Dear Hotel Guest,

I'm John Sharpe the Owner/Chef of The Turquoise Room. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to La Posada and explain the Why, What, When and How of the Turquoise Room Restaurant and Martini Lounge.

Why: The Turquoise Room?
In 1935, Mary Jane Colter was asked to design the private dining car for the Super Chief that was to run from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1936. It was named The Turquoise Room. The inaugural run started on Track 5 in Chicago’s Dearborn Station on May 12th 1936. “Ellie”, Eleanor Powell was named its first passenger and so began its illustrious flirtation with the Hollywood Stars of the day. The Turquoise Room was a favorite of the studio chiefs and stars of the day for their private dining pleasure. We hope you will enjoy your visit to our Turquoise Room.

What: Do we serve?
Only the finest and freshest of ingredients are purchased and shipped to us from local farms or by overnight air express freight. We buy all of our fresh fish from three fishing ports, New Orleans, Boston and Nilinchic, Alaska. During the summer months, I visit Flagstaff Community Farmers Market andpurchase whatever catches my eye. Many of the growers are located in the Verde Valley or Chino Valley, south of Flagstaff. We also have locals here in Winslow providing us with fresh herbs and vegetables. In winter, I pick up most of my produce from McClendon’s Select of Peoria, Arizona where farmer Bob McClendon grows a wonderful selection of fresh vegetables, salad greens, and herbs.

People are always looking to place a label on the type of food we serve. I like to call it Regional Contemporary Southwestern with an occasional tribute to the great days of the Fred Harvey Company.
The following items are always on our menu. Roast Prime Rib, Grilled Steaks, Fresh fish, Pasta, Elk, Quail, Pork, Chicken, lamb and our famous Killer Vegetable Platter. Our deserts are made in house on a daily basis. The gelato ( Italian style ice cream ) we serve is one of the finest you will ever experience. It is made in Phoenix by a small company. Seasonal selections will always reflect our local foods especially during the summer months. My goal is to serve you the finest meal possible regardless of where we are.

You will find today’s menu on display at the entrance to the restaurant. We have a full bar and lounge where we serve everything from Margaritas to fine wines and of course of our specialty, The Martini.
Appetizers, cocktails and wines are available in the bar at 4.30 pm daily. We also have a cappuccino machine and make many variations of lattes and cappuccinos both hot and cold.

When: Are we open?
Every day.
Breakfast 7.00 am to 11.00 am
Lunch 11.00 am to 2.00 pm
Dinner 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm
The bar is open until 10.00 pm nightly.

How: Do we do it?

This is the question most often asked. To serve quality food in remote areas is certainly challenging, however, not impossible if you persevere and have faith. When we started, it was very difficult to find purveyors and sources for local foods. This has been overcome and it is now a delight to do business with local growers and companies that take pride in providing us with quality products.

The other part of this is our staff. We have some wonderful employees who care about what they do and work hard at improving their knowledge. Without them, we could not do it.

We certainly hope you will join us for dinner tonight. Please stop by to make a reservation. We suggest you make your dinner reservations so that we may accommodate you at the time you wish. Our seating is limited.

Our breakfasts offer many choices from the hearty to the healthy. Remember that when you leave in the morning start the day off with a good meal and you will have lots of energy to explore the natural wonders of Arizona. If you are in a rush, we do have coffee, cappuccinos, freshly baked muffins, and cinnamon rolls to go. Just stop by and we will have it ready for you in a few minutes.

When you leave us to explore the natural wonders of Northern Arizona you may wish to take a box lunch with you, enclosed is the box lunch menu. We hope you have enjoyed your stay. Our business is growing by word of mouth so we ask you to tell a friend about your experience here and return soon.

Yours truly,

John and Patricia Sharpe,
Chef and Owners of The Turquoise Room