Tag Archives: #PhxFood

A Taste of Food Trucks Flippin Rice, Le Chef, Cheese E Wagon, Screaming Hot Chicken by Mingo’s Phoenix AZ

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Food Trucks from all over the valley are now flocking to Glendale Arizona for Food Truck Fridays West. It was free admission with easy close parking. There also was close to twenty food trucks to pick from. It’s almost like going to restaurants….Some are great, some suck, and a lot are in-between.

We were looking forward to trying Le Chef. They offer a lot of seafood dishes and some Mexican tacos. They also have a food truck in Cozumel Mexico so I was thinking that their tacos would be amazing because the tacos I ate on my visits to Mexico were most of the best tacos that I have tried anywhere.

Maybe they weren’t into the groove yet? The steak taco was too chewy, The shrimp taco was missing the guajillo sauce but had something more like mayonnaise on it, and the fish taco was so strong that it could do push ups….and also was dumped with an accidental lethal DUMP of salt.

Le Chef

602-814-1304

www.LeChefCozumel.com

My husband can eat more than me and also tried Cheese E Wagon for a Philly Steak.

I tried just a little taste of the meat. It was tender but was surprised that it was almost free of onions. I asked about the bread….They use the squishy style Arizona bread and they don’t offer cherry peppers. (everyone that we went to in Philly offers cherry peppers) …Not Philly to us but an OK sandwich.

www.CheeseWagon.Co

215-868-5484

Tried Bulgogi at Flippin’ Rice. They are a Filipino and Asian Fusion Food Truck.

There is a soft runny egg on the top accented with a little seaweed and sesame seeds. Most of the bulgogi is tender. Some of it is hard and crispy. For me it’s a little too soy sauce forward but the kimchi is very good. The seasoned rice is tasty.

www.FippinRice.com

480-244-6102

Our favorite of the bunch was the amazing chicken sandwich from the Screaming Hot Chicken Truck by Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen Truck Food Family. They offer a few different chicken sandwiches with fries and chicken strips.

The FORKING Truth is that we ordered their Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich but they gave us their Louisiana Hot Chicken Sandwich. Well that’s what they gave us so we ate it. I already know that it is very good because I had it before. The truth is that it really is even better than I remember. Juicy, perfectly cooked crispy chicken with all kinds of delicious spices and heat play around here. with creamy fresh crispy slaw and soft rich eggy bread to cool things down with a little kick of pickle and (pretty good for) spiced crinkle fries on the side. It was so great that I can’t be mad at them for giving us the wrong sandwich. Maybe we will get to try again?

www.MingosLouisianaKitchen.com

480-540-7872

That was a little taste of food trucks in Phoenix AZ

Le Chef, Cheese E Wagon, Flippin’ Rice, and Screaming Hot Chicken by Mingo’s

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

2022 Wine & Food Experience Phoenix AZ

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The 2022 Wine & Food Experience was presented by Talking Stick Resort at Salt River Fields in Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community near to Scottsdale Arizona. The event was held November Saturday November 5th 2022 1-4pm with VIPS starting at 12:00.

There were culinary demonstrations, sommelier and mixology seminars, SAMPLES of FOOD, WINE, and CRAFT BEERS…

We skipped the alcohol and went to try the light bites that awaited us. First stop was Tia Carmen with chef Angelo Sosa himself serving and greeting people.

He actually made small talk with us. He told me that he is changing up his menu. He also thanked up for our visits and told me that he liked my necklace. I told him that we really enjoyed our visits to his restaurant. He served his FORKING FANTABULOUS tuna crudo today.

tuna crudo from Tia Carmen

Next was…..

mozzarella and tomato salad from Chic Chef

Chic Chef made mini tasting mozzarella and tomato salads.

Pearl’s Mini Doughnuts

Pearl’s mini doughnuts were fresh made to order and came in powdered and cinnamon.

vegetable taco from Pool Boys

Pool Boys offered tasting sized vegetable tacos that were very tasty.

Next was Lasgidi Cafe that offered a taste of jolif rice.

Sushi Roku offered SUSHI!

tuna crudu

hamachi crudu

Nomad By Food made very complex tiny taste of beef shanks on what might be laffah bread.

prickly pear demi glaze, polano pepper, cardamon pickled onion, dukkah

Dust Cutter was a no show.

Tash offered ultra mini dinner plates of piri piri steak with cauliflower mash.

Fraser’s Tavern was also there.

They offered-

tri tip sliders, chicken fingers, and butter cake.

Sysco offered shrimp ceviche.

Boars Head offered charcuterie.

If you splurged for VIP you were entitled to a few more wines and two additional tastings.

One was an amazing taste from the modern fine dining restaurant Sel.

It was a tapioca crisp with white miso daikon scallop, black truffle dashi, smoked trout roe, black trumpet and mushroom aioli.

The other VIP taste was from the Hummus Xpress food truck.

It was an ultra mini pita chip with taziki, hummus, vegetable and maybe chicken….We both didn’t think we got chicken but maybe others did?

That was the Wine & Food Experience at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick 2022.

7555 N Pima Rd

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Arizona

www.WineandFood.USAToday.com/event/Phoenix.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Eh Guey Tacos – Glendale AZ

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Eh Guey Tacos is a small Mexican Restaurant located in a Mobil Gas Station on Union Hills Drive in North Glendale Arizona. They offer breakfast plates, breakfast burritos, Tacos (shrimp, cabeza, pastor, quesataco, cactus, pollo, and asada). They also offer tortas, quesadillas, rolled tacos, salads, bowls, and flauntas, enchiladas, and combo plates.

Yes Eh Guey Tacos really is in a gas station. I look up on how to translate Eh Guey Tacos and I can’t say for sure if I translated it correctly but my best guess is that it means…….Hey Tacos Man or Hey Tacos Dude.

They do have some seating inside but most people we saw do take out.

seating

Here is where you order and pick up.

Today we tried-

pollo (chicken) and Shrimp tacos

Chicken and shrimp tacos came in corn double shells that were lightly grilled. The shrimp tacos are presented different from the other tacos with shredded lettuce, cheese, grilled peppers and onions.

cabeza tacos (beef cheek)

We also tried cabeza tacos. You can’t see but the cabeza has some guacamole on it under the onions.

asada tacos

steak tacos

quesataco

What they call a quesotaco. It’s birria beef and cheese. Usually they come with consommé…..not today

We added on a side order of guacamole, rice and beans, and got a few salsas.

Some tacos today were better than others but none were bad…….As you see they are good sized tacos and not all but maybe the average eater can only eat two because of their generous size. Most were average and not bad. We mutually both thought that the chicken taco was one of the stand out tacos here today. It was dark meat tasty moist tender delicious chicken with a lot of flavor to it. The other best my husband thought was the shrimp taco. The shrimp were fresh tasting and prepared perfect. Maybe I am too fussy here but I didn’t care for either beef…(but then again I do note I am normally not a beef person)…..The asada was too chewy for me. I thought the cabeza had a better flavor but was too fatty for me and gave me the heebie jeebies. Rice and beans were average.

That was my trip to Eh Guey Tacos.

3501 W Union Hills Dr Glendale AZ

480-508-1294

I haven’t found a website for them but they are on Facebook.

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL Food served to me in Metro Phoenix AZ -Annual Special Halloween Edition

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So far 2022 has been a better year than most for Metro Phoenix Foods…..Not too many HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL dishes….But there were a few. I very recently wrote about the next two dishes so if you read my blog then you know where these dishes came from. It’s not my intention to make trouble for any business………(even if they deserve it)…. I tell The Forking Truth….so I mention how my meal was once with the name of the business and once is enough……But these stories and most of the photos are Horrible and Frightful. Halloween time is just that perfect time to share these memories.

Overcooked macaroni and dried up cheese that never was good.

Burnt dried out fish with almost brunt oil filled eggplant.

After this are oldies but NOT goodies.

This was from a fine restaurant in the Biltmore area that is still in business. I do note that the chef that they had at the time left several years ago….By the looks of the polenta on the plate it seems like he might have been pissed off about something.

A certain restaurant on the west side served me a dessert with a hard glob of silicon in it that I had to spit out.

This next one might be the worst thing I ever got from a food truck. It made me scream and I had to spit it out.

It was suppose to be a corned beef egg roll from a food truck that specialized in corned beef. It was dry and awful inside but I still remember that the worst part was the egg roll because it tasted rancid.

Someone in metro Phoenix served me this sandwich.

They are still in business….

Sometimes you go to a restaurant that was very good for several visits………. Then when you eat the food you find out that the chef is no longer with them.

This restaurant closed shorty after I got this horrid dish. It was fishy salmon topped with raw tomato paste flanked by a splat of pureed corn and another splat of corn grits.

I went to a BBQ Restaurant in Phoenix that is still in Business. They served me grits that weren’t cooked.

They also served us meat that was under and still had hard fat on it.

I remember we said something about this but nobody said or did a thing.

A restaurant that is still in business in Peoria served my husband this sandwich.

At the time that restaurant recently changed ownership….It was not great but ok before this……………

It looks like a cinnamon bun but it’s not……….My husband was served a burnt roll somewhere.

This is the worst bulgogi I ever tried……It’s like they threw it in a blender and added cream cheese. It’s like throw up on a skillet.

This Thai Restaurant in Peoria thinks that it’s ok to call a dish fish and serve it without the meat.

I never went back.

This was from a Taco Restaurant that went out of business.

Dry flavorless chicken that might have been microwaved to hard and chewy with some pickled onions and a tortilla that fell apart before it arrived.

This place is still in business in Sun City.

The fish is fishy. The vegetables are obviously from frozen and boiled……I don’t know what happened to the mashed potato. I asked the server why it was green….She didn’t know and asked the chef. She said that he said, “Black pepper turns the potatoes green.”

Maybe my worst Metro Phoenix Restaurant foods came from an Asian Restaurant that I enjoyed on my first visit. I enjoyed the live seafood that was reasonably priced…..So I came back for a second visit….(unfortunately).

We started with some shiitake mushrooms with Asian Greens. They look good BUT….

Shiitake with Asian Greens

The sauce is HORRIFYING……Maybe it is suppose to be that way but I can’t stomach a sauce with the consistency of snot……I couldn’t eat this…..Sadly our main dish was worst.

On this visit I didn’t notice the live fish tanks???????? But ordered the rockfish anyway..This was like a fake fish that was impossible to eat….Like solid rubber and tough. I was going to say something to the owner….But my husband said that all was ok so the owner left.

The server didn’t even question on why we didn’t eat the fish and didn’t even ask if we wanted to bring it or the vegetables home……

Then the scary part is that we got a bill for over a hundred dollars for those two plates (We found out they charged $89. for that fish).

These were only a few of the HORRIBLE FRIGHTFUL Foods that was served to me in Metro Phoenix AZ.

Be careful out there and have a Happy Halloween!

The Forking Truth

The Rec Pizza & Detroit Eats is NEW Again! with New Owners Peoria AZ

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The Rec Pizza & Detroit Eats Offers Detroit Style Pizzas, other eats, canned adult drinks, and more now. This restaurant has gone threw a lot of changes in the past few years with recipes and ownership. The new owners are from Michigan and lets see what they are offering now.

They got rid of the outdoor tables. Inside still has Detroit memorabilia but it does look different and they have some large screen TVS playing sports and have added a few arcade games.

Order and pay here

Some of the appetizers that they offer are tempura pickles, fried dough balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese, wings, and chili. They also offer something like slider burgers called slim shadys. They offer Coney dogs, salads, and of course PIZZAS.

Slim Shaddys……Pickles are very good but the burgers are kinda dried out today

Besides offering a variety of sizes pizzas …..personal, medium, and large….in cheese or meat and cheese varieties.

They also offer cauliflower crust and vegan options.

I went for the plain personal sized pizza.

It really is a nice personal size. I didn’t have a ruler on me but it might be less than a 6 across and long. It has nice crispy cheese edges. A rich tomato oregano laced sauce, and a good quality melty cheese.

But it’s a soft fluffy dough.

Here’s the same pizza but with pepperoni and sausage.

That was a little taste of The Rec Pizza and Detroit Eats in Peoria AZ.

The Rec Pizza & Detroit Eats

20340 North Lake Pleasant Rd Peoria AZ

623-328-9131

www.TheRecPizzeria.com

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ – Phila-Deli, Angry Chickz, Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery, The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen October 2022

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Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as much as possible. Instead of his 3-6 month diagnosis he made it another 17 months.

Today I take my current dogs out to eat when the weather is 90 degrees (with shade) and lower temps. I also know that not all outdoor restaurant patios are dog friendly. I either look for a “dog friendly” sign posted or I call and ask the restaurant if it’s ok to bring dogs. I am also aware that most of the food and drink that I consume can be harmful or even toxic to dogs. (It’s always best to get a list of safe foods and foods to avoid from your veterinarian.) I also know to keep my dogs close to me when dining out and not to let them eat off of restaurant plates.

It’s starting to cool off in Phoenix and I’m being to take the dogs out again. The temperature was just under 90 degrees and Phila-Deli in North Glendale opens early and they have a shaded patio so I can take the dogs there.

I got a tuna hoagie there.

tuna hoagie

My husband got a cheesesteak with extra cheese.

cheesesteak with extra cheese

We also shared some bulgogi fries.

bulgogi fries

The dogs were both very happy to eat some cheese steak with the onions carefully removed. (Onions are very harmful to dogs).

I love Phila-Deli
Oh come to my mouth cheese steak

Phila-Deli changed ownership a few months back and added some new items to the menu. I noticed a new sign on the door that said “service dogs only.” So we inquired about that. It turns out that the original owner loved dogs so much that she used to let them dine inside with people. She also used to run bowls of water and offer lunch meat to her dog customers. The new owners said that dogs are still allowed on the patio. They only allow service dogs inside.

Phila-Deli

20219 N 59TH Ave Glendale AZ

623-376-9333

Our next dining adventure was food from Angry Chickz (a Nashville Style Chicken Tender Fast Food Chain). They don’t have patio dining but we have a nice little park nearby to enjoy the food at.

We got way more food than we needed-

Combo #3, Combo #4 side order medium tender, side order hot tender, side order country tender, and we got some free fries instead of the macaroni and cheese we asked for

but we also got an unseasoned tender just for the dogs.

side order chicken tender in “Country” no heat

Both dogs enjoyed the country tender very much……It was very juicy and very tender with a crispy exterior.

The medium and hot chicken tenders had a wet exterior. The medium was very HOTT! We both thought that the hot was not edible…It was painfully nuclear HOTTTTTTTT! I can’t even imagine how hot the x hot and angry hot can be………..I will add that the Cole slaw was unusually good. It was fresh and crisp, didn’t drip and really was flavored just so.

My bigger dog enjoyed the chicken tender that she kept slapping me for her next bite.

The smaller dog just had this happy look on his face all the way home.

Angry Chickz

5130 W Bell Rd Glendale AZ

800 – 498 – 9836

www.AngryChickz.com

We also made it to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They are a Pho-Free Vietnamese Eatery that specializes in Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches. They also offer most of your Vietnamese favorites like rice plates and noodle bowls.

Today I went with the lotus root salad and chicken pot stickers.

I don’t eat shellfish so my dogs get all the shrimp.

lotus root salad

This salad is light and very refreshing.

My dogs both think the chicken potstickers smell very appetizing.

BTW- These potstickers are especially good. They are WAY BETTER than others I’ve tried in the area. More flavors, more filling and they aren’t deep fried like what I get at most places. I give the dogs ends of the potstickers. They enjoy that too!

But they leave me in a hurry for some grilled pork.

grilled pork rice plate

The rice plates are very large and are two meals for some people. The meats are always fresh and prepared carefully. The beef is unusually good for this kind of place and is always very tender. I know it’s really ribeye but is as tender as filet mignon.

dogs come back for shrimp and some little ends of the potstickers.

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery is always a great choice!

2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ

602-843-3637

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

We also made it to The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in North Scottsdale. They have a really nice patio with garage doors that opens up into the restaurant. I think it might be my bigger dog’s favorite restaurant because she feels like we brought her into a restaurant. She always gets extra excited when we come here.

They offer a slightly upscale menu that seems mostly new American. The menu changed a little since our last visit but then again the menu always changes a little now and then. The servers are very nice and brought each dog their own bowl of water.

Today I ordered the shipwright ahi salad.

It is different today…….I think someone confused smoked paprika with togarashi seasoning.. The fish and salad are different too……..Someone new might be in the kitchen today?…..I’ll come back but I don’t think I’ll ever order this salad again. This salad isn’t very dog friendly but I do cut out some fish centers without seasoning for the dogs.

The dogs are much more interested in my husband’s distiller’s burger.

Look at that smile!

The burger is very good. 1/2 pound angus beef with tomato bacon jam, fontina cheese, dijon aioli, and a brioche bun.

Both dogs are very happy getting some cheeseburger.

The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen Scottsdale AZ

20469 N Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ

480-401-1102

wwwTheCraftsmanAZ.com

That was dining out with DOGS for October 2022.

We hope to see you next month!

The Forking Truth
In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

My Trip to Angry Chickz Glendale AZ – Not Bad for Fast Food but there are some warnings.

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Angry Chickz is a Nashville Style Chicken fast food chain from California that just opened their first Arizonian location in North Glendale Arizona also known as the upper west side of Metro Phoenix.

They use chicken tenders and they come in SIX different varieties of heat from – no heat up to – sign a waver.

Then after you decide what heat…. Then you might go for one of the combos.

Combo #1 – 2 sliders, slaw, pickles, fries

Combo #2 – 2 tenders on white bread, pickles, fries

Combo #3 – 1 slider, one tender on white bread, pickles, fries

Combo #4 – 2 tenders, buttery rice, slaw, pickles

They also offer separate sides and three bowls…

One bowl is called Angry French Fry Bowl, another is Angry Mac Bowl, and the last one was called Hangry Bowl.

You can dine in or go threw the drive thru.

inside

We did take out and dined at a local park nearby with the dogs.

We tried a variety of things and different heats. We ordered way more than we needed. The portions and size of the tenders were bigger than I guessed that they would be.

We ordered (top left) one side order tender in “country” no heat …(bought for the dogs)

(top right) was two side order tenders. One in medium heat and one in hot (not marked but easy to figure out that the redder one was “hot.”)

Our order came out slightly different from what we ordered….(slight opening hiccup)

We were suppose to get a side order of macaroni and cheese but that didn’t come and got an extra order of fries for free instead. (cashier read back macaroni and cheese but didn’t ring it up)

Bottom left is the Combo #4 two medium heat tenders with lots of buttery rice and slaw.

Bottom right is Combo #3 one slider, one tender on bread, fries, pickles.

We’ll start with the tender in country (no spice or heat) It came on a slice of white bread that is lightly toasted.

side order in country

This one has the BEST texture of all the tenders. This one is the only tender with a crunchy exterior.

“Dogs somehow WIN all the time!”

The chicken inside is very moist and very tender. I took a tiny taste…It really is pretty good. It doesn’t taste boring. I fed the rest to the dogs.

We tried the medium slider

Combo #3

It’s pretty tasty………But when I taste the chicken alone I am very surprised on how very hot it really is……Medium is PRETTY DARN HOTTTTT!………Again the chicken is very moist and very tender…The exterior of this chicken looks crunchy but is moist and kind of soggy……..I like the flavors but I don’t like how this feels powdery in my mouth….The fries are crisp, well seasoned, and have fluffy interiors.

We also tried one tender in hot……

two side tenders and it was suppose to be macaroni and cheese but we got free fries

The tender on the right is the hot…………….I take a bite and it is too FORKING HOTTTTTT! for me………..It’s FORKING PAINFUL….. Same for my husband and we LOVE hot food. But if hot is too hot for us then I think hot is too hot for most people….We had to throw it out. So glad I read reviews warning that medium is to hot for some people…Otherwise I would have ordered mostly hot and would have been very upset.

I can’t believe that they make two levels hotter than hot…

After hot they offer X hot – call 911

and Angry – sign a waver

The “Hot” is so painfully hot……… I think that it is a danger to offer the “X Hot” and the “Angry.” Even the “Hot” is a danger and the “Medium” runs very hot and would be too hot for a lot of people.

We also tried the Combo #4 in medium.

Combo #4

The buttery rice is fresh and perfect. The slaw is also fresh and seasoned very well and isn’t drippy. Again the chicken is very moist, tender and the flavors are good but I don’t like the outer texture. It’s moist and powdery at the same time. Only the tender with no heat (“country”) was the only tender that had a crunchy coating. Maybe the soggy texture on the medium and hot was a packaging issue???????

Not bad for fast food. The chicken seems to be equal quality compared to what supermarkets sell.

I think my favorite was the slider in medium. With the bun, slaw, and pickle the flavors did taste the best and I didn’t really notice the exterior textures that I didn’t like…..But a close second was the no head country tender. It just tasted like a good tender that anyone would like.

I also note that I did Take Out and might have tasted different results than dining in.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND any chicken ordered in HOT, XHOT, or ANGRY.

That was my trip to Angry Chickz in Glendale AZ.

5130 W Bell Rd Glendale AZ

www.AngryChickz.com

800 – 498 – 9836

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

FORKING AMAZING Food of the Week – Alzohour Market, Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck, Tia Carmen – Phoenix AZ

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I got lucky and tried some FORKING AMAZING food this week. FORKING AMAZING is not just very good…….It’s FORKING AMAZING! So here they are.

Alzohour Market is a HIDDEN GEM with SEVERAL FORKING amazing dishes. You can taste some of the very best Moroccan and Middle Eastern food in the Valley. This is not a fancy place and the service and the cooking is usually done by one woman so it is slow but it’s worth waiting for. The Moroccan tea is the best that you can taste anywhere. Tea doesn’t sound so special but here it is something different that you probably have never tried before…..GET IT…..It is really special!!!! ………Grape leaves usually aren’t anything special….But here at Alzohour Market they are by far the best that you’ve ever tasted anywhere. These stuffed grape leaves are like FIFTY TIMES BETTER than any other grape leaf that I’ve ever tried anywhere………..They are extra special. I didn’t have this today but I have had the b’stilla (house made sweet pastry with chicken) and it should be mentioned because it is extra special and is painstakingly made. The house made baklava is also the very best that I have ever tasted.

baklava

It’s not too sweet or too gooey. It’s delicious! When I have more room I usually get the house made spaghetti type cheese stuffed pastry…OMG it for certain is one of the best baked goods in Phoenix. Alzohour Market is worth driving across town for. I usually but not always get the fish tagine that is very good.

Alzohour Market 7814 N27TH AVE PHX AZ

602-433-5191

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

From Food Truck Friday West in Glendale I hit a few ok food trucks and we shared the FORKING AMAZING Brisket Sandwich from the Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck.

BBQ Brisket Sandwich with added corn and fire roasted poblano pepper from Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck

OMG it’s overflowing with goodness. You can’t pick it up and you have to eat it with a knife and fork. I wish you could smell it………..It smells like the most delicious BBQ that you can imagine…I wasn’t planning on eating here because I’m not a beef or pork person……but it smelled so amazing I had to make a stop here. This sandwich is on an extra flavorful tasty roll that is embellished with cheddar cheese and jalapeños. Inside is GOLD……..Really tender flavorful smoky brisket chunks and pulled….ad it’s a really perfect mix of lean and fatty….(but not TOO fatty). We added the corn option that is another tasty treat and another perfect accent is that fire roasted poblano pepper that adds another special layer of delicious! This sandwich was FORKING AMAZING!

Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck

www.BroBrosBBQ.com

Tia Carmen is a high quality contemporary (mostly South-West) type of restaurant. It’s located in North Phoenix in the JW Desert Ridge Marriott. The kitchen is led by Michelin Star Chef, Restauranteur, Bravo Top Chef, and Cookbook Author Angelo Sosa. I already written about Tia Carmen’s FANTABULOUS Dish (the Tuna Crudo) and I’ve also written about several of their stunning dishes. Tia Carmen has recently opened for lunch Monday-Friday. They offer several of the lighter dishes from their dinner menu and a few tortas and some additional desserts.

It’s hard to imagine a salad as a FORKING Amazing dish but this one truly stands out.

baby greens salad from Tia Carmen

The baby greens salad is a bit spicy and so full of so many flavors. Who knew a salad could be so complex? This salad contains fennel, Persian cucumber, epazote, pickled onions corn puree, serrano chile, and green olive dressing. It sure doesn’t compare to most salads out there and you can add chicken, crispy white fish, or grilled shrimp to turn it into a meal.

We also shared two of the tortas…….The fish torta stood out flavor wise as a FORKING AMAZING FANTABULOUS Dish. It EXPLODES like fireworks in your mouth. THIS IS SOOOOOO FORKING GREAT!!!!!

fish torta with hay fries from Tia Carmen

WOW! One of the great sandwiches in Metro Phoenix. This is a great surprise and also unexpected from this restaurant because it taste like the best Cha Cha La Vong (National Dish of Hanoi) that I’ve ever had. This sandwich is a crispy sea bass with sweet onion jam, spicy mayo, fresh dill, fresh cilantro, turmeric, and other FRESH HERBS that make it POP! It’s the combination and all the FRESH HERBS that make it taste so special. It also comes with fries that they call hay fries…..that are like a cross between fries and crispy potato sticks.

Tia Carmen at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Phoenix AZ

5350 E Marriott Dr PHX AZ

480-293-3636

www.JWDesertRidge.com

*****Honorable Mention****

I didn’t eat the Shish Kafta but my husband said that the shish kofta from Alzohour Market is the very best that he has ever tried anywhere because it was juicy and full of delicious flavors.

Mixed Grill Plate from Alzohour Market

The Mixed Grill Plate from Alzohour Market contains a chicken kabob, shish kafta, gyro, with rice and whatever she feels like putting on the plate. Even the green pepper salad is AMAZING!

Alzohour Market 7814 N 27TH Ave Phoenix AZ

602-433-5191

www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site

Got lucky this week and really tried some of the very best plates that Metro Phoenix offers. These were a collection of the FORKING AMAZING Foods that I tried this week. I also got to eat out more than I normally do.

The Forking Truth

Biryani Pot Phoenix AZ – Hyderabadi Indian Cuisine – Really Great Biryani – Worth a Fork!

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Their are two Biryani Pot Restaurants in Metro Phoenix. One is located in Chandler and the one we visited is the one in the Paradise Valley area of Phoenix Arizona. Biryani Pot (PHX) offers almost a dozen Hyderabadi dum biryani dishes, they offer North and South Indian dishes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers, entrees, tandoor, Indo-Chinese, breads, soups, desserts and more.

You might be wondering what is Hyderabadi cuisine? It’s usually spicy and is rich and aromatic. The dishes usually contain lots of exotic spices, ghee, nuts, and sometimes dried fruit. These dishes are influenced by Muslims who have lived in Andhra for centuries.

It’s very casual inside.

inside

It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean. (there’s a game on today and everyone we saw that came in did take out)

We ordered a variety of plates.

We tried the chilly fish appetizer.

chilly fish

It’s battered stir fried tilapia with bell pepper, onions, and green chilies with a red sauce. This one is tasty and not too spicy.

We also tried the mirchi bajji.

mirchi bajji

Today the green chilies were nuclear with heat…….I don’t think even most heat lovers could eat them………..and they are battered with a tasty chick pea coating. They are described as being stuffed with onion masala?

mirchi bajji cut open

Stuffed with onion masala? ************Don’t know but….Maybe they received the wrong peppers and couldn’t stuff them? I noticed just this week that TWO different supermarkets had different peppers marked incorrectly. This happened to me twice in one week.

But the chicken 65 biryani is amazing and is one of the very best biryani dishes that I have ever tried.

chicken 65 biryani

This is Hyderabadi Dum Biryani rice layered with onions, flavorful sauce, and tender flavorful, spicy delicious chunks of chicken. This might be the most flavorful aromatic biryani that I have ever tried.

We also shared the House Special fish curry.

fish curry house special

Boneless white fish cooked in traditional Andhra tangy style curry. The fish curry here runs more spiced than any of the others that I have tried. It seems mostly onion based with some tomato, ginger, curry leaves, star anise, and probably a bunch of other things.

Really Great Biryani!

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Biryani Pot

4030 E Bell Rd PHX AZ

1-602-675-0673

www.BiryaniPotPhoenix.com

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to The Gastrome Market – Scottsdale AZ****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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******UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*****The Gastrome Market has opened in the Gainey Ranch part of North Scottsdale Arizona. The Gastrome Market is many things……A specialty food market, a wine store, a restaurant, an event center, a classroom.

inside by entrance

To the right of the entrance is the wine area.

wine area

Mainly Arizona and Californian Wines are sold here.

To the left is the bar area.

bar

There are also tables in this room.

dining area

Next we go back in and pass the baked goods area.

baked goods

On my second visit there was a smaller selection of baked goods.

baked goods

The deli area had salads, soup, wagyu beef fat, wagyu beef Bolognese, dry aged ribeye, Iberico pork rack, Two Wash Ranch chicken.

After that are dry goods, spices, produce, flowers, meats, and deli items with hard to find cheeses.

produce
hard to find mushrooms
dry goods – olives, dry pasta, vinegars
meats
cheeses
cheeses

We tried some lunch today.

I had the olive oil poached tuna salad.

It was made of chicory, endive, AZ citrus, pickled celery, soft egg, and tarragon vinaigrette. It was suppose to contain crunchy shallots but they didn’t make it to the plate. The salad is good but not perfect……..This salad is for people who love bitter and sour………..The grapefruit, endive, chicory, pickled celery are all bitter or sour……. The pickled celery are BOMBS of very strong vinegar and should be shaved or cut into much smaller pieces.

You will do better with the Cuban sandwich.

Between the toasted baguette bread is Iberico pork shoulder, rosemary ham, Emmenthal Swiss, pickle, and deli mustard and was served with BBQ potato chips.

That was my trip to Gastrome Market in Scottsdale.

******UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*********

Gastrome Market

7704 E Doubletree Ranch Rd Scottsdale AZ

602-909-3445

www.GastromeMarket.com

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth