Pillar to Post: COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / CLIMBING ARIZONA’S ALPS

Saturday, October 11, 2014

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / CLIMBING ARIZONA’S ALPS

Amy and Kate's Flatiron Cafe, Jerome, Arizona (ignore the red sign out front).

THE WORLD IS FLAT--After leaving Sedona, AZ, our next intended stop was Prescott, AZ. But the mountainside town of Jerome, AZ got in the way. Built on a steep slope near old copper mines that made Jerome a boomtown at the end of the 19^th century, its main streets zig and zag making for an interesting stop along state highway 89A.

Midway through town, we stopped for coffee at The Flatiron, a small 320 sq. ft. wedge shaped coffee house, where we also discovered Firecreek Coffee from a Flagstaff roaster.

Leaving Jerome was not easy. We touristed there for most of the day.

Mistakenly, I figured The Flatiron in Jerome was named for a skillet, the type you cook over a cowpoke’s fire. No sir. Jerome’s Flatiron Café namesake is the similar shaped iconic Flatiron building in mid-town Manhattan.

Owners Amy and Kate beg to differ, they admit records may be a bit sketchy but they believe Jerome’s Flatiron is actually older than the one in New York City. There’s a photo of the Jerome Flatiron in 1918 photo. But more historical proof than that is needed because architect Daniel Burnham designed the iconic Flatiron building along Broadway in 1902. Since the town goes back to the mid 1850’s I’m betting on Jerome’s Flatiron being older.

But who cares? You can’t taste architecture on a chilly morning when you’re in the mountains of Arizona? The Flatiron’s house coffee is Firecreek’s Boxcar Espresso blend, which is used for simple drip, espresso and cold brew Toddy.

Also, The Flatiron is dedicated about serving a daily local farm fresh menu. They make long trips around the Sedona/Verde Valley farming area seeking out the freshest foodstuffs available.

Later, we learned The Flatiron offers the flat above the café for overnight stays. Price is an affordable $159 a night, $1,000 for the week. We’re staying there next visit.