Safari Hotel Vintage Postcards

[PixelPixie]

The Safari Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona
Formerly located across the street from Scottsdale Fashion Square

DEMOLISHED

Designed by Al Beadle

When this building had been modified beyond his threshhold, Al Beadle disowned association with it. I'm guessing (and this is just a guess) that's around when they added the French Quarter? Hubba hubba.

[PixelPixie]

I'm surprised that nobody has commented on these photos yet. Doesn't anyone remember dining at the Brown Derby? The grand entryway at The Safari? I only remember them from when I was a little girl, and I was hardly paying attention other than how neat it was.

[JC]

I never had the opportunity to visit the Safari hotel but I think it could have been another Valley Ho if someone had the money and patience to restore....
I heard it had a lot of problems though structually...
Still- I cannot complain about what is going in!
I love Safari Drive.
I hope they put the old Safari hotel sign in their lobby along with pics of the old site.

[12below]

um, yeah, brown derby rocked. it was quite my hangout back in the late 80s/early 90s after long nights of drinking and dancing (sounds so dumb now to say I used to go out dancing... ). the whole place was just awesome. had such a fabu vibe. the place was so underappreciated.

[PixelPixie]

Here we can better appreciate his work unmolested.

[JC]

Beautiful!
Arial looks a bit like Valley Ho lay out...

Oh for the ability to unring a few bells!

Thanks Alison!

BTW- Canal improvements start soon.
(11 million dollars worth or canal improvements)

[TMUhlmann]

Here's an example of one thing that really made the Safari a special place to go. Paul Shank's Gracious Dining was a world-class restaurant in the west's most "Western Town". It's not a fact I was able to admit until rather recently, simply because I didn't think it made sense. What about New York? What about San Francisco? Well having eaten better when I was in the sixth grade than anytime since (we probably went to the dining room once a month growing up), and now haven eaten at the places that I was certain would be better restaurants (i.e., The Four Seasons in NYC, plus many restaurants in LA and SF over the years) I am certain we had a world-class operation in Scottsdale at the Safari.

Dewey Webb in his Phoenix New Times article from May 1997 hit the menu thing just right. There were frogs legs, Chateaubriand (for two), lots of flaming dinners and desserts as was the style in 1965, baby Icelandic lobster tails, Kentucky grown Limestone butter lettuce salads, and my favorite, Beef Stroganoff. But Paul Shank also introduced Steak Teriyaki cooked at the table and in the Japanese manner to our restaurants, and probably the finest Sunday Brunch I've ever had the pleasure to pig out at while enjoying.

In any event, here's the menu from the place.

[PixelPixie]

Celebrating Birthday, Anniversary or Divorce??!?!

How risque to order a flaming dessert after your divorce!

What a classically trendy menu. I'll forward it to our chef for inspired appetizers for our 60's themed home tour afterparty.

[TMUhlmann]

It wasn't just divorce that was risque...the little birthday cake I always got whether whispered, ordered at dinner, or just understood that "it was my birthday" arrived at the table with a fabulous sparkler, all 1000deg F. of spitzenundsparken. We knew it was too hot to touch ya know...we just did. Instead I would put my red and purple straws from the, um, Shirley Temple in the little red table lanterns to see them melt.

AND...I have a cookbook to mention to you all who like the sixties style of cooking in the west. It is a treasure of classy food and drink from that time, some quite yummy originals from the west coast (Crab Louie, Green Goddess Salad, etc.); and other dishes with both the western style and flavor, but also the beginning of a serious introduction of many International dishes that have now become familiar in most American homes. Look for a copy of The Sunset Cook Book - Food with a Gourmet Touch, C-1960 Lane Book Co., Menlo Park, California. You will not regret the effort.

Merry Christmas all....

[TMUhlmann]

Well, though not technically a postcard, here is a cut-and-paste picture of the Safari Hotel brochure in use from the mid-sixties well into the seventies. I think there are some images here that aren't often available of the interior of the hotel.

Safari Brochure copy.jpg (235.4 KB) Viewed 1527 times