Monthly Archives: January 2022

Tarbell’s Restaurant Phoenix AZ – Dinner from a Victorious Iron Chef Winner

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Tarbell’s is a New American High Quality Restaurant owned by a very decorated chef Mark Tarbell. Chef Tarbell has been featured in numerous publications and TV shows including The Talk, and Food Network’s Iron Chef. On Iron Chef he chef Mark Tarbell won the cooking battle. Not only is chef Tarbell a famous chef he also is a wine expert, a serious skier, a pilot, a dancer, and a musician. He owns at least three businesses in the central Phoenix Corridor. His casual restaurant called, The Tavern. His wine store called, The Wine Store and of course his namesake restaurant called Tarbell’s.

Recently they added a nice patio inn front of the restaurant.

Inside there is a long bar and traditional tables and booths dressed with crisp linen, and set with heavy silverware.

There are some good deals on the wine list if you know your wine….

They started us off with complimentary hot from the oven bread and herbed oil.

We shared the cotija cheese crusted cauliflower.

You can’t tell by my photo but it seems that the cauliflower was steamed. I wasn’t expecting the cauliflower to be steamed…..It’s very soft and almost collapsing. This plate is also adorned with tomato braised lentils, red bell pepper, radish, beets. The description also reads butternut squash puree and creamed peas but the squash and peas are there to color the plate…you can’t scrap much off the plate to taste. This plate is mostly mildly seasoned and the cauliflower is extra soft. I don’t mean to complain but this cauliflower is so scant with the cotija cheese that it doesn’t seem cotija. crusted.

The dinners were both excellent.

I had the pan seared Argentine Sea bass.

The flaky, moist, mild, seared fish is topped with tasty tomatillo and pumpkin seed relish and sits over curry tomatoes, carrot, spinach, saffron rice, butternut squash puree, and coconut reduction. The flavors all go together well here.

My husband had the Tarbell’s Bolognese.

All I know about this plate is that it was made with a combination of beef and pork and takes four days to prepare…….My husband said that it was the best bolognese he’s ever eaten……..

During our dinner they sat a party next to us.

It might be hard to see in my photo but the party sort of overflowed into our space…..It was impossible for me to exit on my side and we had to be careful not to bump into the woman hanging off the end of her table. I’m surprised at a nice place like Tarbell’s that they would squish that table so close to ours when the table on the other side of the party wasn’t being used.

I was too full to try dessert so we were done.

Suggested tipping at Tarbell’s is 21-29%

They did hand us fresh baked cookies on our way out.

That was dinner from Tarbell’s. I’d recommend the sea bass and Tarbell’s bolognese.

www.Tarbells.com

3213 E Camelback Rd PHX AZ

602-955-8100

The Forking Truth

Cheesy Corn Pasta Corn Pasta Pie Recipe

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I had milk, cheese, corn, and corn pasta to use up so this is what I came up with for today. It’s easy to prepare and comes out delicious! Serving size is always hard to judge. For me this made 10 servings. I’ll suggest 8 servings because some people will like bigger servings than me.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

1 lb roasted corn kernels

15oz pasta (I used a 12oz package of corn/rice fusilli + 3oz package of instant ramen noodles (don’t use the seasoning mix here).

2 Anaheim roasted chilis – peeled, core, stems, seeds removed and chopped fine

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

1 + 1/2 cups milk

optional – 1/4 cup salsa (preferably home made scooped up with a strainer to pick up mostly solids)

3 eggs – lightly beaten

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 oz fontina cheese – grated

6 oz sharp white cheddar cheese – grated

1 cup parmesan cheese – grated

1 lemon zest (just the grated zest)

around 3 Tablespoons butter (room temperature) to grease springform pan

Directions preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

Put a salted pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta till it’s a still a little hard…(my pasta said 14 minutes and I cooked it 9 or 10 minutes and threw in the unseasoned ramen noodles one minute before) Take off the heat and drain.

In a medium bowl blend together the milk, corn, chili, black pepper, and eggs. Set to the side.

In a large bowl add all the cheeses (parm, fontina, cheddar. Mix well and remove around 3/4 cup for reserving to top the pasta cake. Add (if using salsa), pasta(s), blended egg mixture, and mix well.

Grease up your springform pan. Get a lined sheet pan to place under the springform pan because they usually leak.

Place in middle rack area for around 35 minutes. (around at 30 minutes I lightly covered with foil to brown less).

It needs to cool off for at least an hour or two and then you can open it up. I used a rubber thin spatula to make sure that it didn’t stick to the pan when I opened it up.

Cheesy Corn Pasta Corn Pasta Pie

I was able to cut mine luke warm. Would be easiest to let cool over night in the refrigerator and re-heat.

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

NEW WeirD diFFERENt Limited and Special Edition Foods Out There January 2022

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There is always something new, weird, different, limited, or special edition out there in the wonderful world of food. We just never know WTFork we will come across when we shop for food.

Up above is-

LIMITED EDITION and possibly WEIRD – Kellogg’s Crayola cereal. The only reason to make Crayon cereal to to poop rainbows. Someone on drugs must have come up with this one. AND WHO TFork wants to eat anything that taste like crayons???

Here’s one that makes more sense.

NEW – Quaker Oats instant grits in hot & spicy jalapeño cheddar that is naturally & artificially flavored……????…..is it the jalapeño or the cheddar that is the artificial flavor?????? Or maybe it’s a combination of both…ugh!

NEW – General Mills Apple Cinnamon Chex Cereal…..Might be good but I don’t see any cinnamon on those Chex on the box?????

NEW – Post Cocoa Pebbles Ice Cream – Only one thing to say, “Yabba Dabba Doo!”

DIFFERENT and maybe NEW – Pringles parmesan & roasted garlic potato crisps…..Might be tasty?

LIMITED – Pringles wavy MDA Burger…???? WTFork does that mean? Minnesota Department of Agriculture Burgers? Missile Defence Agency Burgers? Moose, Duck, & Alpaca Burgers? What ever these are they are artificially flavored.

NEW – Ortega Mini Slider Yellow Corn Taco Shells. They sound good.

DIFFERENT – Eat Real corn puffs in quinoa white cheddar and quinoa & kale jalapeno & cheddar……might be good might suck…don’t know.

DIFFERENT – Olde Thompson Nashville Hot Chicken flavored…..????….Does that bottle look already used to you? Who TFork is going to steal some spice to eat in a grocery store?

WIERD – Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnadaust sold in the spices section in the grocery store…..Someone was an idiot to approve this item to be sold in the spice area. (just my FORKING thoughts……you can disagree and put it on your dinner tonight)

DIFFERENT and possibly NEW – P.F. Chang’s Korean Style Gochujang hot sauce….It doesn’t look like what I buy from the Asian Market…???????

DIFFERENT – Mang Tomas all-purpose sauce……..It say’s all purpose on the bottle…So use it like ketchup, mayo, tomato sauce, and booze.

NEW – Mezzetta Za’atar Olives…..Sounds tasty…We’ll see.

DIFFERENT – Creamy Caramel Cheese……It reads across package – Sweet brown cheese from the mountains of Norway. Sweet brown cheese from a mountain? Doesn’t sound appetizing…..????? Is it my imagination or does that skier look like he is pooping?

NEW – Reese’s Big Cup Peanut Brittle……It’s probably not as great as the original but I’ll give it a try when I find one.

DIFFERENT – The Brownie Baker (took a break from brownies) and made a Reese’s peanut butter cup cookie…..I don’t see much Reese’s in that cookie…….?????

LIMITED EDITION – KitKat bar in Key Lime Pie……Not bad….but not great…..also very sweet…….

So far there has always been some sort of Oreo.

WEIRD – Barefoot Oreo Thins red blend wine……….WHY? Oreos to WHINE about?

Well that was the New Weird Different Limited and Special Edition foods out there for January 2022. Who knows WTFork I’ll come across next month.

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ – January 2022 – Squid Ink Sushi, Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante, Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery

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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. He was also diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told he only had three – six months to live. Louie couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed eating. I took him out to eat as often as I could. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.

There are several things to know about dining out with dogs. One thing is that not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. Usually a sign is posted that reads, “Dog Friendly Patio.” If you don’t see that then you have to call the restaurant and inquire. You also need to know that it is ALWAYS BEST to dine at off times. You need to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. You need to avoid people because some people hate dogs and other people are allergic to dogs. You want to avoid other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and if that happens then you might be asked to leave. Here in Arizona it often gets too hot to dine out with dogs. Your dog(s) is NOT AS HEAT TOLERANT as you are. They wear fur coats. They can’t sweat. They also absorb heat up threw their paws. All people and pets do have different tolerances for heat. Generally 90 degrees and up is too hot to dine out with dogs. When there is any doubt just leave your furry friend home. Did you know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or toxic to your dog. You must get a list of foods that are safe and what to avoid from your veterinarian. Usually a small lean piece of meat without sauce is usually a safe bet.

There are some rules for restaurant dining. You dog or dogs must stay close to you and be by your side. at all times. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates.

I called up Squid Ink Sushi inn North Peoria (#UpperWestSide) and they said that they were dog friendly so we went there. Of course they offer sushi but they also offer seasonal menus that always have something interesting to try. Some of my favorites from past menus were the Scottish salmon bowl and the wagyu steak salad. Today I saw Thai chicken fried rice.

My husband had the 8oz wagyu burger with havarti cheese, shoyu onions, truffle mayo (on the side for him), arugula, on a Noble challah bun with fries.

We did alright at Squid Ink Sushi.

www.SquidInkSushi.com

9947 W Happy Valley Rd Peoria AZ

623-561-7747

We also dined at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale, (Arrowhead, #UpperWestSideAZ). They are an Italian Restaurant that also serves Neapolitan Pizzas.

“I wonder what will I eat today?”

I went with the branzino special.

“I’m here ready to eat”

I received two grilled branzino filets (plenty to share) and a big serving of vegetable studded risotto.

“May I have some please?”

My husband went with the chicken pizziola.

The dogs got some of that too!

“Your turn to feed me now!”
“We enjoy going to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante”

www.BottegaRistorante.com

19430 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ

623-777-1868

We also went to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They serve most of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. They specialize in serving the Vietnamese baguette sandwich called the banh mi and offer it in around a dozen varieties. Today. we had a pork noodle bowl and a chicken noodle bowl.

We were all very pleased like we usually are. My husband eats the whole bowl. I think it’s a lot of food. For me and the dogs it really is two meals.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

2340 W Bell Rd Phoenix AZ

602-843-3637

The next week it was unusually cold and windy or Phoenix so we took the dogs threw a Culver’s Drive Threw (a national chain) for a butter burger.

Wee fed them outside on the Culver’s patio real fast.

That was dining out with DOGS in Metro Phoenix for January 2022. We hope that you have enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.

The Forking Truth
In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

A Little Taste of Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House in Mesa AZ

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Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House is located in Mesa Arizona. Should you happen to find yourself in Philadelphia Pennsylvania there is another Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle by the same family there. The Mesa Arizona location is small but clean.

It isn’t a fancy place but they do offer wait service.

I saw Chinese Herbal Tea on the menu so I gave it a try.

I wasn’t expecting it to come in a can……It’s a little perfume-e and a little sweet.

We started out by sharing the fried peanuts.

The peanuts aren’t hot or anything….they are just peanuts. (orange colors on plate is design on plate)

Next we try some noodles.

One plate that we tried was the beef stir fried with xo sauce noodle.

The other was hot pepper chicken dry noodle.

Both dishes were made with fresh tasting proteins that was very tender. Both entrees were made with chewy perfect noodles. Neither dish is bad but we both enjoyed the hot pepper dry noodle dish more. To us it was more delicious! It had good flavors and a nice heat to it.

Besides what we tried there are plenty of other things to try.

You can try appetizers like marinated pig ear, dumpling or marinated duck. They also offer chef’s specials like tomato sauce swai, stir fried beef stomach, and spicy cray fish. They offer rice dishes, stir fried noodle dishes, dry noodle dishes. They also offer a variety of soups and soups with noodles called hand drawn noodle soups where you pick the type of noodle that you want in your soup. The noodles they offer are rice, shaved, sweet potato, or the hand drawn varieties of thick, wide, regular, or thin.

Service was friendly and efficient. Parking was close.

That was a little taste of Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House in Mesa AZ.

www.NanZhouNoodleMesaAZ.com

111 S. Dobson Rd Mesa AZ

480-275-5352

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

A Taste of The Italian Daughter in Scottsdale AZ – Worth a Fork!

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The Italian Daughter is a somewhat upscale Italian Restaurant located in North Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant is by the daughter (Melissa) of the award wining late chef and restauranteur Tomaso Maggiore. The Italian Daughter Restaurant is a tribute to Melissa’s late father.

They offer seating at the bar. Inside at traditional tables, high tops and patio seating.

This restaurant offers an ever changing Italian menu with lots of variety. Some of the appetizers offered might be (remember the menu changes) – meatball, charred octopus, or spicy clams. They also offer sharing boards.

Sharing board – arancini, caponata, squash blossom
sharing board – brie &apple, fig &prosciutto, pepper goat cheese and pine nuts, mushroom taleggio ,& fontina

They offer stone fired pizzas.

Salads like a Caesar salad with white anchovies and a crispy parmigiana basket.

They offers all kinds of different fresh made pasta dishes.

Some of the pastas offered were butternut squash purses, lobster ravioli, and linguine clams.

rigatoni vodka with sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and house smoked salmon
fusilli col bucco bolognese (veal, pork & beef ragu)

Not all but a few of the entrees were slow braised short ribs, veal chop saltimbocca, prime porterhouse tagliatta,

Salmon in bourbon mustard glaze, vegetables and whipped potatoes
chicken and sausage scarparielco
barramundi special
halibut in lemon caper sauce. Israeli couscous and vegetables
weekend osso buco

Not all but some of the desserts offered –

cannoli pizza cioccolato
take out – lemoncello cake
(special) spumoni

That was a Taste of The Italian Daughter Restaurant in Scottsdale AZ.

Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

www.TheItalianDaughter.com

23655 N Scottsdale RD Scottsdale AZ

480-404-6085

Everything is subject to change (remember changing menus)

The Forking Truth

Five-Spice Butternut Squash in Cheesy Custard Recipe based on Yotam Ottolenghi’s Recipe

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I wanted to do another butternut squash recipe today and found Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for five-spice butternut squash in cheesy custard. Incase you don’t know……Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the most talented vegetable chefs in the world so if you come across one of his recipes that it is worth doing. He’s a multi award winning and James Beard award winning cook book author, chef, and restauranteur. I rounded some of the ingredients slightly. Maybe the biggest change I made was to use the whole squash instead of half the squash……The original recipe puts half the squash in the middle of a cast iron pan and all the cheesy custard is all around. For this recipe the butternut squash is also cut into thick one inch slices with the skin that look attractive in the picture for Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe but I hasselback cut mine and removed the skin.. I guess it really doesn’t matter how you slice it up. I was thinking that I wanted to use the whole squash. To me it seemed like the whole squash would be better in thin slices…..ANYWAY it comes out really surprisingly great! That Yotam Ottolenghi is a genius. Serving size is difficult to judge since all butternut squashes are different sizes and some people like small servings other people like large servings. I used a medium sized whole squash. I got around 6 servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 butternut squash – Cut in half longways and remove the seeds. Yotam’s recipe says to leave the squash. skin on and to cut into 3/4 inch slices and to only use one half of the squash. I used both halves, removed skin (precooked at 425F for 15 minutes and then did a hasselback cut. You do what you want.

5 large shallots – Peeled &. halved lengthwise. (I could only find small shallots so I used 9)

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

I teaspoon 5 spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

8 oz heavy cream

4 oz gruyere cheese – shredded (2oz +2oz)

5 yolks

2 garlic cloves ground to paste

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons white miso

1 1/2 Tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon 5-spice powder

2 Tablespoons olive oil

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup chives cut into 1/3 inch slices (I used scallions)

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

Set the oven to 450 degrees F.

If you are following the way chef Ottolenghi did things then you are placing your squash in the middle of a cast iron skillet (skin up) with half the shallots. – If you are using the whole squash I suggest a baking dish.

In a small mixing bowl combine the oil, 5-spice powder, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, Use a spoon and coat the butternut squash and shallots with this mixture.

This goes in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender but not falling apart. If you used small shallots like I did you might have to pull them out a little early like in 15 minutes. Note to self……Maybe a closer substitute for larges shallots might be small red onions….Take this out of the oven when squash is done

Turn down the oven to 325 F

in a sauce pan on medium heat heat up the stock and heavy cream together till simmering. In a medium bowl mix together 2oz of the shredded cheese, yolks, garlic, corn starch, and white miso. Ladle out a small amount of the simmering cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Add a little more….mix ….and add a little more maybe a couple more times. Then pour that mixture back into the sauce pot and whisk till the mixture is thickened. Pour the mixture around the squash. Top the custard with the remaining shallots. This goes in the oven for 15-18 minutes.

Put a small fry pan on medium low heat with the oil, sesame seeds, Aleppo pepper, sweet paprika, five-spice, pinch sea salt. Cook for two minutes. Let cool. When cool add the chives and lime juice.

Five-Spice Butternut Squash in Cheesy Custard

A Special THANKS to Yotam Ottolenghi for sharing another Forking Amazing recipe!

The Forking Truth

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!

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!

The Forking Truth

Roasted Cabbage Apples Onion in Orange Zest Caraway Vinaigrette

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This comes out FORKING DELICIOUS! This recipe was inspired by a Bavarian style braised cabbage recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. I changed up the recipe and the amount of ingredients a bit and came up with something FORKING delicious that I will make over and over again. Portions are hard to judge because everyone likes a different amount and sizes of a cabbage do differ greatly. For me my medium sized cabbage made 6 generously sized side portions.

Ingredients for around 6 portions

1 cabbage – core removed, rough cut in around I+1/2 inch squares

1 + 1/2 medium onion – sliced thin

2 small apples – core removed, sliced thin

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 orange – just the zest

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 juniper berries – ground in spice grinder

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

In an extra large mixing bowl add the garlic, oil, sugar, wine, vinegar, zest, caraway, cinnamon, juniper berries, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add the cabbage, onions, and apples and mix well. Pour this mixture out in a thin layer on sheet pans. Place on middle racks. Leave the pans in the oven till the ends of cabbage get crispy. (around 40 minutes…could be more or less depending on oven or cut on cabbage(

Enjoy!

Roasted Cabbage, Apples, Onions, in Orange Zest Caraway Vinaigrette
The Forking Truth

A Little Taste of The Tasty Touch Flavors of India in Phoenix AZ******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS********The Tasty Touch Flavors of India is located in Phoenix Arizona pretty close to Desert Ridge. This is a small casual Indian Restaurant that offers North Indian Dishes, Vegan Options, lunch specials and is Halal. Recently they were awarded the 2021 BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT by the Phoenix New Times.

It’s very casual. You order at the counter, pay, get a beverage, and seat yourself either in the dining room or on the patio.

We started by sharing an order of onion pakora.

This appetizer is very large and is enough for four people (maybe they made extra by accident?). It’s onions that are seasoned and fried with chick pea batter. They are tasty and seem free of oil. They also came with a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.

We shared the korma chicken, tikka masala fish and garlic chili naan.

korma chicken

The chicken is masterfully moist and melts in your mouth. The curry in this dish is very mild. If you eat all the sauce and rice you can make two meals out of it but there is only a small amount of protein.

tikka masala fish

We both prefer the tikka masala fish. It’s made with a mild white fish that seems fresh and is very tender. The curry in this dish is also very mild but seems more complex with interesting exotic flavors.

fresh made garlic chili naan

Fresh hot from the oven garlic chili naan is delicious. Not too spicy and not too garlic-y…It taste just right.

That was a little taste of The Tasty Touch in Phoenix.

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

www.TheTastyTouch.com

4727 East Bell Rd Phoenix

480-499-2737

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth