Mesa Grill Sedona — Restaurant in Sedona

4 pm. We were at the scenic view at the Sedona airport.  Someone mentioned it was even better at sunset, 5:15 pm.

We were hungry. Looking at Google Maps we saw a 4.7 rated restaurant; The Airport Grill.  How convenient, 4.7 rate, and 2 min away.  We could be back in 75 min to see the sunset.

Airport Grill has plenty of parking and great views, including the airstrip with constant landings and takeoffs.  The atmosphere is clean and warm. The service is great; but in my humble opinion, it is not a place for steak.

There is an image that comes to my head every time I crave steak; that of a good cut, pouring some juices mixed with that delicious fat from the marbling. Crisscrossing the steak, red searing lines from the grill, not black or burned, charred to the point that you could break off a corner of the steak and write on paper with it. Unfortunately, that is exactly what - WE ALL got yesterday. Thus, the reason for my review.  See, on our way back we all concurred on the bitter-burned taste of the steaks, therefore I felt you all should know our experience.  Had I read something similar before visiting, I would've asked for an alternate cooking method or the cook to be extremely vigilant of irregular wood fire and heat.

We all ordered the prime rib, median well.  Usually, when people get their food there are smiles, giggles, there is happiness at the table.  What a disappointing sight and grin on everybody's face when we'd got our plates.I looked at my steak in disappointment and turned it over to find out in dismay that it was even worst on the bottom side. Was the worst side put on the bottom on purpose?

I called a waiter and explained the problem.  He graciously offered an exchange.  Our assigned waiter came over and explained that the steaks were cooked on a wood-fired grill. So he offered to cook the replacement on a pan instead.  I obliged in order to avoid the same result again on the wood-fired grill. Even though I saw in my guests' eyes the same disappointment, I guess out of politeness they said they would eat the steak like that, that it was fine.  But their words didn't match their expressions or their tone of voice. Bummer!

My replacement steak arrived, and although it did not have any red searing lines it was better tasting -not burned.  Before I ate any of it I cut a piece for each of my two guests. They didn't say anything but their facial expressions when switching steak bites were completely different.  For a moment, I felt happy they at least enjoyed a piece of steak.

I understand the unpredictability of a wood-fired grill, but if it becomes a challenge, maybe they could cook the steak in a pan and afterwards -finish cooking it- searing it on the grill to get these beautiful red lines without burning or charring it. But hey, I am not an expert cook or chef, just a foodie that finds extreme happiness in well-prepared food. I will leave cooking methods to the experts. Just don't burn my steak please!

Maybe this review will help you make the appropriate questions or decisions when visiting a restaurant and ordering steak. That is the intention.

Overall, our food experience here was subpar. I felt embarrassed for my guests to the extent that I promised to take them out again for a better steak experience.  I sincerely hope yours is better if you go.  On the bright side, we were on time for the...

We visited this FABULOUS restaurant on our last day ( stayed in Flagstaff ) on September 30th & we accidentally found this place two nights before ! Very nice VIEW of Sedona with FANTASTIC FOODS !!! I had a VEGETARIAN EGG WHITE OMELET & probiotic KOMBUCHA ( CHERRY / CASIS flavour ) were absolutely the BEST ever I had !!! My mom had the same omelet there & she loved it , too !! They were very FLUFFY !! With roasted potatoes which were very yummy as well. VERY FANCY , SOPHISTICATED TASTE !! My sister & her husband had a VEGAN BURGER BOWL with HEMP BURGER patties in them( one each ) with an eggplant spread & sweet potatoes . My sister said it was the VERY BEST VEGAN DISH !! Also, THE GRAVY was the VERY BEST VEGAN GRAVY !! The view is GORGEOUS & the atmosphere is ROMANTIC & UPSCALE CASUAL DINING VIBES with casual outfits !! It's totally WORTH THE VISIT !!! I gave 4 stars 🌟 not 5 unfortunately on services . Because the waiter told us 1st that vegan burger bowls were only available at dinner !! Then , he went to ask the chef as we ASKED whether if the chef should be able to cater for them !! He was very nice ( our waiter ) & made the effort , but only because we sort of pushed it to him !! I knew the chef could make vegan dishes for them , although it wasn't mentioned on the menu as I grew up eating at gourmet / facy restaurants. Otherwise , we would had given up & left ! We were there for brunch. We didn't make our reservation, so we were told the waiting time could be 45 minutes !! We waited outside in the outdoor area with tables / chairs .A DOG FRIENDLY place with menu for dogs !! ( dogs allowed on the patio ) My sister's dog ate all the chicken up !! Lol She is a finicky eater ! Our table was ready within about 35 to 40 minutes I believe ! There were so many guests & many kept coming in !! The line for the restrooms were long also !! I highly recommend to MAKE A RESERVATION !! A MUST VISIT !!! They WON'T DISAPPOINT !! The VERY POLITE/ very nice GENTLEMAN ( black man ? ) at the front RECEPTION who told me about the waiting time & gave me the instruction ( to get a notification when the table became ready via texts ) was very, very polite & kind !! He didn't forget to smile 😊, either ! He & the atmosphere & the foods were all 5 STARS !! 🌟 Not to mention , the location / view there, too !! The waiter was a very nice guy ! But, he should had suggested to check with the chef himself for vegan dish availability for brunch, not making us beg !! Lol. Otherwise, I would had given him 5 stars as well !! The mini jams ( 3 of 'em )came with a toast for our egg white omelets were also delicious !! Great experience over all !! I'd live to go back there again in...

I guess people come here for the ambience? They surely aren't coming here for the food. The food had some issues. Small portions and not a lot of synergy in the flavors. For instance we ordered the Eggplant Meatballs. Usually when you order meatballs somewhere they'll give you 4 jumbos or 6 regular sized meatballs. That wasn't the case here. The meatballs were small and only 3 came on a plate. The flavor was 100% in the sauce as the meatballs were bland all the way through. Were they even seasoned? Didn't seem like it.

I ordered the Crispy Red Trout. The dish looked and tasted more like the focus was on corn than trout. Trout has a very delicate flavor. You don't need to do too much to end up overpowering the flavor of the fish. That's what happened here. On top of the issues with the overpowering amount of corn was the lemon on top. It was bitter and took away all the flavors on the dish. A bit of fresh squeezed lemon would have given a better balance of flavors. The grits were fantastic however I will say. The spinach on the other hand...well....that's a different story. It complimented nothing in the dish and was bland.

The wife ordered the burger. Honestly again not much flavor going in with the burger. The patty wasn't anything to write home about. I find a BJ's patty has more flavor going on and I've many many burgers which are better. I was shocked this place required reservations to be honest. But it was a rather small establishment and I'm guessing the view is what everyone was after. It's nice to have a view while eating but at the end of the day I go to eat at a restaurant for the food first and foremost. And the food here was very very forgettable. Staff was...