Tag Archives: #PhxFood

Best Foods of 2023 from January-April from Metro Phoenix AZ Restaurants – Foods that are worth traveling across town for.

This is a collection of the very best foods that I have tried from Metro Phoenix AZ Restaurant since the beginning of the year. They are pictured in the order I tried them.

The Kengi burger from Then Burger – red Leicester cheese, teriyaki, caramelized onion, arugula, yuzu aioli, Noble bread Bun

The Kengi Burger from Then Burger in Glendale WAS worth traveling across town for. The burger is unusually delicious and flavorful and all the other ingredients are just magic here.*******UPDATE********Then Burger recently lowered their prices and shortened the menu. *******The Kengi Burger is NOT on the current menu.****** (but we can hope that it will return)

******UPDATE******

Unfortunately things do change. Then Burgers at the time of my second visit are no longer a blend of sirloin, short rib and chuck. They changed them to all chuck and they taste different and cook up different. Also the Kenji burger has been discontinued. I tried a marrow and mushroom burger. My husband tried another drugstore burger.

Both beef patties were dry like a hockey pucks. I had to send it back because this is a 36$ burger. I was promised that they could do better so I let them try. In reasonable time our second burgers came out. Again both dry like hockey pucks.

I FORKING have no idea on how the burgers are now but the first burger I had here was the FORKING BEST in all the land. I can only hope that Then Burger returns to the original recipe……..Maybe they will change again…..???????

Then Burger 9220 W Glendale Ave Glendale AZ – 623-328-9388

www.ThenBurger.com

Pastrami Sandwich from Little Pickle
1st Brisket Sandwich from Little Pickle
Lox from Little Pickle

Little Pickle KILLED it three times this year. TO DIE FOR Pastrami……I have to tell The FORKING Truth because that is my thing….The first time we tried the Brisket it was FORKING AMAZING……on a 2nd visit it was so different…not awful ….. but not amazing. I did contact Little Pickle about it and they told me that their help didn’t follow the recipe???????? I don’t know what happened there……..But then I tried the lox and it was like 100 times better than what you can get anywhere else in Phoenix. So they still killed it three times this year. I sincerely hope that the brisket returned to the original recipe.

This restaurant may or may not relocate soon….

Little Pickle – 2501 E Camelback Rd Phoenix AZ – 602-466-7098********UPDATE Little Pickle has CLOSED***** but is expected to reopen very close to the same location.

www.LittlePickleAZ.com

This was the best chicken taco that I’ve had in a long time. Who knew that it would come from a food truck? The chicken had a great developed flavor and a delicious char taste, flavors, and was tender and delicious. The tortilla was hand made and the salsa seemed house made. That handmade tortilla was incredibly delicious too.

Good Eats Only Mexican Kitchen Food Truck 623-521-8473

You can find them on Facebook

12 oz. N.Y. Strip – SW seasoning spice blend, bone marrow butter, tepary bean mole negro …from Tia Carmen

Tuna crudo – (corn coconut broth, smoked chili oil, dill) from Tia Carmen

Tia Carmen makes many magical dishes. The Tuna Crudo alone is the single best dish that I tasted anywhere last year. This year it still is the best or among the best. The New York Strip is also an incredible dish. The tepary bean black mole FORKING takes a year to make!

Tia Carmen 5350 E Marriott Dr PHX AZ – 480-293-3636

www.TiaCarmenDesertRidge.com

Puchka snack from Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

The Puchka snack with passion fruit was a TIDAL WAVE of flavors. I tried it at the 2023 Dish Fest but it was from Feringhee Modern Indian Cusine. I’d love to go to that restaurant but it’s a 45 mile hike for me.

Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine – 3491 W Frye Rd Chandler AZ – 480-534-7178

www.Feringhee.com

This next one is really amazing but very hard to single out a single dish because the menu often changes…….If any beef cheek is on the menu when you happen to go here it would be crazy to miss out on those beef cheek dishes here………Once you try one it’s actually life changing. Nobody else’s can compare. Same with a lot of the other dishes. Fish dishes are always amazing. The desserts are also more detailed and more complex than from maybe any other restaurant I’ve been too. Actually when you go to other higher end restaurants you get disappointed because their desserts seem like nothing compared to desserts you get here.

Confluence in Carefree serves high quality modern-American foods. The chef is well seasoned and is very masterful. He has worked in impressive restaurants including Binkley’s.

The food is always masterfully prepared. The chef himself prepares the food …not a second line cook and also not some young kid that just started cooking. The Chef himself is cooking.

Here is the aged gouda and caramelized onion tart. It contains Iberia chorizo, horseradish, sunflower seed, arugula, pomegranate molasses, and freeze dried honey.

No other restaurant will serve such a detailed and complex dessert like the smoked butterscotch tapioca pudding.

Embellishments are blueberries, pepitas, candied butternut squash, and smoked vanilla creme faiche . The main courses are always perfection. If you catch a menu with beef cheek on it that is an absolute must get dish.

Confluence – 36889 N Tom Darlington Dr Carefree AZ – 480-488-9796

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

It’s worth driving across town to dine at Alzohour Market and Restaurant in Phoenix for many of the dishes. BUT I DO WARN YOU that service is done by one woman that also is your chef, runs, the market, and clothing store so you are going to wait a while. The dish that she is most famous for is the B’Stilla. It’s her handmade pastry with chicken, sugar, almonds, and cinnamon. Other dishes that you might want to try are the grape leaves, kashe bademjam (eggplant & walnut on a sizzling skillet with vegetables and pita bread) tangines or mixed grill plates. Desserts are also not to be missed because the pastry is hand made in house. The baklava is really great and not too sweet. Maybe my favorite is the noodle pastry stuffed with cheese and topped with pistachios.

cod tangine

Alzohour Market & Restaurant

7814 N 27TH Avenue PHX AZ – 602-433-5192

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

You sure don’t find much laffa bread or lolas in Phoenix. My Spot Mediterranean Grill recently opened in North Phoenix Arizona. This is a super casual kosher Israeli type restaurant. The One dish that blew me away was the beef lola on laffa bread.

It’s like a giant burrito…I’ll open it a little so you can look inside.

The beef inside is amazing and isn’t like any other out there. It’s full of delicious flavors and is really moist and tender. Tahini sauce, spicy pickles, a spicy sauce, onions, cabbage really go amazing together. I recommend to get this with the works so you get all these flavors…….The laffa bread was also fresh made. This was a great surprise treat that I doubt you can find anywhere else in Phoenix.

My Spot Mediterranean Grill – 1601 E Bell Rd PHX AZ – 602-612-3955

www.MySpotKosherKitchen.com

The Banh Mi Baguette Sandwiches from Banh Mi Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix are always good. The shaken beef is almost like filet but is really ribeye. I like the chicken one too! My husband switches back and forth between the beef and bbq pork. We also do noodle salad bowls here, rice plates, and curry chicken. Portions are very large and can be two meals for some people. Prices are reasonable.

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – 2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ – 602-843-3637

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

Fabio On Fire makes the most delicious bread that I’ve tasted in Metro Phoenix. He makes this very special ciabatta pugliese bread with a hundred year old starter…….But it doesn’t stop there…..It keeps going and going……….Phoenix Magazine named his porchetta as one of the top 100 dishes of metro Phoenix. His Neopolitian style pizzas are FANTABULOUS and the crust has a developed taste unlike other pizzas out there that are flat in comparison.

If you are a fan of meat pizzas you might want to try the salsiccia fungi.

That one is great but the pizza with the most bells and whistles might be the bufalina.

This one is that amazing developed crust that’s perfect….Topped with San Marzano D.O.P. tomato sauce, sugary sweet local tomatoes, bitter arugula, oregano, garlic, creamy imported bufalina cheese that melts into everything. reduced balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s just layers of great flavors that dance all over your mouth. This is either number one or at least one of the BEST pizzas in Metro Phoenix.

You’d be foolish to skip dessert here. Fabio makes most of the best desserts on the west side single handed……..His gelato is the best in Arizona…..Maybe the best in the country……

You’ll never taste strawberry gelato as fabulous. Today we tried half strawberry and half limoncello..

JEEPERS the limoncello is as great as the strawberry. Some of the other amazing flavors are peach, passionfruit, and blood orange. Fabio SHOULD sell his gelato nation-wide!

Fabio On Fire

8275 W Lake Pleasant PKWY Peoria AZ 623-680-5385

www.FabioOnFire.com

I made it back to Tia Carmen for lunch. I didn’t want to mention this restaurant twice but as great as these dishes were I had to.

This tomato salad is FORKING AMAZING.

The tomatoes taste so sweet and so farm fresh . You dip them threw this extra flavorful corn puree and charred corn dust. Fresh basil, pickled onions, and serrano chile pepper for a little heat. So delicious, light and refreshing. A perfect light appetizer to share.

This fish torta sandwich is far more delicious than I can describe. It taste so FORKING FANTABULOUS that I MUST MENTION IT!

Oh and my husband doesn’t usually even like fish and he even thinks it’s amazing. The fish torta is crispy mild perfectly prepared mild tasting white fish that is really great. But it is the embellishments of turmeric sweet onion jam, FRESH DILL, and this really good spicy mayo….a little cilantro, and this delicious toasted bun that taste FORKING INCREDIBLE together. The sandwich come with hay fries. The spicy mayo reminds me of espelette pepper but I don’t think they’d use that kind because that pepper is expensive …whatever it is it is really delicious.

Tia Carmen – 5350 E Marriott Dr PHX AZ – 480-293-3636

www.TiaCarmenDesertRidge.com

BEST of January-April 2023 – WORTH DRIVING ACROSS TOWN FOR!

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

WTFORK It’s Different – Changes at Metro Phoenix AZ Restaurants

I was fortunate enough to taste some FORKING AMAZING foods this year in Metro Phoenix Arizona. A few of these FORKING AMAZING foods did get a change up already this year. I do note that it is also very important to know that It’s also possible that they can even FORKING DIFFERENT AGAIN!…..I mentioned them when they were great so you should know WTFork happened when I tried them again..

At a certain deli called Little Pickle I tasted the most FORKING AMAZING pastrami and brisket. I was really maybe even more blown away with the brisket because I’ve never tasted that style so amazing.

It was magical. It had the perfect texture that melted in your mouth and this super incredible burnt onion flavor…..mixed with the beef flavor and other flavors.

I went back.

It taste completely different…..No delicious burnt onion flavor in the tasty melt in your mouth beef. It taste like it was maybe over seasoned with seasoning salt……..It’s not terrible or awful or anything like that but it is nowhere in the same ballpark as the first one I tried. I actually messaged the owner about this and he said that he didn’t change the recipe (???) He said he had trouble with his help following the recipes. Oh well at least it wasn’t awful and the rest of what I tried there was very good or amazing. On this same visit I got to taste the lox and it truly was the best silky delicious melt in your mouth fish ever. In case you are wondering the pastrami (and little pickles) was still amazing too.

Little Pickle was a Pop Up Restaurant in the Esplanade across from The Biltmore Fashion Square. It is expected to open somewhere in the Esplanade at some time during the year….Maybe you can find info at www.LittlePickleAZ.com

Then this year I also was lucky enough to try one of the most FORKING AMAZING BURGERS EVER ANYWHERE. Q-UP the angels singing! ******BEST BURGER IN THE FORKING LAND!****** At Then Burger in Glendale by Westgate near State Farm.

This burger was a blend of house ground sirloin, short rib, and chuck……cooked medium with a nice sear,.embellished with arugula, teriyaki, caramelized onions, and yuzu aioli………(insert angels singing…….LAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa)

So naturally I went back.

Oh FORK! They removed that burger from the menu. Ok I really did want to try a few others from the menu anyway. My first choice wasn’t available today so I picked something else.

I can’t eat this……..(I took two bites hoping only the first would be bad) This dry and not good tasting either….It’s like a hockey puck. It’s like if you can imagine the WORST Burger King burger that you’ve ever tried and microwaved it in the microwave oven till crisp and dead. ICK!

The server promises me that they can do better……I usually never send food back…..The only reason I sent it back was because I can’t eat this and it was a $36. burger.

In reasonable time the re-fire comes out.

Somehow they made this burger about as dry as the last burger…….(How the FORK did they do that?)

The server was very understanding and informed me at this point that they only make the burgers with ground chuck now and are trying to figure out on how to cook them. I sure HOPE I HIT THEM ON A FLUKE WORST DAY EVER…….Not in my wildest dreams would I ever imagine this to happen here. I did speak with an owner. Of course he invited me back but I am too busy to return. I would hope the problems got improved.

Then Burger – 9220 N Glendale Ave Glendale AZ – 623-328-9388\

www.ThenBurger.com

A certain Italian restaurant named Pomo used to make this incredible North Italian focaccia di recco.

It’s these two light as air thin crisp crusts stuffed with a delicious cheese filling. They offer an optional add on local honey for embellishment.

See inside. You can pull the cheese.

Now it’s different.

WTFork! It’s Different!

It’s all wet inside like a cheese sauce and the crisp crust turns soggy………The menu reads that it is suppose to have stracchino cheese inside not wet cheese sauce…..???????????

Pomo Pizzeria – 8977 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale AZ – 480-998-1366

www.PomoPizzeria.com

Well like I said, –

Every FORKING THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Spot Mediterranean Grill Phoenix AZ – Newly Opened Kosher Israeli Restaurant – Worth a Try!

My Spot Mediterranean Grill is an extra casual kosher Israeli Restaurant that recently opened in North Phoenix Arizona. This restaurant offers fresh baked pitas and laffa breads. You can also order things like falafels, shawarma, schnitzel, skewers, kabobs, platters, burgers, salads, and more!

You order and pay at the counter. Then you grab your own silverware and drink and seat yourself at a table. When your order is ready someone will run it out to you.

We started out by sharing the falafels with hummus. They came with choice of bread and I picked the pitas.

The hummus is nice and creamy. It tastes like it was made with toasted cumin. The falafels have a crisp exterior and are moist and herby inside.

The pitas are nice , fresh and fluffy.

For my main I went with the beef lola on laffa bread…(it comes with fries).

I’ll open it up more so you can see inside.

It’s like a giant burrito stuffed with all kinds of goodies. There’s onions, cabbage, spicy pickles, tahini sauce, and beef lola meat that looks like it was prepared on a skewer. The beef is moist and delicious. It’s so full of flavors…..It’s even better when you just eat the whole thing together. Kosher beef does have a nice clean taste that is different. Only the front part of the cow is used for kosher beef and you don’t get the stomach or intestinal spillage in the meat that all grocery store ground beef contains. That is why kosher beef is much more expensive. DON”T GET MAD AT ME but……..You might not believe me but the FORKING Truth is that regular commercial ground beef really does have poop in it.

Only the front part of the cow is used for kosher beef and kosher beef really does taste clean and different.

Anyways-

The laffa bread is heavier than the laffa bread I had at James Beard award winning Micheal Solomonov’s multi award wining restaurant Zahav….But this was fresh made and still is very good. This can be two meals for some people.

My husband tried the spicy chicken schnitzel that comes with Israeli salad and fries.

This is breaded white meat chicken that is moist and seasoned nicely….The fries and Israeli salad are kinda very average. They have salt, pepper, and white vinegar to season the sides.

Based on this visit I’d recommend getting a beef lola with laffa bread. It was surprisingly delicious. I thought that the hummus and the falafels were good . The spicy schnitzel was good but the sides were very average.

A word of warning for people who don’t know. This is a kosher restaurant that serves meat so that means there is nothing dairy in the restaurant. If you order a burger it will be cooked well done and cheese is not offered. Also only soft beverages are available. You do need to check hours and be aware that they close for holidays that you might not be aware of. They also are closed every week for the sabbath that is Friday and Saturday.

My Spot Mediterranean Grill is CERTAINLY Worth a Try!

1601 E Bell Rd Phoenix AZ – 602-612-3955

www.MySpotKosherKitchen.cm

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ – April 2023 – Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery, Culver’s

Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. His diagnosis was 3-to maybe 6 months. He couldn’t do a lot but always enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of the 3-6 months Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.

There are many things to know about dining out with dogs. You need to find a dog friendly restaurant. (not all of them are even if they have patios) Here in Phoenix weather can be an issue. 90 degrees and above is dangerous for dogs because they aren’t as heat tolerant as people. Also the food and drink that you consume can cause illness or even be TOXIC to your dog. (you need to check with your veterinarian for lists of safe foods and foods to avoid) Once you do find the right spot to dine out with dog(s) you must keep your dog(s) close to you. Dogs shouldn’t sit on restaurant furniture or eat off of restaurant plates.

A regular stop for us is Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They are a Pho-Free Vietnamese eatery that specializes in serving around a dozen different Banh Mi baguette sandwiches. Some of their other offerings are rice plates, noodle salad bowls, and curry chicken.

Today I got a chicken banh mi and my husband got a shaken beef banh mi.

The sandwiches are very large and for me they are two meals if I do take out but here I share a lot with the dogs. I eat 1/2 and pull out the meat from the other half for the dogs.

We always enjoy going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery

2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ

602-843-3637

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

It’s starting to turn HOT in Phoenix. Culver’s is a casual burger chain that opens at 10:00 before it’s too hot to dine out with dogs so we have to take them there. Culver’s is better than most other similar chains because the beef and chicken are never from frozen. They also offer daily made custard, chicken sandwiches and tenders, fish sandwiches and entrees, a kids menu and more.

We got the dogs a double butter burger with cheese.

he burger is moist and nicely caramelized. I remove the bread. and give them about a third of the burger. Over the next two days they will have the rest as treats.

He looks so funny looking up at the burger.

She sure has her eyes on that burger.

They enjoyed Culver’s!

8330 W Deer Valley Rd Peoria AZ – 623-792-8957

www.Culvers.com

“Well it’s FORKING HOT already in Phoenix AZ so that’s all Folks!” “We hope you enjoyed Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix and we hope to see you soon!”

The Forking Truth
In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

Alzohour Market and Restaurant – The Most Unique Restaurant in Metro Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork!

Alzohour Market and Restaurant is a Moroccan/Middle Eastern Halal Restaurant, market, grocery, and Islamic clothing store in Metro Phoenix Arizona. It’s not a fancy place and alcohol is not served here.

One woman named Zhor runs and serves and prepares all the food herself. She also runs the market and clothing store. Somehow (I have no idea how) she makes her own pastry and even yogurt too for the greatest tzatziki anywhere.

Due to all the hard work she does service is at Zhor’s pace……..So PREPARE for that………. It’s like visiting a foreign land.

You might want to start off with falafels.

Or maybe something hard to find like kashke Bademjam.

It’s meaty eggplant with garlic and walnuts….that gets embellished with vegetables and fresh herbs. You eat it with flatbread. It’s like a vegetarian eggplant fajita.

Another stand out starter are the stuffed grape leaves.

I promise you that these grape leaves are the most delicious ones out there!

Another MUST GET is the Moroccan Tea.

It’s the most delicious tea we ever had anywhere.

The most famous dish here is the painstakingly made B’Stilla.

It’s Zhou’s hand made phyllo dough with chicken, cinnamon, almonds, and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s sweet and rich and also a very large generous portion.

My personal favorite entree is the fish tagine.

It comes out bubbling hot and the fish is always mild tasting and tender moist. Moroccan spices, lemon and olive are the flavors going on here. This comes with rice.

My husband’s favorite entree is the mix grill.

You get a chicken kabob, a shish kafta, gyro meat, rice and whatever vegetables Zhor is serving today.

Some of the other offerings are –

Lamb couscous

(to go) Chicken Tagine

(to go) Chicken Kabob

Kebssa (Kabsah) Saudi Rice Dish with chicken

Chicken couscous

Frekah with chicken.

So far the best tasting baklava I’ve tried is the baklava from Alzohour. It’s not as sweet as it looks.

Sometimes there is a dessert special.

Stuffed baklava

Maybe my favorite dessert here is the kunafa.

This is made fresh to order and comes out HOT! It’s noodle pastry stuffed with cheese and topped with pistachios (I was too full and had to order to go!)

The hand painting inside was done by Zhor herself.

Alzohour Market and Restaurant is the most unique restaurant in Metro Phoenix Arizona and is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Alzohour Market and Restaurant

7814 N 27th Ave PHX AZ – 602-433-5191

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

NakedQ BBQ – Glendale AZ – The Turkey is FANTABULOUS – Worth a Fork!

NakedQ BBQ is a small casual barbecue restaurant that serves dry rubbed barbecued meats. You can add whatever sauces you like but the meats come out “Naked.” NakedQ BBQ is in three locations in metro Phoenix Arizona. The original located is in north Phoenix in the Deer Valley Area. They also are in Scottsdale, and the newest location is in Glendale by the State Farm Stadium in Westgate.

Just like the original location the Glendale location is small and casual. You order at the counter, get your platter, pay, grab drinks, and sauces, and seat yourself.

All the BBQ is good….don’t get me wrong but the turkey really stands out. It’s nicely flavored and smoked just right. It’s always moist and tender so well that it seems like it was prepared from a sous vide oven.

Below is a caesar salad with turkey.

For some people this is a very large salad with a large portion of tender amazing moist turkey breast. (I got two meals out of this and it was only…ONLY $9…….I expect that price to change)

Pro-Tip – The caesar dressing is bit mild……I make it pop by adding a little drizzle of NakedQ’s mustard sauce…..Now you got a tasty meal.

My husband usually gets the two meat plates that comes with two sides.

He got BBQ brisket, pork, beans, and vinegar slaw. He said that the corn bread ran more moist than from the Phoenix location.

Once in a while like a few times a year they have smoked corned beef as.a special. I only had it twice so far.

Below is the first time we had the smoked corned beef.

OMGosh! These were incredible. If a food critic was here and tasted them that person would call these sandwiches among the best in the valley…..Tried them a year latter….discovered that they make two different versions of this sandwich. Up above is the fatty and usually I don’t do fatty but fatty here is better. The second version I had was the lean and it didn’t melt in your mouth like the fatty here……..If you ever happened to catch the smoked corned beef you must ask for the fatty.

The second smoked corned beef……*This was the lean*

Below are a few photos of NakedQ BBQ food from the North Phoenix Location.

Turkey Garden salad

2 meat plate – brisket, pulled pork, with added jalapeño hot links, sides bbq beans and Mac ‘n’ cheese

to go – 2 meat plate – pulled pork, jalapeño hot links, Mac ‘n’ cheese

to go – 2 meat plate – chicken & brisket, vegetable, slaw

1 meat pulled pork, beans, mac’n’ cheese

1 meat plate bbq turkey slaw & vegetable

Side of jalapeño hot links

Everything is good but the turkey is fantabulous!

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

NakedQ BBQ – 9405 W Glendale Ave Glendale AZ 623-230-2199

www.NakedQ.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

A Little “SKINNY” on PA’LA – 24th St Phoenix AZ

PA’LA is a high quality casual Italian, Mediterranean, and global type restaurant that prepares most of the foods served from a wood burning oven. They have two locations in Phoenix Arizona. One location is downtown and the other might be considered close to downtown. PA’LA might be considered a sort of tapas restaurant? They offer seasonal changing menus always offering organic produce, native grains, seafood and are local as much as possible.

The original location that is close to downtown is a very cozy restaurant.

When the weather is nice you will want to sit outside.

A few of the offerings you might find are things like-

white anchovies with crackers

Artichokes with Italian crackers

Navarro Bowl – skate, 5 grains, beets, cannelloni beans

Wood roasted fish Navarro bowl

Tuscan style whole grain open sandwich

“The sandwich” grass fed beef, poblano pepper, spinach, chimayo Chile powder

The sandwiches always taste amazing and are very high quality…..but sometimes they are very “skinny.”

Here’s the Hot Italian (Arcadia meat market sausage, arugula, pickled red peppers on their wood fired bread)

The lox sandwich is even “skinnier.” (lox, ricotta, capers, arugula, fennel, pickled red onions)

The really is very good and certainly is high quality but sometimes it is skinny so you can load up on the tapas appetizers and house made desserts.

PA’LA – 2107 N 24th St PHX AZ – 602-795-9500

www.PALAKitchen.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Food Stock 2023 – P83 Peoria AZ Sports Complex

Food Stock is a Food Truck Gathering Event. This year 2023 over 50 food trucks were expected. Some are participating to offer $3.00 samples. This event took place 4-10pm Saturday April 15th at the Peoria Sports Complex in P83 in Peoria Arizona. Besides food trucks they also offer a full bar, bounce houses, a splash pad, play ground, and face painting. Admission for adults was $5.00 and children 12 and under was free. They also are suppose to have live music and FREE parking too!

According to www.AllEvents.in these are the food trucks that are expected to show up.

I planned to make Red Ginger my #1 destination but the Red Ginger Food Truck was no where to be found…..Bah that was my real reason for attending. …….Anyways…….. I’m familiar with a bunch of the food trucks and I had really great experiences at some of them.

It’s nice and sunny today. I think it’s close to 90 degrees F. There are a few areas for shaded seating. They also have a few bars set up.

Bottles of purified water cost $6.00 today.

The tacos from Good Eats Only Mexican Kitchen were downright amazing the first time we had them so we gave them a try here.

Today we tried a chicken taco and a carne asada taco.

Still good……but a little dry today. The hand made tortillas are very good.

We enjoyed the most amazing sandwich from Bro Bro’s BBQ so today we gave them a try.

My husband tried a $3. sausage sample.

And we shared a brisket plate with jalapeño Cole slaw and potato salad.

Still good but not incredible like last time…..From my experiences none of the BBQ places are ever perfectly consistent. The slaw is very crisp and fresh but a little on the bland side and lacks jalapeño. On the other hand the potato salad taste like the type Costco sells but is topped with lots of seasoning and heat.

I thought I remembered hearing positive things about the next food truck. Our last food truck to try was Lili’s Tacos.

We tried a chicken and a beef taco.

These tacos were topped with lots of fresh herbs and came with lemon and HOT pickled carrots. Both taco meats have a texture that is between chopped and ground. I think the chicken meat is a little flat. Green salsa is on the flat side. Really don’t like the red sauce at all…..It’s very HOT and taste like you’re licking the spice out of a spice jar. (taste like cayenne & paprika…LOTS of paprika)

That was Foodstock 2023.

www.AllEvents.com

Food Stock – 16101 N 83rd Avenue Peoria AZ

www.AllEvents.in

www.GetLocalArizonaEvents.com

The Forking Truth

The Masterfully Crafted 4 Course $75. Dinners from Confluence in Carefree AZ – Stupendously Impressive and Worth a Fork!

Confluence is a small but upscale high quality restaurant located in Carefree Arizona that is just above North Scottsdale. This restaurant is usually only a husband and wife team. That MEANS one of the most talented Top Chefs of Metro Phoenix is actually doing the masterful cooking for you…..(that seldom happens anywhere).

inside
window view

They offer changing seasonal menus of hot and cold appetizers, fresh fish dishes, meat dishes, desserts or cheese. You can order your meal a la carte or you can take advantage of a tasting option.

Tonight we took advantage of the tasting menu and went for the four courses for $75. (subject to change)

Whatever you order they usually start you off with bread and oil embellished with white balsamic.

Next we got two rounds of appetizers.

Soft scrambled goose egg – mascarpone, kennebec potato, cocks comb, shishito pepper, iitoi onion

Mixed greens salad – beets, radish, mozzarella, brioche croutons, red onion, herbs, oil & balsamic

Guinea hen ragout – braised leg, polenta, turnip

White mushroom soup – oyster mushroom, celery, cauliflower, hazelnuts

Entrees were-

Venison loin – red wine risotto, cauliflower, broccolini, pine nuts, parmesan

Halibut – great northern beans, spinach, sweet pepper, olive, Calabrian chili

Possibly the most complex Desserts in the valley.

Aged gouda and caramelized onion tart – Iberico Chorizo, horseradish, sunflower seeds, arugula, pomegranate molasses, freeze dried honey

Smoked Butterscotch tapioca pudding – blueberry, pepitas, candied butternut squash, smoked vanila creme fraiche

When the weather is nice patio seating is available with partial mountain views.

Confluence is Worth a Fork! and the $75. 4-Course tasting is a Screaming Hot Deal! (subject to change)

Worth a Fork!

Confluence

36889 N Tom Darlington Dr Carefree AZ

480-488-9796

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Newly Opened – Desert Pony Tavern Bar & Pub Scottsdale AZ

Desert Pony Tavern Bar & Pub recently opened in the NEW North Scottsdale Arizona Hilton at Cavasson. They are a Southwest Style gastropub that also offers breakfast and happy hour. On the all day menu they offer snacks like bacon fat popcorn, appetizers like wings, nachos, and poblano hummus. You can also get salads, sandwiches, kids meals, desserts, and entrees after 5pm.

They offer indoor and outdoor seating with views of McDowell mountains and the pool.

The bar is an indoor/outdoor bar has wide screen TVs.

It looks like the glass walls might open on nice days.

We started out by trying the Four Peaks Beer Fondue.

It’s suppose to come with pears, smoked sausage, and soft pretzels.

The cheese taste very similar to processed American cheese. It might be made with a little splash of beer.

Today the sausage is dry…..The cook forgot the pears and the server didn’t seem trained to know that this dish is suppose to come with pears. We asked for pears and we got some. The pears were really great. Good thing we asked for the pears.

I got the Native Chopped Salad.

This salad contains, achiote salmon, native grains, corn, dried cherries, manchego cheese, arugula, and avocado dressing. I do have to say that this is a really great salad. The salmon is cold but much better than I expected it to be. It’s light moist, and fresh tasting. All of the bloodline was removed too. It’s also enhanced with delicious flavors.

On the other hand burgers don’t seem like a specialty here.

This is the Tavern Stack Burger. It’s suppose to be American Cheese, Aged Swiss Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, grilled onions, slab bacon and either fries or onion rings.

The request for the burger was medium rare and it came out medium well……..

An orange colored sauce was on the burger that wasn’t in the description. Our server thought it might be thousand Island Dressing? My husband sent it back because he doesn’t eat creamy dressings. I tried one onion ring. It was extra heavy with batter. Almost the texture of a cake doughnut that tasted like it was fried in very used oil.

Newly Opened

Desert Pony Tavern – Hilton North Scottsdale at Cavasson

7965 E Cavasson Blvd Scottsdale AZ

480-648-1500

www.DesertPonyTavern.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth