Tag Archives: #Carefree

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix AZ Week 20 – Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery, Barrio Cafe, Confluence, Twist Bistro and Gallery, Cucina Tagliani

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Going out to eat can be deadly these days during the coronavirus pandemic. Take out is a safer option. Curbside pickup involves even less risk. All restaurants are struggling these days so we are trying to give as much support to restaurants as much as we can……. Besides there is little else to do that can be done safely.

Our first take out of the week was from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Bistro in North Phoenix. They are a Vietnamese Restaurant that serves most of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. Instead they specialize in serving banh mi baguette sandwiches and do offer close to a dozen different varieties of them.

I got the noodle bowl combo on the left with tasty marinated chicken and a vegetarian egg roll. The chicken is developed with good flavors and is topped with some fried shallots. They give you fish sauce to dip the chicken and sriracha for the egg roll. This plate also comes with a refreshing minty salad and vegetables with lots of rice noodles. It’s a very large portion and for some people can be two meals. My husband got the grilled pork rice plate. His meal comes with a pork egg roll, a seasoned salad, rice, fish sauce and lots of tasty grilled pork. You get delicious generous plates of food at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese eatery and at the moment I believe that all the dishes there are $10. or less. My dogs always enjoy helping to finish up the food from BMBVE.

Next take out was from Barrio Cafe in Phoenix. We were there two weeks back and the food was delicious. Incase you live under a rock you should know that the Barrio Cafe is an amazing award winning restaurant for Mexican Food. The chef is James Beard Nominated Sillvana Salcido Esparza.

This time we got a huitllacoche las tlayudas (left corner), a vegan chiles en nogada vegano (right corner), and their famous cochinta pibil. All was delicious and we had plenty to share with the dogs.

Confluence in Carefree is another AMAZING restaurant. They also have an amazing chef that also prepares food on a level that very few achieve. They serve upscale modern farm to table type cuisine. My take out is more casual than what I typically get here but is detailed and is very good!

My husband got a cheese burger. It’s not average and is made of the highest quality. The roll is baked in house. The pickle is made in house and the chips are made in house. Sauces are made in house.

Sauces that go with the cheese burger

I went with a chopped chicken salad and we shared a herb roasted maitake mushroom that was garnished with Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes. Everything was delicious. My dogs eagerly were awaiting for their portion.

We also did TAKE OUT from Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale (just down the road from Confluence) TB&G is a sort of modern Mediterranean Restaurant that offers an interesting and creative menu.

This time I tried the grilled Hawaiian opah special. WOW! was it delicious! I also tried a small piece of my husband’s steak sandwich pallard. WOW AGAIN! That was CRAZY GOOD beef. It was so flavorful and so tender. It was really great! We also shared the Moroccan Festival soup. It was deep earthy and fabulous! WOW! What a great takeout. My lucky dogs were thrilled to try some of the opah and tender delicious beef.

The last take out of the week was from Cucina Tagliani in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide. They are an American-Italian Restaurant that also offers some healthy options and around a dozen different vegetable choices. They have been here in business for close to thirty years.

Today I got the baked spaghetti squash with a side of asparagus. My husband got the chicken parmesan. and they packed us some garlic toasts. The spaghetti squash doesn’t look light but is very light and delicate. It sits in a rich tomato sauce that is topped with alfredo sauce. Of course we saved some for the dogs.

“Don’t worry we are in this thing together and are here to help you eat all that food!”

The restaurants we did take out from on week 20 during the coronavirus pandemic-

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – North Phoenix

Barrio Cafe – Phoenix

Confluence – Carefree

Twist Bistro & Gallery – North Scottsdale

Cucina Tagliani – Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix AZ Week 15 – Twist Bistro and Gallery, Confluence, Wally’s American Gastropub, Sala Thai

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Going out to eat can be deadly these days during the pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. All restaurants are suffering these days so we are doing take out as much as possible….besides we have little else to do these days……. Our first take out of the week was from Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale. They serve modern Mediterranean style food that may contain a “Twist” or two.

We got the take out combo for two special. They gave us these complimentary cheese studded biscuits that were buttery and light as air and delicious. Our appetizer was a everything flatbread topped with a layer of creaminess, house made lox and salad. My dinner was phenomenally cooked chicken that was very moist and flavorful. It came with braised greens, berries, goat cheese and unusual (Twisted gnocchi) that were very goat cheese to me. My husband got the wild boar meatballs with the twist version of gnocchi and were nothing like a traditional gnocchi. We also had a strawberry rhubarb cobbler minus the ice cream because I didn’t want it to melt on our way home. Some things were unusual but everything was delicious.

Our dogs helped me with the large portion of delicious chicken.

Next take out was from Confluence in Carefree. It’s a FORKING AMAZING restaurant that serves incredible Modern Cuisine.

We got spectacular fried chicken that came with unbelievably delicious chili Tepin honey sauce, blue corn bread and shredded snow peas. We also got carnitas with tossed salad, broccoli with hominy and popcorn butter and strawberry cobbler with dessert. Everything was so good it was a treat! The chicken is also an extra large portion and I can get three lunches out of it. Still had plenty to share with the dogs.

Our nest take out was curb side pick up from Wally’s American Gastropub in Scottsdale.

My husband was craving the veal and spicy pork meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes, onion strings and jumbo asparagus (he said it was VERY GOOD). We also shared the fresh baked pretzels with asiago fondue, For dinner I had the Norwegian Salmon that comes with caper sauce and spinach. You must get pie when you dine at a Collins Restaurant because his pies are outstanding. This time I tried the coconut cream pie and it was outstanding like all the other Collins pies. Even my husband who HATES coconut said the pie was very good. As usual I had plenty too share with my dogs.

Last Take Out of the week was from Sala Thai in Peoria (#upperWestSide).

We shared egg rolls and I had the spicy lemon chicken salad. My husband had the spicy pork basil. Dogs couldn’t wait to try!

“Don’t worry we are in this thing together”

Week 15 of take out during the coronavirus pandemic.

Twist Bistro and Gallery – North Scottsdale

Confluence – Carefree

Wally’s American Gastropub – Scottsdale

Sala Thai – Peoria (#UpperWestSide)

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

First Dining Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic – Patio Dining at Confluence in Carefree AZ

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Nothing is for certain and there is always a risk of catching the coronavirus when you leave your house. I’m not a scientist but some scientist think that it is unlikely that you will catch the coronavirus outside with distancing. I’m not ready to do indoor dining yet but I thought I’d take a chance on the beautiful Confluence Patio and enjoy their amazing food they are known for.

I came early to try to beat the crowd and I was mostly successful. It stayed empty for most of my dining.

One side of the patio offers stunning mountain views. Tonight the weather was amazing here. It’s around 6 degrees cooler in Carefree than most oof Phoenix so with the cloud cover it was actually a cool temperature here.

Tried the four course tasting menu for the first time ($65. each).

They started us off with their amazing country loaf bread and a high quality olive oil accented with vinegar. The bread is so flavorful…….it’s impossible not to eat. I think it’s one of the most delicious breads I’ve ever ate.

Our first course were –

Aguachile – shrimp, radish, avocado, cilantro, onion ash, lime pickled red onions, cucumber, peptic and crisp yucca chips.

and

Mixed Greens Salad – chèvre, brioche croutons, sunflower seeds, pistachios and blackberry vinaigrette.

Both plates were really delicious but the aguachile had extra special fireworks going on with it and also secret ingredients not mentioned. It was explosive with flavors.

Second courses were-

Gnocchi – farm egg, pancetta, broccoli, pine nuts and pecorino

and

Wild Mushroom Soup

Wild Mushroom Soup – portobella dumplings, shallot, buttered leeks, leek oil and mushroom powder

Both plates were amazing. The soup was very silky and intense with flavors. I have no idea how each ingredient in the soup has so much flavor.

Our main plates were –

Iberico Pluma – stewed tomato, baby squash, crispy garlic, crispy caper, chick peas, pea sprouts and Calabrian Chili.

and

Arctic Char – mushrooms, English peas, fettuccini, herbs and preserved citrus butter

Both plates tasted amazing. The pork was caramelized and tender. The fish was mild and flaky. The chick peas had a special pop factor with the most contrast with flavors. The fettuccini was toothsome and had this amazing buttery taste and the peas popped with freshness.

The sweet endings.

White Macadamia Tart – caramelized white chocolate pudding, macadamia brittle, salted caramel sauce

and

Blueberry Crisp – black pepper oat crumbs, dried blueberries, lavender, creme fraiche semi freddo

WOW! Both desserts were magical.

The flavors in the macadamia were so intense and delicious.

The blueberry crisp was almost savory but also so delicious with different textures.

It was an amazing magical delicious dinner from Confluence in Carefree.

That was my first dining out during the CoronaVirus Pandemic.

Everything is subject to change and we hope these times change for the better.

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

The Forking Truth

Confluence Restaurant Carefree AZ – Astonishing Masterfully Crafted Foods – ALWAYS Worth a Fork!

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Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in beautiful Carefree Arizona.

They serve painstakingly detailed farm to table modern cuisine.

The atmosphere is traditional and cozy with mountain views.

There is seating at the bar, dining room and the patio.

Today they started us off with fresh baked brioche buns with whipped foie gras butter.

The bun is amazing. First thing you taste is fresh crushed salt. It’s so light and melts in the mouth with so much flavor. I don’t eat foie gras but my husband said it was really delicious butter. They were nice enough to serve me a very good tasting high quality butter that I enjoyed.

My first course (I shared) was smoked arctic char ($16).

This was a delightful delicious combination of brioche toast, endive, pickled red onion, grapes, whole grain mustard GLACIER LETTUCE and spiced walnuts. The mix los ight smoke, sweet, bitter, savory with the interesting watery crisp glacier lettuce really POPS!

My main was the Halibut ($45)

The fish is cooked and seasoned to perfection. But the magic is the way everything goes together on the plate. Somehow the silky sweet potatoes, red quinoa parsnips, sweet peas and pomegranate really do something special in the mouth. It’s Forking MAGICAL.

My husband enjoyed the 4 course tasting $65 (one cold appetizer, hot appetizer, entree and dessert.

Achiote marinated baby beets with arugula, spiced pepitas, blood orange, chicos, crema and arbor chile salsa.

Veal cheek and red wine braised shoulder ravioli with red pepper egg, sweet pepper and brussels sprout. I don’t know what he did to the egg but it was the best tasting egg I ever tried.

Guinea hen breast, ballotine, polenta, salsify, chard baby fennel and pecorino jus.

We shared the dessert.

Aged gouda cheese red grape, pickled apricot, bee pollen, whole wheat fruit crostini, macadamia nuts, honey comb and this magical fluffy, airy, milky cloud.

Oh my gosh beyond words.

Then it was a beautiful ride home.

Confluence in Care Free AZ is always Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

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

The Forking Truth

The Forking Best thing I ate out this week was the Fried Chicken from Confluence Restaurant Carefree AZ

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Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in Carefree Arizona. They serve painstakingly detailed farm to table elevated modern cuisine. Everything is masterfully prepared. Most plates are very detailed and complex. The atmosphere is classic and cozy with modern touches and mountain views. Seating is available in the dining room, the bar and on the patio.

Here’s the Fried Chicken (lunch menu $23.00).

My photo doesn’t show you how big this really is. I would say that this is TWO and one half portions of food. Three shattering crisp moist juicy flavorful chicken in this magical delicious chili tepin honey mustard sauce. It’s so incredibly delicious and scrumptious. It’s perfect union of this spicy sweet flavorful sauce, crazy tasty crunch, juicy moist tender chicken. It’s just perfection. It’s FORKING CRAZY yummy and so delicious that it puts a spell on your mouth and then your mouth just craves this taste. The plate also contains a butter poached smashed potato and broccolini. Maybe the best part is that I ate the biggest of the three pieces of chicken and took home the top two smaller pieces and half the potato to enjoy again! Leftover food from Confluence is like a great gift.

My husband had the roasted chicken sandwich ($14.00). This one is made with pancetta, caramelized onions, fontina cheese, (mayo but not for my husband) on a house made fontina roll that comes with either a salad or house made chips.

Desserts are always worth the calories here. Here’s the macerated strawberries with angel food cake, macadamia nuts and vanilia creme fraiche ($7.00) The flavors go together so well! I had no idea macadamia would taste so great with strawberries, the cream and cake. Just divine!

Here are not all but some of the previous dishes that we’ve enjoyed from Confluence.

Snapper
Duck
prime rib sandwich with chips
peach with fancy cheese
Monk Fish
Guinea Hen
Fruit Granite (all the desserts were great but this one was my favorite)
This Chicken Sandwich was to DIE FOR!!!!!

Now this was among my favorites….This was BBQ chicken sandwich , celery root, spicy pickle, smoked onion mayo, on that house made fontina roll. So great!………beyond words……… To die for………

beef tips
Scorpion fish
fish

After you try a fish dish from Confluence and taste the expertly seasoned crisp skin and the perfect flesh you will be hooked. Then all the flavors around the plate go together in layers of different flavors you never tasted before.

Fish with tamale and Huitlacoche

The best huitlacoche I’ve ever had. The whole plate was amazing.

arctic char

The Forking BEST thing I ate this week was the Fried Chicken from Confluence in Carefree.

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

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

The Forking Truth

My Trip To Pizzicata in Carefree AZ – Pinsa Romano (Healthier Alternative to Pizza)

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Pizzicata is an Italian Restaurant located in Carefree Arizona located in the Spanish Village. They serve appetizers, salads, soups, house made pastas and Pinsa Romano (a healthier alternative to pizza). The Pinsa compared to pizza is 48% less sugar and 85% less fat according to Pizzicata’s website. It’s made from wheat, soy, rice and sourdough with high hydration and long proofing.

I’ve come here twice and on my first visit they had to suddenly close because they ran out of food so a couple weeks latter I thought I’d try them again. On my second visit they were open but the menu differed slightly than what I read on their website.

Website menu
Actual Saturday Lunch Menu

It was a really nice day so we sat on the patio.

But inside it looks like this.

We decided to share a Caesar salad ($12.00) and a Margherita Pinsa Romano ($14.00). They arrived at the same time.

We start with some caesar.

The romaine is fresh and crisp and the croutons are seasoned nicely. The dressing is thick and rich and laced with anchovy and grated cheese. It’s a bit light on the salt and pepper but you can adjust to your liking.

Here’s a closer look at the pinsa.

It’s topped with a nice melty mozzarella. The sauce is slightly seasoned and has a little pucker to it. The crust is very different. It has the texture of fine sandpaper from a sprinkling of something like semolina. The crust is crispy and chewy. It kind of reminds me of a toasted English muffin bottom. I ate three or four pieces and it didn’t seem heavy at all in my stomach.

We had room to try a pistachio gelato so we did ($10.00).

The flavor is good but the texture is a bit icy. I asked if they make it and the waiter told me no but it’s made locally.

That was my trip to Pizzicata in Carefree AZ.

www.PizzicataUSA.com

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

The Forking Truth

The FORKING BEST Thing I Ate Out This Week – The Arctic Char from Confluence in Carefree AZ

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The food is always spectacular from Confluence in Carefree Arizona. Not just great but usually detailed and very complex…..actually astonishing. I’ve been to many better restaurants in several states and I haven’t found one restaurant anywhere that does fish as well as from Confluence. This is the only restaurant where I am able to eat the skin. It’s seasoned just so and is crisp, delicious and stays crisp from first bite to last bite. The arctic char was tender, moist and cooked to perfection. If you like salmon then you will LOVE arctic char because it like a milder creamier salmon. The fish plates I tried from Confluence always “SING” with flavors that harmonize and go together like an orchestra arrangement. Here on this plate was sweetness from golden raisins. Piney, buttery flavor from pine nuts. Touches of bitter and salty from Gaeta Olives. A sort of floral saffron sauce is the glue that ties it all together and clean tasting patty pan squash and couscous complete the plate. It’s a stunning plate. Sweet, piney, buttery, touches of pleasant bitter, salty, floral…it’s delicious and interesting in the mouth.

The Arctic Char from Confluence in Carefree AZ was The Best Thing I ate out this week and was Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! Worth driving across town for.

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

The Forking Truth

English Rose Tearoom Carefree AZ – Worth A Fork! – It’s sort of Magical!

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The English Rose Tearoom is located in beautiful Carefree Arizona. They serve authentic English foods and loose teas seven days a week 11am-4pm. They are very busy and you usually need a reservation to be seated indoors. They offer English Style Patio seating.

They offer seating indoors in the gift shop.

Seating in the main dining room is the picture below.

The small but energetic restaurant is full of bone china, chandeliers, roses and loose tea. There are glass topped table clothes that protect antique photos lace and other things. It’s sort of a magical atmosphere ladies of all ages from two to a hundred and two go dress up with fancy hats and feel like a princess for a day.

We tried a small pot of darjeeling loose leaf black tea.

It’s sort of floral….but there is something strong to it…..not bitter….but something strong. It’s relaxing.

I decided to try the soup and sandwich selection ($14.00 subject to change)

I start with the soup of the day creamy tomato basil. I like the fresh basil flavor in the soup. It’s not too heavy but flavored very nicely. I start with a English cucumber and orange mint butter sandwich. This sandwich is trimmed of crust. It has some texture to it but doesn’t fall apart when you eat it. The cucumber is the main flavor in the sandwich. Next I try the smoked salmon, lemon cream cheese. It’s on a darker bread with trimmed crust. It’s very smooth but with small flecks of fish. Last is the chicken, nutmeg and tarragon on walnut edged bread.

The chicken filling is very smooth and laced with nutmeg and tarragon….The nuts add interest to the bread. The plate also includes a bunch of small sweet seedless red grapes, a strawberry and orange slices.

My husband tries the cottage pie ($16.00 subject to change)

He recived a crock of lean ground beef cooked with vegetables that was topped with piped mashed potatoes with a mixed green salad on the side.

We decided to try a dessert and went for the house specialty…..The scone with jam and cream. ($10.00 subject to change)

The scone is almost like a substantial rich denser cake with less sweetness. The Devonshire Cream is sort of like a milky butter and strawberry jam gives the scone that just right strawberry flavor.

This was fun and different….a little magical…….in a lovely atmosphere.

English Rose Tearoom in Carefree is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.CarefreeTea.com

Every Forking THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

Forking BEST Thing I ate out this week – Hiramasa w/ Huitlacoche & Tamale from Confluence in Carefree AZ

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OMG YUM! This was another one of the BEST FORKING Plates I ate out in Metro Phoenix. It’s a magnificent creation that does not seem like it could be from this planet. It was something that mere mortals can’t think of……This plate had all kinds of flavors and textures. Sweet, sour, crispy, salty, spicy, lots of umami and TONS of YUM! It’s not just very good…..It wasn’t just outstanding…This was like from another planet FORKING DELICIOUS!

We must start with the fish. It was a Hiramasa. This fish came from Australia and it’s from the yellowtail family. It’s a very mild tender fish but the chef put this unbelievable sear on the skin and made it into careful deliciously seasoned potato chip texture but underneath the fish is super moist, clean tasting and tender it melts in the mouth……It REALLY melts in the mouth. …… Little smear of a spicy arbol chili sauce that add some playful heat and more flavor………(yum)…….Sprinkled around the plate are these incredible pieces of huitlacoche. WOW I’ve had huitlacoche a number of times in Mexico and here but I never had Huitlacoche on this level before. At first I thought the first piece I ate was a mushroom ……it mushroom-ee taste but more interesting. It also had a more melty texture. So delicious! This is even better than the Huitlacoche I enjoyed in Mexico. But all together with the toasted pepitas and the magical ….sweet tomatillos these flavors Forking POP like a hot air balloon. Sweet, salty, crunch, umami, spicy..POP! …… I don’t know WTFork they did to the tomatillos…..but they tasted better than tomatillos…..some sort of potion was applied. The Tamale was made with blue corn masa floured was topped with some sort of magic mango chutney. It was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating to sip my wine.

Everything we’ve tried at Confluence was great but this was one of those plates that was so great that it seemed like it was from out of this world! It was CRAZY Forking Great…Like from another planet! This was also among the Forking BEST plates of the year I tried in Metro Phoenix.

In case you didn’t know…..Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in beautiful Carefree Arizona (also runs 5 degrees cooler than most of metro Phoenix bonus). They serve painstakingly detailed quality farm to table elevated modern cuisine. This is the kind of restaurant that you should drive across town for. This restaurant serves masterfully crafted interesting dishes at a very fair pricing.

Always Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

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

The Forking Truth

Confluence Restaurant in Carefree AZ is Always Worthy of a Mention – Worth a Fork!

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Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in Carefree Arizona. They prepare painstakingly detailed farm to table elevated modern cuisine. The atmosphere is classic with an open kitchen and modern touches.

Seating is available at the bar, traditional tables and on the patio with mountain views.

Tonight they started us off with house made country bread and a smear of perfect guinea hen yolk.

The yolk was jammy and very rich….The bread was just delicious..this was a treat.

Then we shared the Medjool Dates.

I don’t think I’ve ever had dates that were this fresh before…….or this creamy? The sweet dates sat on top of little mounds of labne. The rest of the plate was couscous that was studded with pistachios and golden raisins. Everything harmonized very well together.

For my dinner I tried the Scorpion Fish.

I never had scorpion fish before……It has a similar texture and taste to monkfish. It’s a dense firm fish. The crust on it is spectacular….It’s paper thin but so crisp and crusty. Bonito flakes add an unexpected smoky taste….The plate turns magical… The tomatoes taste like slow roasted tomatoes but have the texture of fresh tomatoes…..I don’t know how the Fork that can be possible….The Chinese Cabbage taste better than Chinese Cabbage…it was cooked in some sort of magical potion. The little purple potatoes just melt in the mouth in that brown butter hollandaise….and the sweet pops from the crisp snap peas are delicious and add a nice contrast.

My husband surprised me and got the Gurnard Fish from New Zealand. (I was surprised because he almost never orders fish)

It was a fresh tasting mild fish that was well seared crispy. It was served with crisp gnocchi, mushrooms, English peas and the finest Iberico Chorizo. (from a special black footed pig that was kissed by Jesus………..((only kidding))…… eats nothing but acorns……ultra expensive like around $90.00 for 4oz. )

Desserts are usually stunning so we tried the Caramel Apple this time.

It’s like a deconstructed apple pastry……On the side is a cinnamon walnut crisp that is shattering crispy. So you break it up and slice off some apple and taste it in the different sauces of honey vanilla, milk jam and apple cider. This one is delicious and really great!

Confluence is always worthy of a Mention and is – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! The kind of place that you would travel across town for.

www.restaurantConfluence.com

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

Some of the previous dishes we enjoyed from Confluence

Snapper
Duck
cucumber salad made with five kinds of cucumber
peach
Monk Fish
Guinea Hen
Fruit Granite (all the desserts were great but this one was my favorite)
This Chicken Sandwich was to DIE FOR!!!!! One of the best things I’ve ever eaten
Sea Bream
The Forking Truth