The Arrowhead Grill is a steakhouse located in the Arrowhead section of North Glendale Arizona. I generally don’t dine at steakhouses but a good bar menu from a steakhouse can lure me in.
Here is the indoor bar seating. I only saw high top tables for the bar seating.
They also offer outdoor bar seating at high top tables.
They offer glasses of luxury wines.
And on the other end of the spectrum they also have reduced prices for Happy Hour 3pm-6pm everyday where well drinks and house wine only runs $5,99 each.
They ask if you would like a bread basket even at the bar tables.
The bread basket contained four different kinds of bread.
As far as bar menu goes one of the best bets might be the A.G. burger ($22.99 or $12.99 Happy Hour)
All the burgers are made of prime beef trimmings ground in house. The A.G. Burger is considered their best burger and is made from ground tenderloin (8oz.). That is topped with a 6oz. prime rib and crispy fried onions, cheese, mayonnaise, and a horseradish cream sauce on a toasted eggy bun.
Some of the other bar offerings are crab and cheeseburger sliders, crispy green beans, lamb chop fondue, bone in prime rib, a cheese plate, salads with steak or salmon, lamb chop, a mixed grill plate, 1/2 chicken, petite prime rib, and a surf and turf.
A.G. salad with salmon
The A.G. salad with salmon is among the best salads that you can find in the immediate area. Everything is very fresh tasting. The salad is lightly dressed and the salmon is prepared medium/medium rare. The creamy goat cheese pecans, cranberries, and super sweet slices of pear make this salad more of a treat.
This was a little taste of bar food at Arrowhead Grill in Glendale AZ.
Mac Shack is a casual fresh pasta restaurant recently opened in north Glendale Arizona. The pasta is fresh made daily. They offer a variety of pastas with meat, vegetarian, vegan, and also offer build your own pasta pans. Other offerings are a few salads, bread, kid’s meals, marshmallow cereal bars, and soft beverages.
It’s small and casual inside.
There’s an artwork of Anthony Bourdain on the wall.
You order and pay at the counter. There is only a few tables and a couple seats at the counter.
the pasta machine is on the counter. There is a fresh tray of pasta that was just made.
Your order is fresh made for you and takes around twenty five minutes to prepare.
They bring our salad and pastas at the same time.
Cesar salad
The Caesar salad isn’t fancy but it is very large and is fresh and crisp.
I tried the pasta pan called Happy Valley (orecchiette, roasted garlic oil, olives, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, capers, fresh basil, artichokes, and spinach)
My husband suggested getting the large size…..Nobody can eat a large…..I was able to do like almost a third of this pan. It’s good but they were overly generous with the olives….and too light with the basil. Mine stayed piping hot the whole time we were here.
This one was gooey and cheesy. It’s not as piping hot as mine.. He likes it. My husband is a big eater…..and loves to eat pasta. Even he could only eat half.
Went back to just to try the plain mac-n- cheese called the Mac Shack and took out the small size.
It’s cheesy with melted cheddar and crumbs on the top. Could use a little seasoning for adults but it just right for kids.
Doesn’t cost much to dine here and it’s better than fast food. (most large pans are around $15. and they can certainly feed at least two people)
Mac Shack – Newly Opened in north Glendale AZ #UpperWestSide
Haldi Indian Cuisine recently opened a second location in north Glendale Arizona in Arrowhead. The original Surprise Location was awarded by Phoenix Magazine for BEST IN THE VALLEY for Indian Food. Haldi Indian Cuisine offers North and South Indian dishes. They also offer beer, wine, sodas, tea, coffee, mango lassi, basic cocktails and more.
Today we tried vegetable samosas.
They came with tamarind and cilantro sauce. Very tasty. Anyone would like them.
We also shared spicy chicken curry and vindaloo chicken (also spicy). They came with a bowl of fluffy basmati rice studded with cumin seed.
We ordered #4 out of 5 for heat spiciness. It was hot but not as hot as #4 from other places that we have been. ……We had lots of rice and tasty sauces left over so we took them home. .(OMGosh..the next day these not so hot with heat #4’s turned into #5’s and grew with lots of heat almost too much heat…WOW)……….The sauces both were very fragrant, delicious and were made with lots of exotic spices. The white meat chicken in both could have been more moist.
Haldi Indian Cuisine has recently opened in North Glendale AZ
Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi is located in North Peoria Arizona in P83. This is an American Restaurant with a full bar, thirty two taps, over fifty HDTVs, and a food menu that is all over the place. It almost like you name it and they probably have it.
They try to please any appetite.
Maybe you want to start with something healthy like edamame?
Or something unhealthy but more fun like made in house macaroni and cheese bars with spicy ranch sauce.
You can have tacos (two chicken tacos one Korean Style beef).
You can also have sushi tacos ( fried seaweed shells, spicy tuna, shredded krab, avocado, choice of sushi). (I prefer the sushi tacos to their regular tacos)
tuna, smoked in house salmon, and salmon
They also offer a variety of burgers with a few different protein choices.
atomic beef burger
Or maybe a pulled pork sandwich.
A few of the other things on the menu are all sushi, sushi rolls, sushi burrito, sushi burger, tuna pizza, wings, pizzas, salads, rice bowls, fish and chips, spaghetti and meatballs, pan seared sirloin and desserts.
There is a lot to taste at Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi in Peoria at P83.
Urban Margarita is an American Restaurant that swings to New Mexican Fusion Cuisine. This restaurant is located in a strip mall in the Arrowhead section of North Glendale that is also known as the Upper West Side of Metro Phoenix Arizona. Urban Margarita was listed in the Phoenix New Times as among the ten BEST restaurants for New Mexican Cuisine in Metro Phoenix.
It looks like this when you walk in. To the right side of the photo is an indoor-outdoor bar with high top tables near the bar.
To the left is the inside dining area.
Behind the main dining area is another room with a bar.
There is also a partially covered outside patio with a indoor/outdoor bar with misters, a fireplace, a big screen TV and heaters.
Today we shared the cheesy corn appetizer.
it came with a bowl of chips. It’s kind of simple…LOTS of tasty melted cheese, sweet fresh corn, some spices a little heat and grassy cilantro. It’s really delicious!
For my main I got the citrus marinated and grilled “Kickin Chicken” in pineapple habanero glaze with black beans and cilantro rice.
The sauce runs a little sweet but it is spicy…..Chicken is tender and the rice is very fluffy.
My husband got the slow braised hatch pork chile verde.
Not all but some of the previous dishes we’ve had at Urban Margarita were-
Baja chop salad is pictured below.
It a mound of spring mix, black beans, fresh corn, red onion, tomato, avocado, poblanos, cotija cheese and Baja vinaigrette. It’s topped with marinated grilled chicken breast. That Baja vinaigrette does have a good amount of acid to it.
Next is the Urban Burrito.
This one was stuffed with carnitas, lettuce, cheese, cilantro rice, black beans and corn. This was topped with what they call Baja sauce. (it looks like green chili sauce to me)
The stuffed Poblano pepper (with queso on the side).
The peppers (TWO) are stuffed with spicy shredded chicken. It came with rice and corn. I liked that this isn’t swimming in cheese sauce like most New Mexican cuisine that I have tried. This is approachable and sensible.
This is the slow braised pork rib in hatch chile verde with rice, black beans and tortillas.
We’ve had other dishes but I can’t find the photos…..I KNOW I had the salmon here.
Squid Ink Sushi is a Japanese Asian Fusion Restaurant located in North Peoria Arizona. They offer comfortable dining in a sleek modern environment.
They offer a bar up in the front of the restaurant with TVs.
They have a nice long sushi counter.
They also offer patio tables for when the weather is nice.
On the menu is traditional and various non traditional sushi. Squid Ink Sushi offers various appetizers like squid and Nancy (tempura fried squid), Korean sticky ribs, char grilled chicken wings with hot pepper sauce. They offer salads and bowl meals like Squid salad, ginger chicken salad, wagyu beef salad. Some of the entrees they offer are grilled salmon, coconut curry shrimp, a wagyu burger, and pepper crusted filet mignon.
Today we started out with some sushi (a spicy tuna roll, salmon, mackerel, and tuna).
The one thing that is noticeably different was the rice. It was pressed tighter than most places press the rice. That is a good thing. The FORKING Truth is that my introduction to sushi was from the Iron chef himself Masaharu Morimoto when he was the actual working chef at his namesake restaurant in Philadelphia. I didn’t know him personally but ate at his restaurant often enough to get a wave from chef Morimoto when I came in. Getting back to sushi Morimoto’s sushi was the prettiest, smallest and most tight sushi I ever had anywhere. To this day I’ve never had sushi anywhere like Morimoto’s sushi. So the tightness of the rice brought back that memory for me. Today the fish is very similar to other sushi restaurants in the area but the rice is shaped better.
But I am finding out the stand out items to be the entrees.
We split the Japanese Beef Salad made with grilled wagyu steak.
This is a different and really great salad. The beef is tender and flavorful. In the salad are soft greens, red onion, sweet tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro, wasabi peas, and a sweet and spicy vinaigrette. These are especially good salads.
On a past visit we took out the Thai style chicken fried rice and the Atlantic salmon bowl. These were tasty and good.
But my favorite plate I had was a take out plate when they had Scottish salmon on the menu (not on current menu) On the right side of the photo below.
This salmon was amazing…Like from the best restaurant. So silky fresh and cooked medium like just right with a tasty char. On the left is a beef yakisoba. I didn’t try that one.
GET the Japanese beef salad made with wagyu beef!
Don’t miss the Scottish salmon when they have it.
Well that was a little taste of Squid Ink Sushi in Peoria AZ.
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff Story” about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and was only expected to make it another three months or up to six months if we were lucky. Louie was already old and couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed eating and still loved going out to eat so I took him out to eat as much as I could. Instead of the 3-6 month diagnosis Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat as much as I can.
If you are dining out with dogs there is a lot that you need to know. Not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. It is always BEST to call a restaurant first before attempting to dine there with your dog. You don’t know if the patio could already be booked for a party. It is also ALWAYS BEST to dine with your dog at off times. It is always BEST to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Not all people love dogs and some complain. Other people are allergic to dogs. It is also best to avoid other dogs because dog tend to bark at each other and this could be considered to be a disturbance and you might be asked to leave. It’s BEST to dine with dogs at off times.
Do you know that most of the food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even toxic to dogs? You need to get a list of what foods are safe and what foods to avoid to give to dogs. Usually a sauce free lean piece of meat is usually a good choice. You should also bring a water bowl for your dog.
You have to consider the temperature in Phoenix when dining out with dogs. All dogs like people do have different heat tolerances. Usually 90 degrees F and up is too hot and very dangerous to dine out with dogs. Your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. They wear fur coats. They absorb heat cup their paws and they can’t sweat. Ninety degrees F and up it is always best to leave your dog safe at home.
You also need to be aware that there are some rules to dine out with dogs. Your dog must close and by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT permitted to sit on restaurant furniture. Dogs are also not permitted to eat off of restaurant plates.
Got all that?
I think we are ready to dine out with dogs.
Our first trip is to the Twisted Italian in Peoria.
They only have two sets of tables out front but this restaurant is officially dog friendly and is listed on www.BringRover.com
They start us out with bread, oil and vinegar.
Then we share the southwest hand made pierogi.
The pierogi are tasty but are not dog friendly. I break off just a tiny end for the dogs to taste.
For my main I had the citrus salad with added salmon.
My dogs liked the salmon.
My husband had the antipasto salad.
The dogs got some cheese off of that salad.
www.EatTwisted.com
We were lucky because it is starting to heat up in Phoenix but today around 11am the weather was still pretty cool so we made it out to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and offer most of your Vietnamese favorites except for Pho.
Today I got the salmon firecracker rolls and the chicken cabbage salad.
This cabbage salad is delicious. It’s made with tender marinated chicken breast. It’s herby with cilantro and mint and has a light vinaigrette dressing. The salmon roll is really different with nicely prepared salmon that is moist…It’s wrapped in seaweed with a nice crisp wrapper and Asian seasonings. It rest over more cabbage and comes with an Asian dressing. I can’t believe that these are only priced at $4 & $5 each.
My husband got the beef Banh Mi.
The beef in it is so delicious and tender…..It seems like a very flavorful filet to me but I know that it is ribeye. It’s really great! We always love coming here.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
Now it is getting too hot to dine out with dogs. It is suppose to be close to 100 degrees here today. At 10am it is only 83 degrees F so we took the dogs to Culver’s so they could eat something out. (Culver’s is a national fast food chain but the butter burgers are never from frozen and the cod is always hand battered to order. They also serve daily made frozen custard) We ate someplace else.
Here we are at the drive threw…(the dogs know what they are getting).
Then my big dog pushes my small dog out of the way so she can see the burger coming.
Nobody is on the patio so we feed the dogs half of the burger.
I remove the bun for the dogs. They only need some meat and cheese.
This is some of the burger. It feels very moist and looks caramelized.
The dogs always enjoy food from Culver’s.
www.Culvers.com
We hope that you enjoyed Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ May 2021. It’s heating up in Phoenix so the dogs might be mostly dining in. We will see you when we can!
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
I haven’t been everywhere but I have tasted some amazing dishes this year. There are many GOOD ONES that I can list here but narrowed it down to the ones that stood out the most……….All the dishes taste TOP of the line, They are all marvelously good, peachy keen and Dynamite.
The Bufalina Pizza from Fabio On Fire in Peoria – Is made with high end ingredients such as San Marzano Tomato sauce, imported buffalo cheese, oregano, garlic, arugula, reduced balsamic vinegar, farm fresh sweet tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. This has all kinds of flavors going on. Also the heat of the pizza warms the cheese JUST SO and you taste the most exquisite mozzarella the way it was meant to be enjoyed instead of just heating it to death on the pizzas like most places do.
The ground filet burger from The Bourbon Cellar in North Scottsdale. This is a ground in house burger that taste more like a fine steak. I have no idea how this burger has so much flavor. I think that it is best to enjoy this burger open face with a knife and fork because it taste like a juicy steak.
Speaking of a juicy flavorful steak…..
The filet mignon from Confluence in Carefree is excellent and not your grandfather’s plate of steak. This plate came with fried green tomato, fiddlehead ferns, white asparagus, black eyed peas, basil creme fraiche and the most buttery tender flavorful steak ever. (NOTE*******the menu at Confluence is ever changing with what is fresh from the local farms and does change often)
The Confit Wagyu Beef Cheek from Confluence in Carefree is a FORKING JAW-DROOPINGLY astonishing. …. The only bad news is that the menu from Confluence is ever changing so you might not be able to get this dish when you want it. But the good news is that this restaurant pretty much always is serving something amazing.
The Strawberry Gelato from Fabio On Fire in Peoria might be the best in the whole country. I take that back….because…It probably is the best in the country!
The Salmon Salad is very special from Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale. The salmon is from Chula Seafood. This one was melt in your mouth succulent with tasty grill marks. It POPS from the sweet grilled lemon and PINK PEPPERCORNS…that are a magical combination that I didn’t expect. The rest of the salad is fresh spring mix, gold beets, fennel and grape tomatoes…It’s only a salad so you can splurge for the Luna Gelato that is extra special too!
The Chicken from Valentine in the Melrose area of Phoenix was superb. It was smoky (but not too smoky), masterfully tender, moist, and flavorful. With that deep developed sauce, cabbage, durum wheat berries and kerned dill yogurt it was an explosion in every bite.
The Kokomo Chop Bowl from Little Cay Latin Caribbean Kitchen is one BAM-Diggitty-YUM-Dinger (When you add the seasoned Puerto Rican Pique sauce on the table) This Chop Bowl is full of yummy marinated chicken, yellow rice, black beans, curry mayo, rum soaked cranberries, add that pique sauce and it is FORKING BOMB!
I think a doughnut can be on this list if it is the FORKING BEST that I have tasted.
There is a donut shop on Bell Road in North Phoenix called Daily Donuts and Wings. I have only tried a few donuts so far and each one that I tried was the best of it’s kind that I have tried anywhere. I think my favorite might be the glazed lemon filled. These donuts are so fresh, have the perfect sweetness, seem light as air, and are DELICIOUS and overly easy to inhale.
The buttermilk fried chicken that is usually on the lunch menu from Confluence in Carefree is a OMG YUM kind of plate. It’s incredibly crunchy and crisp on the outside. The interior is JUICY, flavorful, EXPERTLY prepared tender chicken…..but I didn’t mention that INSANELY delicious sauce on it. The sauce is called chili tepid honey mustard sauce. It is a little spicy but not too spicy and is really FORKING plate scraping delicious. I also note that for me this is a very large portion and I make two meals from the chicken. My husband eats more than me and just eats the whole thing.
Taco Fusion in Glendale makes VERY GOOD Tacos (especially the habanero mild chicken taco with pineapple salsa) on hand made tortillas that are delicious. But this corn cake from Taco Fusion is amazing. It has a great corn flavor and taste like it’s a mix of custard and cake together. It’s just an AMAZING dessert! It’s better than the majority of desserts we get out at most places.
But I must mention this one…..
I have to give it to Fabio On Fire in Peoria again. This Strawberry Rum Cake is so good I’d tell a diabetic to eat it. It was really so delicious! I had to mention it.
My husband ate something very special that I didn’t eat so I want to mention it.
He REALLY LOVED the slow braised osso buco from the Italian Daughter in North Scottsdale.
It was falling off the bone tender. He loved digging into the bone and enjoyed the marrow. The sauce was nice and rich with the perfect deepness. He really enjoyed this and wants to have it again.
These were some of the Marvelously Great Foods that stood out in 2021 so far. I do note that many others are out there.
Dining out with dogs is just a “FLUFF” story about dining out with my dogs. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told that he only had 3 or maybe up to 6 months to live. Louie was already elderly and couldn’t do a lot but he always loved to eat and also loved going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often as possible. Instead of the diagnosed 3-6 months Louie made it another 17 months. Today I took my current dogs out to eat.
There are things that you need to know about dining out with dogs. Not all restaurants with patios are dog friendly. It is always best to call a restaurant first and ask if it is ok to dine there with your dog. You never know if the patio is booked already. It is also always BEST to avoid as many other people and other dogs as possible so it is best to dine with your dog at off times. Some people hate dogs and other people can be allergic to dogs. It is also best to avoid other dogs because dogs enjoy barking at each other and this can be considered a disturbance and you might be asked to leave. Avoid as many potential problems as you can and dine out with dogs at off times.
You need to get a list from your veterinarian of food and drink to avoid giving dogs. Much of the food and drink that is yummy for you can be harmful or toxic to your furry best friend. Usually a small lean piece of meat without sauce might be a safe choice. You should also bring a water bowl so you best friend has a drink. Here in Phoenix the temperature is an issue. All dogs do have a different heat tolerance but also all dogs are less heat tolerant than people. They wear fur coats. They absorb heat up the paws and they can’t sweat. 90 F degrees and above is too hot to safely dine out with dogs. Maybe up to 90 F but only in full shade might be ok for younger healthy dogs? Hopefully you can judge your dogs needs. When there is any doubt leave your dog at home.
When you are ready to dine out with dogs you need to know that your dog (s) needs to be by your side at all times. Dogs are also not to sit on restaurant furniture. Dogs are not to eat off restaurant plates.
Our first dining out was to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving Banh Mi baguette sandwiches and offer around a dozen different varieties. They also offer many Vietnamese favorite dishes EXCEPT FOR PHO. Today I got a chicken rice plate.
I haven’t gotten this one in a while because it is usually 2 dinners for me. But gosh that chicken is really FORKING DELICIOUS.
It’s around 8 ounces of JUICY DELICIOUS FLAVORFUL slightly charred DELICIOUS chicken. The plate comes with some pickled vegetables, lettuce, seasoned rice, egg roll, fish sauce (for dipping the chicken) and some chile sauce. This plate makes anyone with a mouth happy.
My husband got the pork rice plate. He also enjoyed it. The dogs AND MY HUSBAND helped finished off my plate because that chicken is really great. (I honestly think it’s one of the best chicken dishes around this part of town)
We always enjoy Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
We enjoy going to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in North Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide. They serve Neapolitan Pizzas, house made pastas, Italian dishes, seasonal specials and more! They offer a nice patio with heaters, shades and misters for our comfort.
Today I got the strawberry chicken salad.
My husband got the piccante panino (imported prosciutto crudo, spicy soppressata, flor di latte, lettuce, house made spice sauce).
Dogs got to eat some of my chicken and cheese from the side salad. They were pretty excited about that.
www.BottegaRistorante.com
Next trip out was Phila-Deli in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide. They are a small hoagie and cheesesteak place but I like the build your own salads. (at the moment subject to change they serve these salads for $8.99. Avocado is 75cents extra).
There is plenty of chicken to share with the dogs.
They also got some beef from my husband’s cheesesteak.
We always get a filled belly from Phila-Deli.
www.PhilaDeliAZ.com
We also got to take the dogs to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale/Arrowhead/#UpperWestSide. This restaurant is an American Restaurant that offers American-Italian style food, some healthy choices, and a menu of pork ribs and New York Strips, plus more. They offer a large spacious officially licensed dog friendly patio and it usually isn’t crowded during the day.
Today I got the strawberry chicken salad and my husband got a lasagna with extra hot sausage.
This salad is refreshing on a hot day.
The dogs always enjoy eating at Cucina Tagliani’s.
www.CucinaTagliani.com
That was dining out with dogs in Metro Phoenix for April 2021. The weather is turning hot so we will have to get out early before the temperatures rise too much for Dining Out With DOGS if we can……we hope to see you next month!
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Leo’s Island BBQ is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch (including dinner) casual restaurant located near Arrowhead Town Center (mall) in Peoria Arizona. Leo’s Island BBQ is one of the few independently owned restaurants in this area. They offer around THIRTY varieties of the Hawaiian Plate Lunch. The Hawaiian Plate Lunch is a large styrofoam container filled with around eight ounces of one or two proteins, a bed of steamed cabbage, maybe some other steamed vegetables, a double scoop of white rice (or up-charge to brown rice) and a big scoop of Hawaiian style macaroni salad. They also offer appetizers, soups. salads, mini meals, burgers, Hawaiian bowls, family meal deals and catering. The food is never from frozen and is fresh made and even the sauces are made in house. Not all but many of the Hawaiian Plates are priced under $10.00 before tax. It’s not fancy food but it is superior to anything fast food and isn’t priced much different than fast food.
Inside is casual and you order and pay at the counter.
During normal times you. can seat yourself in the dining room (currently closed during covid.) Or you can seat yourself at one of the few tables on the patio or just do take out.
Today I got the maui maui grilled fish.
It’s a lot of food…I get 2-3 servings out of this. The fish is always prepared to perfection with a nice slightly crisp exterior and is always moist inside. I get LOTS of steamed cabbage and a few pieces of broccoli that seem healthy….There is a very generous serving of rice that can feed a small family and a good sized scoop of creamy macaroni salad that always get tastier if you hit it with a little sriracha.
My husband got the chicken kalua pork combo.
It’s a good amount of grilled marinated chicken thigh with grilled smoked pulled pork and a lot of rice, cabbage vegetables and macaroni salad.
Below are some of the other. plates we tried.
combo with bbq chicken and crispy shrimp (shrimps are shaped like onion rings)
island curry chicken (white meat)
lemon pepper chicken
garlic shrimp
loco moco (burger patty, fried egg, gravy.( added Spam)
curry bbq chicken MINI MEAL (………not so mini)
bbq chicken salad
chicken and rib combo
That was a taste of Leo’s Island BBQ in Peoria AZ.
