Monthly Archives: October 2017

Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva in Phoenix AZ is Worth a Fork! UPDATE Now Closed for business******

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UPDATE****NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS>>>>The Barrio Cafe Grand Reserva is a very small restaurant that serves fine well crafted Mexican Food by James Beard Nominated Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza. About half the menu is vegan. They offer a reasonably priced tasting menu and also a similar menu in a vegan version. Ala Carte is also offered. The restaurant is quite small with only about eight tables. You do feel as if your sitting in a vestibule in an art museum Beautiful hand painting adorns the walls that tells some Mexican Folklore.

The outside is also lively and whimsical.

We decide to go with the tasting menu with a few of the vegan options.

On our table is a small bowl of a Mexican Style trail mix of tortilla chips, seeds and garlic cloves that are dusted in spicy hot chili dust. WOW they really wake you up!

Then we receive a melon and goat cheese amuse bouche.

Our first course is like nothing I’ve ever had before.

It’s spicy, it’s sweet and tangy made with fresh vegetables and fruit. It’s really different but light and delicious!  Aguachile Cayo y Mango.

Then we try vegan and the regular version of Grilled Pineapple with Hoja Santa Leaf, 14 chile stool oil, nuts. (Non vegan had added Menonita Cheese) The Grilled Pineapple is amazing with the chile and leaf flavors.

Next Course was Mole Duck and Mole Vegan (squash) Tacos with Smoked Sweet Potatoes.

It didn’t matter what taco you tried both were stellar and full of flavors. The house made nixtamalized tortillas are very special and flavorful. The Smoked sweet potatoes are spectacular. I’m not a big fan of smoked foods but the smoke here was done very carefully and is delicious! Just goes so well with the taco.

Next comes a little refreshment between courses.

A refreshing little grape shooter.

For dinner we both have the Pan Seared Halibut with Cactus fruit Salsa and Peruano White Beans.

The Halibut was moist and flaky with a delicious tasty char. Salsa and beans were delicious. I could have stopped here and been happy.

But then there was dessert and I would be very unhappy if I didn’t partake….so I had to!

We had Yams and Guavas with a Citrus Reyes Sauce and Chocolate Mousse. Both desserts were WONDERFUL and Delicious! so I left really stuffed…

Our server was Phenomenal. The Food was all amazing!

Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! You WILL drive across town to dine here!

www.BarrioCafeGranReserva.com

The Forking Truth is that everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Pimento Cheese Potato topped Oven Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

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Pimento Cheese Potato topped Oven Fried Green Tomatoes

I saw a few beautiful green tomatoes at the supermarket so I got the idea to prepare oven fried tomatoes and I thought they’d be special if I topped them with a pimento cheese flavored potato so here it is. The potato topping is extremely tasty, fluffy, flavorful and a little spicy. The coating comes out crispy and delicious. The mustard in the eggs adds flavor and helps the crumbs stay on the tomato. Also the whole wheat panko is so much crispier than regular panko so it’s super great for oven fried things.

Ingredients for about 9 servings

2 lb potatoes (peeled cut in half in a pot of water)

1/2 sweet onion (just for boiling with the potatoes, then toss out)

1 hot pepper (just for boiling with the potatoes, then toss out)

1 garlic clove (just for boiling with the potatoes, then toss out)

2 Tablespoons kosher salt (for boiling the potatoes)

2 oz sweet butter – room temperature (for potatoes)

1/8 cup heavy cream (for potatoes)

2 1/2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese – shredded – (for potatoes)

3 oz cream cheese (for potatoes)

6 hot and sweet jarred cherry peppers – chopped fine – (for potatoes)

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika (for potatoes)

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard  (for potatoes)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (for potatoes)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (for potatoes)

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt (for potatoes)

2 large eggs beaten (for potatoes)

3 medium sized green tomatoes – cored and sliced in thirds across

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 large eggs – beaten

1 Tablespoon (heaping) dijon mustard

1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

non stick spray – canola or vegetable

Directions

Put the potatoes, onion, hot pepper, garlic and salt in a pot to bring to a boil (medium high so it doesn’t boil over) Let it go till potatoes are fork tender. (about 15 minutes) Then drain and discard the onion, hot pepper and garlic clove.

If you have a good masher mash the potatoes and go on. If your masher isn’t so great you need to rice the potatoes and then do next step.

In the bowl with the potatoes add butter, cheddar, cream cheese, cherry peppers, sweet paprika, dry mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper, course sea salt, beaten eggs and mix. Set to the side.

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F. Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.

Core the tomatoes. Trip bottom if needed.

If they are medium sized tomatoes cut in thirds across.

Make a dipping station of three pans.

First pan is flour, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, black pepper.

Second pan is eggs and dijon mixed well.

3rd pan is panko.

Take a tomato slice dip well in the flour mixture. Then dip in the egg mixture. Lastly coat with panko and placed on baking sheet(s) sprayed with non stick spray. (some people do prefer a rack instead of a baking sheet but I find everything turned out great on a pan for me.) Repeat till the tomatoes are done.

After 45 minutes flip the tomatoes and let them go 15 minutes more. The coating should look nice like it was fried.

Let the tomatoes cool for at least 15 minutes. Place on a fresh non-stick sprayed sheet pan(s) and then either pipe or spoon on the pimento potato topping. I do note the piping can be a little tricky with a star tip on a pastry bag and got slightly clogged a few times. If I were doing this again…..Instead of a star tip I would just use no tip on my pastry bag to avoid any clogging.

Pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F till they have crisp brown edges. (I forgot to time this…SORRY) It was 15 – 30 minutes….

Pimento Cheese Potato topped Oven Fried Green Tomatoes

Leftovers heat up very easy in a covered pan.

These came out really delicious. When I made the potato filling my husband just kept eating it (before I added the raw eggs) saying this is really tasty….and I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough for the recipe. This came out Forking Delicious just about everyone will love it.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Trip to Z’s Chinese Cuisine in Glendale AZ****UPDATE CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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UPDATE*****CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

Z’s Chinese Cuisine recently opened in Glendale AZ. This is not a fancy place and is very casual. This also is not your average American/Chinese Restaurant. Yes they do serve the American Favorite Beef and Broccoli. Actually they push Beef and Broccoli to people who are not Asian.( At least that was my experience.) Z’s Chinese Cuisine also offers a Cantonese Menu with some hard to find menu items like Chicken, Tiger Lily and Fungus Hot Pot, Beef with Bitter Melon and Pork Blood with Leeks.

I ordered the Chicken with Tiger Lily and Fungus Hot Pot. Our server who might be the co-owner says to me, “You won’t like.”

I say, “Why won’t I like?”

Server says, Only “Chinese People eat that.”

Yada yada it goes back and forth a little bit. I try to find out why I don’t want it and don’t get any answers. Then she runs to the kitchen and says the Chicken with Tiger Lily and Fungus has been ordered before she even took my husband’s order.

Server looks at my husband and suggest him getting the Beef and Broccoli….

He says, “I didn’t drive here to get beef and broccoli and wanted the Chinese Pork Belly.

Server says, “you know that’s fatty?”

Well any who……..

In a little while my Chicken with Tiger Lily and Fungus come out with a big bowl of white rice.

We wait and wait for my husband’s order. We figure it might not be coming so we share this dish. About 20 minutes latter my husband’s order arrives. He declines the dish because we wanted to eat together.

The Chicken is mostly sliced legs with skin and bone. I do peel the chicken off the bone and remove the rubbery skin. Inside is very flavorful tender delicious chicken. The broth is also very developed with good chicken flavor. As for vegetables I have mostly celery, snow peas, scallions and wood ear mushrooms. If I have Tiger Lily is must be cut up very small and is not noticeable. It’s really just a very good bowl of chicken soup with vegetables. The chicken is some work to dig out but it is certainly a very tasty dish.

Z’s Chinese Cuisine is only one of two restaurants that I am aware of in Glendale that offer Cantonese Cuisine and I can tell you that this one dish is many levels better than what the other restaurant is currently serving this year. (2017)

The Forking Truth is that this WAS NOT a perfect dining experience. We had problems with service here.

Is it possible that I was the first non-Asian person that enjoyed Cantonese Food this server?????

I don’t know what the future holds for this new restaurant.

UPDATE*****Z’s has CLOSED FOR BUSINESS but a New Szechwan Restaurant opened in the same spot

As far as I know this restaurant doesn’t have a website or Facebook page.

You will just have to visit them at 5158 W Olive Ave in Glendale AZ

EVERY FORKING THING is subject to change and YOUR FORKING experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Garlic Dill Yellow Squash Pickles Recipe

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Carla Hall Inspired Hot Fried Cauliflower with Garlic Dill Yellow Squash Pickles

Got a bunch of yellow squash that I have to use so I’m pickling. The yellow squash isn’t crunchy like a pickling pickle but it comes out pretty good and you can certainly pickle yellow squash when you have too many. I don’t do the formal canning because I expect to use what I made with-in a few months. This will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least three months.

Ingredients for about 8 large servings

8 small/medium yellow squash – ends removed and cut in halves

1/2 onion sliced

3 oz fresh dill

3 cups water

3 cups white vinegar

3 cups rice wine vinegar

4 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 Bayleaves

34 garlic cloves – chopped

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions

Start with sterilized containers or bottles and fill them with the dill, squash and onions and set to the side.

In a sauce pot add the rest of the ingredients and put on medium high heat and slowly bring to a slow boil. Let it boil a few minutes.

Pour the hot liquid over the containers of squash and let it sit on the counter to it cools some.

After it’s cool cover and place in the refrigerator and enjoy in about a week.

Carla Hall Inspired Hot Fried Cauliflower with Garlic Dill Yellow Squash Pickles

These Yellow Squash Garlic Dill Pickles are Crazy Good paired with Carla Hall Inspired Hot Fried Cauliflower.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Sin City’s Sweet Side – Some of the Desserts on the Las Vegas Strip

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I was in Las Vegas only a few short weeks back. I do have a few more stories to tell and I thought after the worst mass shooting in US History maybe a “sweet story” would be a welcome today.

Las Vegas also known as Sin City offers many temptations.

One of the most famous desserts is Emeril’s Banana Cream Pie that’s offered at multiple Emeril Laggassi Restaurants on the Strip. Somehow this dessert is always perfection. Even people that don’t like bananas love this cake. This dessert is layers of moist delicious tasting cake with layers of these really perfect tasting bananas. The bananas taste better than normal bananas. There are tons of bananas in the cake with just enough cream and sauce and really rich chocolate flakes. This is a must do in Vegas.

Table Ten Las Vegas

If you are up for a some really fine dining and have dinner at L’atelier de Joel Robuchon you MUST ORDER the Les Tartes.

I just have to call this one Little Slices of Heaven. The variety of tarts varies but each little slice is stellar. You just might hear angels singing.

Pinkbox Doughnuts are voted best doughnuts in Vegas. Here we tried Key Lime and Chocolate Dipped.

It was on my list to find the Milk Bar in the Cosmopolitan and try the famous Milk Quake. It’s ice-cream mixed with a cookie or cake. We ordered the Strawberry Corn Flavor.

Sorry neither of us liked this one. Maybe it wasn’t made correctly? Ours was very sour like yogurt and didn’t taste like strawberry. The Corn bread Cookie also was savory. We tossed this one out after a a couple taste. Well on the positive side this dessert was the lowest in calories.

Greek Walnut Cake with Greek Ice Cream who knew! Served at Milos

Maybe you’ve seen Celebrity Baker Buddy Valasco on TV also known as the Cake Boss. Here’s his Las Vegas Location of Carlo’s Bakery. We tried an Italian Lobster Roll. WOW it had crispy texture like raw thin noodles and was filled with hazelnut cream.

If you dine at Lago in the Bellagio you MUST get dessert.

This is what they served me.

It’s a work of art. It’s absolutely stunning. You must order dessert at Lago. You must go to Lago.

I haven’t found any dessert shop that compares to Jean Philippe with one location in the Bellagio and a nother location in the Cosmopolitan. It’s Willy Wonka to the max. They also sell chocolates, gelato, sorbet and pre made sandwiches to take out.

The artistry is amazing. I try a few every time I come here and everything is the best! (sadly the ones I purchased to take back melted so I couldn’t photo but I assure you the Lemon Desserts and Chocolate Cupcake are both amazing.

I also love the fancy chocolate art they always do here. Here are life size polar bears in chocolate.

On the right side is the biggest Chocolate Fountain…in America…maybe the World!

 

And that was just some of the Sweet Side of Sin City.

P.S. don’t even worry about the calories because you know what they say……

The Forking Truth

Pasto Di Forno in Scottsdale AZ is Worth a Fork! *****UPDATE***NOW CLOSED *****for Business

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UPDATE*****NOW CLOSED for Business *****Pasto Di Forno is a small postage stamp sized restaurant in Scottsdale. It’s too small to contain a public restaurant. When it comes to Pasta Di Forno remember that good things come from small packages. The food Pasto Di Forno specializes in are Paninis of mostly the Italian variety  but they also serve Soup, Salads, Cold Sandwiches, Flatbreads, a few specials (maybe a house made pasta) and house made Sorbet. Everything is made in house. Speaking of the house …..did I already mention the dining room is small. They offer three tables that seat couples and also offer two community tables.

I went with the restaurants most popular Panini and it was the Grilled Chicken.

This sandwich was much different than most sandwiches you get in Phoenix…..The bread was really great! It was JUST LIKE EAST COAST ITALIAN ROLLS. Chicken was good. The grilled peppers with sun-dried tomatoes added good flavors to the sandwich. They also spread the bread with a delicious basil pesto oil so it wasn’t dry and had more flavor. My side was a very fresh made salad with fresh shaved cheese, crisp cucumbers in a light vinaigrette.

My husband had the Calabrese and Provolone.

I know that this sandwich is among my husband’s favorite sandwiches that he has tried in the Metro Phoenix Area. He said the salami  was really tasted great and was spicy. The cheese was just right and wasn’t cold and wasn’t too hot and was served at this perfect temperature. The rest of the fillings were perfect and that bread again was so good. He just kept saying that sandwich was really good. Actually he said more than that. He said the sandwich was so good that he could eat here every week.

Good things come to those who wait. This isn’t a fast food place. I think the young owner was the only one working when I was there and it took time to make the fresh made salads and so on. We waited longer than usual for sandwiches but they were excellent sandwiches. Did I tell you the bread was really amazing!

A Tiny Gem in Scottsdale!

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

Pasto Di Forno is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! I note that this is a tiny restaurant with a limited menu. At this time they are only open during the day  Monday – Saturday.

www.ScottsdaleItalianCuisine.com also listed as www.PastoDiForno.com

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

The Forking Truth