By Silvia Somerville:
In Camp Verde, there is an exceptional steakhouse that rivals any in the country —Storytellers, located in Cliff Castle Casino. This fine dining, dinner-only restaurant offers hearty dishes with subtle flavors, interesting entrée combinations (such as an apple-wood bacon wrapped filet and meaty Australian lobster tail) and outstanding appetizers and desserts that can satisfy the most sophisticated palette. Add to this attentive service and one of the most unusual settings one can find anywhere, and it’s easy to see why Storytellers has become a destination restaurant.
Once you walk through the doors of Storytellers, the casino is far behind with all its noise, bright lights and activity. Instead, you enter a cozy, quiet simulated cave where you can spend an evening in quiet intimacy, sharing stories and creating memories. The lighting is subtle and mimics the setting sun, casting warm shadows on the walls that change throughout the evening. Service is attentive and helpful.
The creative force behind the restaurant – and the three other eateries on the site is Executive Chef Nate Schreiber, who was raised in Camp Verde. (The other restaurants are The Gallery, a family-friendly restaurant that serves comfort food; including homemade soups; The Gathering, which serves Southwestern-inspired dishes all day long, and Johnny Rockets with its 50’s diner style menu and decor).
Schreiber’s father was a ranger at Fort Verde and lived on site with his family in the years before the pink ranger building was torn down. One could say that son Nate has come back to his roots and has made his hometown proud.
If Storytellers is at one end of the dining spectrum, at the other is a small luncheon café with a modest menu and a sense of humor: the Adobe Café, which offers a fried spam sandwich –the American 80-year-old canned sensation that combines ground pork shoulder, ground ham, sugar, salt, water and a hint of potato starch and preservatives.
Both establishments are very much at home in the frontier town of Camp Verde, which favors good home cooking. Babe’s Roundup, for example, has been preparing barbecue for nearly 30 years, with beef and pork ribs that fall off the bone and a brisket that makes a great sandwich. Beto’s Corner serves excellent South of the Border fare in a charming roadside setting, including chile rellenos, a red tamale and many standard favorites as well as burgers, fries and corn dogs. For dessert, there are wonderful cinnamon empanadas. Salt Mine Cellars specializes in steaks, burgers and pizza; and Crusty’s Pizza serves (you guessed it) thick-crusted pizzas.
At Randall’s and Family Restaurant, an exceptional, award-winning breakfast and lunch restaurant, diners can get breakfast—hot, fresh and fast—all day long. There are many choices, including egg dishes, waffles, pancakes, homemade cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, fruit and granola—even a “build your own” omelet.
The menu also includes delicious regional specialties, such as a breakfast burrito (homemade chorizo, scrambled eggs, potatoes and cheddar cheese all blended in a flour tortilla and served with hash browns) and huevos rancheros (corn tortillas layered with a verde sauce, cheese and eggs and served with pinto beans and hash browns). For lunch, Randall’s serves hot and cold sandwiches and salads as well as a four-layer carrot cake and a five-layer chocolate cake.
Diners preferring to buy food on the go can find several familiar chain restaurants and drive thrus in Camp Verde—Burger King, Cold Stone Creamery, Denny’s, Sonics, McDonald’s, Quiznos and Taco Bell. There is even a health food restaurant in town (Healthy Thymes Cafe) where you can order smoothies, homemade soups, sandwiches and burritos. The café also serves organic coffees, teas and juices and has fixings for a picnic.
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