Tag Archives: #PhoenixFood

My Trip to ComicX Restaurant and Bar at Desert Ridge Marketplace Phoenix AZ – Spiderman Batman and Thor OH MY!

ComicX is a superhero/comic book theme restaurant and bar located in Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix. They serve a casual menu of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, hamburgers, pizza and some south west favorites and a few entrees.

When you walk in it looks like this.

Then you look uo and see Spiderman.

Next you want to see more but it will wait until after your meal because you are seated now.

If you are a fan of rock hits of the late seventies – eighties you might be a fan of the music that fills the air while you are watching a big screen TV of either sports or maybe a Spiderman Movie.

I was seated in the darkest part of the restaurant looking at the Halo that is also near Harry Potter Stuff so I had a very hard time reading the menu.

We ordered and our meals arrived in 45 minutes.

I ordered the Asian Pow Salad ($10.00). The greens were fresh and I had peanuts, fried crunchy strips and orange supremes. I mistakenly thought my salad would contain chicken but it doesn’t. I misread in the dark. My salad was ok…but the paper napkin is far too tiny and too thin to deal with.

My husband went with the steak fajita ($16.00).

The fajita didn’t come out sizzling like they normally do but the pan was hot. The steak was seasoned nicely and it was tender but it seemed like a very small portion. The beans might have been fresh made but tasted more like from the can because they lacked seasoning. Unfortunately the beans also came out warm on the top and cold on the bottom. The rice had something acidic going on with it. I didn’t taste it but my husband thought the rice had either lime juice in it or just was sour? He thought it had a little parsley in it.

Our waiter comes to check on us and my husband tells the waiter about the cold beans. The waiter takes back the beans AND THE RICE. Around 5-10 minutes latter the beans arrive and they are even colder than they were in the first place…BUT HE DIDN”T bring back the rice. Maybe 10-15 minutes after that and my husband is done the rice arrives.

Then we decide to take a tour ourselves.

Marge is missing left breast and Maggies body is there minus her head

This is a novelty restaurant. You are there for the cool super hero atmosphere.

That was my trip to ComicX Restaurant and Bar at Desert Ridge Marketplace.

www.ComicX.US.

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

Hottest Foods I Tried in Metro Phoenix AZ

Leave a reply

Here are the hottest foods that I remember trying in Metro Phoenix in no particular order from restaurants that are still in business. (the Homer Photo is from www.PeeWee.com)

The Kang Pa Curry from Krua Thai in Phoenix was in the top two spiciest burning Thai Dishes I’ve ever tried. I feared for my life when I got this dish. I didn’t even request the hottest level (Thai Hot). This dish actually burned my lips and was next to impossible to eat. I never order medium when I do Thai and always order hot…not Thai Hot. Regular hot is usually good for me….but not this time.

The other hottest Thai Dish was the Holy Basil Chicken from Suh Noi – The Little Thaiger in Scottsdale.

Again I didn’t ask for Thai Hot but this one also was crazy burning HOT. This one was burning hot in a different way. It was like eating the hottest jalapeño ever.

The two hottest Hot Chicken Sandwiches I’ve tried in Metro Phoenix were-

From Monroe’s Nashville Style Hot Chicken I tried the Hottest Chicken they offer called Shut da Cluck waffle sandwich.

It’s like Thai Hot. It’s nuclear but sneaky. First bite doesn’t seem hot but it builds fast….real fast.

The other Hottest Hot Chicken Sandwich came from Famous 48 at the original location around the time when they first opened.

This sandwich was so hot I almost couldn’t eat it and they gave extra hot sauce on the side. *****UPDATE Famous 48 changed the recipe for this sandwich since I had it the first time. It’s a completely different recipe that is much more delicious…but almost mild compared to their original recipe.

You can get some super ultra delicious food from The Barrio Gran Reserva that is especially hot if the chef knows you can take spicy food. The chef showed us her big jar of Chiltepen Peppers (they are tiny and look like pink peppercorns). Chiltepin peppers are very hot but add lots of delicious flavor to foods.

This little complimentary seed starter is really REALLY FORKING HOT!

The Aguachile from the Barrio Grand Reserva is so FORKING Delicious but is also Forking Spicy HOT.

This is a slightly different Aguachile with mango that is also deliciously extra spicy. (also from the Barrio Grand Reserva)

The Diablo Hot Chipolte Molcajete from Mariscos Playa Hermosa is also mighty HOT!

It’s a molten cauldron of hot sauce lined with different proteins.

There’s HOT Chinese Food out there!

The Two hottest Chinese Dishes that I had most recently was the Fish Hot Pot from Szechuan Cuisine in Glendale.

Fish Hot Pot….(this I had before but not in a long time)

Look at all the crushed peppers on top of it. This was so spicy I went off into la la land. Next to was another hot dish called spicy chicken noodle. It was spicy too but not as spicy as the Fish Hot Pot.

The other hottest Chinese Dish was the House Special BBQ Fish from Original Cuisine in Mesa.

This was burning molten hot but also delicious. I usually hate catfish but in the right hands even catfish can be delicious!

I hope I left you Hot and Bothered for some exciting hot food!

Every FORKING THING is subject to CHANGE. Your experience may or may NOT differ.

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ November 2019

Leave a reply

Dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie came down with aggressive cancer and was only given 3-6 months to live. He enjoyed going out to eat so I thought I’d take him out as often as I could. Instead of the 3-6 months Louie made it another 17 months. Today my current dogs enjoy going out to eat.

Before you take your dog out to eat there are several things that you need to know. Not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. You need to look for a dog friendly sign or give the restaurant a call first before dining there. Actually it’s always best to call because the restaurant could be already booked for a party. It’s also best to dine at off times because it’s important to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Other people don’t share your love of dogs and some other people may also be allergic to dogs. You want to avoid other dogs because they tend to bark at each other and you might be asked to leave.

There are also rules for dining out with dogs. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture and are not to eat from restaurant dishes. Dogs must stay close to you and by your side at all times.

You need to know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or toxic to your dog. You must get a list of safe foods and harmful foods from your veterinarian. Usually a small piece of lean sauce-free meat is usually a safe bet.

Another thing that you might not be aware of is that your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. Individual dogs do differ (just like people) but in general over 90 degrees F is too hot to dine out with dogs. Maybe some younger healthier dogs can take up to 90 degrees F BUT ONLY IN SHADE. Hopefully you are able to judge for your dog. If there Is any doubt it’s better to leave your dog at home.

Now that all that is out of the way I’m turning The Forking Truth over to my dogs so they can tell you about their dining experiences.

“We are on our way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix.” “They are a PHO-FREE Vietnamese Eatery that specializes in serving around a dozen different banh mi baguette sandwiches.”

“Today we got a great deal of chicken off of someone’s $5.00 chicken cabbage salad.”

“We also pigged out with some yummy pork off someone’s rice plate.”

“We always enjoy ourselves at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery!”

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

“We are on our way to Pita Kitchen in Arrowhead (Glendale) for some Mediterranean Greek Food.

“I always enjoy the chicken kabob salad because there is lots for sharing.”

“I’ve been enjoying the chicken kabob salad here before that little “Dinklage Dog” was born because the chicken is moist, flavorful and delicious!”

“I don’t know why the “Big Woman” calls me “Dinklage?” “I know that I’m short and have a big deep low voice and I am always hungry!”

“We also like the gyro meat!”

“We love everything we eat from Pita Kitchen in the Arrowhead part of Glendale.”

www.PitaKitchen.net

“We are Forking on our to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale”

“Cucina Tagliani is an American Italian full service restaurant that’s been in business for around 30 years.” “They offer your usual Italian favorites that are usually served in large portions and they also offer many vegetables and healthier options.”

“Today my dear human in front of me went with a chicken Caesar salad so we ate mostly chicken here.”

“Our other human got a pepperchini pasta with chicken.” “We didn’t get much oof anything thing there because the sauce is made with pepper brine that might be hazardous to our health.” (vinegar is harmful to dogs)

“We enjoyed all the chicken we ate off the Caesar salad!”

www.CucinaTagliani.com

“Well that was Dining Out With Dogs in Metro Phoenix for November 2019.” “We hope that you enjoyed and we hope to see you next month!”

My Trip to Mowry and Cotton at The Phoenician in Scottsdale AZ – Brunch this time November 2019

Leave a reply

Mowry and Cotton is a modern American Restaurant location in the Phoenician Luxury Resort and Spa in Scottsdale Arizona.

Inside is nicely decorated lots of warm wood and walls full of growlers.

The outside offers views of grounds, mountains and the vast pool area.

The outdoor seating is more popular with people and also birds today. (if you look close at fence in below photo you will notice birds)

A woman is walking around with her pet bird too….. I don’t know why? ……..I thought it would be rude to ask her why she is walking around with her bird of prey. But I did ask how the bird is on car rides.

Anywho – We order and our brunch plates arrive in over thirty minutes.

Below is a picture of the seared ahi tuna melt that I sampled from an AZCentral Wine and Food Festival from Mowry and Cotton.

It was so unusually delicious that I wanted to try the sandwich again. You’d never expect that ahi tuna could be delicious in a grilled cheese but it was at the festival.

So I got the seared ahi tuna melt ($18.00)

It’s very unusual and unique. The sandwich is filled with melted white cheddar cheese, a thin swipe of spicy CORN HUMMUS and a very small amount (a few thin shavings) of ahi tuna on a quality bread. (It’s rye but lacks caraway and has a very wheat kind of taste to it.) This sandwich had less tuna in it than my sample I tried at the festival. It’s not as tasty as what I tried at the festival. I think it was made with less hummus too……. Maybe that is why it had less flavor. The plate is garnished with a little unknown dirt, a large hot shishito pepper and for my side I picked the salad. It was dressed with maple balsamic dressing and the salad was adorned with mixed dried fruit. I was slightly disappointed that my sandwich wasn’t as delicious as the sample I tried before…….

Below is a picture I found on a review site of the same sandwich. The sandwich below has a thick slice of tuna mine didn’t have and I can see the thick smear of hummus mine didn’t have.

The Forking Truth is that I didn’t get a sandwich like this… (now I’m upset) ……(I also didn’t get as nice of a salad and I only got one pepper not two…WTFork.

Anywho-

My husband got a whopper of a plate. He tried the green chile pork shank ($18)

He received a mighty large Bam Bam Flintstone looking tender falling apart pork meat on a BIG bone with green Chile sauce two eggs, cotija cheese, piccolo’s de Gallo, cilantro, radish slices and what appear to be like house made tortillas staked in a neat little pan. It was good with a large amount of very tender meat but maybe a bit toned down on flavors today.

Service was good on my last two visits. Today I might have gotten a new server or maybe someone that might have had more tables than they could handle. Our meals took over 30 minutes to be served without an explanation. Refills weren’t offered. Check was dropped instead of asking if we wanted dessert. Server took a very unusually long time to pick up check. Dining here took around an hour and a half or more. (that is a very long time for day time service with a reservation. We only had two plates and no alcohol)

Previous dishes from Mowry and Cotton.

Mowry and Cotton at The Phoenician Resort and Spa Scottsdale AZ

www.MowryandCotton.com

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

My Trip to Gorditas El Tio Mexican Food in Phoenix AZ

Leave a reply

Gorditas El Tio is a casual Mexican restaurant located in a shopping center anchored by a Food City in Phoenix. They offer a wide variety of Mexican dishes at reasonable prices. English is the second language here so the food seems authentic style. The menu is quite large and they offer almost any Mexican dish that you can think of.

When you walk in you order at the counter and pick from the menu board. Then you pay and pick a table. you wait till your food is on the counter and pick it up yourself.

We pick a table.

We wait about 30 minutes for our order to be ready.

I got the Mojarra Frita ($11.99) (fried tilapia)

It came with rice, refried beans, avocado slices, some vegetables and a stack of tortillas (I picked corn).

The FORKING Truth is that the fish was over cooked today.

The fish is dry and crunchy and hard to eat.

Moving on.

My husband did much better with the Camarones a la Diabla $10.99 (shrimp in hot sauce)

He thought the sauce was tasty. He said the shrimp were slightly over cooked but not bad. He said some shrimp were cleaned and others weren’t. He wasn’t big on the refried beans…I didn’t eat mine.

He also added on a carnitas and a asada mini tacos ($1.99@)

They came double shelled (two tortillas like they do in Mexico and with lime wedges).

He thought the beef was better than the pork here.

Seems like you will do OK here as long as you skip the fried fish.

House sauces of green and hot red are available and do make the food more tasty.

That was my trip to Gorditas El Tio in Phoenix.

I haven’t found a website for Gorditas El Tio but they are on Facebook and participate on Door Dash.

Desert Island Eatery Phoenix AZ – Caribbean & Vegan Food – Worth a Fork! Strip Mall Gold!

Leave a reply

Desert Island Eatery is located in North Phoenix in an older strip mall on Bell Road. It’s a Mother and Son team that serve Caribbean Food and do offer Vegan Options. This restaurant is impossible to see from the road because it’s behind a Taco Bell. This is really a take out restaurant. They only have three small tables in the dining area and all the food is served in disposable cardboard or aluminum pans. They are open 5pm-9pm Tuesdays – Saturdays.

This is basically the whole dining area. It’s small but is cozy and is filled with homey things. Soft Caribbean Music fills the air.

The young teen the son waits on us. Then we select from the menu.

We decide to start with the Lentil Balls ($5).

We received 5 lentil balls that are FORKING DELICIOUS! OMG YUM! They are like Caribbean Falafels. (but actually better than most falafels) They are dressed in a little guava drizzle and a little dab of jerk mayo. They are have a little kICK to them and are full of yumminess.

We shared the Tri Plate ($18). It was a BIG PAN of curry chicken, jerk chicken and Caribbean bbq chicken all on the bone and as my sides I picked yellow rice and cabbage.

Everything is prepared to perfection and everything is Forking Delicious! All the chicken is so tender it’s falling off the bones. All the chicken is also developed with delicious flavors. My favorites here are the curry chicken with exotic spices and the jerk balanced with spices and a little heat…….they are bold and interesting. Not a thing is wrong with the bbq but it does run sweet. Even the rice and cabbage are delicious and flavorful. This is two meals for me with my husband helping.

My husband ordered the Jerk Seafood Combo (shrimp and swai fish) Jamaican Jerk Style with rice and peas ($20).

Everything is prepared to perfection and everything is delicious!

The owner and her son were very attentive. I was impressed that her youthful son took such good care of us.

Desert Island Eatery is Worth a Fork!

The Phoenix location is on Facebook.

The Tuscan location has a website.

www.DesertIslandEateryTucson.com

Vic and Ola’s Tavola Italiana in Scottsdale AZ – Newly Opened

Leave a reply

Vic and Ola’s Tavola Italiana is a small restaurant in North Scottsdale (DC Ranch) that serves Italian Style Food.

Pictured above are most of the indoor tables.

Reservations are necessary for a table indoors or on the patio.

If seating is available at the small bar you can sit there without a reservation.

We arrived very early and they were already very busy. We didn’t have a reservation so we sat at the bar on the indoor side because they were the only available seats to us. It’s a loud atmosphere. Not from music but everyone’s chatter.

Fleming’s Steakhouse is next door.

We started out by sharing the Happy Hour Roman Style Artichoke (Carciofi Ripieni ($8.50).

The all edible artichoke was dressed with bread crumbs, pecorino cheese, garlic, raisins and pine nuts. It was the tastiest artichoke that I had in recent memory.

We also shared the cacio e pepe (spaghetti, black pepper and pecorino) ($16.00) (it was accidentally served with the dinners)

The pasta was prepared to perfection. The dominate flavor was butter….I thought the pepper and cheese should be kicked up a notch for balance….

For my main I had the branzino ($28.00).

It was listed under large plates and yes it truly is a large plate and brought half home. The pan seared branzino was moist and flaky. On the side was tasty farro, butternut squash, red pepper, pumpkin seeds, figs and fine shreds of bitter radicchio. This plate was for the most part very good. It did arrive almost cold but the pasta and my husbands meal arrived piping hot so I didn’t complain. ( I don’t send things back….especially if it’s not an open kitchen….that sort of thing gets some cooks very upset and I’ve seen too many of them lose it. I also I didn’t want my husband’s meal to sit and get cold.)

My husbands main was the veal osso bucco ($36.00).

It wasn’t tough….but it wasn’t the most tender or most flavorful osso bocco. Overall it was OK. The spinach on the side was very good. The risotto was slightly under done and not very creamy or developed with flavors. But I do note that you almost will never get a great risotto out anywhere. I think the only great risotto I’ve ever had out was from Binkley’s.

The Roman Artichoke was Great! The Branzino was very good but the kitchen timing was off.

At the time of this posting (November 2019) Vic and Ola’s is a newly opened restaurant and may or may not be still working things out.

www.VicandOlas.com

Fe La Cubana Glendale AZ – Limited Selection but FORKING DELICIOUS! – Worth a Fork!

Leave a reply

Fe La Cubana is a small hole-in-the-wall casual Cuban Cafeteria style restaurant located in a rougher area of Glendale. The GPS gets a little screwy here and brings you to the newer side of the shopping center….Fe La Cubana is located behind where the GPS sends you.

I note that this is NOT A FANCY PLACE…and the Latin Music is a little loud. Remember that you are only here to try the food.

This is basically the whole dining room.

You step in and you will see a menu on the wall but I’m not certain if the menu is used.

There is also a pizza menu on the wall but I don’t think they make pizzas here?

The owner wearing a Fe La Cubana Shirt smiles but doesn’t speak English. A youthful looking girl that might be his daughter speaks some English.

We see her here behind the buffet pans and ask what they are serving today.

There are about seven different offerings today three were beef and four were pork. She said that you could have what you pick with either white rice or black beans.

I went with Ropa Vieja with rice.

It’s not much to look at but it taste FORKING GREAT! OMG! It’s delicious! It’s so tender and so flavorful. It’s juicy tender tasty perfection! WOW what a great surprise.

My husband also gets Ropa Vieja but adds on an oxtail and a pota je de garbanzo (pork chick pea soup).

Oxtails are too succulent for me but I did try the sauce from the oxtail. WOW! a BOMBSHELL of flavors with some acidity, brininess and a small amount of gentle heat. It’s incredibly developed with flavors. IT FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS! Crazy CRAZY crazy good!

I heard that the soup is just as great!

Limited selection but – WOW really great food.

When you are ready to pay you wait by the register. We didn’t get a receipt so I don’t know what the individual pricing was but the total for 2 ropa viejas, 1 oxtail, 1 soup and a bottled water came to a total of $32.00.

Parking is easy because there is a lot but you might not be coming from far because there isn’t a restroom.

I haven’t found a website for Fe La Cubana but they are on Facebook.

Fe La Cubana is Worth a Fork!

REALLY FORKING DELICIOUS FOOD!

The Farm Kitchen in Phoenix Arizona – Nice Back Yard Patio Atmosphere

Leave a reply

The Farm Kitchen is located in Phoenix Arizona at The Farm at South Mountain. It is actually home to three restaurants a breakfast cafe called Morning Glory Cafe, The Farm Kitchen (lunch) and for Fine Dinner Dining Quiessence. For the Morning Glory Cafe and The Farm Kitchen you are suppose to park across the street but The Farm Kitchen is just steps away.

The Farm Kitchen serves mostly cold sandwiches and salads. They also have some local goods and fresh baked cookies for sale.

The menu is posted outside so you can order right away at the counter and pick up a beverage or help yourself to complimentary water outside.

Then you pick a table.

You pick up your order at the pick up window when your number is called.

If you ordered a salad it will arrive packaged and with a chilled metal bowl for mixing.

I tried the pecan turkey Waldorf ($12.95). It was made with moist flavorful turkey breast, organic greens, grapes, really crisp celery, apples, carrots, pecans and creamy jalapeño dressing.

My husband tried the Italian sandwich ($12.95).

This sandwich was made of thickly sliced soppresata, mortadella and salami. It also was dressed with olive relish, greens, pepperoncini, Italian dressing and was on a rustic baguette.

Everything was good……in a nice lush atmosphere. It was like sitting out in someone’s back yard. Could be a nice lunch destination before or after the zoo or botanical garden or just because.

www.TheFarmatSouthMountain.com

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

azcentral Wine + Food experience November 3rd 2019

Leave a reply

The azcentral Wine + Food experience was held November 2nd and November 3rd in 2019. This event was held in Salt River Stadium Complex in Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale Arizona. General Admission pre-sale tickets ran around $50.00 and VIP admission ran around $120.00. Date of event tickets ran $65.00 and $140.00. VIP were entitled to one hour early admission and higher end wines. The headlining demo was by Antoni Porowski (food and wine expert of the reboot Queer Eye TV Show). This attracted a very large crowd that was already there and there was no way I could get in to see that one.

Today we made it a little early and got rounded up in a rope tied area like cattle.

I didn’t try everything but I tried a lot. Some of the same food venders were here a second day and served the same food so most of those I skipped.

Nothing Bundt Cakes gave out samples while we were waiting.

First stop was Bella Gusto Urban Pizzeria.

They made TASTY Wild Mushroom Arancini and Salted Caramel Panacottas.

One of the tastiest bites of the day came from Chino bandido.

It was a puffed wheat crisp cracker stuffed with jerk chicken with slightly sweet sauce and a more savory spicy sauce. It really was tasty! They also offered snickerdoodle cookies.

Sweet Republic offered a few desserts but the one I took was this toasted fig/hojicha ice cream cake cone with chocolate shell. Whatever it was it really did taste great!

My picture from Frashers Steakhouse/Mrs Chicken came out blurry but they were serving pulled pork and butter cake.

Next we went on the Bourbon Steak.

They served some sort of raw beef plate and Bourbon Mud Pies.