The Inn at 410

It’s been a while!  I’ve been traveling up a storm — way more than I am normally accustomed to — and I’ve got a few fun posts ahead for you.  I’ll be channeling my inner Vogue-travel-writer.  😉  Photo-heavy posts coming at ya.

Our first excursion was a little mid-week trip to Flagstaff.  We had heard great things from Greyson’s family about The Inn at 410, which is a little bed-and-breakfast downtown, and it seriously did not disappoint.  I will put it to you this way — I have never had nor will ever have an experience like that staying in another place again…unless I go back, which I definitely will.

 There are so many wonderful things about this place, but let’s start with the most obvious — which is that it is adorable, and also that it is located right in the downtown district.  Which means that you can park once and walk for the rest of your trip.  Flagstaff is seasonally beautiful this time of the year, so what a win for us!

This is a historic house, once belonging to a prestigious family in the Flagstaff community in the 1800’s, and now it is home to tourists from all over the world who stay here and experience all of its charm.  One thing that I loved reading about is that so much of the inn is original, including the wood trim all throughout the home.

 Upon arriving we were greeted by the nicest innkeeper who showed us around and to our room.  At 5:00, the innkeeper leaves and there you are, left in the most peaceful place imaginable.  In the dining room, we found fresh cookies to enjoy.  The Gingersnap was my favorite!

Also in the dining room is a refreshment bar with an amazing array of choices — coffee, tea, of course, but also alcohol, fresh juice, etc.  Grey made each of us after-dinner cocktails from this little spot, which was lit ever-so-slightly and looked so cozy upon our return from the nearby restaurant!

We stayed in The Conservatory, which is a very romantic room not lacking in whimsy or pattern.  Each room is themed, which as a designer, really drew me to staying here because there is so much attention to detail!  My sis-in-law was the one to recommend this room, mostly for privacy reasons (you don’t have to walk through the main area of the house to get to and from) but also as far as price was concerned, this room was the most affordable option for us!

 Wallpaper everywhere…  I was in heaven.  🙂

 And just when I thought it couldn’t get any cuter, I walked outside onto the patio…

 Think tons of greenery and plant life, covered and uncovered options, a Gingersnap and lots of laughs, and magical trees with faces.  🙂  A quaint oasis that was so relaxing, I didn’t even want to get up from my chair to go to dinner!

 We asked our innkeeper for a recommendation for a quick snack, and she directed us to Criollo, which is downtown and has amazing (and inexpensive!) margaritas.  Seriously — you are hard-pressed to find a $3.5 margarita in Scottsdale that does not come from a machine, so this was a rare treat.  I had the white sangria — delicious.   We shared a small bite of calamari — ask for their house-made hot sauce if you try this!

 Our food adventure continued after lunch when we followed our noses down what seemed like a little alleyway to the side of a building where we came upon Mozelle’s Downtown Bakery.  I am not exaggerating when I say that we followed our sense of smell — we could smell the flour and butter from about a block away and when we got to the tiny bakery, Greyson picked out this scone with cream cheese and berries.  Unbelievable.  The scone — perfectly salty!  And the berries and cream cheese mixture so sweet that the balance was perfection.  I audibly mmm’ed all the way down the street!  😉

 Which brings me to the most amazing dinner we have ever had — at Brix, located conveniently right behind the inn, so you can feel free to have that extra glass of wine.

We rarely pass up truffle fries anyway, but when we saw these listed on the menu, we knew that this was not the place to miss out on them.  I believe they call them ‘Frites’ here and I made some comment to Greyson about how calling these ‘fries’ just completely misses the boat on how amazing these are.  Served with a truffle aioli.  I mean seriously, these things are incredible.

I ordered the roasted duck, which can’t sufficiently be described with words, so I will spare you; and Greyson got the steak frites, which was served with another helping of truffle fries.  How miserable for us!  😉  We ate slowly and carefully and enjoyed every bite, and we both agreed that this was the most amazing meal we ever have had.  The kind that is so satisfying and so exciting but doesn’t leave you feeling bloated or uncomfortable in the slightest.  And the presentation!  Don’t even get me started…

Finish your meal with creme brulee if you feel like it.  You won’t be sorry.

I wish I had taken a photo of the breakfast at the inn the following morning, but I forgot!  Picture the most luscious lemon ricotta pancake, hearty homemade turkey sausage (my favorite part of the meal!), fresh fruit, and a table set for two in the sunlit dining room.