*****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*******Desi Fusion is a casual South Indian Restaurant located in Peoria Arizona in a strip mall on Bell Road by many car dealerships. They offer vegetarian and non vegetarian curries, breads, pizzas, biryani’s, tandoori, shawarma, soups and more. It’s casual and you order and pay at the counter, get your beverage and seat yourself.
(They also have a few patio tables outside)
We shared several things.
Tasty onion kulcha.
Tasty stuffed vegetarian battered peppers called mirchi bajji.
I also got two sauces. One tasted like it was made with tamarind. The other was a thin green one that tasted like it was made with cilantro.
Here’s an appetizer called chicken 65.
WOW! I’ve had chicken 65 before but this is much better! It’s melt in your mouth tender chicken but it’s fiery hot but not so hot that you can’t eat it…..It’s full of all kinds of flavors…and I taste crushed nuts too!
I’ve read on www.Recipes.TimesofIndia.com that Chicken 65 is a classic South Indian dish that was first served at a famous restaurant called Buhari in 1965. There are many explanations for the name of this dish…….chicken 65.
Some say that the chicken has to be cut into 65 pieces……
Some say that the chicken takes 65 days to marinate…..
Some say that 65 different chilies go into the dish
If you can take spicy this dish here is delicious.
We also shared the Nellore Chepala Pulusa (South Indian Fish Curry) Sorry I forgot to photo this one….. 🙁
It was made with a chunky tomato based sauce that was spicy and filled with delicious flavors. It came with some fluffy rice. I don’t eat much rice so I had some sauce leftover to bring home…(WIN!).
Went back for take out and tried a few more things.
We shared bullet naan. It is suppose to be cilantro and jalapeños….It wasn’t too spicy but was fresh and tasty.
We also shared some chili eggs.
I’ve had these before at another Indian restaurant and these chili eggs from Desi Fusion are WAY BETTER. These eggs are battered in a tasty sweet and spicy sauce. It’s like they are also almost caramelized. These eggs are really tasty. All the flavors and textures are really good. (It’s also a very large portion….((WIN!)))
We shared some lemon pepper chicken. I never had Indian lemon pepper chicken before. It’s full of chunks of very tender chicken that is bursting with exotic flavors. It’s also a generous sized portion.
Here is the chicken dum biryani.
I was told by the owner that this is an authentic style of biryani. This one is really delicious and a bit spicy. One condiment is creamy raita for cooling. The other is a spicy chunky tomato sauce that is very developed with flavors and lots of heat…GOSH it is delicious. *******UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******
This was a little taste of Desi Fusion in Peoria AZ.
I tried many great dishes in 2020 in Metro Phoenix Arizona this year. I haven’t been everywhere but I’ve gone to lots of places. Most of the food I did this year was take outs because that is how we rolled most of the year. Here are the best that I’ve tried in no particular order. I do warn you that I live around the upper west side of the valley so it’s not logical to bring back food from too far away. I also might have forgotten a few great ones. It’s hard to remember a whole year. I note that I do happen to fancy fish when I go out because it is hard to get fresh fish to cook or eat near my home. Chula Seafood and Nelson’s are 40-45 minutes of mostly highway driving for me.
Combo with Jerk Chicken and Curry Chicken from Desert Island Eatery in North Phoenix
The Combo with Curry & Jerk Chicken is so good from Desert Island Eatery that I can’t move on to try something else. I must note that this food is always good. The take out version is slightly drier because all the sauces soak in…..but it is always very good. During the pandemic Desert Island Eatery installed a patio but are converted to take out only. Maybe that will change in a few months????
From Confluence is Carefree I got an amazing dinner. Everything is perfection and delicious but that special bit of magic is the way that way that everything is so flavorful and the way goes together. It’s like here’s a green bean…WOW I never tasted a green bean like this before…………but then the magic really happens when Parsnips, sweet potatoes, sweet peas, red quinoa and pomegranate go together so amazingly well. It’s just magical.
Flaming cheese from Greek Palace in Peoria
The Flaming Cheese from Greek Palace is Peoria is Awesome! I’ve had flaming cheese before but this one is the next level…YUM!
I have to give another to Confluence for their Lunch Fried Chicken with Chilitepin Honey sauce……I’ve had this one a few times and the sides do get changed up now and then but that fried chicken is among the Yummiest Tastiest Best. YUM!
Tacos are not part of my heritage but I’ve tasted many tacos. I tasted many tacos on several trips to Mexico. I’ve also tasted many tacos from many of the taco festivals in metro Phoenix and then some. The mild chicken habanero taco from Taco Fusion in Glendale is one of the BEST chicken tacos that I have ever tasted. It’s served on a hand made flour or corn tortilla (your choice). You do have to ask for the salsas….I think the chicken taco is best with the pineapple salsa.
OMG These sandwiches are a THOUSAND Times better tasting than they look. The smoked corned beef special from Naked BBQ is a wonder of the world. It’s a crime that this isn’t on the menu. It’s so great that I would tell a vegetarian to eat it.
🙁 🙁 🙁 Sadly we lost the really great fast but unusually delicious food from CHZBURGR in Glendale. This sandwich was a million times more delicious than it looks. Crispy well seasoned delicious juicy super flavorful breaded chicken THIGH, a special bun from Philadelphia, crafted pickles, mayo, honey mustard (I added Calabrian peppers) Was just awesome. My husband used to enjoy the flat style CHZBURGR. (It was greasy in a good way type of cheeseburger.
The Bianco Pizza (middle) is among the best pizzas in Metro Phoenix from La Piazza Al Forno in Old Town Glendale. It is made with hand pulled in house mozzarella, creamy rich ricotta, Sicilian oregano, garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil (I add on Calabrian peppers). It’s just a taste sensation!
All the food from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery always makes us happy. Here are those tasty pot stickers and the lotus root salad. This great lunch was also only $9.
The salmon from Twist Bistro & Gallery in North Scottsdale was unusually great! It’s pretty rare to get salmon cooked to such perfection. I enjoyed this a few times and several other dishes from Twist Bistro and Gallery.
The Halibut special from Fabio On Fire in Peoria was amazing. It might be the very best fish that you can get on the west side of metro Phoenix. The gelato…especially the strawberry is also the best…maybe in the whole darn country. That little ear pasta is also pretty darn special.
I got an amazing Forking Delicious feast from The Barrio Cafe in Phoenix. Everything was Forking Great! I sure wish her fabulous smoked salmon was still on the menu. I loved it so much!!!! Everything was FORKING delicious even down to the spicy ketchup condiment.
The Fried Chicken Take Out Special from FnB in Scottsdale was incredible. Even all the sides were EXTRA SPECIAL….I never had such GREAT sides with great fried chicken before.
This dessert from Confluence in Carefree was incredible. It’s yuzu curd with angel food cake, nuts and sake poached pears. It was incredible. It was just as spectacular as the food from Confluence.
The other BEST dessert (and Fabio’s gelato) was this noodle cheese pastry from Alzohour Market in Glendale. Actually most of the food from Alzohour Market is incredible.
My first take out from Stratta Kitchen in Scottsdale was completely amazing. The salmon was one of the best that I had in Metro Phoenix….The bread was Noble Bread and is great, The Caponata was the best I’ve had and that chocolate fudge cake was a really awesome treat. Since my first visit prices were cut and some things are not the same. You get smaller amounts of bread and appetizer. The fish is now smaller pieces cooked to well on a skewer. It’s still really REALLY good but not Phenomenal like it was.
The salmon from Tarbell’s Tavern is maybe the best salmon that you can get in metro Phoenix. Everything here was delicious. There is this Indian spiced cake that came with it that also was memorable.
The sand dabs from Lure Fish House were crazy fresh and delicious.
The beets with Smoked Salmon from FnB in Scottsdale was well crafted, detailed and delicious. You can almost taste it just by looking at it. Actually everything we had from FnB was incredible. It was had to pick one plate from that visit because EVERY FORKING PLATE is deserving for here.
Lemon sole in a basil white wine broth with fennel salad and house made noodles from Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale. It was all prepared to perfection and was also interesting and a little different.
The salt crusted whole striped bass from Bandolero Cocina de Mexico is as good as fish can get. The fresh flavor and texture was incredible. The mojo sauce was also really extra great!
My husband said that this pork shank he got from Ocotillo needs to be on this list. He really enjoyed it. I enjoyed a salmon meal that was pretty darn good too.
Desi Fusion
I just started going to Desi Fusion in Peoria. I forgot to photo the South Indian Fish Curry. That was really great! Really everything I tried so far was great from Desi Fusion. Sometime next year I will know what dishes I like the most.
My take out from Seoul BBQ and Sushi in Phoenix also blew me away. Everything was delicious and they might have made a mistake and accidentally gave us too much food. They gave us a complimentary vegetable pancake and 16 side dishes. Our mains were a chicken bulgogi and a bibimbap. Everything was delicious!
The market salad from Pizzeria Bianco at Town and Country was amazing. This was the BEST bitter greens salad that I have ever tried. It was the only one that tasted balanced to me. The gorgonzola and the sweet Asian pears help to tame the bitterness of the radicchio leaves. Bravo!
From Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante on Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide I got this incredibly delicious tender falling off the bone Chicken Cacciatore that was laced with DELICIOUS Calabrian Chili Peppers. Underneath it all was creamy cheese polenta.
My take out from Mrs. Chicken in Phoenix is deserving of a SPECIAL MENTION. They are a Nashville Style Chicken Restaurant. They do deserve a special mention because Mrs Chicken is a 40 minute drive for me and the chicken had a shattering crisp exterior and a juicy perfectly cooked interior when I got it home. (I brought home a lot of chicken this year…even from some closer places the chicken came home dry.
We both got the two piece dark meat on the bone.
The Better Dishes I tried from Metro Phoenix Restaurants 2020
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story of taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie came down with aggressive cancer. We were told that he only was expected to live 3 months and maybe up to 6. He already was older and couldn’t do a lot but he loved eating and going out to eat. I took him out as often as I could and he made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.
There are many things that you must know if you dine out with dogs. One is that not all patios are dog friendly. Some are certified with a sign. When you don’t see a sign you must call and ask if it’s ok to dine with your dog on the patio. Another thing is that I recommend from experience that it is BEST to avoid as many other people and other dogs as possible. Some people don’t share your love fore dogs and other people are allergic. It’s also best to avoid other dogs because dogs enjoy barking at each other and this can be a disturbance and you might be asked to leave.
You need to be aware that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even toxic to your dog. You must get a list of foods from your veterinarian to avoid. Usually a small lean plain piece of meat is a good choice. You should also bring a water bowl with you. Here in metro Phoenix you have to also be concerned about the temperature because your dog IS NOT AS HEAT TOLERANT as you are. They absorb heat up their paws and wear fur coats. 90 degrees might be comfortable for you but it is too hot for your dog. Leave your dog home if there is any doubt.
When you dine out with dog(s). your dog(s) must be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to eat off restaurant plates.
We went to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide.
They are an Italian Restaurant with a lovely patio with a park-like view.
The patio is very comfortable and is equipped with misters and shades for cooling and heaters for those few chilly days.
Our server is very nice and runs a bowl of water out for the dogs.
They always start us off with fresh baked breads.
Bread isn’t too good for dogs so I only give them a small taste that they enjoy.
We both got the DELICIOUS pollo alla cacciatora special.
OMG! It’s really great! It’s chicken legs that are falling off the bone tender and are infused with good flavors. The sauce is laced with Calabrian peppers that are so delicious. It’s served over cheesy polenta.
www.BottegaRistorante.com
We were planning on going to The Bourbon Cellar in North Scottsdale.
They serve hand ground in house various meat burgers and other things. (They don’t use commercial ground meat like most places) But to our surprises they changed their hours without posting the new hours anywhere on the day we showed up. So we left.
We drove back to home (23 miles) and drove threw our local Salad and Go.
Salad and Go is a local growing chain of fast food gourmet salads. They offer around nine styles of salads with protein choices of chicken, buffalo chicken, tofu and shrimp. Everything is organic and natural and most salads only cost $5.74. They also offer $2.99 breakfast burritos, beverages, smoothies, soup and a protein box. This is only a drive threw restaurant. They are without seating and no bathroom here….Just drive threw…That is why they are named……Salad and Go.
Behind our local Salad and Go is a hotel with an outside table just behind our Salad and Go so we took advantage of it.
Today I got the Thai Chicken Salad.
There is moist white meat chicken chunks, red cabbage, red bell peppers, shredded carrot, cucumbers, mixed greens and a pack of tasty slightly spicy peanut dressing.
My dogs always enjoy the chicken and shrimp here. (they discontinued the steak here some time back)
My husband had the chicken Greek Salad with added shrimp.
He was bummed that he wasn’t eating a burger.
“I like chicken here but I also wished that I was eating a burger”“Me too”
www.SaladandGo.com
Banh Mi Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix has always been on our local rotation of restaurants. They serve around a dozen different Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and many of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. Portions here run very large and can be double for some people and prices are very low here. But the best thing of all is that the food is DELICIOUS TOO! and everything is cheap…It’s cheaper than fast food and is really good food.
no pho here
Today my husband got one of his favorites…The grilled pork rice plate.
It’s around 8 ounces of tender delicious pork with a crispy pork egg roll, lots of rice and a pickled vegetable salad.
Today I got the curry chicken with rice.
It’s fragrant and tasty. It has crushed peanuts and fried shallots in hit with nice soft carrots and potatoes. There is also lots of chicken to share with the dogs.
We always enjoy Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
We also went to The Twisted Italian. They offer most of your typical American Italian Foods but they also offer a few unusuals such as pierogi and an Italian chili relleno. They don’t have a patio but do have a couple tables outside for dining. They are listed on www.BringFido.com so they are dog friendly. They are always friendly to us when we bring the dogs. Today the nice waiter brought a water dish for the dogs.
My husband likes the lunch special called pick a pasta/ pick a salad for only $11.50.
He got the Italian salad and the house lasagna.
I got the salmon with grilled vegetables and angel hair pasta in lemon white wine caper sauce.
It’s bigger than it looks like in my photo and is a lot of food. The vegetables and salmon are enough for me. BTW I had some help with that.
Lunch is always A-OK at Twisted Italian in Peoria.
www.EatTwisted.com
That was Dining Out With Dogs in Metro Phoenix for December 2020. We wish for everyone good heath and happiness and a Happy New Year and we hope to see you next month.
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
A NEW Thai restaurant just opened in North Peoria called Tom Yum Thai. At this time (Dec/2020) there is another location of Tom Yum Thai in Surprise Arizona. The Peoria location is very tiny with less than ten indoor tables. But it seems clean and is bright and cozy inside. It’s tiny restaurant but they offer a very large menu. of many appetizers, soups, salads, chef’s specials, wok entrees, curries, noodles, pho and more.
They differ from some of the other Thai Restaurants by offering made in house hand rolled and other appetizers. One of the unique appetizers that I haven’t tried (yet) is the Thai Style Fried Sweet Potato dipped in coconut milk then tempura fried and served with tangy peanut sauce.
They offer NINE different salads that they say are packed with flavor and are not ordinary (It says that on the menu). They are filled with an abundance of herbs and spices.
There are many choices of seafood here. They offer a fresh catch of the day, mixed seafood with crispy noodles, scrambled egg with mixed seafood, a plate with one fried fish and one steamed with spicy lime dressing, a deep fried whole fish with spicy chili, and a few shrimp dishes.
Tom Yum Thai offers a bigger variety of protein for your wok entrees, curry and noodle dishes. They offer tofu or vegetables, tofu and vegetables, chicken, pork, bbq pork, beef, vegan shrimp, vegan chicken, shrimp, calamari, combination (chicken, pork, beef), duck, salmon, mixed seafood (calamari, shrimp, mussels, fish)
Wow that’s a lot!
Tonight we tried the green curry with salmon….We were told our choices were hot and Thai Hot. I picked hot.
The first thing I notice is that the curry isn’t green……Usually different peppers are used in the different curries and that is part of why the color of the curries differ. But it is different and does have delicious exotic spices and herby basil in it…There is eggplant green beans and bamboo in the creamy, slightly sweet coconut based sauce and then it builds quick with heat…..It is pretty darn hot. It close to the edge of nuclear in heat. The salmon is over cooked but I thought it would be. I’ll get chicken here next time for this sort of dish.
My husband got the spicy basil with chicken at Thai Hot with an added on fried egg.
It’s hot….and is a different hot than the green curry. We both think the green curry is hotter??????? We like the spicy Thai Basil….It’s hand chopped with lots of surface space for all the flavors to cling on to. There’s vegetables. It’s a big portion…..I think it could use a tad more basil but it really is pretty good.
Ocotillo is a one mile square compound restaurant, coffee bar, cocktail lounge, wine bar and park located in near downtown Phoenix Arizona. Ocotillo offers a wonderfully varied ever changing menu of astonishing variety. They are farm to table goodness mixed with global fusion. The dinner menu usually is something like several small salads, vegetable plates, small plates, house made pasta plates and large plates. The restaurant is modern and has multiple outdoor dining areas with an outdoor cocktail bar and an outdoor coffee shop.
Tonight we dined outside.
The Ocotillo resident “Mittens” said, “Hi” and rubbed against my leg.
We started out by sharing the eggplant meatless balls.
They had crisp exteriors with little bits of crisp cheese. The eggplant balls were topped with pesto and were served over cheesy, herby polenta.
My husband had the pork shank.
It was very meaty and succulent and was served with a porky corn stew and crispy smoky potatoes. My husband said that this was really GREAT!
I went with the market fish that was Atlantic Salmon today.
All the fresh vegetables, herbs and lemongrass sauce made the plate special.
Here are some of the previous plate that we had at Ocotillo.
*****Ofrenda Latin Restaurant recently opened in the beautiful little town of Cave Creek Arizona. At the moment (subject to change) they are currently open for dinner and bar starting at 3pm and weekend brunch. This is a unique restaurant that is two stories with two stories of wrap around patios. Inside is full of hand crafted things. Lots of warm wood and bright lively colored accents.
They also have an open kitchen.
We took advantage of dining outside.
We shared an appetizer called al carbon board. We received a very generously sized board. Nobody brought us silverware or napkins so we got up and got our own.
There are lots of grilled vegetables (carrots, yellow squash, asparagus), a soft cheese, pepita hummus, guacamole, fried hominy and fresh tortillas. I didn’t notice crispy pork skins on the menu so they were a surprise. (pork should never be a surprise on a menu …………certain people don’t eat pork) Anywho- The tortillas, cheese and some of the vegetables are very good.
I tell The Forking Truth so here it is……….This restaurant is newly opened so some of the execution is off.
You can see in the above picture one carrot is shriveled and very chewy and the one next to it is raw. The carrots were either raw or chewy. The hummus is unusually thick…..It should be a creamy dip and not crazy thick….like modeling clay.
The fried hominy is hard and chewy and is next to inedible. Our waitress did stop by to ask how things were but she came before I dug into the plate. I do have to note again that some things really were very good. The tortillas were fresh and delicious! The squash and asparagus were excellent. The cheese was very tasty. It also was a very large platter and I took a lot home.
Dinner was better. (but the staff left us mostly alone and we had to pour our own wine.)
Both of us had the trout tamal.
This dish is made of trout, fresh masa tamal with smoked trout seasoned with hoja Santa leaf and wrapped in a banana leaf with pea tendrils, water cress and apple mole. The fish was prepared reasonably well. We both really loved the apple mole….that really made everything special. The apple mole was really delicious! I think the tamal would have been even better without the smoked trout because the trout turned dry in it when it was cooked. But other than that it was a good dish.
It was nice that this wasn’t a heavy meal so we could share dessert. We tried the key lime pie.
The nut crust was PHENOMENAL…WOW I never had anything like this before. Trust me it was really great! It has this incredible light texture. It’s like a mouthful of snow that taste really great! I could eat a bowl of it…It’s just so light and delicious! Now we get to the curd…….
OMG….It must be a kitchen error. It seems like an accidental slip with lots of corn starch. The curd has a pleasant flavor but it’s so thick and heavy I can’t eat it.
Well that was my trip to Ofrenda Restaurant in Cave Creek AZ.
*****This restaurant closed for business briefly and re-opened May 28 2022
Parma Italian Roots is a California coastal style Italian restaurant located in North Scottsdale Arizona. They offer high quality ingredients and a wood burning oven. The opening chef wrote the menu and worked under Brian Malarky, he also worked in Michelin restaurants and The French Laundry.
The seating is a mix of modern and blue velvet chairs, metal chairs, benches, booths, an indoor/outdoor bar and dog friendly patio tables with misters for cooling and heat lamps and personal heat lamps for those few chilly days.
Patio seating wraps around the building.
Lunch choices are sharing plates, sandwiches, pastas and salads and Pick two of either – 1/2 soup, 1/2 salad, 1/2 sandwich or 1/2 pasta.
Today I went with the 1/2 soup of of the day (tomato) and 1/2 strawberry balsamic salad with added chicken.
The soup is rich and thick with a generous amount of an Italian cheese (taste similar to pecorino to me). The 1/2 salad is a good size. I appreciate the stronger than usual balsamic flavor in the salad and the pecans were just right..and not too sweet.
My husband went with something a little more Italian.
Hot short rib 1/2 sandwich with 1/2 pappardelle bolognese made with more short rib. He kept saying that the sandwich was very good….he really enjoyed that. He also enjoyed the pasta. He said it was well made but stuck together slightly.
Here are some of the previous plates that we have enjoyed at Parma Italian Roots.
Ora King SalmonGnocchiMushroom Toast1/2 campanella truffle pesto pistachio and ricotta pasta 1/2 veal meatball sandwich1/2 panzanella salad with 1/2 salmon sandwichLemoncello dessert
That was a little taste of Parma Italian Roots in North Scottsdale Arizona.
Fabio On Fire is an Italian Restaurant, Bakery and Pizzeria located in North Peoria Arizona. Fabio On Fire is also well known for selling his delicious baked goods and fresh baked pizzas via his mobile pizza oven at food festivals, farmers markets and catering.
I did mention that Fabio On Fire is well known for his delicious Italian Food. Don’t hesitate making a reservation because usually by 4:30 the restaurant is already on a wait and you might not be able to get in.
(This photo was taken before the pandemic…many tables have been removed for distancing)
Fabio is often seen making pizzas….He also chats with guest when he can.
A year or so back the restaurant was expanded with a second dining room behind the pizza oven. Fabio’s portrait is painted on the back dining room wall.
Fabio’s fresh baked goods are featured in a case
The restaurant has a NEW out front patio in addition to the side patio that they already have.
Below is the side patio.
No matter where you are seated they also start you out with Fabio’s amazing crusty bread and olive oil dotted with balsamic.
I don’t really like to eat bread when I’m ordering pizza but it would be a horrible mistake not to eat Fabio’s delicious bread. We have to eat one piece and take the rest home for breakfast tomorrow.
Tonight I’m having the bufalina pizza.
It’s made of San Marzano tomato sauce, imported buffalo mozzarella, oregano, garlic, arugula, balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil. It’s a mix of all kinds of wonderful flavors. The buffalo cheese here isn’t watery and is firm like the way I prefer.
The crust is nice and thin…This kind of pizza is light and easy to eat. Mine is very crisp today.
My husband got the salciccia (San Marzano Tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms and extra virgin olive oil).
If we get dessert usually but not all the time we often get the house made gelato because it is truly FABULOUS and possibly might be the best gelato in the country. Fabio should bring his gelato to Shark Tank and have them invest in him. So today we took a leap of faith and went with the cannoli.
It’s a good cannoli. I am usually disappointed with cannoli that I get out at restaurants because I make my own from scratch. I even make the cheese. If I say that this is good then it is good!
Here are some of the food items we tried previously from Fabio On Fire.
pear saladstrawberry spinach saladbeet goat cheese and arugula saladgnocchi pestoveal tortelloni specialspinach ravioli with walnut sauce special. This one was really amazing!!!! Both me and my husband loved this one…This one is extra special.eggplant parm specialshort rib ravioli specialsausage ravioli specialnapoletano (anchovy) pizzatake out- halibut special, meatballs, orecchiettetakeout – funghi porcini ravioli special, strawberry gorgonzola salad, gnocchi sorrentina limoncello tiramisublood orange gelato (we’ve also had passionfruit, chocolate and the strawberry. They are all amazing.
Bandolero Cocina de Mexico recently opened in Scottsdale Arizona. The owner and chef specializes in Mexican and Spanish cuisine and also owns a tapas restaurant (I was told by my waiter). The restaurant has an unmarked entrance (subject to change). It’s between a juice shop and Pomo Pizzeria. (***update the sign will be installed 12-8-20)
The atmosphere is rich and stunning.
They also offer a dog friendly patio.
Bandolero means bandit or outlaw from Spain or Mexico but they offer a comfortable well spaced patio equipped with misters for cooling and portable heaters for those few chilly days.
They serve cocktails and specialized margaritas but (at the moment) are without a menu (soon to change). (****update cocktail menu will be out 12-9-20)
I had several questions about certain food items…My waiter was unable to answer my questions and neglected to ask for answers….
Anywho-
They started us off with complimentary chips and salsa.
The salsa and chips are very unique and unlike any I ever had anywhere before.
The chips are light and very thin but crisp. I suspect that they are perhaps made with different flours. Usually corn chips are made with nixtamalzation (lime water soaked corn) so they have that special corn chip taste. These taste different….like mixed with something sort of like rice flour. The salsa is different too. It’s a blended tomato sauce that is very mild and delicate and is mint forward. (******update I was told that the chips are indeed corn made from thin corn tortillas)
We share the huitlacoche (Mexican Truffle Corn Smut) as out appetizer and took home the rice and beans.
The huitlacoche inside the enchiladas is mixed with a lot of mushrooms. It’s less flavorful or maybe more delicate than most huitllacoche that I have tried. The chili glaze over the enchiladas is also very mild and delicate. The corn kernels are very soft…….
For my main I ordered the lubina a la sal (salt crusted whole stripe bass) served table side.
I asked what the green was…….I wasn’t told what it was but I was told not to eat it….so I didn’t. The fish really was amazing. It was as if it was just caught and was prepared to perfection. It was seasoned just so I have to add. It almost tasted like it was still swimming in the ocean. I was told that this fish was just caught and flown in today.
I tell The Forking Truth so…….I have to say that the menu reads that I am suppose to get rice with my meal…For whatever reason someone served me mashed potatoes. (cool I like that better anyway) They are seasoned nice but are lumpy. (I don’t mind) I also was served two sauces with the fish. I asked what they were and my waiter didn’t know. The top sauce tasted like a buttery white sauce and went really great with the fish (this sauce was actually mojo de ago and was made with fish stock and tequila). The bottom sauce tasted like chipotle mayo and would be really delicious on a burger but was too overpowering for this fish…….(did someone give me a wrong sauce?) This was also a very large portion of food. I should have made it into two meals but wasted some potatoes and brought home some fish for my dogs.
My husband had the arroz con mariscos (spicy rice with shrimp, clams, mussels and jalapeños).
Everything here was prepared to perfection, was delicious and wasn’t too spicy either. It takes a lot of skill to prepare all these different seafood items and have them ready at the same time perfect.
We really enjoyed both dinners.
Sadly I was too full for dessert….this time.
That was my trip to Banolero Cocina de Mexico in Scottsdale AZ.
*****Update****The owner contacted me to tell me that they are closing the restaurant Dec. 7th & 8th for training****
I returned to Bandolero Cocina De Mexico for lunch about two weeks later. I see that they do indeed have new signs now.
Today we sat on the front patio.
It’s nice and open. I like how all the walls in the front open up too. Today we get a team of two waiters. They welcomed us and were able to answer questions. Soon we are given complimentary salsa and chips.
The salsa is much better today. It has a chunky vegetable texture and some acid and heat today. I also prefer that this batch taste cilantro forward. The chips are ok today.
I start out with the pumpkin soup.
It’s presented with a beautiful fried squash blossom and little coating pumpkin seeds with a drizzle of cream. The soup is ok….but for my taste is a bit heavy with too much added cream. Some people like it this way so it’s good for those people.
For lunch I tried the Monday chefs stew special. It was tortilla crusted chicken with rice, beans, salsas and corn.
I think it’s a great value for only $10.00. It’s a lot of food.
My husband tried the cochinita pibil tacos (achiote rubbed pork, slow baked with spices in banana leaves.
It was a little dry…..
From our first visit both fresh flown in seafood dishes were excellent (salt crusted whole strip bass & Spicy shrimp with shellfish and rice). From second visit the $10.00 lunch special was a good value and tasty.
A brand new restaurant called Belle’s Nashville Kitchen just opened up in Old Town Scottsdale and I wanted to try their Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. I saw that they didn’t have a patio so we did take out.
We both got Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwiches. My side was a very large side salad and my husband got fries as his side.
Look at the fries they are very unusual.
They are sort of in-between a chip and a fry.
He’s a better look at the sandwich.
The chicken is crisp and has a medium hot spicy coating. Cayenne and paprika are the dominate flavors and the chicken breast is moist. I can tell you that the bun is eggy and soft. There is some creamy sauce on the upper bun with pickle chips. Under the chicken is a creamy slaw. When I tasted it at first I could taste blue cheese in it but after a bite of the chicken I didn’t taste the blue cheese anymore????????? (kitchen accident? had blue cheese dressing with my salad……maybe some dressing splashed on my sandwich….look at my take out package…..looks like someone wiped something out of it?)………Overall it was unique and tasty.
www.BellesNashvilleKitchen.com
We also did take out from La Piazza Al Forno in Old Town Glendale.
They are well known for their Neapolitan Certified Pizzas and have been featured on Diners Drives and Dives a number of times on Food Network TV.
La Piazza Al Forno serves a variety of pizzas these days. Besides Neapolitan Certified Pizzas with hand pulled mozzerella they also offer Roman Style Pizzas and the New York Style weekend special pizzas. I heard that they also plan to offer Detroit Style pizzas in the near future. Besides pizza they offer some Italian foods and house made desserts.
Today we got the Italian Stallion Pizza and the Bianco Pizza with added Calabrian Chilies.
I’ve had many wonderful and delicious Neapolitan and Neapolitan style pizzas in metro phoenix but the crust here has a special tenderness and taste that is different. The hand pulled mozzarella (made in house) is also more flavorful. They also use a special higher quality milky ricotta that is special….It taste like fresh made almost like rich mascarpone. My favorite pizza here its usually the Bianco pizza on the right. It’s made with fresh hand pulled mozzarella, a high quality ricotta, Sicilian oregano, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. I always add on the nicely flavored not too spicy Calabrian chilies…that just makes it POP!…….. I’ll be honest like I always am….that is why this is The Forking Truth……….. The pizzas here are not consistent but still are always delicious. I strongly prefer when they make the Bianco like the one below. See they look different!
It taste better when they spread the ricotta cheese with the hand pulled mozzarella and it all melts together and taste great. The solution is to spread the ricotta yourself.
My husband usually prefers a meaty pizza. But in a few days gets to share my Bianco leftovers and always says that he really likes that pizza too!
www.LaPiazzaFamiglia.com
Our last take out of the week was from Sala Thai in Peoria /#UpperWestSide
Obviously Sala Thai serves Thai Food.
We enjoy the spicy basil dishes here because they hand chop the proteins and these dishes are infused with more basil flavor, have more heat and run less sweet than from other near by Thai restaurants near us.
Below was our take out. Spicy basil fried pork rice and spicy pumpkin basil with chicken.
Below is a saucier version of what I had.
That was week 37 of take out during the coronavirus pandemic in metro Phoenix AZ.
