Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix Week 18 – CHZBURGR, The Breadfruit and Rum Bar, Barrio Cafe, La Piazza Al Forno, Szechuan Cuisine

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Dining out these days during the coronavirus pandemic can be deadly. Take out is a less risky option than dining in. Curbside is even less risky. Our first take out of the week was from CHZBURGR in Glendale. They offer curbside pick up.

They also offer the best cheeseburgers, best hotdogs and best chicken sandwiches around. The sandwiches are made with the highest quality ingredients. Sauces and pickles are made in house. A little birdie named Clint said the rolls are from a Philadelphia Bakery. Not only are the sandwiches amazing but they only cost almost the same as fast food. You can’t go wrong with anything from CHZBURGR!

Even my dogs get really wild when we have food from CHZBURGR. They both can’t wait and slap me for food.

Next take out was from The Breadfruit and Rum Bar in Downtown Phoenix.

The restaurant is temporarily closed but they were offering a Friday Night Take out special for two of Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas and Vegetables.

It was flavored nicely and there was plenty of breast meat. As per usual my dogs couldn’t wait to try some.

Next take out was from the Barrio Cafe in Phoenix. I haven’t been here in a long time and the last few years have been going to the now closed Barrio Grand Reserva. It’s so lively with rich wall art now.

They have the entrance sort of blocked off and there is only room for one person to do the pick up so I waited outside. The traffic is very bad and several roads are closed. It took us about an hour to get home and the food still traveled well.

OH MY GOSH there is so much delicious food! I ordered the salmon and my husband ordered the pork green chile verde.

There is even two types of hand made mini tortillas. My picture doesn’t do this food justice everything taste FORKING AMAZING! There is even good size portions of spicy home made ketchup for those crazy good fingerling potatoes. So many delicious details. Really awesome take out with lots of delicious leftovers. My dogs are lucky dogs and enjoyed some of the Barrio Cafe Food.

We also did take out from La Piazza Al Forno in Old Town Glendale.

We got a meat/cheese/vegetable/fried ravioli plate called a tavola mista and two delicious certified pizzas. These pizzas are different from everyone else’s. The crust is very tender. The mozzarella cheese is also different with a lot of flavor and is made in house. Today my husband got the Italian Stallion pizza (D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes, house made mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto di parma, sopressata). I got the bianco with added Calabrian peppers (house made mozzarella, ricotta (very good ricotta), parmesan, fresh basil, Sicilian oregano, e.v.o.o.) Everything was DELICIOUS! Very VERY Good! Of course I shared some with the dogs.

We were able to squeak in a 5th take out and took out from Szechuan Cuisine in Glendale.

Today we shared fish with fungus and snow peas in egg white sauce, shrimp kung pao and spicy cabbage. The fish dish was xtra mild and delicate. The shrimp dish was also mild. The cabbage dish had nice flavors and a little heat.

My dogs couldn’t wait to try some.

“Don’t worry we are in this thing together and will help eat all the food!”

Week 18 of Take out during the coronavirus pandemic was from-

CHZBURGR – Glendale

The Breadfruit and Rum Bar – Phoenix

Bario Cafe – Phoenix

La Piazza Al Forno – Old Town Glendale

Szechuan Cuisine – Glendale

Every THING is subject to change and we HOPE it DOES CHANGE for the BETTER!

The Forking Truth

Before You Toss Out Scallions or Romaine Ends Consider Produce Regeneration

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A while ago I read that many produce items can regenerate. One vegetable they recommended was the scallion. They said to put the root ends in water and the plant will regenerate. I tried this a few times and hit did grow but always eventually rotted like after a week. I find that basically doing nothing and letting the ends stay in the refrigerator produces results in about two weeks time and haven’t rotted yet.

You will get even better and faster results if you just plant them.

You can get mini romaine heads off of your romaine ends with just water.

It takes about a week to grow a mini head…..But then you have to use it or it will rot.

Before you toss out scallion or romaine ends consider produce regeneration.

The Forking Truth

Take Out From Nanaya Japanese Kitchen in Phoenix AZ******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******Nanaya Japanese Kitchen recently opened in the Arcadia District of Phoenix Arizona. According to their menu they serve homestyle Japanese Food. Their menu is interesting and different with low prices so I assumed that the plates would be small but I was wrong.

They offer two kinds of ramen on their menu and both are chicken broth with tender chicken. One is creamy and the other is clear. We went with clear. We started out by sharing the Tori Chintan Ramen ($10.) They gave us a very large serving that is enough for two people. (maybe by accident?)

Here is my HALF!

The moist chicken breast is DELICIOUS and developed with flavors. It’s in a salt forward but very balanced broth enhanced with bamboo, asparagus, seaweed, chewy thin noodles and what they called a ramen egg. The egg seemed like a hard boiled egg to me. The chicken was really great in this dish even after traveling 35 minutes to get it home.

We shared a bunch of other dishes.

I’ll bring the food up closer.

We started with the spicy tuna sushi roll ($6.). It was prepared nice and neat but wasn’t really spicy. I liked that it didn’t fall apart. Next we shared some of the beef shigureni ($12.). It’s different and unique. It’s made of marinated beef topped with pepper threads. The beef is Japanese flavored in a way I never tasted before. It makes me think about a Japanese steak sandwich. The rest of the bowl is rice, cabbage and a ramen egg (like a hard boiled egg). (This plate differed slightly from menu description)

Another unusual plate is the Nanaya Elote ($5.). It’s an ear of corn that is covered with SPICY Japanese mayo and yuzu cheese. It was really SPICY HOT with flavors that were new and different to me.

My favorite plate was the Salmon Yuanyaki ($13.). The salmon was seasoned nicely. It came with shredded cabbage and Japanese potato salad. I don’t know if this is how they would serve it next time because the menu description did differ. We also had a container of rice that we didn’t use.

Nanaya Japanese Kitchen was a very nice take out that was unique and different.

******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*********

www.NanayaJapaneseKitchen.com

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Take Out In Metro Phoenix AZ During The CoronaVirus Pandemic – Week 17 – Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery, Taco Fusion, Nanaya Japanese Kitchen, Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante

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Going out to eat can be deadly these days during the coronavirus pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. These days all restaurants are struggling. We resist going out as much as possible to avoid infected people so we are doing take out a little more often just for something to do.

Our first take out of the week was from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They offer most of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. Their specialty is the banh mi baguette sandwich and offer around a dozen different varieties of it. Today we ordered pot stickers, a lotus root salad and a shaken beef banh mi.

Pot stickers are always tasty, Lotus root salad is herbal lightl and refreshing. The shaken beef banh mi is very good!

I know that the beef in it is rib eye but it is as tender as filet mignon. It’s all very good and all this food is less than $20. before tax and tip.

We always share some with the dogs.

Next take out was from Taco Fusion in Glendale.

We got a variety of tacos, a variety of fresh salsas and a side of vegetarian black beans. EVERYTHING was delicious! Taco Fusion is GREAT! They even use hand made tortillas. My favorite taco there is the mild chicken habanero taco with pineapple salsa. My husband says the shrimp tacos there are excellent. Of course our dogs were waiting to try some.

We tried a brand new Japanese Restaurant that just opened called Nanaya Japanese Kitchen in Phoenix.

I was expecting tiny portions but received full size large portions. We shared a spicy tuna roll, the salmon yuanyaki, beef shigureni, tori chintan ramen and a very unusual Nanaya Elote. WOW it was. all interesting and different. My favorite was the salmon yuanyaki with the surprise Japanese potato salad. Had plenty to share with the dogs.

Last take out of the week was from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/#UpperWestSide. I like how my salad came in a tamper proof bag.

I got a strawberry and chicken salad with toasted almonds and my husband got the Bottega Pizza that is topped with pepperoni and sausage. All was great and I shared my chicken with the dogs.

“We will get threw this thing and ALL THE FOOD together!”

Week 17 of take out during the coronavirus pandemic was from –

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – North Phoenix

Taco Fusion – Glendale

Nanaya Japanese Kitchen – Phoenix

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale/#UpperWestSide

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Weird Forking Drinking and Eating Masks Out There For The CoronaVirus Pandemic

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We are in a serious health crisis and it is advisable and also the law depending on your location to wear masks when you are in a public space. Scientist have proved that much of the virus can stop spreading if we all wear masks. This mandate upsets some people but wearing a mask is the right thing to do. People who don’t wear masks are selfish and can unknowingly be carriers of the virus. They can unintentionally infect others. I was looking at masks for sale on eBay and I noticed that many people now are selling eating and drinking masks.

I don’t think any of these mask can possibly be effective because they all have openings in them.

For a mask to be effective it is suppose to be tight but breathable. It’s suppose to have layers. I’m not a scientist so I Don’t know if this is true but I read that not all but some masks actually provide partial protection against the virus. The bad news is that you can still the catch the virus wearing a better mask that offers partial protection. (kn95, mask with hepa filter are considered better masks. Best masks are reserved for health care workers) The good news is that chances are that you won’t catch as much of the virus with a better well fitting mask. That can make a difference that is more valuable than any amount of money.

If your FORKING Mask has a hole or slit in it you are spreading germs and more germs can spread to you.

#Don’t Kill Grandma Wear a sensible Mask

There is a bunch of Forking Weird Eating and Drinking Masks Out There for sale during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Every FORKING THING is subject to change and we hope IT DOES CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix Week 16 – Pita Kitchen, Fabio On Fire, Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen, FnB, Aioli Burgers

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Dining out can be deadly these days during the pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. All restaurants are struggling and we have little else to do these days anyway so we are giving as much support as we can to restaurants.

Our first take out of the week was from a small casual Mediterranean/Greek restaurant Pita Kitchen in Glendale (#UpperWestSide). I didn’t go in to pick up but my husband said that they installed more plexiglass inside for our safety.

Pita Kitchen bakes their own fresh pita bread that is always delicious. I usually get the chicken kabob Greek Salad. The kabob always taste delicious with lots of flavors and always has a delicious char. 18 out 20 times it is also juicy. My husband usually gets the gyro meat on a Greek Salad.

My dogs always love Pita Kitchens’ food.

Next Take Out was from Fabio On Fire in Peoria (#UpperWestSide). This is a small Italian Restaurant that offers Neapolitan Pizzas, various Italian dishes, amazing breads and desserts (FORKING FABULOUS Gelato). They have a 100% contact free curbside transaction. You order and pay online and all the communication is done by text. They sanitize a table and your order is placed there.

We got family style pear salad, pappardelle con fungi and peach gelato. Everything was very good. Portions were very large. P.S. That peach gelato is the best in the whole wide WORLD. Fabio should go to shark tank to sell his gelato across America….YES IT’S THAT FABULOUS!

Pups were happy to try a little cheese from the salad.

We also did take out from Scotts Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen in Phoenix. They offer breakfast dishes and delicatessen favorites.

My husband got a pastrami sandwich (or actually 2) I got the smoked fish supreme platter and tomorrow we will try the latkes for breakfast. My platter is a really great value. My platter is large and I get three meals out of it. One of the fish I pick is Lake Sturgeon…..I don’t think any other restaurant sells it in Phoenix and it cost around $40. a pound. My platter also comes with a bagel, cream cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, fresh made pickles and vegetables. It’s a nice treat to have once in a while. We also like that Scott’s is open on most of the holidays.

Our dogs were very excited to try some of Scott’s.

FnB in Scottsdale had a take out special on fried chicken so we got two. In case you have been living under a rock…..FnB is co-owned by a James Bead award winning chef Charleen Badman so if she offers a take out special like this it would be advisable to try it.

Half a fried chicken with a peach and feta salad, macaroni and corn salad and potato salads. This is also way more food than anyone can possibly eat. But WOW! This take out was GREAT! Reminds me oof a similar take out from Thomas Kellers’ Ad Hoc. His fried chicken was also fabulous but FnBs’ sides are far more detailed and delicious!

Dogs are yappy….I mean happy to try some.

Last Take Out of the week was from Aioli Burgers in Phoenix. I heard about a Nashville Hot Chicken Style Sandwich that was on special for the Fourth of July….But it was Sunday the fifth and they were still offering them so we decided to give them a try.

We each got a Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwich with a side of roasted vegetables. Our sandwiches were suppose to come with green chili aioli but the aioli was forgotten….or maybe they ran out?. The sandwiches are tasty and the chicken is moist. They aren’t very spicy but they are tasty as chicken sandwiches. As per usual my dogs helped with the large portion of chicken. (I removed the coating for them since it might contain spices and vinegar that are not good for dogs)

“We are in this thing together!”

That was take out in metro Phoenix week 16 of the coronavirus pandemic.

We went to-

Pita Kitchen – Glendale/#UpperWestSide

Fabio On Fire – Peoria/#UpperWestSide

Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen – Phoenix

FnB – Scottsdale

Aioli Burgers – Phoenix

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does for the better.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Thailand Lay’s Potato Chips – Sweet Basil, Extreme Hot Chili & Salted Egg

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I thought it would be fun to try some foreign Lay’s Potato Chips that I can’t buy here in America. Thailand seemed to offer the most flavors at reasonable pricing so I tried a few bags. I liked that these are extra small snack bags. They only contained HALF OUNCE of potatoes chips in each bag.

The first one I’m trying is the Salted Egg Flavor.

I open the bag and take a whiff…..It smells sort of like an egg yolk.

I taste a chip.

It has a nice texture. It kind of taste like it was rubbed with an egg yolk…..It’s not bad…but it’s not a chip that I crave….But not bad…so that’s a win! (Ok-Good)

The back of the bags do have the ingredients in English but they are very hard to read.

Now I’ll try the Extreme Hot Chili Flavor.

I open up the bag and spill some out. These smell kind of good….sort of cayenne pepper. I eat one. YES very hot but it doesn’t hurt or sting. Yipes they do build with heat…..still good…not bad…another win. (OK-Good)

I was saving the Sweet Basil for last because I thought it would be my favorite since I love sweet basil.

I open the bag and take a whiff………I was expecting basil but this isn’t basil…….These smell strange. They smell like burnt cake. YUK! THESE ARE REALLY AWFUL! They don’t even taste like food. Sorry I can’t eat them. (The BIG SUCK!)

Just like American Lay’s the flavors go all over the place – from surprisingly good, good, ok, not so great and the big suck!.

Those were my FORKING Thoughts on Thailand Lay’s – Salted Egg, Extreme Hot Chili Flavor and Sweet Basil.

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

A little Taste of the Collins Restaurants in Metro Phoenix AZ- Grassroots Kitchen and Tap, Wally’s American Gastropub, Twisted Grove Parlor and Bar, The Colllins Small Batch Kitchen, The Macintosh and Sweet Provisions

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The Collins restaurants are of the restaurant group Common Ground Culinary by a 4th generation restauranteur chef Christopher Collins. The restaurants listed are Grassroots Kitchen and Tap, Wally’s American Gastropub, Twisted Grove Parlor and Bar, The Collins Small Batch Kitchen and the Macintosh. The restaurants are similar….with different but somewhat similar menus of mostly a good variety of American Comfort Food Prepared extremely well and all the restaurants offer marvelous slices of pie. During the pandemic all the Collins restaurants are offering the safer curbside pick up option in addition to limited dine in. (subject to change during these uncertain times)

Below are some trips from Grassroots Kitchen and Tap in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale Location

I usually but not always get some sort of salmon from the Collins restaurants. They prepare salmon better than the majority of places. The salmon is always grilled nicely and cooked reasonably well but never dry. You also never have to worry about rubbery skin or the gross bloodline with any Collins Salmon.

American pastrami on a pretzel bun with cheddar. You can’t see but on the other side of sandwich is jalapeño cheese grits.

We did take out from the Grassroots (Scottsdale) in April.

I took out the house smoked salmon and orzo salad, brisket with cheese grits, beans and that FABULOUS key lime pie (made with 40 hand squeezed key limes).

Next to the Grassroots is Collins Sweet Shop called Sweet Provisions (Scottsdale). They serve ice-cream candy and desserts.

As of today I’ve only been to Wally’s American Gastropub (Scottsdale) once and it was for curbside pick up. I noticed that they do have a large patio that looks spacious.

We took out – pretzel asiago fondue, a veal and spicy pork meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes, crispy onions and asparagus. My usual salmon…this one comes with spinach…it might be the lightest of the Collins salmon dishes but it insures room in your stomach for one of the delicious slices of pie. We tried the coconut cream cream pie this day. EVERYTHING was delicious.

We made it to Twisted Grove Parlor (Scottsdale) and Bar.

I had a crispy grouper sandwich there with a side of spaghetti squash.

My husband had house made cavatelli carbonara.

We shared monkey bread for dessert.

We were at The Collins Small Batch Kitchen (Phoenix) a number of times.

Tasty Artichoke appetizer.

From The Collins in Phoenix AZ

The Twisted Noodle Salad is incredibly delicious. It just explodes with flavors. Love this salad.

My husband had a burger that he said was really great…but he wanted the slaw on the side…because he isn’t a fan of most slaws.

We went back again and I had a fish sandwich. Grilled nicely and prepared to perfection. It was served with colorful fresh vegetables.

My husband had the burger again.

. We recently did curbside takeout from The Collins.

I got my usual salmon. I am partial to this one because I really enjoyed the cauliflower and sweet tomatoes that came with it. My husband got the braised beef short ribs with risotto and Brussels sprouts. We shared a Ghirardelli mousse pie for dessert.

We even made it to The Macintosh (Phoenix).

I had a salmon and half chopped salad.

My husband had shrimp and grits.

Salmon with a different half salad.

Shrimp sandwich with grits.

Key Lime Pie made with 40 hand squeezed key limes

That was a little taste of Christopher Collins Common Ground Culinary.

Grassroots Kitchen and Tap – Scottsdale

Wally’s American Gastropub – Scottsdale

Twisted Grove Parlor and Bar – Scottsdale

Sweet Provisions – Scottsdale

The Collins Small Batch Kitchen – Phoenix

The Macintosh – Phoenix

www.CommonGroundCulinary.com

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does for the better.

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix AZ Week 15 – Twist Bistro and Gallery, Confluence, Wally’s American Gastropub, Sala Thai

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Going out to eat can be deadly these days during the pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. All restaurants are suffering these days so we are doing take out as much as possible….besides we have little else to do these days……. Our first take out of the week was from Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale. They serve modern Mediterranean style food that may contain a “Twist” or two.

We got the take out combo for two special. They gave us these complimentary cheese studded biscuits that were buttery and light as air and delicious. Our appetizer was a everything flatbread topped with a layer of creaminess, house made lox and salad. My dinner was phenomenally cooked chicken that was very moist and flavorful. It came with braised greens, berries, goat cheese and unusual (Twisted gnocchi) that were very goat cheese to me. My husband got the wild boar meatballs with the twist version of gnocchi and were nothing like a traditional gnocchi. We also had a strawberry rhubarb cobbler minus the ice cream because I didn’t want it to melt on our way home. Some things were unusual but everything was delicious.

Our dogs helped me with the large portion of delicious chicken.

Next take out was from Confluence in Carefree. It’s a FORKING AMAZING restaurant that serves incredible Modern Cuisine.

We got spectacular fried chicken that came with unbelievably delicious chili Tepin honey sauce, blue corn bread and shredded snow peas. We also got carnitas with tossed salad, broccoli with hominy and popcorn butter and strawberry cobbler with dessert. Everything was so good it was a treat! The chicken is also an extra large portion and I can get three lunches out of it. Still had plenty to share with the dogs.

Our nest take out was curb side pick up from Wally’s American Gastropub in Scottsdale.

My husband was craving the veal and spicy pork meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes, onion strings and jumbo asparagus (he said it was VERY GOOD). We also shared the fresh baked pretzels with asiago fondue, For dinner I had the Norwegian Salmon that comes with caper sauce and spinach. You must get pie when you dine at a Collins Restaurant because his pies are outstanding. This time I tried the coconut cream pie and it was outstanding like all the other Collins pies. Even my husband who HATES coconut said the pie was very good. As usual I had plenty too share with my dogs.

Last Take Out of the week was from Sala Thai in Peoria (#upperWestSide).

We shared egg rolls and I had the spicy lemon chicken salad. My husband had the spicy pork basil. Dogs couldn’t wait to try!

“Don’t worry we are in this thing together”

Week 15 of take out during the coronavirus pandemic.

Twist Bistro and Gallery – North Scottsdale

Confluence – Carefree

Wally’s American Gastropub – Scottsdale

Sala Thai – Peoria (#UpperWestSide)

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

A little Taste of the Amazing FnB Restaurant of Scottsdale AZ

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During the coronavirus pandemic I did take out from FnB restaurant in the arts district of Old Town Scottsdale. I thought my past experiences at the restaurant are more of a taste of what they are really like.

The Chef and co-owner Charleen Badman is a James Beard Best Chef Southwest Award Winning Chef. She serves an ever changing menu of global farm focused contemporary plates that are meant to be shared. The menu usually features a few obscure vegetables and is mostly vegetables but also contains enough meat to please meat eaters. This restaurant also features Arizonian wines.

The restaurant has three small dining areas. (I don’t have a photo of the bar area that was once a store)

FnB also offers a small plant lined patio for dining.

They always start you off with locally made Noble Bread and high quality olive oil.

Bellow are a collection of some of the dishes we’ve enjoyed from FnB.

Tuscan kale falafel
Gilfeather rutabaga topped with onion ginger cream
Snap peas, macadamia nuts, mint, tarragon
crispy chickpeas, beet falafel plate and famous award winning leek dish
My Half

This was half of the Langos. A sort of salad made with a fried Hungarian bread made with potatoes.

Melon Salad
House Cured Salmon
Butterkin Squash

Broccoli with tangerine and pistachios

Trout rillette

Soft shell crab

Radishes, dates, pumpkin seeds, with caper anchovy dressing.

Salmon gefilte fish, pickled beets, beet horseradish eggs and buttered matzo.

Corona beans with grilled radicchio, salsa verde, provolone.

This is 1/2 of the Pink Grouper
Pork Shank

Halibut

Lamb loin with Arizona grains, tepary beans, green beans, chermoula and mint.

Halibut
Duck
Poppyseed tangerine cake with mascarpone and cherries
Apple Sharlotka
Berry Shortcake
Deep chocolate whiskey cake

That was a little taste of the amazing FnB of Scottsdale AZ

During the pandemic FnB is take out only.

For now you order and pay on line and a server places your bag on the table.

This was my take out.

Peruvian chicken egg rolls with quark sauce, lettuce stems and tofu in broth, blue nose bass with citrus and couscous, house made pasta with pancetta.

www.FnBRestaurant.com

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does for the better.

The Forking Truth