicy salsa verde with strips of onion and pepper underneath, topped with guacamole and pickled red onions. The buffalo mole poblano was ultra tender buffalo ribs that just fell apart with minimal effort. All this was sitting on mole and covered with tortilla strips, tomatoes, and onions. A mole is a traditional Mexican marinade and the poblano variation is one of the most popular. Mole poblano usually has over a dozen ingredients but most notably is the use of cocoa to help counter the spiciness of the peppers. The homemade mole was great and had a slight kick to it.
For dessert we got the Mexican chocolate pie. The slice of pie came out and was massive. The pie itself was a super fluffy and creamy chocolate pie that almost has the consistency of mousse. It was not too sweet and was covered with almond slices, dulce de leche, and a light dusting of cocoa powder while sitting on a layer of whipped cream.
Overall our meal at Elote was fantastic and we would love to return on our next trip to Sedona. Since we made rather last minute reservations (we didn’t know they even took reservations at the time) about a week or so out we ended up eating rather late. So next time we will make sure to book much sooner and hopefully for an earlier time.
Google Maps Link: Elote
