Smoked at Ocotillo in Phoenix AZ hosted by Arizona Foodie was Smoking HOT & FORKING Great!

Smoked is a brand new event that was hosted by Arizona Foodie at Ocotillo Restaurant in Phoenix Arizona March 23 1-4pm. Top local chefs offered exciting “smoked” creations. There also were offered smoked cocktails samples, fun activities such as make your own candles, make your own succulent jewelry, a photo booth and live music. This was a 21 and older event. General admission tickets were $35.00 and VIP tickets were $50.00 that got you in early. Parking was free and close.

First stop was from Proof at the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale at Troon North.

Tiny detailed grilled sandwich on house baked bread…..God so Forking Great!….It’s a smoked opah BLT with red onion jam, cured yolk, tomato and lettuce……Just delicious! WOW! I could scarf down one (or more) of these every day!

Next is another doozy…..The INCREDIBLE…INCREDIBLE smoked brisket ramen…(I think that’s what is was called) from Obon Sushi and Ramen.

Flavors are OFF THE CHARTS! This is insanely delicious. A little brine-ee, smokey, a little spicy, really balanced. The brisket is also amazing…..As soon as I got home I looked this restaurant’s menu online and didn’t notice this dish on their menu……It NEEDS to be there! I actually woke up the next day imagining I was eating this again….It really was that great!

Last sample as delicious and amazing as it was ….was also quit large and next to impossible to stop eating…..Took a break but my husband said that this one was up there too.

Fat Ox offered grilled piadinas with fried mortadella, smoked pancetta, oregano mustard, olives, arugula and parmesan.

There was Seagram’s 7 offerings and a photo both in this area.

After that we were on to Jewel’s Bakery and Cafe for smoked salmon, smoked poblano on everything bagel chip with quail egg.

It’s just Forking Stunning and DELICIOUS…..so exciting. It certainly was by far the most attractive plate.

The Clever Koi had an attractive offering but I forgot what it was.

After that was Handlebar Diner with this really Forking Awesome smoked house reuben fries.

OMG this is far better than my picture shows. The house corn beef is amazballz………best corn beef I’ve eaten in like 10 years. That PERECT corned beef flavor…….Everything in this cup is way..WAY up there. Frit street kennebel fries, house corned beef, smoked beef fat Russian dressing, Swiss cheese fondu, pickled cabbage and hickory smoke. I need to see if this on the Handlebar Diner menu….so good. This is another one of the dishes that I wanted to sneak an extra one out for later.

From Nook Kitchen was an attractive smoked ahi tuna roll with smoked wasabi cream, smoked tobikko and micro cilantro.

I didn’t do this one the justice that it deserved….I should have had this dish before the last one because the flavors are far more delicate…….think I’m still tasting the last dish in my mouth……….But it was good!

Roka Akor offered smoked iberico pork with rhubarb emulsion and charred carrot relish.

I did many of the photos blindly. The sun was very bright and I couldn’t see anything on my screen…just hit button and hoped for the best.

The Delta and The Larder offered this absolutely STUNNING Chicken on a Hoe Cake.

It’s such a joy to eat such masterfully prepared chicken and the hoe cake is so tasty too. WOW this sure was a treat that was so GREAT to eat!

Then Ocotillo offered a few goodies inside.

Mesqite grilled beef ribs with house bbq sauce and jalapeño chimichurri.

WOW look at that! They are like enough for dinner! They are not over seasoned or too spicy either. They are the kind you have to eat on the bone.

I’m pretty filled up by now but my husband eats this one from Ocotillo. It’s a smoked baby back rib on buttermilk bun with spicy rhubarb bbq sauce and house pickles. P.S. he said this was really REALLY GOOD!

Then we stepped out.

I try a cocktail that’s a mezcal union smoked Paloma and a water.

Look ! *********When have you ever seen a jewelry bar like this before?

How neat! But I couldn’t bring myself to rip out a plant from it’s roots and glue and string it to a ring…..but I eat plants…? …….So I took a plant home to sit on my windowsill instead. Hope the plant is happy.

I thought I was in line to try a cocktail but found out that is was candle making.

They also had live music.