Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Rocket Burger Phoenix AZ It’s A Forking Blast!

Rocket Burger and Subs Phoenix AZ

Rocket Burger and Subs Phoenix AZ

I’ve been here before but not in a forking while. I was reminded of Rocket Burger while watching the PBS TV Show about local eateries called Check Please Arizona. This is an extremely casual eatery where you order at the counter and seat your forking self. This place isn’t fancy so don’t forking expect to see any forking linen napkins.

Rocket burger is well known for burgers, sandwiches, beef hot dogs, sub sandwiches, soft serve ice cream and a forking wall of assorted bottled sodas. They had so many sodas I don’t know what I forking saw. The Portions are forking HUGH and the prices aren’t much more than fast food but the food your receive is FORKING much better than fast food.

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So I forking made it back to Rocket Burger and ordered my first burger and ordered the Popular New York Burger platter.

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This was forking much larger and better tasting than I was expecting. The rolls were carefully toasted and the 100% Angus Burgers were cooked a perfect medium to my liking. The pastrami on top of my burger was much tastier than most pastrami you get anywhere and was actually grilled nice and tasty. The house made coleslaw with rocket sauce was delicious. Even the fries were very good. They tasted like real potatoes!

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After a few bites I was almost forking full. At this point I lose the bun and go and get a fork. Bag up half the burger left for my dogs and pick at the rest of the filling.

My husband had a double bacon cheese burger platter. Each platter  we ordered was a double patty sandwich with a side of fries or onion rings and a bottled soda.

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He said his burger was great and we should forking come here more often.

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He got all these corn meal crusted onion rings with his burger! I would like to try the soft serve ice cream but I doubt I’ll ever have the forking room in my stomach after eating here.

We had a BLAST! at Rocket Burger!

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Forking Truth

Worth a Fork          Forking Truth

 

A Different way to prepare Home Fries (America’s Test Kitchen Style)

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I was forking watching Rachel Ray and Chef Sara Molton was preparing home fries inspired by an American’s Test Kitchen Recipe. I found MANY variations of this recipe on the web.

I do have to say these home fries came out really delicious with a deeper potato flavor because  boiling with baking soda breaks down the surface of the potato and condenses the potato flavor. The surface is suppose to crisp up extra too. Mine came out fluffy and a little crispy but with delicious flavors. These home fries FORKING have the most delicious potato flavor.

I cleaned up some potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.) and chopped some onions. (less than 1/2 of a BIG sweet onion)

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Drained the potatoes and added them to a pot of boiling water that had about a Tablespoon of kosher salt in it and a teaspoon of baking soda.

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I let it boil ONLY ONE MINUTE.

Drained the potatoes and added a couple tablespoons of butter, the chopped onions, about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and the drained potatoes back to the pot and let them absorb for about a minute.

My oven was set at 500 degrees and I had a pan in there getting hot.

I then added the contents of the pot to the heated baking sheet. (don’t forking make fun of me for using this forking pan) For the best results a heavy pan that holds heat will work best. The potato mixture was sprinkled with canola oil.

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For me these took about a half hour turning the potatoes a few times.

Then I wound up with this after I sprinkled them with scallions.

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This recipe was inspired by America’s Test Kitchen and was shown on the Rachel Ray TV Show prepared by Chef Sara Molton. I prepared just from memory from watching the show. On TV the potatoes came out with a little more crust.(maybe mine would have too if I just used a forking better pan)

The proportions, ingredients  and instructions may have differed some. But these sure did come out forking good!

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

WTFork is Quark?

Quark a fictional character from Star Trek Deep Space 9

Quark a fictional character from Star Trek Deep Space 9

Quark is common in cuisine in German Speaking Countries. Quark is somewhat cheese-like but is not a cheese. However in some countries Quark is considered to be a fresh acid cheese or fermented milk that’s coagulated and strained. Traditional Quark doesn’t contain rennet but these days nobody gives a fork and you might find forking rennet in it. Usually no salt is added.

I tasted some last week. It FORKING looks and taste like forking sour cream.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Food Wise Phoenix AZ is Forking Different

It’s subtle but when you move to or visit Phoenix Arizona you might start to notice many small things in your food world are forking different.

The Produce Section,

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Dairy Sections

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and Meat Sections

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do differ from Grocery Stores in other areas that you might remember.

Different or fewer apples, less variety and more expensive mushrooms.

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(yikes some good ones in specialty stores are forking $40. a lb. and more), and usually fewer colors of cauliflower. Instead of reasonably priced banana peppers you can find reasonably priced jalapeños and you can never find any fresh forking cherry peppers.

In the dairy section

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you won’t find the different cottage cheeses offering you the variety of different sizes of curds. You also won’t find a good quality ricotta cheese so you should forking make your own. You can find heavy whipping cream but regular heavy cream that you might need for  your cheese making as it is almost impossible to find. Not all but MOST  forking grocery stores here don’t carry heavy cream and just carry heavy whipping cream instead.

The deli forking differs too here in Phoenix.

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You need to make your own forking Health Salad out here if you want it. The brands of deli meat differ and out here you can’t get real pastrami like the kind that has fat you just melt off in your fry pan. Out here you get the kind that turns forking hard when you try to heat it in a pan because it’s made without fat and also has less flavor.

Not all but most meat departments don’t carry veal but that might be because maybe most people don’t eat veal anymore?

It used to be easy to find roaster chickens but most places here only forking carry fryer chickens.

Almost everyone likes Cannoli’s.  I guess not too many people out here in Phoenix eat them because they are M.I.A. from the forking  bakery counters. If you want a cannoli you need to find a specially store or make them yourself.  Actually a lot is missing in action from the bakery counters such as people. People don’t wait in line to order bread and sweets as it’s just forking self serve. So far I haven’t tried any sweets from these grocery bakeries that taste good to me  as they seem to have that chemical box taste taste so I forking make my own.  Real rye bread doesn’t make much of an appearance here either as you have to settle for mostly spiked up white bread trying to be rye. Most of the grocery bakeries make forking squishy bread that doesn’t taste like real bread. You can find some good bread but it’s few and far between.

Of the jarred items I’d normally purchase I have to do without India Relish as NOT ONE STORE in the forking Phoenix Area Carries it.  Hot Cherry Peppers are not in any regular supermarket. I note I can find them at the Asian Market so I have to forking go there for that. I also haven’t found anisette sugar out here anywhere yet.

I hate to say this and pardon the pun but the Forking Fish selection Stinks.

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That is the truth! Almost every major supermarket sells only a few varieties not so fresh tasting fish. I know Arizona is the forking desert and fish just don’t swim here but just about every FORKING TIME I purchase fish from a supermarket it doesn’t taste fresh if it’s edible at all. Often ALL the Markets sell Spoiled Fish.

Soda taste different. I think the high Arizona Heat brings out the chemical taste.  The same with canned foods. You can taste the can more. Maybe it’s because of the dry heat?

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On the Bright Side!

The Phoenix food area is far from forking awful and many things are also better!

It’s easier to find less expensive better tasting beef.  You can pick up almost any forking beef from anywhere and you can do well easily.

Local Produce is grown here and is sold at Super markets and Farmers Markets. Some of the stand outs are the Local Grains, Local Beans and I really like the Local Sprigarella, Local Rutabaga’s, Local Pecans and Local Dates.

Many big box stores and Asian Markets are conveniently located to most of us.

You have forking easy access to booze and wine. Most Super Markets and Forking Gas Stations sell Booze and Wine. Phoenix also has some Forking Drive threw Liquor Stores.

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Specialty wine stores are also conveniently located in many areas.

Phoenix is a foodie destination! lots of interesting and international restaurants. You can travel the World by the Forking Seat of your pants in the Metro Phoenix Area.

Most of Mexican Cuisine is here from Seafood to Cow Head Tacos to dishes with dried Crickets to Americanized Mexican Favorites like chimichangas.

The Birthday Song kind of place

The Birthday Song kind of place

Almost every kind of Asian Food is here

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including Cambodian. We also have Caribbean Food, Swedish Food, Moroccan Food, German Food, Bosnian Food, English Food, Indian Food, Middle Eastern Food and Others!

Many Magazines and Food TV Shows say we have the best Forking Pizza Shop in the country!

You want Steak Phoenix has LOTS of fine steak houses. There is no steak shortage here.

Many James Bread Nominated Chefs have restaurants here and they all put out all kinds of Forking interesting creative plates.

At not all but many of the restaurants with patios your dog is welcomed to dine with you.

Food wise Phoenix Arizona is not the same and is Forking different from other places you’ve been.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Most Memorable Restaurants of 2014 In Metro Phoenix I’ve been to so far

I’ve been to some really forking great restaurants this year in the Metro Phoenix Area.

Sumo Mayo Scottsdale AZ

Sumo Mayo Scottsdale AZ

Sumo Mayo in Scottsdale AZ really forking knocked it out of the park with their Mexican Asian Fusion menu of Tapas dishes. The Korean Beef Taco was so intricate and layered with flavors. My only complaint is that it was too small so you couldn’t enjoy it enough. Everything I tried there was delicious and the restaurant is as beautiful as the food.

Sumo Mayo Scottsdale AZ

Sumo Mayo Scottsdale AZ

This for sure is the Forking Place to go now!

 

Bink's Scottsdale AZ

Bink’s Scottsdale AZ

Bink’s Scottsdale AZ Serves up Delightful Imaginative Dishes! Like Curry Pear Soup with Hibiscus, The Salad I had pictured above was made of Spinach, Pickled Onions, Dates, Labne, Kumquats and Harissa Vinaigrette. Everything I tried here was masterfully prepared.

Bink's Scottsdale AZ

Bink’s Scottsdale AZ

You can almost taste this Baked Trout!

 

FnB Scottsdale AZ

FnB Scottsdale AZ

Shishitos from FnB Restaurant Scottsdale AZ

Shishitos from FnB Restaurant Scottsdale AZ

 

FnB in Scottsdale AZ doesn’t make the most photogenic food but makes the  vegetables that gets transformed into something you never thought they could be. Everything at FnB is forking delicious but that Grilled Eggplant with Summer Wheat Berry Tabbouleh, Harissa and Feta was another one of the darn amazing vegetables dishes I had here. A few of the other amazing vegetables dishes were Gilfeather Rutabaga with Ginger Creme Friache and Chives, The Spicy Grilled Broccoli with Tangerine Aioli and Pistachios for sure is delicious. Food and Wine Magazine named FnB’s Leek Dish with Fried Egg and Mustard Bread Crumbs Award Winning.

FnB Scottsdale AZ

FnB Scottsdale AZ

All the food not just the vegetables are outstanding here. I am partial  to the wood grilled fish dishes. They are also noted for featuring Arizona Wines and many of the plates are meant for sharing. They also have a cute wine and food store that you should check out.

 

Zinc Bistro Scottsdale AZ

Zinc Bistro Scottsdale AZ

I had a Three Course Dinner Special at Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale AZ. I can’t stop thinking about how great everything was especially  that French Cold Potato Soup with Salmon Croquettes and House cured Salmon. No words can describe how good it really was. Our dinners were also excellent and the dessert was also another one of the best I ever had anywhere.

Zinc Bistro Scottsdale AZ

Zinc Bistro Scottsdale AZ

This could be renamed Knock Out Desert because you could fight over it as it was that good. Heavenly light but almost crisp with the perfect amount of chocolate and sweetness studded with extra special cherries.

 

Branzino with Truffled Salsify crisps from Virtu Honest Craft Scottsdale AZ

Branzino with Truffled Salsify crisps from Virtu Honest Craft Scottsdale AZ

Everything I tried from Virtu Honest Craft was Well Crafted and Memorable. Outstanding out of the ordinary cocktails, The best Bronzino I ever had anywhere and a truly amazing desert. I can’t wait to go back.

These were the very best of what I Forking Had in Phoenix in 2014 so far. I can’t wait for the other half.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth