Tag Archives: #UpperWestSideAZ

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ February 2022 – Wraps ‘N’ Curry, The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen, Cucina Tagliani, Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery

Dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ 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 diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told to only expect him to live 3 months more or maybe up to six. Louie couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed. eating and also enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often 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 when I can.

There are many things to know about dining out with dogs. One thing is that not all patios are dog friendly. You usually see a “Dog Friendly Patio” sign. If you don’t see a sign you must call the restaurant to find out if it is ok to bring your furry friend. It is also best to dine at off times and avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. It’s best to avoid people because some people out there really hate dogs and other people might be allergic to dogs. It’s best to avoid other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and this can be a disturbance and you might be asked to leave.

When dining out with dogs here in Phoenix you have to consider the temperature because your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. Dogs wear fur coats, they can’t sweat and dogs also absorb heat up their paws. All people and dogs have different heat tolerances. In general 90 degrees F and higher is. too hot to dine out with dogs. When there is any doubt it is always better to keep your furry friend heathy and leave them safe at home.

Do you know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even TOXIC to your dog? You need to get a list of safe foods and foods to avoid from your veterinarian. Usually a small lean piece of un-sauced meat is a safe bet. You should also bring a doggie water bowl with you so your dog can have some water.

Now that you have made to the restaurant patio with your dog you need to know that there are rules to dining out with dogs. Dogs must be close and by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT permitted to sit on restaurant furniture or eat off of restaurant plates.

Wraps ‘N’ Curry is an Indian fast food but made from fresh casual located in North Phoenix. They offer wraps on fresh made to order wraps, fresh baked other breads, and Indian dishes. They recently got a community patio at the strip mall near the restaurant so we took the dogs there.

Today I got the goa fish curry.

I think it’s tasty. I lick the sauce off of the fish for the dogs because some of the spices might not agree with them.

My husband had a spicy chicken wrap………sort of……He asked them not to put the sauce on…….but they did anyway.

It was dressed with mint mayo (and my husband won’t eat mayo) so he only picked at it and left the fresh made bread because of the mayo. (he ate something when we got home)

www.WrapsNCurry.business.site

4221 W Bell Rd PHX AZ

602-866-1907

Another restaurant that we went to was The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen in North Scottsdale. They are a craft American kitchen. They have a very nice dog friendly patio and the food is very good there. They also are a distillery too! One of their dishes that my husband LOVES there is the muffuletta and had it several times already. It’s served on house made herbed focaccia and he got it with their tasty house made potato chips.

I had the fish and chips….but without the chips and substituted a salad.

The Craftsman vodka crust on the fish is shattering crisp and fresh cod is the flakiest cod that I have ever had. The dogs enjoyed the cod ass well as some parts of the muffuletta.

www.TheCraftsmanAZ.com

20469 N Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ

480-401-1102

We also went to Cucina Tagliani in North Glendale. They are an. American Italian Restaurant. They offer sandwiches, salads, build your own pasta dishes and offer more vegetable sides than most places that are similar. They also offer pizzas, pork ribs, a few steaks, some other entrees, and more.

I got a strawberry chicken salad.

The chicken was a little dry today but my dogs didn’t mind.

“Wining!!!!” “We get MORE chicken when it’s dry!” “WHOOHOO!”

My husband got the Stromboli today.

“Stromboli is always a good choice.”

“We are ready for some more chicken!”

www.CuucinaTagliani.ccom

17045 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ

602-547-2782

We also took the dogs to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving the Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and offer around a dozen different varieties. They also offer other Vietnamese favorites except for pho.

Today I got the curry chicken with rice.

My husband got the beef banh mi (the beef really is very good here…….It’s tender like filet mignon but it is really ribeye)

Portions are very large (and prices are low) so we have plenty to share.

We always enjoy going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ

602-843-3637

Well that was Dinning Out With DOGS inn Metro Phoenix for February 2022. We hope that you’ve enjoyed and we hope to see you next month!

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

Harumi Sushi & Sake – Newly Opened Peoria AZ – Melt in your mouth fresh fish!

Harumi Sushi & Sake iis a small casual sushi restaurant that recently opened in North Peoria Arizona. They also have their first and original location in downtown Phoenix. Their sushi is a bit unique and differs some from most other sushi restaurants. It’s made with healthier purple forbidden rice that does have a slightly different taste. The big deal here is that the fish they select to use is from fresh and was never frozen. This kind of fish gives you that melt in your mouth texture…… They use shipped overnight Scottish salmon and Nova Scotian tuna. They top most fish with fresh wasabi that is not from concentrate. Sushi is a treat here!

Inside is small and tight.

We were packed in like sardines.

The tables were so close that we couldn’t get out until the table behind us got up.

Depending on where you are sitting plates might be flying over your head.

We started with a specialty roll called The Hot Havana.

It is hot but is made with the kind of fish that melts in your mouth. I like that they make the rolls with a thin layer of rice so you don’t get too stuffed. This Hot Havana Roll was made with yellowtail, cucumber, avocado, jalapeños and mango habanero sauce.

The yellowtail collar (hamachi kama) was fried and served in ponzu sauce with lemon.

Today this was overcooked and dry….Usually this is the best part of the fish because the collar is the most flavorful and succulent part……We weren’t checked on.

Our last plate was the blue fin tuna nigiri and seared salmon nigiri. (my husband said that he checked Toro and un-seared salmon……???)

Both nigiri were were melt in your mouth fresh.

Service today wasn’t the best. In addition to not asking how the collar was and possibly serving fish different than what we ordered…….the Forking Truth is that nobody even considered clearing out our three rounds of plates.

Service can use improvement but the sushi is what you come for here and really was melt in your mouth fresh.

They were still constructing a patio on our visit that might be ready by now?

www.HarumiSushiAZ.com

24681 N Lake Pleasant Parkway Peoria AZ

646-660-2565

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ – January 2022 – Squid Ink Sushi, Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante, Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery

Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly. He was also diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told he only had three – six months to live. Louie couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed eating. I took him out to eat as often as I could. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.

There are several things to know about dining out with dogs. One thing is that not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. Usually a sign is posted that reads, “Dog Friendly Patio.” If you don’t see that then you have to call the restaurant and inquire. You also need to know that it is ALWAYS BEST to dine at off times. You need to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. You need to avoid people because some people hate dogs and other people are allergic to dogs. You want to avoid other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and if that happens then you might be asked to leave. Here in Arizona it often gets too hot to dine out with dogs. Your dog(s) is NOT AS HEAT TOLERANT as you are. They wear fur coats. They can’t sweat. They also absorb heat up threw their paws. All people and pets do have different tolerances for heat. Generally 90 degrees and up is too hot to dine out with dogs. When there is any doubt just leave your furry friend home. Did you know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or toxic to your dog. You must get a list of foods that are safe and what to avoid from your veterinarian. Usually a small lean piece of meat without sauce is usually a safe bet.

There are some rules for restaurant dining. You dog or dogs must stay close to you and be by your side. at all times. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates.

I called up Squid Ink Sushi inn North Peoria (#UpperWestSide) and they said that they were dog friendly so we went there. Of course they offer sushi but they also offer seasonal menus that always have something interesting to try. Some of my favorites from past menus were the Scottish salmon bowl and the wagyu steak salad. Today I saw Thai chicken fried rice.

My husband had the 8oz wagyu burger with havarti cheese, shoyu onions, truffle mayo (on the side for him), arugula, on a Noble challah bun with fries.

We did alright at Squid Ink Sushi.

www.SquidInkSushi.com

9947 W Happy Valley Rd Peoria AZ

623-561-7747

We also dined at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale, (Arrowhead, #UpperWestSideAZ). They are an Italian Restaurant that also serves Neapolitan Pizzas.

“I wonder what will I eat today?”

I went with the branzino special.

“I’m here ready to eat”

I received two grilled branzino filets (plenty to share) and a big serving of vegetable studded risotto.

“May I have some please?”

My husband went with the chicken pizziola.

The dogs got some of that too!

“Your turn to feed me now!”
“We enjoy going to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante”

www.BottegaRistorante.com

19430 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ

623-777-1868

We also went to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They serve most of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. They specialize in serving the Vietnamese baguette sandwich called the banh mi and offer it in around a dozen varieties. Today. we had a pork noodle bowl and a chicken noodle bowl.

We were all very pleased like we usually are. My husband eats the whole bowl. I think it’s a lot of food. For me and the dogs it really is two meals.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

2340 W Bell Rd Phoenix AZ

602-843-3637

The next week it was unusually cold and windy or Phoenix so we took the dogs threw a Culver’s Drive Threw (a national chain) for a butter burger.

Wee fed them outside on the Culver’s patio real fast.

That was dining out with DOGS in Metro Phoenix for January 2022. We hope that you have enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.

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

First Taste of Revolu Modern Taqueria + Bar in Peoria AZ – Worth a Fork!

Revolu Modern Taqueria + Bar is a Mexican Southwest street food style restaurant and bar. They have two locations in metro Phoenix. One is in Phoenix and the one I visited is in Peoria Arizona by the Peoria Sports complex by P83. The majority of the menu offerings are shareable plates and over a dozen types of street tacos. They also offer cheese crisps, bowls, fajitas, and more.

We came around a holiday weekend when most places were closed today.

They have bar seating.

They also have traditional seating and a large patio with high top tables.

We started out by ordering the chips and trio of salsas. (this I forgot to photo)

The seemed freshly made and were served warm. The three salsas that we received were a roasted salsa, a tomatillo salsa, and pineapple habanero salsa. Everything was tasty. The pineapple habanero had very strong pineapple flavor with a nice not too hot heat from the habanero.

I tried three street tacos. They come with rice and beans or you can upgrade the sides to elote.

I tried the potato head, Del Mar (beer battered mild white fish), and the Nashville hot chicken street tacos. All the tacos are over stuffed and some are extra saucy. I wouldn’t recommend them on a first date with someone unless you are very comfortable with any situation……(You will look very messy). The first one I tried was the one called potato head “queso style” with a crispy hard cheese shell around the taco (I thought the cheese shell would taste best on the potato taco and I think that I was right) This potato head taco is really scrumptious queso style. It’s full of all kinds of flavors. The Del Mar (beer battered fish taco) is tasty with the chipotle aioli. The Nashville Hot Chicken taco doesn’t remind me of Hattie “B”s but it sure is tasty so it’s a win. I was pretty full by now. but I did manage to taste the rice and beans. Both. were very good and better than from most places. I’d say the beans might have been the best vegetarian beans that I have tasted anywhere.

My husband tried the chorizo, carne asada, shrimp diablo, and carnitas. All of them were good. The carne asada was tender. The shrimp diablo was extra spicy.

I have to say that our first taste of Revolu Modern Taqueria + Bar was Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

www.RevoluTaqueria.com

15703 N 83rd AVE Peoria AZ

623-878-0215

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

A Little Taste of Charley’s Sports Bar in Glendale AZ

Charley’s Sports Bar is a neighborhood type pub located in the Arrowhead section in North Glendale Arizona. Besides offering breakfast and an all day menu of various dishes (soup, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and more) they also offer off track betting, and events such as cornball, trivia night, karaoke, and Friday, Saturday night live music. They have also been awarded The AZCENTRAL official community award for 2021 Best Desert West Valley.

It’s not a fancy place and looks similar to other pub restaurants. They do offer patio dining. Inside are traditional tables, high tops and bar seating.

The atmosphere is energetic and loud.

My husband tried a red Irish beer called Smithwicks that he liked and I had a Patron margarita that seemed pretty good.

They had a lot of appetizers on the menu. I saw a lot of the usual things like wings, sliders, fried foods. I thought the corned beef hash street sized tacos sounded the most interesting so we started with that.

These I wouldn’t get again or recommend only because ours were served completely cold. But everything afterwards was very good!

I didn’t try the chili but my husband said it was very flavorful and also spicy.

The salmon salad is a little different but good. It’s nicely grilled and glazed with a mild chipotle orange glaze that isn’t overpowering to the fish and salad. The Atlantic salmon. is grilled to a perfect medium rare in the center. The greens are adorned with candied pecans and chunks of blue cheese.

My husband tried the 13 hour pulled pork sandwich with fries (slaw on the side at his request)

The flavorful tender pulled pork is on a rich brioche bun with some pickles. The fries are hot and fresh.

That was a little taste of Charley’s Sports Grill in Glendale AZ.

www.CharleysSportsGrill.com

8110 W Union Hills Dr Glendale AZ

623-322-3593

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Bar Food at Arrowhead Grill in Glendale AZ is Worth a Fork!

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.

Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

www.ArrowheadGrill.com

Everything is subject to change.

The Forking Truth