Category Archives: Special Events

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

A Little Taste of Phoenix Magazine’s 2023 Dish Fest at The Clayton House Scottsdale AZ

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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

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

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.

Salsa Bites Food Truck

Salsa Bites – tamale

Salsa Bites – barbacola taco, chips, salsa

Caldwell Country BBQ – beef brisket and pork

Huss Brewing – local sausage, pretzels, 2 mustards, sour kraut, pickle

That was a little taste of Phoenix Magazine’s Dish Fest at The Clayton House

3719 N 75TH St Scottsdale AZ

www.PhoenixMag.com

A Few Things I Saw at my local Asiana Market – Glendale AZ

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There always is a lot of different foods to find at Asiana Market. The Asiana Market is an Asian and International Market with two locations in Metro Phoenix Arizona. I go to the location that is in the Deer Valley part of Glendale. You never know what you will come across when shopping there. Up above is canned cod liver…who knew!

I found what looks like ground garlic but they are marked fried dumplings?

Frozen Sardines

Frozen Indian Mackerel

Frozen Octopus

Wagyu Beef

Veal Bologna

Anchovy Powder…..Now that one I’ve never seen before!

Shiitake Mushroom Powder – That is a very good ingredient. I buy local mushroom powder and it adds a lot of good flavor to certain things.

They always have junk food that is different……

BBQ Marshmallows….what a great idea for when you are too lazy to bbq them yourself!

Lay’s Potato Chips in American Style Cream & Onion Flavor….????

Lay’s Potato Chips in Wafer Style ???????? salt and pepper flavor……different

Lay’s Potato Chips in India Magic Masala flavor….Yum!……maybe??????????

Medjool dates stuffed with pistachios and covered with fine Belgian chocolate….That one gets a YUM!

Those were a few of the things I noticed at Asiana Market.

4410 W Union Hills Dr Glendale AZ 623-780-1234

www.AsianaMarket2.com

WTFORK Happened to the Christmas Candy Cane?

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A long time ago in a land far away someone invented candy sticks to make noisy children shut the FORK up for when they are in church. It was also written that some German dude got the idea to put a little religion into the candy sticks by adding a Shepard’s hook.

Some time has passed and someone else got the idea to add hyssop flavor to the candy canes because hyssop was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice. Maybe nobody wanted child sacrifice on their hands so they stopped adding hyssop to the candy canes. But maybe they changed to peppermint flavor because peppermint was cheaper?

Then they added the White Stripes.

Or was it the red stripes? Symbolizing the blood of Christ?

Maybe you noticed that candy canes often anything that’s NOT peppermint flavored?

Brisket flavored candy canes

Butter flavored candy canes

Sour cream and onion flavored candy canes

Kale flavored candy canes

Pickle flavor candy canes

Mac & cheese flavored candy canes

Sardine flavored candy canes

Hotdog flavored candy canes

It doesn’t really matter WTFORK flavor that the candy cane is……If it’s in the mouth the kid with SHUT THE FORK UP!

This was a little bit of what happened to the Christmas Candy Cane.

That’s All Folks!

Merry Everything and have a Happy New Year!

References

www.Wikkipedia.com

www.WhyChristmas.com

www.NoelNoel.com

www.FoodNetwork.com

2022 Wine & Food Experience Phoenix AZ

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The 2022 Wine & Food Experience was presented by Talking Stick Resort at Salt River Fields in Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community near to Scottsdale Arizona. The event was held November Saturday November 5th 2022 1-4pm with VIPS starting at 12:00.

There were culinary demonstrations, sommelier and mixology seminars, SAMPLES of FOOD, WINE, and CRAFT BEERS…

We skipped the alcohol and went to try the light bites that awaited us. First stop was Tia Carmen with chef Angelo Sosa himself serving and greeting people.

He actually made small talk with us. He told me that he is changing up his menu. He also thanked up for our visits and told me that he liked my necklace. I told him that we really enjoyed our visits to his restaurant. He served his FORKING FANTABULOUS tuna crudo today.

Next was…..

mozzarella and tomato salad from Chic Chef

Chic Chef made mini tasting mozzarella and tomato salads.

Pearl’s mini doughnuts were fresh made to order and came in powdered and cinnamon.

Pool Boys offered tasting sized vegetable tacos that were very tasty.

Next was Lasgidi Cafe that offered a taste of jolif rice.

Sushi Roku offered SUSHI!

tuna crudu

hamachi crudu

Nomad By Food made very complex tiny taste of beef shanks on what might be laffah bread.

prickly pear demi glaze, polano pepper, cardamon pickled onion, dukkah

Dust Cutter was a no show.

Tash offered ultra mini dinner plates of piri piri steak with cauliflower mash.

Fraser’s Tavern was also there.

They offered-

tri tip sliders, chicken fingers, and butter cake.

Sysco offered shrimp ceviche.

Boars Head offered charcuterie.

If you splurged for VIP you were entitled to a few more wines and two additional tastings.

One was an amazing taste from the modern fine dining restaurant Sel.

It was a tapioca crisp with white miso daikon scallop, black truffle dashi, smoked trout roe, black trumpet and mushroom aioli.

The other VIP taste was from the Hummus Xpress food truck.

It was an ultra mini pita chip with taziki, hummus, vegetable and maybe chicken….We both didn’t think we got chicken but maybe others did?

That was the Wine & Food Experience at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick 2022.

7555 N Pima Rd

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Arizona

www.WineandFood.USAToday.com/event/Phoenix.

HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL Food served to me in Metro Phoenix AZ -Annual Special Halloween Edition

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So far 2022 has been a better year than most for Metro Phoenix Foods…..Not too many HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL dishes….But there were a few. I very recently wrote about the next two dishes so if you read my blog then you know where these dishes came from. It’s not my intention to make trouble for any business………(even if they deserve it)…. I tell The Forking Truth….so I mention how my meal was once with the name of the business and once is enough……But these stories and most of the photos are Horrible and Frightful. Halloween time is just that perfect time to share these memories.

Overcooked macaroni and dried up cheese that never was good.

Burnt dried out fish with almost brunt oil filled eggplant.

After this are oldies but NOT goodies.

This was from a fine restaurant in the Biltmore area that is still in business. I do note that the chef that they had at the time left several years ago….By the looks of the polenta on the plate it seems like he might have been pissed off about something.

A certain restaurant on the west side served me a dessert with a hard glob of silicon in it that I had to spit out.

This next one might be the worst thing I ever got from a food truck. It made me scream and I had to spit it out.

It was suppose to be a corned beef egg roll from a food truck that specialized in corned beef. It was dry and awful inside but I still remember that the worst part was the egg roll because it tasted rancid.

Someone in metro Phoenix served me this sandwich.

They are still in business….

Sometimes you go to a restaurant that was very good for several visits………. Then when you eat the food you find out that the chef is no longer with them.

This restaurant closed shorty after I got this horrid dish. It was fishy salmon topped with raw tomato paste flanked by a splat of pureed corn and another splat of corn grits.

I went to a BBQ Restaurant in Phoenix that is still in Business. They served me grits that weren’t cooked.

They also served us meat that was under and still had hard fat on it.

I remember we said something about this but nobody said or did a thing.

A restaurant that is still in business in Peoria served my husband this sandwich.

At the time that restaurant recently changed ownership….It was not great but ok before this……………

It looks like a cinnamon bun but it’s not……….My husband was served a burnt roll somewhere.

This is the worst bulgogi I ever tried……It’s like they threw it in a blender and added cream cheese. It’s like throw up on a skillet.

This Thai Restaurant in Peoria thinks that it’s ok to call a dish fish and serve it without the meat.

I never went back.

This was from a Taco Restaurant that went out of business.

Dry flavorless chicken that might have been microwaved to hard and chewy with some pickled onions and a tortilla that fell apart before it arrived.

This place is still in business in Sun City.

The fish is fishy. The vegetables are obviously from frozen and boiled……I don’t know what happened to the mashed potato. I asked the server why it was green….She didn’t know and asked the chef. She said that he said, “Black pepper turns the potatoes green.”

Maybe my worst Metro Phoenix Restaurant foods came from an Asian Restaurant that I enjoyed on my first visit. I enjoyed the live seafood that was reasonably priced…..So I came back for a second visit….(unfortunately).

We started with some shiitake mushrooms with Asian Greens. They look good BUT….

The sauce is HORRIFYING……Maybe it is suppose to be that way but I can’t stomach a sauce with the consistency of snot……I couldn’t eat this…..Sadly our main dish was worst.

On this visit I didn’t notice the live fish tanks???????? But ordered the rockfish anyway..This was like a fake fish that was impossible to eat….Like solid rubber and tough. I was going to say something to the owner….But my husband said that all was ok so the owner left.

The server didn’t even question on why we didn’t eat the fish and didn’t even ask if we wanted to bring it or the vegetables home……

Then the scary part is that we got a bill for over a hundred dollars for those two plates (We found out they charged $89. for that fish).

These were only a few of the HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL Foods that was served to me in Metro Phoenix AZ.

Be careful out there and have a Happy Halloween!

FORKING AMAZING Food of the Week – Alzohour Market, Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck, Tia Carmen – Phoenix AZ

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I got lucky and tried some FORKING AMAZING food this week. FORKING AMAZING is not just very good…….It’s FORKING AMAZING! So here they are.

Alzohour Market is a HIDDEN GEM with SEVERAL FORKING amazing dishes. You can taste some of the very best Moroccan and Middle Eastern food in the Valley. This is not a fancy place and the service and the cooking is usually done by one woman so it is slow but it’s worth waiting for. The Moroccan tea is the best that you can taste anywhere. Tea doesn’t sound so special but here it is something different that you probably have never tried before…..GET IT…..It is really special!!!! ………Grape leaves usually aren’t anything special….But here at Alzohour Market they are by far the best that you’ve ever tasted anywhere. These stuffed grape leaves are like FIFTY TIMES BETTER than any other grape leaf that I’ve ever tried anywhere………..They are extra special. I didn’t have this today but I have had the b’stilla (house made sweet pastry with chicken) and it should be mentioned because it is extra special and is painstakingly made. The house made baklava is also the very best that I have ever tasted.

It’s not too sweet or too gooey. It’s delicious! When I have more room I usually get the house made spaghetti type cheese stuffed pastry…OMG it for certain is one of the best baked goods in Phoenix. Alzohour Market is worth driving across town for. I usually but not always get the fish tagine that is very good.

Alzohour Market 7814 N27TH AVE PHX AZ

602-433-5191

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

From Food Truck Friday West in Glendale I hit a few ok food trucks and we shared the FORKING AMAZING Brisket Sandwich from the Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck.

OMG it’s overflowing with goodness. You can’t pick it up and you have to eat it with a knife and fork. I wish you could smell it………..It smells like the most delicious BBQ that you can imagine…I wasn’t planning on eating here because I’m not a beef or pork person……but it smelled so amazing I had to make a stop here. This sandwich is on an extra flavorful tasty roll that is embellished with cheddar cheese and jalapeños. Inside is GOLD……..Really tender flavorful smoky brisket chunks and pulled….ad it’s a really perfect mix of lean and fatty….(but not TOO fatty). We added the corn option that is another tasty treat and another perfect accent is that fire roasted poblano pepper that adds another special layer of delicious! This sandwich was FORKING AMAZING!

Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck

www.BroBrosBBQ.com

Tia Carmen is a high quality contemporary (mostly South-West) type of restaurant. It’s located in North Phoenix in the JW Desert Ridge Marriott. The kitchen is led by Michelin Star Chef, Restauranteur, Bravo Top Chef, and Cookbook Author Angelo Sosa. I already written about Tia Carmen’s FANTABULOUS Dish (the Tuna Crudo) and I’ve also written about several of their stunning dishes. Tia Carmen has recently opened for lunch Monday-Friday. They offer several of the lighter dishes from their dinner menu and a few tortas and some additional desserts.

It’s hard to imagine a salad as a FORKING Amazing dish but this one truly stands out.

The baby greens salad is a bit spicy and so full of so many flavors. Who knew a salad could be so complex? This salad contains fennel, Persian cucumber, epazote, pickled onions corn puree, serrano chile, and green olive dressing. It sure doesn’t compare to most salads out there and you can add chicken, crispy white fish, or grilled shrimp to turn it into a meal.

We also shared two of the tortas…….The fish torta stood out flavor wise as a FORKING AMAZING FANTABULOUS Dish. It EXPLODES like fireworks in your mouth. THIS IS SOOOOOO FORKING GREAT!!!!!

fish torta with hay fries from Tia Carmen

WOW! One of the great sandwiches in Metro Phoenix. This is a great surprise and also unexpected from this restaurant because it taste like the best Cha Cha La Vong (National Dish of Hanoi) that I’ve ever had. This sandwich is a crispy sea bass with sweet onion jam, spicy mayo, fresh dill, fresh cilantro, turmeric, and other FRESH HERBS that make it POP! It’s the combination and all the FRESH HERBS that make it taste so special. It also comes with fries that they call hay fries…..that are like a cross between fries and crispy potato sticks.

Tia Carmen at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Phoenix AZ

5350 E Marriott Dr PHX AZ

480-293-3636

www.JWDesertRidge.com

*****Honorable Mention****

I didn’t eat the Shish Kafta but my husband said that the shish kofta from Alzohour Market is the very best that he has ever tried anywhere because it was juicy and full of delicious flavors.

The Mixed Grill Plate from Alzohour Market contains a chicken kabob, shish kafta, gyro, with rice and whatever she feels like putting on the plate. Even the green pepper salad is AMAZING!

Alzohour Market 7814 N 27TH Ave Phoenix AZ

602-433-5191

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

Got lucky this week and really tried some of the very best plates that Metro Phoenix offers. These were a collection of the FORKING AMAZING Foods that I tried this week. I also got to eat out more than I normally do.

Food Truck Friday West – Glendale AZ – Worth a Try!

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October 7th 2022 was the first Food Truck Friday West in Glendale Arizona. They are held every Friday Night 5pm-9pm at 18551 83rd Ave. in Glendale (between Sam’s Club & Walmart). It was free admission. There were around eighteen food trucks to pick from. They also had seating, music, a children’s bouncy blow up, and a children’s train ride.

The first Food Truck we tried was Red Ginger. They serve a menu that’s Asian Pacific and sometimes Baja Mexican.

We shared the Korean Bulgogi Tacos topped with Asian slaw and sriracha aioli.

OMG they are delicious! The beef is tender like butter and is infused with delicious flavors. WOW what a great start.

We came across Mel N Libby’s Soul Food Truck.

We shared the fish and shrimp combo with macaroni and cheese.

The shrimp are ok but seem unseasoned. My husband asked (Libby?) for cocktail sauce but she didn’t give him any……..maybe she was out? The fish are very fishy tasting and chewy……(ick!) The macaroni and cheese is all dried up and not good…..

I would say that the fish and macaroni and cheese was very substandard. I am surprised that they are in the food truck and catering business. It’s a crime to make food like this. They should cook for our local jail. (of course most of this $23.50 was thrown out)

So we still had room to try another food truck.

We tried the tartufata pizza from Re Di Roma Wood Fired Food Truck.

tartufata – fior di latte mozzarella, garlic, mushrooms, black truffle oil

I thought that this pizza sounded great……..It’s ok but a little off. The crust is extra thin and I do like that. But the cheese is rubbery and not the best. The mushrooms are very spongy. It’s also oily and lacks truffle taste. Maybe I would have liked a different flavor pizza better?

We finish with a trip to Mr. Softea.

I got a small cup of vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles.

It was only $2. and pretty good.

The large chocolate with chocolate sprinkles was only $3.

Today we tried a very good food truck (Red Ginger) and OK Food Truck (Re Di Roma) and a not so good food truck (Mel N Libby’s)

I will certainly try Red Ginger again and there were lots of other food trucks that I was interested in trying.

I’d say that the Food Truck Friday in Glendale AZ is Worth a Try!

18551 83rd Ave Glendale AZ (Between the Sam’s Club and Walmart) Fridays 5pm-9pm

www.GetLocalArizonaEvents.com

Everything is subject to change.

My Trip to The 2022 Dish Fest in Scottsdale AZ

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The Dish Fest is a food and drink festival based on the January/February Phoenix Magazine article naming the one hundred and one best dishes picked by Phoenix Magazine editors. This festival was held February 27/2022 at the Clayton House in Scottsdale Arizona. Ticket holders were entitled to unlimited bites and sips (hard and soft) from participants. This was an indoor and outdoor event with food trucks. Some of the proceeds benefited the Joy Bus Diner.

Here is most of what I came across in no particular order, I did skip most of the libations because the point of being here was tasting today. I couldn’t taste everything but I did sure taste a lot.

That was a little taste of the 2022 Dish Fest at The Clayton House in Scottsdale AZ.

A FANTABULOUS Dish the Gianduja Chocolate Mousse from Confluence Restaurant in Carefree AZ – Worth a Fork!

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FANTABULOUS means – Top of the line, marvelously great, peachy keen, and DYNAMITE! The Gianduja Chocolate Mousse from Confluence is all that! I usually don’t pick desserts for the FANTABULOUS Dish but this one is exceptional. All the food I had that evening was truly amazing. Everything was creative and masterfully prepared like from the best restaurant anywhere but….a really FORKING FABULOUS dessert sure doesn’t happen at most places (even the most expensive of places)……. really is The Forking Truth….just saying.

Gianduja Chocolate Mousse from Confluence in Carefree AZ

Gosh it’s tragic that you can’t taste it because it’s more FORKING FANTABULOUS than I can describe…..They don’t have a pastry chef here……The chef here does it all (bakes delicious breads, prepares all the dishes….probably washes all the dishes and pans)…and creates the desserts too! ………….and It’s like this Gianduju chocolate mousse came from the finest restaurant…..anywhere.

We got Gianduja Chocolate (that’s a sweet chocolate spread with 30% hazelnut) mousse. On top of the mousse is something that looks like a cheese curl but it taste just like orange zest!!!! I don’t know WTFork it is but it’s crunchy and orange zest-e. Maybe it’s some sort of concentrated dehydrated orange segment?…….The yellow sauce on thee plate is caracara orange curd that has the perfect amount of sweet and tartness to it with a lot of orange flavor it’s so YUM! To the right is caramelized white chocolate ganache that’s also is wonderfully flavorful with a rich mouth feel. The the left is a chocolatey Florentine cookie and there are other crunchy yumminess that make things more interesting. It’s just FANTABULOUS! It’s a very rare that you get desserts this jaw dropping astonishingly delicious!

The Gianduja Chocolate Mousse from Confluence in Carefree is a FANTABULOUS Dish!

Worth a Fork!

The menus at Confluence do change often. You might have already missed it? (but they are sure to have something else that is also amazing)

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

36889 Tom Darington Dr Carefree AZ

480-488-9796

Everything is subject to change. Remember thee menus do often change!

TheForkingTruth

Forking Thoughts on Food and Restaurants

Category Archives: Special Events

Food Stock 2023 – P83 Peoria AZ Sports Complex

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A Little Taste of Phoenix Magazine’s 2023 Dish Fest at The Clayton House Scottsdale AZ

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A Few Things I Saw at my local Asiana Market – Glendale AZ

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WTFORK Happened to the Christmas Candy Cane?

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2022 Wine & Food Experience Phoenix AZ

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HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL Food served to me in Metro Phoenix AZ -Annual Special Halloween Edition

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FORKING AMAZING Food of the Week – Alzohour Market, Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck, Tia Carmen – Phoenix AZ

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Food Truck Friday West – Glendale AZ – Worth a Try!

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My Trip to The 2022 Dish Fest in Scottsdale AZ

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A FANTABULOUS Dish the Gianduja Chocolate Mousse from Confluence Restaurant in Carefree AZ – Worth a Fork!

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