When dessert rolled around, Jennifer recommended the signature espresso crème brûlée, but we opted for moist date cake instead, served with sabayon and homemade cinnamon ice cream. This is my kind of dessert, old-fashioned but strangely exotic. Another day, there were cocoa-dusted Earl Grey truffles, peanut butter cookies with chocolate fondue and thick peanut butter-chocolate mousse, all very good if not quite as extraordinary as the cake.
With so many yummy things to eat, you could almost forget that Cuveé (a wine term that denotes a blend or special lot of wine) is a wine bar, offering 20-plus wines by the glass, five flights and more than 100 bottles, a selection that spans the globe but pulls most heavily from California. Better still, restaurant customers pay retail prices plus a five-dollar corkage fee, which is a screaming deal.
I like Cuveé and I like Brix, so please don’t make me pick my favorite. I’m just grateful to have two new and splendid options in Northern Arizona.
Address: 6 W. Aspen Street, Flagstaff
Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to close, Monday through Saturday; noon to close, Sunday
Information: 928-214-9463 or cuvee928winebar.com


Karma Sushi
Everybody I spoke to in Flagstaff had great things to say about Karma Sushi, housed in the narrow, historic space that was once home to Hong Kong Café. I know what you’re thinking. Fresh ocean fish in the mountains hardly seems plausible. But sushi pro and co-owner Steve Scully (who worked at Ra and Stingray in Scottsdale) pulls it off, offering the nigiri-zushi, specialty rolls, Japanese appetizers and cooked entrées we’re used to getting here at home.
The place is packed day and night, and for good reason: fresh fish, striking décor (gold walls, black accents, a massive mirrored back bar) and the kind of fun, friendly vibe that reflects the younger crowd who keeps this place hopping.
But what impressed me most were the daily specials: buttery wild-caught organic salmon sashimi, served with fresh grated wasabi ($10) and fresh Gulf lobster tail sashimi, seared with fresh black pepper and lemon and served with browned butter ($19). For dessert, coconut sorbet, served in a coconut shell with fresh berries. Yummy yum.
Address: 6 E. Route 66, Flagstaff
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday; dinner, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., nightly
Information: 928-774-6100 or karmasushi.com