Gallery On Oak Creek Restaurant

But it probably isn’t the first place you might think of for fine dining.

The Gallery on Oak Creek, however, has set out to change that.

This unique Sedona fine dining restaurant has taken two of the area’s best features – its diverse art community and beautiful scenery - and combined them with gourmet cuisine for a distinctive and romantic dining experience.

The Gallery is in the Amara Creekside Resort, a stylish, contemporary 100-room boutique resort that blends a Zen-like air with sleek, modern minimalist décor.

The Amara Creekside Resort

Because its sited well off the main road, the resort feels secluded and peaceful.

As its name suggests, the property sits along Oak Creek – one of Sedona’s most famous natural features.

Paintings and fountains decorate the lobby outside The Gallery on Oak Creek

Dinner entrées include:

• White Marble Farm double cut pork chop, smoked and barbecued and served with rattlesnake bean cassoulet, three pepper jelly and roasted tomato-ancho sauce ($26),
• Thai salmon tournedo with a sweet red curry, forbidden rice and sugar snap pea shoots ($26),
• Mediterranean flat iron steak rubbed with cracked fennel, coriander and cumin seeds and grilled medium rare accompanied by a tomato, orange and basil relish and pommes frites ($25).

All dishes have elegant presentations and are served on artistic plates.

Breakfast dishes include standard breakfast favorites like buttermilk pancakes ($10) and omelets ($11) in addition to quiche ($11) and breakfast burritos ($11).

Lunch items include soups ($4 per cup; $6 per bowl), entrée salads ($8 - $10) and smoked salmon quesadillas ($11).

Sandwiches at The Gallery are more inventive than your typical deli, such as:

• The Pilgrim – house-roasted, citrus-brined turkey with orange-ancho butternut squash mash, garlic greens, cranberry-pear-ginger chutney, served open face on foccacia with giblet gravy ($12)

• Grilled Garden Wrap - with thinly sliced, red wine vinaigrette-marinated and grilled carrot, asparagus, zucchini and tomato, wrapped in a spinach tortilla with roasted red pepper, arugula, portobello mushroom and boursin garlic cream ($12).

Wine lovers will want to dine at The Gallery on Oak Creek to try their diverse, well-chosen list of wines from quality producers around the world including Silverado Vineyards, Cakebread Cellars, Paul Hobbs and Nickel and Nickel.

The Gallery’s emphasis on boutique and highly allocated wines has earned them Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence for last two years for "having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world."

Throughout the year, The Gallery on Oak Creek hosts special prix fixe wine dinners featuring wines from one specialty producer, often with the winemaker present.

The dining room at The Gallery on Oak Creek

Impressionistic watercolors, dramatic oil landscapes, bronze sculptures and wood carvings adorn the walls and tables.

There are even sculptures that hang from the ceiling.

All of the art work is by local artists and every piece of art is for sale.

You need only ask to see the one-of-a-kind "art menu" with details on the artists, galleries and exhibits displayed.

Given that so much art fills the space, you might think the room would have a stuffy, museum-like feel.

Instead, The Gallery on Oak Creek dining room has a casual elegance with stylish china, glassware and flatware that compliments the art work.

One side of the room has a small, discreet bar.

During the day, we gazed out the large picture windows to the tall green groves of cottonwood trees along the creek and the red rock buttes of the canyon beyond.

At night, the intimate space became romantic in the glow of candlelight and the dancing flames of the fire pit outside.

If the weather is nice, we recommend dining outside on the Gallery’s large patio as there are nice views and a lovely garden setting.

However, the patio doesn’t feel as intimate as the dining room because it’s located in the large courtyard and gardens behind the resort.

The pool is just beyond the patio and many of the rooms look out over the space.

Nevertheless, it’s a pleasant area. Large, shady umbrellas protect you from the sun during the day.

Colorful flowers line the patio at The Gallery on Oak Creek

For dinner, we started with a corn, green chile, cilantro and shiitake mushroom soup ($4).

Although it sounds a slightly unusual combination, the soup was wonderful with a creamy texture and a great balance of flavors with just a slight bite of chile heat.

The porcini-dusted halibut ($28) was a seared filet with a crust of finely chopped porcini mushrooms.

Served on a mound of leek and red bliss smashed potatoes with a cluster of orange-glazed baby carrots and drizzled with a porcini cream, it was a delicious entrée. The fish was perfectly moist.

The linguine with basil pesto, roasted vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, fresh ricotta and a concasse of tomato ($21) was a perfect vegetarian dish.

Finished with grated pecorino cheese, it was rich and satisfying. For an additional cost, non-vegetarians can add grilled chicken ($3) or grilled shrimp ($6).

The Amara Restaurant's dining room

For dessert, we had an absolutely huge blackberry and blueberry shortcake ($7) topped with a lemon Devon cream.

The berries were sweet and tart with a great flaky, traditional shortcake biscuit.

Our waiter was excellent, friendly and attentive without being obtrusive.

At breakfast, the service was a bit inattentive but the food was good.

The Oak Creek benedict ($12) was a twist on the traditional breakfast favorite.

Crab and grilled chayote - a type of Mexican green squash - surrounded poached eggs on top of thick blue corn pancakes, drizzled with a chipotle-tomato hollandaise.

It was tasty and rich although the pancakes were just slightly doughy.

The Amara omelet ($11) was filled with spinach, roasted tomatoes and Swiss cheese.

It was light and fluffy and served with roasted red potatoes.

High Points:    Very good food for the price.

Low Points:    Breakfast service was inattentive.

Location:    The north end of Uptown Sedona along Highway 89A

Address:    310 N. Highway 89A, Sedona, AZ 86336

Google Map Directions: Click on "+" and "-" signs on Map Controls in upper left hand corner to zoom in and out on the location.

Phone:    (866) 455-6610

Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

Reservations:    Reservations recommended.

Dress:    Casual for breakfast and lunch; business casual for dinner.

Vegetarian Options:    Yes.

Good for Families/Kids:    Kids are welcome but the restaurant has a decidedly adult atmosphere.

Wine List:    Highly regarded wine list of over 300 premium and boutique wines from around the world, earning it two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence.

Smoking Policy:    No smoking.

Parking:    Amara Resort has its own parking lot and parking is complimentary.

Credit Cards:    Accepted.

Return to Sedona Arizona Vacation Destination Guide from Gallery on Oak Creek

Return to Arizona-Vacation-Planner.com Home Page