Tag Archives: #PhoenixEats

The Most Delicious $5. or LESS Food I’ve Tasted in North Phoenix AZ that you can Take Out or Dine In

Here are the most delicious $5. or less foods from restaurants around north Phoenix that I have tasted in no particular order.

Pictured above is the $3.00 delicious Beetroot Salad from a little casual restaurant called Skewers Mediterranean Grill in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide . Next is their fresh herby delicious $3.00 tabouli.

My next favorite is the $3.00 Eggplant salad pictured below on the right. But everything is tasty. They also offer hummus and eggplant dip at similar prices.

All these reasonably priced goodies come from the small casual Skewers Mediterranean Grill in Glendale/Arrowhead/#upperWestSide.

Also in Glendale is Taco Fusion. They offer very good tacos on hand made tortillas. The tacos are smaller sized but are bigger than street tacos and are stuffed generously. They make a variety of house made sauces. If you can do spicy ask for the interesting flavorful but very (FORKING) hot black salsa. Get the regular salsa, the pico and the pineapple salsa if they have them. Our favorite tacos here are the mild chicken habanero (with pineapple salsa), carne asada, jaas, Lorenzo, fish (ask for corn tortilla here) and my husband likes the shrimp and barbacoa. We also like both beans they offer. Depending on what tacos you pick you might be able to get two tacos for around $5.00.

Below are 7 mostly different tacos and a container of black beans.

Wraps ‘N’ Curry is located in North Phoenix. They offer a $2.99 Naan Menu.

I’ve had their naan on a wrap sandwich but more recently I did try the stuffed chicken naan ($2.99 on the appetizer part of the menu). It was stuffed with boneless chicken breast, cilantro and Indian spices. It was different and also very tasty.

On my last visit we tried the Onion Kulcha $2.99.

This was very tasty!

I’ll try another one next time.

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix really kills it with the $5.00 or less food and offers 9 tasty options. My favorite $5 meal is the chicken and cabbage salad.

It’s a good size for me and has a good amount of deliciously seasoned chicken in it. I also like the tasty $4 chicken potstickers.

Here is a better picture of the potstickers.

My other favorite salad is the $5. lotus root salad. (lower right)

I love the refreshing flavors in it. It comes with shrimp but I gave up shrimp a long time back and I don’t eat shrimp. I already gave the shrimp to either my husband or dogs. Their papaya salad is also good. I added that picture because I didn’t remove the shrimp yet.

This is a collection of the most delicious $5. or less food that I have tasted in North Phoenix AZ.

Restaurants mentioned –

Skewers Mediterranean Grill – Glendale/Arrowhead/#upperWestSide

Taco Fusion – Glendale

Wraps ‘N’ Curry – North Phoenix

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – North Phoenix

Prices are subject to change.

Every FORKING THING is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Take Out Food During The CoronaVirus Pandemic Week 26 – Tarbell’s The Tavern, CHZBURGR, Taco Fusion, Fabio On Fire

Experts say that take out is a safer health option during the pandemic than dining in so we do take out. This week we did take out from Tarbell’s The Tavern in Phoenix. This restaurant is by chef Mark Tarbell. He is a highly decorated multi award winning chef and wine expert. The tavern offers elevated bar foods in a rock n roll man cave atmosphere. They offer the safest option curbside pick up. We took out the seared salmon, Scotch beef, a salad and coconut cream pie.

WOW! This salmon is really great! It’s so silky. Very few restaurants prepare salmon this well. This one is very different with sides of tomato broth and AZ honey mustard. It’s delicious! The curry potato cake is a really nice treat. It taste like it came from an Indian restaurant. I did taste the Scotch beef. WOW great flavors there and it was made with good wine too! The coconut cream pie was also very good. I think they accidentally gave me extra. It’s a large portion and we are getting 4 servings out of it but it very rich and delicious with this chocolate surprise coated crust. Treated the dogs so some salmon from Tarbell’s.

We also did take out from CHZBURGR in Glendale. They also are still offering the safest option that is curbside pick up. They serve the greatest cheeseburgers and fried chicken sandwiches in town. We ordered the crispy chicken thigh sandwich with pickled jalapeƱos. We also ordered a triple cheeseburger with tater tots.

I thought my sandwich was a little different today but everything still was delicious. My dogs were happy to help me with the chicken sandwich.

We love Taco Fusion in Glendale. They serve the best tacos closest to me. They serve Sonoran Mesquite Style Tacos that are slightly bigger than street size tacos on hand made tortillas that really taste good.

My favorite taco is the chicken mild habanero taco. I think I like it best on a flour tortilla with pineapple salsa (if they have it). I also like the fish taco and the carne asada. (I don’t like carne asada at most places but it’s always tender and flavorful here) My husband likes all the beef tacos and especially likes the shrimp taco here. They opened just before the pandemic and used to offer a salsa bar packed with many delicious salsas…Now they cut it down to a few salsas a day and you have to ask for them. My dogs are always excited to try some.

Last take out of the week was from Fabio On Fire in Peoria/#UpperWestSide. This is a place for Italian Food, Neapolitan Pizzas, fresh baked goods and the best gelato maybe on earth. They offer curbside pick up here.

We got the ravioli ai funghi porcini, strawberry gorgonzola salad, and gnocchi sorrentina. Everything was delicious. Have different dog friendly leftovers for my dogs.

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

Week 26 restaurants we did take out from –

Tarbell’s The Tavern – Phoenix

CHZBURGR – Glendale

Taco Fusion – Glendale

Fabio On Fire – Peoria/#UpperWestSide

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

The Forking Truth

Take Out Food During The CoronaVirus Pandemic Week 25 – Skewers Mediterranean Grill, Twist Bistro & Gallery, Gabriella’s Contemporary American Cuisine

According to the experts take out is a less risky option than dining in and we aren’t risk takers so we do take out during the pandemic. Our first take out of the week was from a little casual place in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide called Skewers Mediterranean Grill.

They make really great $7.50 salads. I got the one with pickled turnips and chicken kabob. My husband got the chicken shawarma with chickpeas and pickles. I just love the fresh herby tabouli it’s only $3. so why not? My dogs enjoyed some of the tasty chicken kabob.

Next take out was from Twist Bistro & Galley in North Scottsdale. They are a small modern restaurant that swings towards Mediterranean.

We started out by sharing the falafels. They were crisp and herby inside. They came with tahini aioli and garlic yogurt sauce. For my main I had the Mediterranean Salad. WOW! it was packed with all kinds of goodies. The salad came with marinated olives, almond golden raisin couscous, crispy chickpeas, minted cucumbers, good ripe tomatoes, really good creamy feta, hummus and really delicious sauces..and I added the salmon as my protein (the salmon here is very good). WOW! It’s like a special occasion Birthday salad. My husband got the steak sandwich pallard. It’s a really good beef (tenderloin) on a really great baguette (garlic toasted Noble Bread) with mozzarella cheese, horseradish and demi sauces. The cheesecake here is very good so we shared that too. It’s not heavy and sour like most cheesecakes I’ve tasted. It’s light creamy and delicious and detailed with pistachio praline, salted caramel, strawberries, whipped cream and a tasty crumb crust. Dogs helped with the generous portion of salmon.

Our last take out of the week was from a brand new restaurant that just opened this week called Gabriella’s Contemporary American Cuisine in Scottsdale. They were just on TV and the food looked so good from TV we wanted to try some.

On the left is the short rib grilled cheese and on the right is the fish and chips. I live 35 minutes away so the food didn’t travel as well as from some of the closer places that I go to but all was tasty. As per usual I always share some with my dogs.

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

That was week 25 oof take out during the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurants that we did take out from –

Skewers Mediterranean Grill – Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide

Twist Bistro & Gallery – North Scottsdale

Gabriella’s Contemporary American Cuisine – Scottsdale

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

The Forking Truth

33 Chicken Take Out Dishes since March 2020 in Metro Phoenix AZ

We have been doing a lot of take out in Metro Phoenix since the pandemic has happened. We’ve taken out a lot of Chicken Dishes so here they are in no particular order.

We are starting with the AMAZING Fried Chicken lunch from Confluence in Carefree. It’s a very large portion of chicken and it’s INSANELY Delicious chicken. It comes with this sauce that is mustardy, spicy and a little sweet but in a way that is a hundred times more delicious than I can describe. They change up the sides every few weeks but it’s always CRAZY GREAT!

The Greek Salad from Pita Kitchen tin Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide with added chicken kabob is usually very good (like 17 out of 20 times…. The chicken is usually moist and is always developed with delicious flavors. It always has a delicious kind of char taste too.

Below is the chicken fajita salad from Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.

This salad is always a little different every time I have it but I can say for sure that it is always a large salad. I always enjoy their house made salsa with this salad.

From Taco Fusion in Glendale. I would highly recommend the mild chicken habanero taco. It’s even better with their pineapple salsa if you can get it on the day you are there. Actually all their food is very good. Even the tortillas are better than from most places. You do have to ask for the salsas here.

Bellow is the chicken cabbage salad from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix.

It’s tasty and just the right size and only cost around $5.00. Next to it are their chicken potstickers. They are also really great too!

Below was the chicken family dinner from Tratto in Phoenix.

This was very good. Everything was very good. The pasta is exceptional. How could it not be? It’s by a James Beard Award Winning Chef Chris Bianco. This take out was really special.

Below is food from Chino Bandido in North Phoenix.

Chino Bandido

We got big combo pans that start at less than $10. Not all but many of the choices are chicken in a somewhat Asian, Mexican or Caribbean variety. I’ve tried maybe all their chickens and I usually get the emerald chicken because I like the moist chicken breast with that ginger scallion sauce. I think this day I got their popular red jade chicken.

Below is the chicken and goat cheese salad from Cucina Tagliani in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UppetWestSide.

The dressings are made in house and are very tasty.

Below was our take out from Mochilero Kitchen in Peoria/#UpperWestSide.

One of them is a chicken bowl.

Below is our take out from Desert Island Eatery in North Phoenix. They serve Caribbean Food and also Vegan options.

The top pan is my favorite meal there…….The curry chicken and jerk chicken combo. It’s always delicious with tender falling apart chicken. It’s also a big pan of food that I get more than one meal out of it too.

From Philla-Deli in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide I got the chicken steak as a wrap.

Next below is the chicken kabob from Alzohour Market in Glendale. It’s a Moroccan/Middle Eastern Restaurant that also sells some baked goods, some grocery and some Islamic clothing. It just might be the best chicken kabob on this side of town.

Everything is amazing from Alzohour Market. Don’t pass on the tea there or you will be sorry.

Skewers Mediterranean Grill in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide serves really great nice salads with chicken shawarma or-

Chicken kabob (below). The salads are crazy cheap and are only around $7.50@.

Below is the noodle bowl with chicken and egg roll from Banh Mi Vietnamese Bistro in North Phoenix.

It’s delicious and big. I know it was $10 or less and can be two meals for some people.

Below we tried a brand new restaurant called Kabob Grill and Go. The sides were all very good. The garlic sauce can make you go yip-pid-dee-WOW-wow! It might make you grow hair on your chest. It feels healthy.

The two outer boxes contained chicken. One was tenders and the other was on the bone. We ordered an extra meal because this place was highly recommended by our food critic and the prices are very low so we wanted to try. Maybe we just live too far to take out from here. Good flavors but all three meats were very dry.

This next one was very good! It’s a HUM YUM DINGER!

Here is the menu fried chicken thigh sandwich (with added Calabrian Peppers) from CHZBURGR in Glendale. This is really FORKING GREAT! Great flavors, it’s crunchy, lots of juice. Even the bun is very good and not too big so you can eat it as a sandwich. Below on the right side is a crispy boneless chicken leg special I had to try also from CHZBURGR.

Next is the chicken and strawberry salad from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.

The strawberries in this salad taste better than the ones I buy from the store…It’s a nice treat for a salad.

Phila-Deli in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide offers great BIG $7.50 salads in addition to their sandwiches.

This salad is nice and big and only $7.50. Thanks Phila-Deli for filling my belly!

The Delta & The Larder is an AMAZING Restaurant. When they offer their KFC Chicken sandwich DROP EVERYTHING! RUN and GET IT! I didn’t get that sandwich recently but did get a take out special.

We took out the hot fried chicken special there.

I really like the spicy lemon chicken salad (on left) from-

Sala Thai in Peoria/#UpperWestSide.

Lower right corner is the tender and delicious chicken and dumplings from-

Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale. The chicken was super great in this dish!

Below are the seasonal specials from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.

On the left is the chicken piccata. This one was very tender and very lemon-ee. The mushroom pasta was really excellent too!

On the left is the chicken from-

Fe La Cubana Cafeteria in Glendale. (little Cuban Restaurant)

On the right is the very flavorful yellow curry chicken from-

Angelina’s Pho and Grill in Glendale/#UpperWestSide.

We even went to Starlite BBQ by Old Town Scottsdale.

On the left is the hot fried chicken. It was very tasty!

Below was a Friday Night Dinner of Jerk Chicken Special for two from the Bread Fruit and Rum Bar in Down Town Phoenix. It had nice exotic flavors and came with this hot sauce that is so hot it can be used as a weapon.

Friday night jerk chicken for two special from The Breadfruit & Rum Bar in Phoenix

We went to the newly opened Nanaya Japanese Kitchen in the Arcadia Area of Phoenix.

It the right corner is part of one of the chicken ramen dishes that they offer. The plastic tub holds the liquid. Mt half looked more like this.

I have to say that chicken was really tender and developed with delicious flavors.

I heard about a spicy chicken sandwich special from Aioli Burgers in Phoenix.

Not real spicy but were tasty moist chicken sandwiches.

Below was the fried chicken special from FnB in the arts district of Scottsdale.

WoW! It was glorious! Really GREAT fried chicken and SUPER GREAT sides that were made with the best vegetables on earth.

Below is Mrs Chicken “HOT” Nashville Style dark meat on bone with mustard slaw.

WOW! It has a DELICIOUS REALLY GREAT shattering crisp exterior. It doesn’t seem so hot at first but the heat builds quickly and turns to molten heat before you know it. The interior chicken was tender and juicy moist delicious chicken.

Those were the majority of the chicken dishes we took out since March 2020.

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

The Forking Truth

Xtra LARGE Portion Take Out Food in Metro Phoenix AZ

Some restaurants in metro Phoenix are extra generous with the amount of food they give you for take out. All the food is in no particular order. All the food I did take out but if I found an eat-in picture fist I used it. Up above is the Friday night walleye dinner special from The Twisted Italian in North Peoria. It’s so big that they pack it in a half buffet pan. WOW it’s a lot of food!

Pretty much EVERYTHING from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix is a double portion. I can only eat 1/2 a banh mi, 1/2 the curry chicken and 1/2 a rice plate any time I order there. Pictured above is one of the about dozen different banh mi baguette sandwiches they offer. Below is a rice plate. I usually get the chicken rice plate and they generously give you around 8 ounces of chicken. I didn’t measure the beef and pork portions but I bet they are similar. BTW- the food is delicious from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.

Rice Plate

Another restaurant where I get a double portion is Desert Island Eatery in North Phoenix. They are a Caribbean Restaurant that also offers some vegan dishes.

Combo with Jerk Chicken and Curry Chicken

I always enjoy the curry chicken and the jerk chickens I get the combo. It’s always so flavorful and delicious. I don’t mind eating twice in a week.

Next is my take out from Starlite BBQ near Old Town Scottsdale. My husband is a big eater and they gave him a good size chicken leg, thigh and a really big juicy plump chicken breast. We had enough leftover chicken breast to give chicken for two salads next week.

Same thing from The Breadfruit & Rum Bar in DT Phoenix.

Friday night jerk chicken for two special from The Breadfruit & Rum Bar in Phoenix

We tried the Friday night jerk chicken for two take out special from the Breadfruit & Rum Bar. We ate all the chicken we could and had enough leftover chicken breast for two lunch salads.

FnB in Old Town Scottsdale also gave out extremely large portions.From the two dinners we ordered each we got around 2 pounds each of potato salad and macaroni salad. We also had enough chicken for two lunches after we ate dinner.

BTW- It was FORKING GREAT!

Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen in Phoenix serves insanely large portions of food.

A few times a year I like to get the Fish Supreme Plate. It comes with a bagel, cream cheese, potato salad, Cole slaw, pickles, vegetables and THREE kinds of fish, I get the sturgeon, nova or belly lox (belly is best but sometimes it’s too salty) and the smoked whitefish. It states on the menu that this is for one person but I get THREE meals out of it. The sandwiches are crazy large. I think it’s impossible to eat more than half even if you are very large.

A newer restaurant called Skewers Mediterranean Grill in Glendale-Arrowhead-#UpperWestSide offers these BIG salads for only around $7.50 each. I think I get more than I pay for here.

The salads are also delicious. They also sell hummus, beet salad, eggplant salad, Baba G and tabouli for only $3.00 and I think it’s a big portion (and delicious) for only $3.

The fajita salad from Popo’s fiesta del Sol in north Glendale-Arrowhead – #UpperWestSide seems bottomless. I eat several a year for many years now. I have never finished one and I consider myself a good eater.

Taylor’s Chowder House is located in Glendale in the North Mountain section.

Look at how large the platter is on the left. It;’s called the two plus two. You get two BIG pieces of cod and two shrimp and a whole giant potato that is cut in wedges and fried. You also get a side of vegetables and a roll . That is enormous… The dish on the right wasn’t enormous but it did come with a potato big enough to feed a family.

Below was one of my favorite take outs from Confluence in Carefree.

I get THREE lunches of FORKING DELICIOUS chicken here. First meal I eat the biggest piece of chicken and the vegetables…some of the potato. Each other piece of chicken is enough for a lunch salad. I don’t mind mind that they are crazy generous with this spectacular fried chicken.

Below is the tasty kabob salad from Pita Kitchen in Glendale-Arrowhead-#UpperWestSide.

They are extra generous with the chicken. I only need to eat half of this chicken.

Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale offers a really great take out special for two.

We got delicious complimentary feta and dill muffins with herb butter, and appetizer, two dinners and desert. It’s dinner for two with some extra.

I get about twice as much food as I can eat from Chino Bandido in North Phoenix.

Chino Bandido

We always get the combo plates at Chino Bandido so we can try two different entrees. It’s always fun to get a pan of food that is a little Asian, a little Tex Mex and some other. Food Network figured out that Chino Bandido offers over 90,000 different combination plates that you can choose. These great big pans of food are around fast food priced and are much better than fast food. They also come with a big snickerdoodle cookie for desert.

Below is a couscous dish from Alzohour Market in Glendale. It’s a Moroccan/Middle Eastern restaurant – bakery – mini grocery and an Islamic clothing boutique.

All the food from Alzohour Market is delicious but also served in extra large portions. This take out platter weighs a ton. This platter was a few meals and they gave us enough couscous for around 5 dinners.

Phila – Deli is a sandwich shop in Glendale-Arrowhead-#UpperWestSide. They offer big cheesesteaks, hoagies and salads. My husband likes the cheesesteaks there.

But I think the great buy at Phila-Deli are the select-your-own $7.50 salads. Look how big and nice this salad is for only $7.50. This is too big for a $7.50 salad. Phila-Deli always fills your belly…..and then some.

Down below is my take out from The Barrio Cafe in Phoenix.

GOSH it was amazing! Look at my platter in the left hand corner. That is enough food….then they go crazy and give me two of the boxes and those TWO little round tubs and hand made tortillas too. I ate some of the food all week long and even froze some.

These were the Xtra-Large Take Outs I found in Metro Phoenix.

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

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix AZ – Week 19 – Skewers Mediterranean Grill, Taylor’s Chowder House, Wraps ‘N’ Curry, Starlite BBQ

Dining out can be deadly during the coronavirus pandemic. Take out is a safer option and curbside pick up involves even less risk. Most restaurants are struggling and we are trying to support restaurants as much as we can with doing take out.

Our first take out of the week was from Skewers Mediterranean in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.

Here’s a better look of the food.

We got DELICIOUS BIG salads for only around $7.50 each. I got the chicken kabob salad. The chicken was even better than usual. It’s always good but today it was far more flavorful and very juicy with a really good char taste. My husband got the gyro salad. We added some fresh herby tabouli to the salads to jazz them up. (tabouli was only $3.) These salads are really great! One of the best deals in town. I had plenty to share with my dogs.

Next take out was from Taylor’s Chowder House in Glendale (the North Mountain Area). TCH is a budget seafood house. I got the sole Florentine and my husband got a BIG fried plate called the two plus two (fried battered cod & shrimp).

They were very generous with the potatoes. I got enough for a family with my dinner. All was good and our dogs wanted to try some too!

We also did take out from a tiny casual Indian restaurant called Wraps ‘N’ Curry in North Phoenix. This is a very tiny restaurant with only a couple tables. The sign outside says they offer authentic Indian food. I noticed that the menu has expanded quite a bunch since my last visit. They offer some dishes I haven’t noticed from other Indian restaurants.

My husband got the tandoori prawns. I got the Goa fish (cod) curry and we shared some stuffed chicken naan.

Here’s a nicer picture of the Goa Fish Curry.

The sauce is really delicious. If someone gave this to me to taste and didn’t tell me what it was I would say it’s an unusually great tikka masala. The taste is very similar to tikka masala but has more depth and heat. The fish is cooked nicely and it came with my choice of rice or naan. My husband said that the shrimp were very tasty and cooked well. The stuffed naan was flavorful because the chicken inside of it was very flavorful. What an interesting and delicious take out!

For the last take out of the week we took a little trip by old town Scottsdale and did take out from Starlite BBQ. At the moment (subject to change) they are only open for take out. Incase you didn’t know Starlite BBQ is a sister restaurant of Ocotillo in Phoenix (closed for the month of July).

WOW! It’s abundant and DELICIOUS! We shared mesquite grilled cauliflower, hot chicken and hot fried catfish. Everything is so DARN GOOD! The chicken is a very big portion and we have enough leftover chicken (and extra vegetables) for two small lunch salads.Oh and even the breast meat was super moist and delicious. But gosh it all was DELICIOUS! My dogs were happy to try some.

“Don’t worry we are in this thing together and are here to help with all that delicious food”

The restaurants that we did take out from this week-

Skewers Mediterranean Grill – Glendale-Arrowhead-#UpperWestSide

Taylors Chowder House – Glendale-North Mountain

Wraps ‘N’ Curry – North Phoenix

Starlite BBQ – Scottsdale (By Old Town Scottsdale)

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

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix Week 16 – Pita Kitchen, Fabio On Fire, Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen, FnB, Aioli Burgers

Dining out can be deadly these days during the pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. All restaurants are struggling and we have little else to do these days anyway so we are giving as much support as we can to restaurants.

Our first take out of the week was from a small casual Mediterranean/Greek restaurant Pita Kitchen in Glendale (#UpperWestSide). I didn’t go in to pick up but my husband said that they installed more plexiglass inside for our safety.

Pita Kitchen bakes their own fresh pita bread that is always delicious. I usually get the chicken kabob Greek Salad. The kabob always taste delicious with lots of flavors and always has a delicious char. 18 out 20 times it is also juicy. My husband usually gets the gyro meat on a Greek Salad.

My dogs always love Pita Kitchens’ food.

Next Take Out was from Fabio On Fire in Peoria (#UpperWestSide). This is a small Italian Restaurant that offers Neapolitan Pizzas, various Italian dishes, amazing breads and desserts (FORKING FABULOUS Gelato). They have a 100% contact free curbside transaction. You order and pay online and all the communication is done by text. They sanitize a table and your order is placed there.

We got family style pear salad, pappardelle con fungi and peach gelato. Everything was very good. Portions were very large. P.S. That peach gelato is the best in the whole wide WORLD. Fabio should go to shark tank to sell his gelato across America….YES IT’S THAT FABULOUS!

Pups were happy to try a little cheese from the salad.

We also did take out from Scotts Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen in Phoenix. They offer breakfast dishes and delicatessen favorites.

My husband got a pastrami sandwich (or actually 2) I got the smoked fish supreme platter and tomorrow we will try the latkes for breakfast. My platter is a really great value. My platter is large and I get three meals out of it. One of the fish I pick is Lake Sturgeon…..I don’t think any other restaurant sells it in Phoenix and it cost around $40. a pound. My platter also comes with a bagel, cream cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, fresh made pickles and vegetables. It’s a nice treat to have once in a while. We also like that Scott’s is open on most of the holidays.

Our dogs were very excited to try some of Scott’s.

FnB in Scottsdale had a take out special on fried chicken so we got two. In case you have been living under a rock…..FnB is co-owned by a James Bead award winning chef Charleen Badman so if she offers a take out special like this it would be advisable to try it.

Half a fried chicken with a peach and feta salad, macaroni and corn salad and potato salads. This is also way more food than anyone can possibly eat. But WOW! This take out was GREAT! Reminds me oof a similar take out from Thomas Kellers’ Ad Hoc. His fried chicken was also fabulous but FnBs’ sides are far more detailed and delicious!

Dogs are yappy….I mean happy to try some.

Last Take Out of the week was from Aioli Burgers in Phoenix. I heard about a Nashville Hot Chicken Style Sandwich that was on special for the Fourth of July….But it was Sunday the fifth and they were still offering them so we decided to give them a try.

We each got a Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwich with a side of roasted vegetables. Our sandwiches were suppose to come with green chili aioli but the aioli was forgotten….or maybe they ran out?. The sandwiches are tasty and the chicken is moist. They aren’t very spicy but they are tasty as chicken sandwiches. As per usual my dogs helped with the large portion of chicken. (I removed the coating for them since it might contain spices and vinegar that are not good for dogs)

“We are in this thing together!”

That was take out in metro Phoenix week 16 of the coronavirus pandemic.

We went to-

Pita Kitchen – Glendale/#UpperWestSide

Fabio On Fire – Peoria/#UpperWestSide

Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen – Phoenix

FnB – Scottsdale

Aioli Burgers – Phoenix

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does 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

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

Take Out In Metro Phoenix During The CoronaVirus Pandemic – Week 14 – FnB, CHZBURGR, La Piazza Al Forno, Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol

Leaving your house can be deadly during the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers of the infected and dead are rising. Take out is a safer option than dining in.

Our first take out of the week was from FnB in Scottsdale. FnB is a contemporary restaurant located in the arts district of old town Scottsdale. They offer a farm focused menu of innovated globally inspired cuisine. They serve dishes that are meant to be shared. It was a contactless transaction. I ordered, payed and tipped on line. Then we arrived and our order was placed on a table outside of the restaurant by a server wearing a mask.

We got Peruvian Chicken spring rolls, celtuse (obscure stem lettuce) in ginger broth with tofu, house made pasta and blue nose bass dinner. All was delicious and the food traveled well.

Our pups couldn’t wait to try. (They don’t know how lucky they are to get FnB cuisine…..incase you’ve been living under a rock…..This is a James Beard Awarded Chef Owned Restaurant)

Next stop for take out was CHZBURGR in Glendale. CHZBURGR serves incredibly GREAT flat style cheeseburgers, Forking awesome fried chicken thigh sandwiches, hot dogs, kids meals, milk shakes and a few other things.

We did curbside takeout. I ordered over the phone, called when we got there and paid from our car by someone wearing a mask.

My husband got a juicy triple CHZBURGR, we got kids chicken strips for the dogs and I got an incredibly delicious fried chicken thigh sandwich with added Calabrian chilies.

Everyone enjoyed!

Next take out was from La Piazza Al Forno in Old Town Glendale. This is a small Italian restaurant that specializes in serving certified pizzas.

We got a house salad, a Mediterranean Pizza made with house made pesto, house made mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese and a spaghetti alla puttanesca (anchovies, olives, capers, garlic, oregano, parsley). All was delicious and the dogs wanted to try too!

Last take out of the week was Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol (a Sonoran Style Mexican Restaurant).

I got my usual chicken fajita salad and my husband got the carnitas. We also took out the margaritas that are extremely strong.

We had plenty to share with the dogs.

“Don’t worry we will get threw this thing together”

Week 14 we did take out from-

FnB – Old Town Scottsdale

CHZBURGR – Glendale

La Piazza Al Forno – Old Town Glendale

Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol – Glendale (#UpperWestSide)

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

The Forking Truth

Angelina’s Pho & Grill – Lemongrass Vietnamese Bistro – VERY GOOD Modern Vietnamese Food Glendale AZ #UpperWestSide and my take out

Angelina’s Pho & Grill is a modern Vietnamese Restaurant that is always changing. The decor changes often. The menus change about every several weeks. Now even the name might be changing according to Lemongrass Vietnamese Bistro according to their Facebook Page and latest menu.

But one thing doesn’t change and it’s the pho that is painstakingly made with a 24 hour broth. The pho here made a top pho list of metro Phoenix from the Arizona Republic Newspaper.

A few years ago they added sushi to the sign out front. Periodically some sushi has made it to the menu but I haven’t seen sushi here in a while.

The chairs, the wall color and decorative accents have changed a number of times over the past few years.

entrance to the patio

Today it looked like this.

I must have been here well over 20 times and every time I visit I see a new menu.

From my last dine in visit only days before Angelina’s closed due to the pandemic is next.

Yum this new appetizer sounds delicious! Miso lemongrass Chicken Tots with Cabbage. We order it to start with.

Soon our dinners arrive. My husband said to the waiter that he might as well take the appetizer off our bill since we didn’t get it. The waiter replied that he forgot to order it so it wasn’t on the bill anyway… šŸ™ I hate to be overly honest but I do have to tell THE FORKING TRUTH….Service can be very poor here at times…Often someone takes our order and never comes back. It’s rare that a server here will ask if you want a beverage. Usually they just drop off water and run. I don’t think anyone has ever re-filled a beverage here. Usually nobody clears your plates. They put in a nice dessert case a few years ago. Not once has anyone asked if I’d like to order dessert. I come back only because the food is very good and very reasonably priced. (on my take out visit I didn’t notice the dessert case)

Tonight I tried the Spicy Chicken Pho in Coconut Broth Special $11.00.

WOW IT’S SCRUMPTIOUS DELICIOUS!

It is spicy but not too spicy. It has this perfect acidity to it with a delicious twenty four hour chicken laced coconut broth. There are large slices of chicken breast in the soup with lots of long rice noodles. I added some Thai Basil, Bean Sprouts and one lime wedge to the pho. WOW really delicious!

My husband had the #18 pho.

This one is called beef hue style bun bo hue $10.00. It’s beef shank, pork rolled in banana leaf, with smooth thick noodles and Thai Mint in spicy 24 hour beef broth.

Some of the past plates we tried are below but I note many have been replaced by new dishes.

fried rice with shrimp and sausage
steak on screwers
salmon papilotte
poulardine
tofu eggplant stack
lettuce wraps
chicken bird’s next
salmon cakes
green tea noodle mango tuna roll
pho
la vong style cod (Hanoi’s National Dish)

I always call before bringing my dogs. They always tell me that my dogs are welcome.

Smoked salmon salad

Angelina’s Pho and Grill did close during the pandemic and newly reopened only a week ago. I did take out since I don’t feel comfortable yet dining in but I would consider patio dining if it isn’t too hot in temperature because there is less virus risk outside in the open air. To walk into the restaurant I wore a mask with a five layer filter and shielded my eyes with onion goggles because some scientist believe you can catch the virus by your eyes. I also used Angelina’s (or is it Lemongrass) hand sanitizer. Nothing is for certain and this still is a risk.

Here’s my take out.

On the left is my husband’s three rice plate (shrimp, chicken, beef) and I got the yellow chicken curry. The flavors in the curry are very brilliant and delicious. It’s ULTRA flavorful. I’ve had it here before here a few times. They always add lots of vegetables that nobody else adds like cauliflower (and today some cucumber) The chicken is so tender it’s falling apart. I LOVE how so much Thai basil is penetrated into the flavors.

Angelina’s Pho and Grill – The Food is Worth a Fork!

The food is usually very VERY good……..service can be hit or miss

I haven’t found a website for Angelina’s Pho and Grill but they are on Facebook and might be changing name to Lemongrass Vietnamese Bistro…..

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

The Forking Truth