I go out to eat often. So I’m going to visit a lot of restaurants. I usually will leave with a positive experience. The downside of going out to eat often is that you will hit more restaurants when they are not running at their best either……

I recently went to a certain restaurant in Metro Phoenix that has decent reviews on most review sites. I read that the Chef is very talented and has actually cooked at the James Bread House so I though this would be a safe pick. This restaurant is big on Craft Beers, Wine and Whiskey on Tap. They serve Casual Global American Food & Bar Pub Favorites. The interior of the restaurant is very unique with booths, benches, tables and a patio that is sort of indoors and out. They have chandeliers made from wine bottles, a big chalk board on the wall with menu items and a Bloody Mary table set up today!  A lot of natural light flows in from the glass windows in the ceiling during the day.

It’s not my intention to bring negative attention to this restaurant because I feel that it is possible that I have hit them when a Third String Crew was on. For that reason I am not mentioning the name of the restaurant.

The brunch menu offered many different appetizers, lots of egg dishes and a surprising selection of interesting and different salads. But when a menu offers Walleye I usually pick that because Walleye isn’t on many menus and it’s among my favorite fishes that I eat. So guess what…..I Forking went with the Walleye even though it’s fried.

When the fish arrives it is very hot so I start with the slaw. It seems to be very freshly made. It’s not too creamy but is very plain and on the bland side………..I guess bland is ok……..at least it taste fresh.  They gave me a super XTRA LARGE triple portion of fries. The fries seem like fresh hand cut kind of fries……They have a good flavor for fries.and are seasoned nicely………but they are on the thin side so they cool off very fast. I go for a piece of beer battered walleye. First bite taste good…..but isn’t  crispy…..but second bite is soggy…….third bite is very soggy…..all the fish is soggy now….and the fish seems oily now…..I don’t know if the fries steamed the batter on the fish or if the fish absorbed too much oil and it’s all running out now…? Either way all I have now is soggy oily small sized fish over cold fries with bland slaw….Oh joy!………… great!…….

Any who-

My husband tried the Signature Burger with macaroni and cheese as his side.

The Signature Burger is Angus Beef, Manchego Cheese, Applewood Bacon,lettuce, tomato caramelized shallots, roasted garlic aioli on a challah bun that includes one side dish.

My husband’s request of aioli on the side was ignored…he didn’t get any….Oh well no big-gee!

I thought the burger looked pretty good……My husband cuts it in half to see if it’s medium-rare…..It’s medium on one half and almost medium rare on the other half. After he bites into it he tells me it’s very dry. I didn’t believe him because I thought it looked pretty good. I asked him if he’d mind if I touched it…..WOW HE WASN”T KIDDING……I squeezed the patty with my fingers and it was really dry and solid like a car tire….. I don’t know if the meat was too lean and packed too tight or if someone cooking might have been SQUISHING all the FORKING LIFE out of it while it was cooking…..Wow it really was very solid and very dry. I guess we hit them when someone new was working that wasn’t supervised. I have to admit the macaroni and cheese was pretty good….It was creamy and made with quality cheese but tasted slightly under seasoned.

That was my trip to some place in Metro Phoenix.

I can’t imagine the chef there cooks like this so it’s very likely that………Sometimes you hit a restaurant when the third string crew is on.

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

The Forking Truth