We will celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with a Romantic Dinner on Saturday, February 11. Our French/Swiss chef, Gratien Torrione will prepare a special romantic dinner to help you fete your Valentine to a great weekend and romantic dinner at the Casa. A minimum two night stay is required. ($45 per person including tax and gratuity). Bring your own wine (recommended wines include a nice Champaigne, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir). The menu:

• Avocat aux crevettes Calypso (Avocado filled with boiled shelled prawns in mayonnaise, tomato, Brandy and lemon sauce, heart-shaped beets in olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
• Filet mignon de porc en croûte (Puff pastry and bacon wrapped pork tenderloin)
• with a Cognac marinated fig, apricot and raisin sauce
• Red Potatoes Gratin Savoyard
• Olive oil sautéed Brussels sprouts
• Fantaisie de framboises au chocolat noir (Raspberry jelly on dark chocolate, Rasperry chips, Blackberry, Blueberries, Strawberry and white chocolate mousse)

• February 25
• May 12

Also a special Valentine’s Day Romantic Dinner (without the cooking class) will be held on February 11. 

The cooking classes are a great opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of the Casa, savor a great dinner (you don’t have to do the cooking class part), and even have fun helping to reare the dinner while learning new techniques and recipes.

This special holiday edition departs from Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast. Participants travel in a small tour bus (minivan for groups of 5 or fewer), with frequent stops for roadside birding and short walks. The group will stop for lunch in a local restaurant (separate checks). We recommend registering for this event at least 1 week in advance.

$75 per adult for members of SABO and/or guests of Casa de San Pedro, $85 for non-members; for children age 10 to 16 when accompanied by an adult: $40/members/guests, $45/non-members/non-guests . Educational handouts and transportation from Bisbee are included. Registration for Casa guests is open now (for the registration code, contact Casa); general registration opens November 12. For more information, contact SABO.

And we are currently taking reservations for both our Christmas  and  New Year’s Eve dinners.

The Christmas Dinner features a fabulous seafood cocktail buffet (King Crab, Scallopes, Shrimp) before dinner, and the dinner features Roast Prime Rib with all the fixin’s.  We include Champagne with the dinner to add to the festive event.  ($35/person, with a minimum two night stay).

And our Swiss French Chef, Gratien Torrione will join us for our New Year’s Eve dinner at the Casa.  Many guests have requested that we provide a New Year’s Eve dinner so that they can enjoy the best culinary experience in Southeast Arizona while they celebrate the New Year – and NOT have to drive to remote restaurants.  So join us for a safe and sane way to enjoy New Year’s Eve!  Call now for reservations:  toll free 888 257-2050.

Curve-billed thrasher on saguro cactus

SE Arizona, the San Pedro River Valley, and the surrounding Sky Islands (the Santa Rita, Huachuca, Mule, Dragoon, Chirichaua Mountains and related valleys) are increasingly being recognized as one of the Nation’s best bird watching areas.  Even with this year’s forest fires in these special mountains, the bird watching is vibrant and extremely active, especially in the many areas that were not affected by the fires, but even in the fire zones themselves reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland.com).  And,as noted in a current article in the Peoia Illinois Journal Star (pjstar.com) this area is increasingly becoming one of the premier destinations for bird watchers and other naturalists.  Casa de San Pedro is pleased to offer the region’s most upscale and comfortable accommodations for bird watchers who flock to the area to enjoy the search for the many birds that are residents or migrants through this important flyway.

Join the hummingbird feeder relief program in Southeast Arizona!

Casa de San Pedro is proud to be a cosponsor of the KAYTEE & Cedar Works (which are part of the Central Garden and Pet Company) program to distribute hummingbird feeders and nectar throughout southeast Arizona.  This year’s fires in SE Arizona (the Monument Fire in the Huachucas and the Horseshoe 2 fire in the Chirichauas) destroyed important habitat needed by hummingbirds that nest here or which migrate through the area in the Fall.  While many areas were untouched by the fires, the large number of hummingbirds that migrate through the area will be stressed to find adequate food sources and shelter.  To bolster the hummingbirds in their migration through the area a collaborative effort with the Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory (www.sabo.org), The Cornell Lab ( http://www.birds.cornell.edu/roundrobin/2011/07/27/feeder-relief-for-arizonas-fire-stricken-hummingbirds/ ), and many of our local birding sites, including Casa de San Pedro, will be distributing free hummingbird feeders and electrolyte enhanced nectar.  Casa de San Pedro is providing storage space for the several thousand feeders that Kaytee (www.kaytee.com) will be donating to the cause.  Stay with us during August and receive a free hummingbird feeder and nectar so you can join the effort to support this hummingbird rescue program.

Find your favorite birds in beautiful Tucson.

The Tucson Audubon Society will be hosting a major Bird and Wildlife Festival in Tuscon August 17 to 21.  See the pdf flier here: Tuscon Festival Aug 2011.   Guest speakers Rick Taylor and Kenn Kauffman.  Come to SE Arizona for some of the Best Birding of the Year !