Monthly Archives: October 2016

Lunching at Lon’s at The Hermosa in Paradise Valley Arizona…Worth a Fork

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Lon’s is the restaurant at The Hermosa a Bouquet Resort in the Paradise Valley area of Scottsdale AZ. The weather was perfect for patio dining so we took advantage of the mature trees and desert views on the lovely patio.

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Our waiter introduces himself and when we are ready to order we do.

I receive my lunch of fish and chips.

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It wasn’t fancy at all but everything on the plate was technically perfect. The Fish was Halibut that tasted fresh and was moist and flaky like it should be. The fish had a light coating of cornmeal that seemed free of oil. I also received house made sauce and fresh cut herbed fries that also were clean tasting and seemed oil free…that really were the BEST tasting fries I had in a long long time.

My husband had the Sort Rib Pizza.

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My husband said the short rib was very good and tasty. The pizza was thinly buttered with a house made ricotta cheese that added great flavors to the pizza. I stole one small tomato from the pizza that had a great sweetness and a delicious fresh tomato taste. The only criticism that I can give is….as delicious as I was told that this pizza was……….we both felt this pizza is too small for a man’s appetite….even at lunch time.

I do note typical of resort dining lunch pricing is on the high side. I found service to be EXCELLENT. From host, hostess, waiter, and management. We were attended to often and were made to feel very welcome at Lon’s.

NO..Your not going to drive across town to dine here...but if your in the area if they serve what I had most of the food is very tasty and fresh.

Technically perfect food is Worth a Fork! I dine out often and find you don’t get technically perfect food at many fine places. Lunch Pricing runs on the high side and some lunch portions might run on the small side.

This Boutique Resort is small. There is no self parking so you have to valet.

In my opinion…….Lon’s..was Technically Perfect Food in upscale surroundings with Great Service  and is…….. Worth a Fork!

For more information please visit www.Hermosainn.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

GAME DAY Baked Tortilla Crusted Cauliflower for Nachos Recipe

Tortilla Crusted Cauliflower

Tortilla Crusted Cauliflower

It’s kind of trendy right now to coat cauliflower and disguise it into another food. Here I basically made a tasty tortilla tasting coating for the cauliflower that’s baked. It very important to use Masa Flour or don’t even bother with this recipe because Masa has lime (not the citrus) in it and is that tortilla kind of taste. My other hint for this recipe is to use orange cauliflower because it is the PERFECT roasting cauliflower and isn’t as watery as white cauliflower and doesn’t burn it fast like purple cauliflower. This recipe is easy and quick to prepare and comes out delicious! Just top with shredded cheeses, salsa, a few thinly sliced jalapeños or fire roasted hatch chiles and cheese  pop it back in the oven a few minutes and your ready for a party! Unlike some other coated cauliflower recipes you might have tried this one holds up well to a re-heating too.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 orange cauliflower – broken down into bite size florets

1/4 cup corn mesa flour (make sure you are using the correct flour)

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup corn starch

3.2 oz dry fat free dry skim milk (one envelope)

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground annato

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

3/4 cup water ( it’s possible that you might need a tablespoon more because different brands of flour are ground slightly different – also make sure that you are using a liquid measurer)

non-stick spray either canola or vegetable

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the cauliflower and the non-stick spray. Your cauliflower and coating mix should look like this.

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Spray your baking sheet(s) with non-stick spray.

Dip each cauliflower floret in the batter and shake off as much as you can then space out the florets on your baking sheet.

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Place in the oven for about ten minutes or until the cauliflower looks like this.

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Now your ready for some fun!

You can top the cauliflower like nachos!

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With Cheddar and Jack Cheese, salsa, jalapeños, scallions…..sour cream and guacamole if you like……or Hatch Chile and Cheese would also be delicious.

Tortilla Crusted Cauliflower

Tortilla Crusted Cauliflower

Ummmm Forking Tasty! You will make everyone happy with this one! #crowdpleaser

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

Breakstone’s and Knudsen’s – The Cottage Cheeses do Taste Different

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If you live in the East, South East, or Mid- Western parts of U.S. The big name brand for Cottage Cheese and other dairy items is Breakstone’s. In the Western parts the big name is Knudsen’s. Both Cottage Cheese brands have been absorbed by Kraft Foods.  I stumbled into a rare opportunity to get my hands on some Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese in Phoenix AZ. I thought I’d see how the two measure up against each other. But first is a little bit of story about these brands.

Knuden’s was at one time a family owned business that made cottage cheese and other items  that got mostly bought out by Kraft.

On the Breakstone’s Container it states that they were established in 1882 and according to the commercials I grew up with Breakstone’s was founded by Sam Breakstone.

I don’t know for sure but according to what I read on the internet the Sam Breakstone’s Name might be somewhat fictitious?????????? There is LOTS of documentation that The Breakstone Name is linked to many named Lithuanian immigrants from the New York Lower East Side named Breakstone from the pre 1900’s that were involved in the dairy business. Brothers, cousins, distant relatives all named Breakstone are linked to the dairy business all where the “real” or “fictitious” Sam Breakstone came from.

Jordon Davis of www.FindingSamBreakstone.BlogSpot.com dedicated his WHOLE BLOG to researching all people that he could find name Sam Breakstone in America that were alive in 1882. He was aiming on finding the real Sam Breakstone of from what we know as Breakstone’s . He digged up records on about SEVENTEEN Sam Breakstones and isn’t satisfied that any of the Sam Breakstones He has found (even though in the dairy business) were actually the founding Sam Breakstone of the 1882 established dairy.

Some of us of a certain age from certain parts of the United States remember the likable character from Breakstone commercials named “Sam Breakstone.”(he’s the same actor from the Dunkin Donuts Commercial, “Time to make the donuts” guy) In the commercials Sam Breakstone turned down lots of milk because it wasn’t good enough for his products. He was a real stickler. (well that’s the way I remember it..think it went that way) Oh I found a bunch of old Breakstone’s Commercials that live on youtube. Most were made from 1977-80.

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“Not GOOD enough!”   “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”   “I wouldn’t feed it to a dog!”

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“Not thick enough.” NOT THICK ENOUGH!”

I had difficulty researching Breakstone’s and Knudsen’s varieties of cottage cheese that they used to sell before they were bought out by Kraft. It seems that information disappeared or never was found on the web. But I remember Breakstone’s use to sell the cottage with a variety of curd sizes and different fat contents. I don’t recall Knudsen’s because it wasn’t sold were I lived most of my life.

Now back to the two brands of Cottage Cheese…..

Both Cottage Cheeses are low fat and 2% milk fat and are small curd. Both Cottage Cheese have the same amount of calories and fat.

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The main ingredients in Breakstone’s are skim milk and cream, plus 8 ingredients.

Knudsen’s main ingredients are Fat free milk and cream, plus 10 ingredients.

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You can see the texture differs some.

Knudsen on the right has harder, drier curds and is much saltier tasting.

Breakstone’s on the left has more difference between the curds and whey.

Knudsen’s almost seems like it was blended together.

Breakstone’s taste milkier maybe because it isn’t so salty.

Breakstone’s and Knudsen’s do taste different.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

www.FindingSamBreakstone.BlogSpot.com.

Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower “Wings” Recipe

Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower "Wings"

Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower “Wings”

This Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower “Wing” Recipe is by Branne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips. They come out sweet , savory, sticky and tasty. This recipe certainly makes cauliflower more exciting.The recipe is very easy to prepare and anyone can do it.

You might have to make a few minor adjustments to the recipe.

Depending on your flour you might need to add maybe two tables more milk.

Before the additional two tablespoons of milk

Before the additional two tablespoons of milk

After adding two additional Tablespoons of milk

After adding two additional Tablespoons of milk

You might also need to double the cauliflower batter (four and milk) recipe.

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I ran out of batter and still had much of the cauliflower left to batter.

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For the remaining cauliflower I poured the batter on and mixed it covering the cauliflower much lighter.

Now back to the recipe.

Ingredients for 6 servings

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 garlic clove crushed

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon salt

a few grinds black pepper

1 large cauliflower – broken down into florets

1/2 cup flour (Brianne used brown rice flour, I used white rice flour)

1/2 cup milk (Brianne used almond milk, I used buttermilk in my first batch and nonfat in my second batch…for me the buttermilk came out with a nicer crust)

Directions

In a smaller bowl combine balsamic, soy sauce, honey, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and get out and spray or oil your baking sheet(s)

Whisk the milk and flour together and toss the cauliflower in the batter till coated.

Arrange cauliflower on baking sheet(s) in a single layer.

Bake 15 minutes or slightly less.

Remove from oven and pour on sauce (too much sauce I didn’t use it all)

Put bake in oven for 5 minutes.

Take out and gently flip the cauliflower.

Put back in another 5 minutes.

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They are tasty but on the sweet side.

I added a sprinkles of oregano, basil and shredded parmesan cheese to balance the sweetness out for me.

Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower "Wings"

Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower “Wings”

It’s a great recipe and after you make it then you can personalize it for your taste.

For next time I am leaving out the soy sauce and will cut back on the honey.

Thanks to Brianne@Cupcakes&KaleChips for a really great creative recipe that makes cauliflower more exciting.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

My Visit to Tonto Bar and Grill in Cave Creek AZ

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Tonto Bar and Grill is a south west themed golf resort in beautiful Cave Creek Arizona. They serve up American Food sometimes studded with local desert foraged ingredients. They were offering a great sounding three course menu so we decided to go for it.

They offer a beautiful out-door patio.

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With beautiful views of the golf course.

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The dragon flies are real and are not decorations.

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We request a seat on the patio. I ask for a shaded table and they offer a seat in full sun. I try it out and one side blinds my eyes and the other seat burns my back.

"From one seat the sun blinds me and from the other seat the sun burns my skin"

“From one seat the sun blinds me and from the other seat the sun burns my skin”

I tell them for those reasons this table won’t work for me. Our server tells me the sun is only temporary and will set.

"The sun is only temporary and will set eventually"

“The sun is only temporary and will set eventually” “What’s your problem human….

I say I can’t sit there and then she says they can set an umbrella up for me.

"Stay at this lovely table in the burning sun.....we will install an umbrella for you so you can stay here...."

“Stay at this lovely table in the burning sun…..we will install an umbrella for you so you can stay here….”

They set the umbrella up and then the table is tolerable. I thought it was strange since 90% of the tables looked available and many were shaded.

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Well any who……

They start us off with a bread basket with creamy soft butter.

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The bread seemed like it might have been house baked and was topped with some interesting seeds.

Our first of three courses soon arrive.

I had a compressed Arugula Salad.

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It was delicious with Pecans, Green Apple, Pistachios with Pistachio vinaigrette. The salad also contained Spanish Cheese and Dried Cherries. It was all good.

My husband had theTortilla Crusted Crab Cakes.

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The Crab Cakes were unusually good and was a welcome surprise as you very rarely get good crab cakes outside of Baltimore.

Soon our plates are cleared and the watering system starts up.

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We get splashed with water a few times but not too bad. I just didn’t want to get lawn water on my food because the outdoor water might contain lead and other impurities.

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For dinner I have the Onion Crusted Walleye. It’s served over a potato roesti cake. They served me two generous servings of tarter sauce topped with fried capers some lightly steamed shreds of steamed carrots topped with some fresh spinach. The fish is pretty good until I hit the slightly undercooked rubbery bloodline and the soggy fish skin that was crusted over with onion crust. The potato is seasoned nicely and is a tasty treat.

My husband tried the Root Beer braised Short Rib Dinner.

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Our favorite part of the plate was the Sweet Potato Casserole. It was layers of nicely cooked sweet potatoes held together with cheese. Anybody would like the sweet potatoes. For both our taste the rib was too stringy and might be over-cooked slightly for our taste. For me it ran too sweet. For me the green beans were painfully smokey. They were infused with a massive amount of smoke. It was too much smoke for me to swallow and I had to spit the piece I tried out. They were too smokey for my husband too but he was able to eat a few of them.

The desserts were

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A decadent Warm Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Warm Chocolate Sauce, Fresh Fruit, House Pecan Ice-cream with fancy cookies.  So many treats to try on one plate

And Lemon-Lime Sour Cream Pie.

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Both desserts were very detailed and also very good! The Lemon-Lime Sour Cream Pie had this citrusy ribbon that hit you with the right amount of tang, sweetness and flavor. Under the ribbon was a creamy layer that was so tasty with nutty tasting crust. This dessert was all good even down to the cute hand made sugar bumble bee.

Tonto Bar and Grill offers a Taste of the South West indoors or on the patio. For sure you can enjoy some lovely appetizers and amazing desserts. I haven’t tried enough of the menu to be clear on a rating.

For more information please visit www.TontoBarandGrill.com

I note that your experience and taste may differ and I just tell the truth about my dinning experience.

The Forking Truth.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Slick’s Garage Bar and EATS Peoria AZ – Hidden Gem and Worth a Fork*****UPDATE NOW CLOSED

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******UPDATE SADLY CLOSED FOR BUSINESS 🙁

Slick’s Garage Bar and Eats recently opened in the Peoria Entertainment District called P83. They serve up a combination of American and New Mexican Favorites. Slick’s Garage offers a comfortable looking bar. The menu offers bar grub, assorted burgers, sandwiches, New Mexican Foods and MORE! These MAGICAL Fire Roasted Chiles that they offer make anything fabulously DELICIOUS! The Chiles and Cheese can co-star with many menu options. The Chiles have a unique scrumptious taste and  ….you will have to drive about forty minutes  to find this kind of food someplace else. The atmosphere is fun and nostalgic. The owner is a passionate collector of Petroliana, gas pumps, signs, pumps, trucks, cars and motorcycles.

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Found a Shop-Rite Truck on the wall! Woo hoo!

Found a Shop-Rite Truck on the wall! Woo hoo!

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I’ve been here twice so far and everything we tried was DELICIOUS and unlike anything you can get for miles around.

This time I tried a sandwich called The Dip Stick.

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It was fresh roasted beef on this really good baguette of bread with au jus for dipping. I had the green chiles added to my sandwich and took the chile and cheese option for my fries. This was mighty tasty………….

Last time I had a Turkey Sandwich on Grilled Sourdough bread with house made potato salad.

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Those magical chiles and creamy ripe avocado on my sandwich could make a pile of toenails  taste delicious….The potato salad was also seasoned to perfection. Everything I tried here so far was just great!

This time my husband had a Burger.

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We don’t remember the name of the burger but it was topped with Carne Adovada, cheese, lettuce tomato, onion and a spicy creamy sauce that he asked to be on the side. He also got the same fries I had. The sandwich was bursting with great flavors. It might be the tastiest burger in this part of town.

Last time my husband had the Carne Adovada.

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It was full of great flavors and textures. It was the best Carne Adovada he had in a while.

This is big news…..for this part of town as we have very few independently owned restaurants here and I also can’t think of another restaurant within a forty minute drive that serves this kind of food.

Slick’s Garage Bar and Eats seems pretty solid.

On both visits I had friendly efficient service, very tasty fresh food food in a fun atmosphere.

Slick’s Garage Bar and Eats is Worth a Fork!

You might travel across town to dine here. Extensive Wine L

I couldn’t find a thing wrong with anything we tried.

UPDATE******SADLY CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

For more information please visit www.SlicksGaragePeoria.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Non-Traditional HATCH Chile Egg Cheese and Vegetable Quiche with Potato Crust Recipe

 

 

Non-Traditional Potato Crusted Hatch Chile, Cheese and Vegetable Quiche

Non-Traditional Hatch Chile, Cheese and Vegetable Quiche with Potato Crust

I’m always trying to think up another way to serve eggs and here is a breakfast casserole sort of quiche that’s pumped up with vegetables, flavorful Hatch Chile, eggs and cheese lined with a potato crust. It’s pretty easy to prepare. This isn’t a real custardy quiche. It gets a bunch of healthy volume from chopped roasted cauliflower that’s snuck in. It very flavorful and doesn’t need a thing added. I think it would be nice to serve with a side of fresh fruit.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

3 medium/small potatoes (about 9oz)

neutral non-stick spray – canola or vegetable

1 hatch chile – fire roasted – skin, seeds, stem removed and chopped – small

2 cups roasted cauliflower – then chopped large bean size – I roasted my broken down cauliflower at 350 degrees F with a good sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil for about a 1/2 hour till it browned and then added fresh ground sea salt and black pepper

4 XL eggs – beaten

2 Tablespoons scallions – chopped

4 oz monterey jack cheese – shredded

2 Tablespoons cooked onion – diced – sautéed in a fry pan with a non-stick spray

2 Tablespoons cooked red pepper – diced – sautéed in a fry pan with non-stick spray

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a round smallish casserole pan or cake pan with non-stick spray.

With a mandolin slice one potato at a time very thin and start layering potato slices like this.

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I did a little more than the last photo but forgot to photo it. I went around with more potato slices. It wound up and three slices thick. The potatoes do fall a little in the oven so don’t worry about it because you will have enough potato crust.  I then added a light layer of canola spray to the potatoes and put them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Until they looked like the photo below.

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Turn your oven down to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine ingredients and pour into potato crust.

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Cook covered in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the middle feels like the ends and seems done. You can serve warm but not hot or you can chill and reheat because this isn’t a very custardy quiche.

Non-Traditional Potato Crusted Hatch Chile, Cheese and Vegetable Quiche

Non-Traditional Potato Crusted Hatch Chile, Cheese and Vegetable Quiche

Forking Yummy!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

white BOO-tterscotch M&M’s are Shockingly Good and are Worth a Fork

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A new limited Edition Flavor of M&M’s Candy is available at Target Stores. They call this new flavor BOO-tterscotch. It’s a mix of white chocolate and butterscotch.

If your under a certain age and are not from Philadelphia chances are you don’t really know what butterscotch is suppose to taste like. You just never see anything Butterscotch anywhere.

Butterscotch is very similar to caramel…….

Caramel is made from white sugar milk or cream and sometimes butter and gets cooked till it’s slightly burnt.

Butterscotch is made from brown sugar and butter, sometimes cream and only gets cooked to the soft ball stage and it’s sweeter and doesn’t have that burnt taste.

If you are from Philadelphia you might have grown up with this popular Philadelphia PA Treat called Butterscotch Krimpets made by TastyKake.

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The Butterscotch Krimpet is spongecake topped with a sweet butterscotch frosting. People of all ages liked this in Philadelphia.

The only other thing I can think of that’s Butterscotch are those hard awful cheap candies that nobody likes.  Somehow I remember those candies….I don’t recall where I tasted them………….school?………candy from my mom’s purse?……….My grandma’s candy dish?

Pardon for the flashback……and back to M&M’s.

When you open the bag it actually smells kind of like butterscotch…..the sweet kind like a TastyKake (not an old lady hard candy).

The Candies are coated with hard sugar shells typical of M&M’s but in old fashioned refrigerator colors of Harvest gold, 70s Dark Espresso Brown and Kitchen Ivory White. I think that colors of  Burnt Orange and Avocado Green ……would work well here.

Usually the white chocolate M&M’s should be avoided. They often are very waxy, greasy and lack a smooth texture and a natural flavor.It seems that M&M’s has fixed the problem of the cheap white chocolate taste and feel because these M&M’s seem almost buttery and do melt in your mouth and don’t seem waxy. They actually taste like Butterscotch mixed with Quality full fat buttery White Chocolate with some sort of lacing of a liquor taste….maybe it’s a touch of something like rum or whiskey…?….I think it’s something like rum because that little taste reminds me of eggnog…… Anyway these M&M’s actually taste good! 🙂

A Winner!

White Boo-terscotch M&M’s are Shockingly Good and Worth a Fork!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

Tasty Pickled Cauliflower Salad Recipe

 

Tasty Pickled Cauliflower Salad

Tasty Pickled Cauliflower Salad

Easy to prepare tasty Cauliflower Salad Recipe. This salad come out tender crisp and is easy to prepare. I find that I like to add the boiling brine to the vegetables and for me that makes the perfect tender-crisp. I do note that the salad might take on more flavor if you drop the cauliflower in boiling water briefly  (like less than one minute) but I really like this texture and this flavor so I didn’t. The salad comes out not too sweet, spicy, salty or acidic. I think the flavor will be just right for the majority of people. The only thing I would do different is to cut the scallions in smaller pieces and maybe use a pepper spicier than a Jalapeño if I want some heat.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower – broken down in bite size pieces – ( I cut in quarters and sliced up each quarter in three wedges including the core, sliced off and kept cores and broke down each wedge a bit.

4 celery ribs – peeled, cut in about one inch pieces

2 carrots – peeled, cut in quarter inch slices on a diagonal

2 scallions – cut longways and short ways

3 jalapeños – stem and seeds removed – chopped

3 garlic cloves – grounded

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

3 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt or sea salt

2 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon coriander seed

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

3/4 Tablespoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

In a large bowl or pan combine the cauliflower, celery, carrots, scallions and jalapeños. Mix them up and in two sterilized containers or tubs divide them.

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Get a sauce pot and add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slightly slower boil and let it go about ten minutes.

Pour the boiling liquid evenly between both tubs. Let the tubs cool for about a half hour on your counter and then lid them up and place in your refrigerator. You might need to push the vegetables down just a little with a spoon to get them all under the hot liquid.

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Put your tubs in the refrigerator and tomorrow you will have Tasty tender crisp Pickled Cauliflower Salad. Be careful not to eat the peppercorns and allspice berries.

Tasty Pickled Cauliflower Salad

Tasty Pickled Cauliflower Salad

Tender crisp and Tasty.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Kitchen 18 of Scottsdale AZ is Worth a Fork

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Kitchen 18 is among the few kosher restaurants in the metro Phoenix area. At this time 10-4-16 they might be the only kosher restaurant in Metro Phoenix AZ that serves Mediterranean food. They get inspected by Maricopa County and they also get inspected by a rabbi with Chabad. Kitchen 18 only serves fully inspected meats unlike non-kosher restaurants that serve randomly inspected meats. Only disease free animals can be kosher. Beef that is used is grass fed and only comes from the front quarter of the cow. The back end gets sold to non-kosher plants. For these reasons kosher meat is higher in price.

Kitchen 18 is a new restaurant again. Under the last two owners and current owner they served Mediterranean Food. They now have added Chinese Style Food, Sushi, Seafood, American Food and International Specials. They expanded the interior of the restaurant and dressed it up some.

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I thought we’d start out with some spicy Tuna Rolls because it seemed like fun to order sushi at a kosher restaurant.

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Our Spicy Tuna Roll has arrived with low sodium soy sauce, a sweet teriyaki kind of sauce, and a creamy sauce that is sort of sweet and slightly spicy. I taste one piece and I’m happy because the tuna is clean tasting but it isn’t spicy at all. I don’t always enjoy sushi tuna because half the time it isn’t clean tasting and I can’t eat it but here it was ok. If your into sushi you will go to a well known sushi restaurant. The Asian food they offer here really is for people that are kosher and can’t go to a Chinese or Japanese Restaurant because they don’t serve kosher foods.

We shared a Mediterranean Sampler Appetizer.

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I got freshly made HOT Fluffy Pita Bread. tasty stuffed grape leaves, creamy hummus, AMAZING Baba Ganoush, salad and very good above average Falafels.

Here is a close up of the Falafel.

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A good Falafel looks like this inside and is full of herbs. This one has great flavor and is like a crunchy meatball style like the way most places in this area make them.

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An ok Falafel looks like this.

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A not so great Falafel looks like this one. This one is fluffy but lacks fresh herbs.

Some people do judge the Falafel by fluffiness and crispness. Some people do say they like the falafel to be shattering crisp. I judge Falafels by flavor because the crisp falafel is nice but in a pita bread as a sandwich I sort of like the meatball texture falafels because they seem better with pita to me.

I haven’t tried a better Baba Ganoush at any of the other Mediterranean Restaurants I’ve been to in the metro Phoenix area. This Eggplant dip had the eggplant running threw it with that perfect char taste that this dip is suppose to have. It was delicious and very creamy. This eggplant dip had great flavors and texture.

We also shared the Shawarma Plate.

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The Shawarma Plate contained Chicken, Hummus, Tehina sauce, Shrug sauce (spicy hot pepper sauce) Grilled Vegetables, salad and fluffy hot fresh made pita bread. Everything on the plate was really great especially the Shawarma. By a long shot this was the best shawarma I tried in years. The chicken was so moist and juicy and seemed succulent. I liked that it wasn’t over seasoned. The grilled vegetables were great. It’s very rare that you can get such nice vegetables with Mediterranean plates. The spicy red pepper Shrug sauce was HOT and tasty but is a different style than other shrug sauces I had before. This one is made from dried peppers with an oil base. The fresh baked fluffy pita is very good too.

On one visit I didn’t try enough of the menu to give a full review but just from this one visit I can say for sure that for Mediterranean Style Food this place pulls it off better than most that I tried.

Service was also friendly and efficient.

For Mediterranean Food Kitchen 18 is worth a Fork!

You

Best Baba Ganoush and Best Shawarma I’ve found!  All the Mediterranean Food I tried was VERY GOOD!

For more information please visit www.TheKitchen18.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth