I came across these Fiesta Twists at my local Walmart Grocery Store…….I picked them up to see what they are. They are a corn, rice, and potato based snack food that is twist shaped. My store offered the ranch and queso flavors but I noticed on the bag that they also make a cinnamon flavored variety. I picked the queso because I hate real ranch dressing.
Opening the bag I take a whiff.
They don’t smell particularly appetizing…….I smell something slightly sour.
I try some…….They are not like any other snack out there in texture or flavors.
They are light as air but also have a satisfying real crunch to them. They are like biting threw light crunchy air with little extra crunch grains. They are lightly cheesy, lightly onion-ee, lightly garlic-ee. and mildly spicy too. They also have a slight corn taste too like a corn tortilla chip.
These twists are really light. Two cups of them are only a 150 calorie serving.
Then when you eat one and let it melt in your mouth you get a slight sour flavor more and you don’t get all the other flavors are much.
If you just eat them then they seem good.
Those were my FORKING Thoughts on Old El Paso Queso Fiesta Twists….I do note that YOUR FORKING opinion may indeed differ.
In Las Vegas at Shish Kabob House I tried Eggplant Caviar for the first time. It’s a delicious dip that I didn’t know about. This dip is very popular in Eastern Europe. The recipe is pretty simple. It is basically cooked eggplants. Some variations are made with tomatoes (or tomato paste) and others are made with bell peppers. A few have both. Other ingredients are garlic and either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Not all but some contain sugar or honey. A few contain Ohon Brand pepper paste and I saw one recipe that contains Aleppo pepper. I thought that since this is a recipe of few ingredients I would make the ingredients special. I cooked the eggplants at 500F to get a smoky char. I roasted the garlic to turn it sweet. I added one large roasted red pepper because they have great flavor. I also cooked down tomatoes for three hours and they got almost candied on the ends. The 3 hour onions also gave an amazing flavor too! Don’t mean to brag but this did come out FORKING delicious. Serving size is impossible to determine. I don’t know if you want a small amount to spread a small part of pita bread. Or maybe you want more to cover a grilled chicken breast. I’ll guesstimate at least 8 servings (but it will probably go further).
Ingredients for 8 servings
2 eggplants – cut in half make hatch marks
Around a cup – extra virgin olive oil – to generously coat everything you roast
1 large red bell pepper
4 small/medium sweet onions – small dice
4 medium/small ripe red tomatoes – diced
6 oz tomato paste (up to 6oz. you might need less depending on the size of eggplants)
2 heads garlic – cut in half threw the middle (Since this is a lot of work I always roast several garlics at a time and freeze them for latter use.
1 Tablespoon honey
5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Aleppo pepper
sea salt – to taste
Directions
Set one oven to 325 degrees F.
On the middle rack add the pan of diced tomatoes and one pan of diced onions. They get generously covered with olive oil and sea salt to taste. Cover the pans. They need to stay in the oven for three hours.
Set your other oven to 500 degrees F.
Your eggplant halves get cross hatched, generously and drizzled with olive oil. They stay in the oven on the middle rack for one hour.
When they are cool enough to handle scoop the flesh out with a spoon like you do for an avocado or a mango.bSet the flesh to the side.
Turn the broiler on and broil the red pepper. You want it charred on all sides. When you got it all charred up cover it with plastic wrap or foil. It needs to steam its self. When cool removed the seeds, stem, and skin. Dice. Set to side.
Turn off broil and set to 375 degrees F.
The garlic goes on a sheet pan cut sides up. Drizzle well with olive oil and cover with foil. This needs to roast for one hour. Then you whip up and set to the side.
Everything is roasted. Now you blend a few things together. This is easiest done with a stick blender. The Eggplant caviar I had at Shish Kabob House in Las Vegas was smooth but I did notice that some people do make it chunky. I made mine mostly smooth but saved some of the tomatoes to add last for a little texture and a delicious pop of tomato taste.
Blend together the onions, roasted red pepper, most of the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the eggplant, Aleppo pepper, roasted whipped sweet garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar. Top with remaining tomatoes. Serve with flat breads or pita bread. I read that some people use this as a sauce for grilled meats. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Charcoal Grill is a casual Mediterranean Restaurant that recently opened in Glendale Arizona. They differ a bit from other Mediterranean Restaurants in the area.
One thing that’s different is that they have a small bar in the restaurant with a few beers on tap. The menu is also a bit unique and different.
This Mediterranean Restaurant is a FALAFEL FREE Restaurant.
WTFalafel no falafels!
It’s also unusual for a Mediterranean to offer a taco platter so that is on their menu too….
Anyways-
We started out with a mixed appetizer plate.
mixed appetizer plate
It’s a very large platter of fried pita chips, hummus, tabouleh, baba ghannoug (their spelling), and grape leaves.
We also shared the mixed plate.
mixed plate
This also is a very big plate platter that was covered with a pita bread. It is beef tikka, a chicken kabob, a beef kabob, choice of rice or fries, salad, hummus, and garlic or tahini sauce. Tonight the flavors were good but meats were on the dry and chewy side but maybe when you visit they will be better. The one thing that really stood out was the garlic sauce. It really was unlike any other that I have tried. It was garlic-ee but also light and fluffy. My guess is that it was made with egg whites….
The mix shawarma plate was better.
mixed shawarma platemixed shawarma plate
To my surprise none of the meats we tried tasted like they came from a charcoal grill but the marinated beef and chicken from the shawarma plate was tasty and more moist than the kabobs. This very generously sized platter also came with rice or fries, salad, hummus, garlic sauce or tahini sauce and a pita.
Phoenix Magazine’s 2023 Dish Fest was held at The Clayton House in Scottsdale Arizona Sunday March 5th from 12-4pm. VIP ticket holders got in one hour earlier. This is an all you can eat type of festival of best dishes in the valley that Phoenix Magazine featured. Dish Fest also includes a beer garden, wine, spirit tasting and food trucks. Chef Jennifer Caraway also is expected to do a food demonstration. Also a portion of the proceeds benefit The Joy Bus Charity.
Buck and Rider – Oysters
Tia Carmen – ember roasted purple yam, queso sauce, aged tepary bean mole (this was one of the top dishes)
Texas Grill – chicken fried steak
Carcara – shrimp and grits
Sugar Jam – cobblers and pies
Sugar Jam – sweet potato pie
Sugar Jam – Creole shrimp and grits shooters (one of the better shrimp dishes)
Sugar Jam – BBQ maple chicken and waffles
Sugar Jam
Weft and Warp – blackberry haze
Weft and Warp – shrimp
Casa Corazon – chile nogada, Oaxaca mole, shrimp culichi
inside
Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine
Feringhee – puchka snack with passionfruit (This was one of the best bites****tidal-wave of. flavors)
Feringhee – puchka snacks
Aimee’s Swine House
Aimee’s Swine House – soft egg and ham toast (didn’t try but was told very good)
Tapa Papa Frita – sausage, potato, bread
Citizen Public House
North – meatballs with polenta
North – burrata di stagione
inside
Pitch – smoked cheddar mac & cheese with fennel sausage or chorizo to add on if desired
Bro’s Seafood Food Truck
Bro’s Seafood – breaded shrimp taco with elote (I didn’t try but heard was very good)
AZ Lemonade
Momo’s – vegetarian momo dumpling (they also served chicken and ham momos) I liked the vegetarian momo the best.
I was watching Diners Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network TV. At one of Guy Fieri stops he tasted brisket from a restaurant and made good faces and yummy noises like he really liked it. They also had all the customer testimonies on how amazing that the brisket was there. I jotted down the way on how the restaurant owner said that she made it. It was so easy I couldn’t believe that you could make a really good brisket this way. No trimming. No separation of fatty and lean muscles of brisket. No smoking. VERY FEW INGREDIENTS. Basically just toss it in the oven with LOTS of onions, lots of garlic, a can of beer and salt and pepper…………Brisket was on sale recently so I wanted to try this out. Here is my version of what I thought I saw on Food Network. Serving size will differ. I don’t know if you want a small serving or a large serving. I also don’t know how much fat you want to eat. I don’t like fat so I might cut off more than you might. I got around 9 pounds of brisket from a 14 pound brisket and around 24 servings of onions with brisket liquid after I removed the fat.
Ingredients for around 36 servings
1 whole brisket (mine was around 14 pounds and it was too big to fit in a turkey roasting pan so I sliced off a few pounds of it and put that part of meat in another pan.
3 lbs onions – sliced thin
30 garlic cloves – sliced thin
1 – 12oz can of beer ( I used a lager beer)
a good sprinkling of my home make pecan sea salt (over and under the brisket) (after onions I topped it with a little more.)
a good sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper (over and under the brisket) (after onions I topped it with a little more.)
Above is most of the brisket before I finished covering it with onions. I didn’t even trim it.
Below is what I sliced off so I could fit most of the brisket in a turkey roasting pan (that was supported by a real sheet pan).. This one is free of onions so I can give some to my dogs.
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
My main pan of brisket goes in a pan with salt and pepper, onions, garlic and beer. Cover tight. (My small pan just gets a little bit of salt and pepper and a good splash of beer. (Both pans get covered tight)
I put the main pan on the middle rack and the small pan on the bottom rack.
5 1/2 hours latter I remove the small pan and after 6 hours I remove the large pan.
They came out completely different but both very good. I don’t like that succulent fat that many people love. So you leave it on if you like it or remove now like I did from both pans…It’s easy it just scraps off.
The small pan developed a delicious crust and is solid but moist.
The brisket in the main pan is fall apart tender.
Back Tracking………
I have to chill it overnight to slice it when it’s cold or it will fall apart and I have a delicious onion-ee liquid. While cold I remove the brisket fat that stays at the top. So that means results will differ depending on size and how you slice it. Without even thinking I sliced off the lean side but it still came out fine. If I did the same again I might have maybe just cut off the fatty end.
Someone here stayed by my feet the whole time.
The below plate is all cold.
I hate cutting brisket. I let my husband cut it up.
If you have dogs they will flock over to the brisket.
The restaurant owner I saw on Food Network serves her brisket with the onion sauce and chipotle mayonnaise. I added a few chipotle flakes to the onion-ee liquid.
Brisketeasy brisket
A Special THANKS!!!! to Food Network and that Restaurant Owner that was on. (Sorry I didn’t catch who she was or I would insert her name and restaurant here) Thanks for sharing such a great and easy recipe!
International Smoke is a restaurant by chef Michael Mina and author and television host Ayesha Curry. This restaurant had two locations. One location is in San Francisco and the other that I went to is in The MGM Grand Resort and Casino on the strip in Las Vegas Nevada. This restaurant offers a global menu. They say they cook with smoke and use bold flavors.
Inside is sort of dark but not too dark (you can read the menu). The decor is masculine and classic. A large bar is almost half the dining area. As you walk in you are greeted with a delicious aroma of smoke……
inside
We started out by sharing the black truffle mac ‘n’ cheese.
The pasta is nice and firm and isn’t mushy. The cheese sauce taste like it was made with real cheese and it is good. The truffles don’t give off much flavors but it is better that than to taste artificial flavors.
My husband tried the Jamaican braised oxtail.
This dish was good. Good flavors, a little spicy…….It was enhanced with red beans, coconut rice, and Jamaican green seasoning. The only issue here was that it lacked enough sauce to really enjoy.
I tried the Sinaldan Style Mary’s Chicken (achiote salsa mache, sauce pastor, sweet potato, avocado).
On the bright side the flavors really were off the charts amazing……and spicy too……………..But on the dark side this chicken was prepared very uneven, mostly DRY and hard to cut, and with rubbery inedible chicken skin. It was hard to enjoy the amazing flavors here. I was asked by someone (maybe a manager? not my server) on how it was but I just started so I didn’t know how it was yet because she asked as soon as I got it. Didn’t feel like complaining after I was done.
Off of one visit I don’t really know how this restaurant is but I would not recommend getting the chicken. Oh I should mention that I have recently enjoyed the Korean Bbq Salmon Sandwich from Micheal Mina’s Bourbon Pub at San Francisco AIRPORT…(yes at Airport) It was so delicious…and amazing….I wonder if chicken is good there?
Siegal’s Bagelmania is possibly the largest Jewish Delicatessen on the West Coast. They are located in Las Vegas Nevada near the convention center that is near to the Las Vegas Strip. They also have a smaller location in the airport in terminal one.
You either dine in or do take out.
This is the take out line below.
The take out line starts around here with Pink Box Doughnuts.
Next is a couple counters that are oozing with pastries, breads, cookies, cakes, and more.
Then you make it to the bagels.
The worker’s T shirts backs read “Challah at me.”
Here’s more bagels and an everything flagel.
Then you go by the shmears.
I skipped a few cases….because somewhere around here is where you order the deli meats , cheese and fish.
Then you hit knishes, latkes, blintzes and noodle kugel oh my!
We took out a few things.
Plain, rye, and everything bagels – These are the BEST bagels that I have tried since I left Pennsylvania.
belly lox (considered the better lox if you can handle the salt…..) (too salty for me)
nova lox – Both lox appear to be hand sliced
pastrami
pickles
GREAT BAGELS and more!
Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
Siegel’s Bagelmania
252 Convention Center Dr Las Vegas NV 702-369-3322
Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix 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 came down with aggressive cancer. 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 his 3-6 month diagnosis Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out when I can.
In Phoenix Arizona weather can be an issue. Anything over 90 degrees F is too hot to dine out with dogs as dogs are not as heat tolerant as we are. Other issues are that you have to make sure that the restaurant patio you plan to visit is actually dog friendly. Dogs need to be kept close to your side and you shouldn’t let them sit on restaurant furniture or eat off of restaurant plates. You also should be aware that most food and drink that you consume could be harmful or toxic to your furry friend. Usually a small lean sauceless piece of meat is usually ok.
The beginning of February was mighty chilly (well for Phoenix) so we took the dogs out for a car-ride that they enjoyed and did take out at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix.
“I got fur..It’s not too cold for ME to dine out!”“I’m hungry…..I smell food”
The dogs get chicken from my curry chicken and beef from my husband’s beef rice plate. (I didn’t even think about photoing the food…sorry I forgot)
“Give me that chicken”“yummmmmmmmmmm!”“My turn”“Oh goodie goodie joy joy!”
We always enjoy going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.
2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ
602-843-3637
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
We made it to The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in North Scottsdale. This restaurant offers a nice variety of different foods and are also a distillery. The original chef was well known for working at several finer restaurants in Metro Phoenix. My larger dog always enjoys dining here…..Maybe because it is almost like dining in the restaurant even when you are on the patio…..
Or maybe because of the special patio tables that are shaped underneath almost like caves that dogs enjoy.
Anyways-
Our waiter was nice and served each dog their own bowl of water.
The food soon arrives. Both dogs squish themselves between me and my husband.
My husband got the distiller’s burger (certified black Angus 1/2 lb patty, tomato, bacon jam, dijon aioli. arugula, fontina, brioche bun)
With a side salad instead of fries or house chips.
#I’ll keep slapping you for food!” “Keep it coming”
The dogs enjoyed getting bites of burgers even though it was close to well done instead of medium-rare. The burger was still good and juicy. Dogs never complain they are always happy with cheeseburgers.
I got the pan seared crispy skin Canadian walleye.
Braised fennel (not sure if I got any…if I did it was ultra minimal or maybe they accidentally gave me onions instead of fennel? tomato, whipped potatoes, with tarragon butter.
Te dogs really enjoyed the seared walleye. They also got to enjoy some whipped potatoes.
Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen
20469 N Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ 480-401-1102
www.TheCraftsmanAZ.com
We made it to Phila Deli a Cheesesteak Sandwich shop in North Glendale. They offer a variety of cheesesteaks, hot and cold hoagies, a cold cut with pate banh mi sandwich, a variety of fries, and children’s meals.
My husband got a cheesesteak.
I got the southwest chicken steak sandwich (pepper jack cheese left off at my request, grilled onions and peppers, chipotle & hatch peppers)
For me the roll is too squishy and what I call squishy Arizona roll style but I know most people don’t mind this because they are from Arizona. It’s also a bit messy and NOT GOOD for dogs so we got them an order of chicken fingers.
I fed them about 1/2 the chicken fingers and the other half they will get as treats over the next two days.
Phila Deli 20219 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ 623-376-9333
www.PhilaDeliAZ.com
That was Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ for February 2023. We hope that you’ve enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Rosso Italian is an Italian Restaurant located in downtown Phoenix Arizona. This restaurant is a new addition to the Pomo Restaurant Group. They offer a nice modern atmosphere and indoor-outdoor bar area that is dog friendly.
Either herebar areadining area
The dining area is a mix of traditional tables and booths.
dining area
On the current menu are appetizers like meatball pizzaola, bruschetta trio, creamy polenta short rib. They also offer salads and soup, hand made pastas, Pomo pizzas, and three entrees that were – grilled salmon, roasted chicken, and pork chop Milanese.
We started out by sharing the beet salad.
beet salad
It contained red and gold beets (some red ones are chips), romaine, frisee, little dots of whipped goat cheese, radicchio, pistachios, citrus vinaigrette.
We also shared the spaghetti cacio and pepe.
spaghetti cacio & pepe
It’s made with five varieties of roasted peppercorns and pecorino Romano cheese. Each bite does taste different. Some bites for sensitive people might contain too much pepper.
I tried the grilled wild salmon.
grilled wild salmon
It came with grilled romanesco and fregola sardo. It was slightly over cooked. Both the server and manager offered a replacement.
My husband tried the pork chop Milanese.
pork chop milanese
It was a breaded pounded pork chop with mixed greens, a grilled orange wedge and citrus vinaigrette.
I was too full for dessert but I did want to see the dessert menu.
They probably offer desserts but our server was the type that didn’t want to sell any. Perhaps you will get a different server.
Rosso Italian – Newly Opened
ROSSO ITALIAN – 2 E Jefferson St PHX AZ 602-218-6001
There is always something New, Weird, Different, Limited or special edition out there in the wonderful world of food. We never know WTFork we will find when we shop for food. Up above is-
NEW – Reese’s Puffs Stuffed Reese’s Cups. If you like cereal in your candy then you will be happy with this.
Next one is leftover from Christmas.
LIMITED EDITION – M&M’s in mint but in Christmas Packaging. One reads Christmas came early this year….The other reads – tough being on everyone’s wishlist. I haven’t eaten mint M&M’s in years…..Love mint but these aren’t my favorite.
DIFFERENT – Feel Good Superfoods – Pure and natural ashwagandha They look like Chinese Laterns?
DIFFERENT – Raspberry Oranges…Who Knew?
DIFFERENT – Wonderful – Naturally Seedless Lemons
DIFFERENT – Catalina Crunch Keto Friendly Dark Chocolate Cereal….? Looks like a bag of chocolate and raspberries??????
NEW – General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Minis……Who are they fooling? Those aren’t minis….They are just dots. Machine at factory probably got clogged and the cereal just came out as dots…..
NEW – Mission…..Everything BAGEL flour tortillas street tacos? That sure doesn’t sound right. They are street sized flour tortillas (not tacos or bagels) maybe with everything bagel seasoning but I don’t see any seasoning on them?
DIFFERENT – Arby’s Horsey Sauce…..I’m guessing that these sauces are horseradish flavored?
DIFFERENT – Wild Planet Tuna Chorizo …Who knew?? Bet it’s tasty!
DIFFERENT – Macabee Cheese Pizza
DIFFERENT – Jack’s Gourmet FACON (Fakin Bacon LOL)
DIFFERENT – Taylor Pass New Zealand Manuka Honey is something to buzz about at $35.99 a jar.
Gone are the days when yogurt was a healthy food. In the old days hippy’s would add maybe a spoon ful of honey and some nuts and berries to it. Today yogurt is something different.
DIFFERENT – Chobani Greek Yogurt in S’more S’mores & Red Velvet Cupcake
DIFFERENT – Chobani Greek Yogurt in Mint Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Layer Cake…(I didn’t try any of these yogurts but I FORKING Doubt any yogurt can actually taste like chocolate layer cake…..Someone musta have been on drugs to think that one up.
DIFFERENT and maybe WEIRD – Chobani Greek Yogurt in Rocky Road
DIFFERENT – Chobani Yogurt in Key Lime Crumble and Strawberry Cheesecake
DIFFERENT – Chobani Greek Yogurt in Peanut Butter Cup & Salted Caramel Crunch
I see that Ice Cream can be different too!
DIFFERENT – Van Leeuwen Ice Creams in Earl Grey, Marion Berry Cheesecake, and Cookies and Cream…might be good but they do make you fat.
DIFFERENT – Van Leeuwen Ice Creams is Honey Comb, Sicilian Pistachio, and Black Cheery Chip…OK I can vouch that the Pistachio is as good as smooth pistachio can be…..Was thinking about the other two flavors…passed but maybe next time!
DIFFERENT – Van Leeuwen Vegan Ice Creams in Brownie Sundae with raspberry swirl, banana bread pudding, churros and fudge….Ummmmm some sound amazing but I’ve never tried vegan ice cream…….
DIFFERENT MORE Van Leeuwen Vegan Ice Cream…..Strawberry, Brownie sundae with raspberry swirl, dark chocolate peanut butter swirl, brown sugar chunk, chocolate cookie dough honey comb….DAM think I just gained ten pounds just thinking about eating them…..
Usually there is something out there Oreo.
LIMITED EDITION – The Most Oreo stuffed with an enormous amount of cookies and cream filling………(gosh that would make me gag…but some people out there can eat anything.)
Well that was the new, weird, different, limited, and special edition foods out there for February 2023. Who Knows WTFork I’ll come across next month….
