Pending, as with all things, the conclusion of the coronavirus saga, Sedona’s famed Elote Cafe is reopening in a new location just a mile and a half away from the original. Chef Jeff Smedstad says he couldn’t imagine moving the restaurant outside of Sedona. “This is my home. It’s important to me that we maintain the Sedona vibe,” Smedstad says, defining said vibe as a “laidback lifestyle” and time spent in nature. The menu at the new location looks essentially the same, including its best-selling dish, smoked pork cheeks in chile sauce. “We aren’t re-creating [the menu],” Smedstad says. “What we have works.” He says guests can expect the menu to gradually grow, as the new building boasts a bigger kitchen with “more room to create.” As of press time, the new location at 350 Jordan Road would be open “sometime in April,” the James Beard Award-nominated chef says. elotecafe.com
