Author Archives: The Forking Truth

First Taste at The Collins Small Batch Kitchen in Phoenix AZ was Worth a Fork!

The Collins Small Batch Kitchen is an American/New American and Research and Development Playground Restaurant by Chef Christopher Collins located in the Biltmore Section of Phoenix. The website states that this restaurant was created to reflect the people that live in this neighborhood. TCSBK offers a daily menu, a weekly rotating menu, a weekend brunch menu and more.

The restaurant atmosphere is for the most part Traditional American with some modern accents and Arizonian motifs. They offer various seating options that include a large bar area, traditional tables, booths and a small high top table patio. The dining areas are bright from natural light that comes in during the day.

Depending on where you are seated you might have a view of the kitchen action. The kitchen is really open…….If you happen to go in to wash your hands you will be walking into the end of the open kitchen.

We decided to start with an appetizer and tried the Pecan Wood Fired Artichokes with Parmigiano Reggiano Citrus Aioli.

Gosh they are a lot of work but the flavors are perfect and delicious. I like that this dish isn’t heavy at all. Really scrumptious dressing.

For my main I tried the Twisted Noodle Salad. It comes in choices of shrimp or steak.

It’s piled high you need to see it this way.

OMG it’s a BIG Pile of FORKING DELICIOUSNESS! It’s bright, a bit sour, sweet, spicy, flavorful, crunchy, chewy, delicious…….It’s very unique!

The salad is made of buckwheat soba noodles, kale, avocado, really nicely gently pickled cucumber, arugula, scallions, herbs, toasted coconut, roasted peanuts, carrots, chili-lime vinaigrette, steak and other secret ingredients that make this UNBELIEVABLY FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!!! I can taste some Asian Flavors with some heat. This salad has a kick that doesn’t hurt. I’m not much of a beef person but even this beef is really delicious and tender in this salad. All the flavors are magic together.

My husband went with the King’s Burger.

We need to see this again.

The King’s Burger is fit for a king.

It’s a house ground blend of beef with Abby Farms Danish Bleu, applewood bacon, Collins Slaw, red onion, pommery mustard on a local Noble Brioche Bun and Mac ‘N’ Cheese as his side.

WOW! impressed with the burger! My husband said it was among the best he has tried in Metro Phoenix. It was prepared a perfect Medium Rare that he requested too! He also liked that the bacon didn’t have all the juice cooked out of it and was still moist the way he likes it. He usually doesn’t enjoy Blue Cheese on a burger but it becomes magically delicious when its paired with the pommery mustard. Even the slaw is delicious and the soft rich roll goes perfect with this burger.

I love the desserts I’ve tried from the other Collin Restaurants but my salad was very delicious and also substantial so unfortunately I ate too much of it so I didn’t have room for dessert today…. 🙁 ……but if I had more room I would have went for the blackberry cobbler a la mode today.

The food wasn’t just well executed and delicious it exceeded my expectations!

Yes! The Collins Small Batch Kitchen was Worth a Fork!

www.TheCollinsAZ.com

EveryTHING is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may NOT differ.

Asian Style Korean Leek and Seafood Mushroom Pancakes with Dipping Sauce Recipe

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I went to the Asiana Market in Glendale and after shopping I got inspired to create something Asian Style. I came across these beautiful Korean leeks. They were big bright and fresh looking. The Korean leeks aren’t tough like regular leeks and are more like giant scallions. Some of the other things I picked up were Seafood Mushrooms and Shiso Meshi Seasoning…..I think Seafood Mushrooms are a lot of BANG for the buck….They coast only a little over a dollar a package and are tender delicate small mushrooms with stems that have a very unique seafood flavor….I love them! Another thing I picked up was Shiso Meshi Seasoning….(while I was looking for bonito flakes) The Shiso Meshi Seasoning is made of red Shiso leaves (from the mint family…..sort of mint-ish, basil-lee-ish), dried plum and lime. I thought all of these things together would make a delicious pancake and they FORKING DID! Asian Pancakes do differ from American Pancakes and are more about the filling than the pancake so they should be more filling than pancake. I embellished the pancakes with a few other things and also came up with a dipping sauce. This is not an authentic Asian recipe…….but it makes Forking SUMPTUOUS Asian Style Leek Pancakes. I made two giant pancakes that were about 12 servings….You can either make several smaller pancakes or two giant pancakes that you split up. My photo doesn’t show all the vegetables packed into the pancake. Down below is a photo that better shows how the pancake taste. The dipping sauce is also delicious and you can use it for a variety of other things.

Ingredients for about 12 servings

2 bunches Korean leeks (they come bundled in twos) – sliced thin like scallions, use all the white and most of the green. Super dirty parts I toss and soak the rest in a bowl for dirt to come out like regular leeks. I rinse twice and drain.

1 5.3oz (150g package) seafood mushrooms – cut root ball off and the mushrooms into thirds

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon Shiso Meshi seasoning (or substitute furikake)

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cup water

2 eggs – slightly beaten

1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon Korean Red pepper threads (or a small amount (1/4-1/2 teaspoon) of ground red pepper preferably Korean)

canola oil to fry pancakes

1/4 cup soy sauce – (dipping sauce)

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil – (dipping sauce)

1 teaspoon (heaping) Korean chili paste – (dipping sauce)

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar – (dipping sauce)

1 Tablespoon hoisin – (dipping sauce)

2 garlic cloves – either ground to paste or microplane – (dipping sauce)

1 Tablespoon pure honey – (dipping sauce)

2 Tablespoons scallions – (dipping sauce)

optional – to serve – top the pancakes with a little extra Korean Pepper Threads and sliced scallions

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine leeks, mushrooms, flour, Shiso seasoning, salt, white pepper, water, eggs, sesame seeds, Korean pepper threads. Mix well and set to the side.

Either make the dipping sauce now or while cooking the pancakes. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, rice wine vinegar, hoisin, garlic, honey and scallions.

Get a big fry pan on medium high heat with about a 1/4 inch of oil….When the oil is hot add either half the pancake mixture (if you want two big pancakes) or what is easier to do is to make several smaller pancakes. Turn down the heat to medium high and don’t flip over until the bottom is nicely browned. Turn to brown other side when ready and repeat till done….

Here’s how Forking YUMMY they really are! The nicer picture doesn’t show you all the goodness inside

Asian Style Korean Leek and Seafood Mushroom Pancakes

These are FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS!

Spicy Asian Style Shishito Peppers Recipe

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Shishito Peppers are mighty tasty and oh so easy to prepare. Just whip up a tasty sauce and roll the peppers around in the sauce and just broil them till they char and pop. Shishito pepper don’t cost much either…I got about a 1/2 pound of them for around $2.00 at The Asiana Market. Today I made an Asian Type Sauce that taste similar to some Korean Chicken That I have tried. Hint – hint (you might want to use this sauce on chicken) I think most people would enjoy these peppers if they can handle some heat.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

2 teaspoons Korean Chili Paste

2 teaspoons hoisen

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

a few grates fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon no sugar strawberry spreadable fruit or honey

8 oz shishito peppers

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds – (to finish)

1 teaspoon furikake – (to finish)

1 Tablespoon scallions – sliced thin – (to finish)

1 Tablespoon Thai Basil – chopped – (to finish)

non stick spray or a little canola oil

Directions

Set the oven to broil.

Spray a sheet pan with a thin coating of non stick spray and set to the side.

In a medium bowl add the chili paste, hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, strawberry spread, Mix well. Add peppers and mix well and coat the peppers.

Put peppers on sheet tray and spread the peppers out on one layer.

Place under broiler till they char and pop. Then sprinkle them with sesame seeds, furikake, scallions and Thai Basil.

These will go fast….you better run out and buy some more Shishitos!

Sala Thai Restaurant Peoria AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Sala Thai Restaurant is a family owned Thai Restaurant with two locations…one in Phoenix and one in Peoria. A same namesake restaurant is located in Glendale but isn’t connected on the websites. The Peoria location is comfortable cozy and small with around twelve tables inside and two tables on the patio. There are several TV’s up on the wall and some decorate Asian Artifacts embellish the restaurant.

They serve most of the usual Thai Dishes that you expect like the basil stir fries and the curries but they also serve a few dishes that you don’t find at every Thai Restaurant like the Spicy Lemon Salad………

and the Grilled Thai Sausage.

What makes Sala Thai in Peoria stand out from other near by Thai Restaurants is that they actually use Thai Basil and infuse that flavor in the Stir Fry Dishes and it makes a big difference in the taste of the dishes.

I’ve had green curry and pumpkin curry this year here but I can’t find those photos. But my favorite dish that Sala Thai serves is the Spicy Basil with Pumpkin shown below.

This is really delicious! It’s full of different textures and flavors. Sweet Chestnut-tee creamy pumpkin that’s cooked just so, tender crisp sweet onions and bell peppers with a good amount of basil and those Thai Flavors that get all around the hand chopped chicken ….It’s just right heat, sweet and savory.

I do prefer Sala Thai’s Basil Type dishes over a few of their other dishes. The basil dishes are much more flavorful and delicious! Sala Thai makes the best Basil type dishes that I know of in this area.

Sala Thai is Worth a Fork!

Some dishes are better than other dishes. I recommend Spicy Basil, Spicy Eggplant, Spicy Egg Bomb, Lemon Salad, Pumpkin Curry, Grilled Sausage and the Spicy Pumpkin Basil.

www.SalaThaiAZ.com

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

First Taste at Urban Margarita in Glendale AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Urban Margarita is an American Restaurant that swings slightly to New Mexico Fusion Cuisine. This restaurant is located in a strip mall in the Arrowhead Section of North Glendale and is also known as The Upper West Side. Recently Urban Margarita was listed in the Phoenix New Times as among the 10 Best Restaurants for New Mexico Cuisine in Metro Phoenix so I had to give them a try!

Urban Margarita offers a very comfortable patio with an indoor outdoor bar and a fireplace.

I decided to try the Stuffed Poblano Pepper. (but with the queso on the side)

I received not one but two roasted poblano peppers stuffed with shredded nicely seasoned, a little spicy, tender chicken enhanced with tomato and onion. The flavors are good I think most people would enjoy these peppers. The corn are fresh and crisp. Most of the seasoning is in one spot and when you mix it into the corn it turns south west flavors of warm and earthy and spiked with chili peppers. The rice taste like it just made…It taste buttery and and lets all the other flavors shine. Fresh made cheese sauce is a nice treat…I like that this dish isn’t swimming in rivers of cheese like most New Mexico Cuisine I’ve tried….This is approachable sensible New Mexico Style Plate.

My husband tries the Slow Braised Pork Short Rib in Hatch Chile Verde.

It was tender and delicious and came with rice, black beans and flour tortillas.

I thought I had room for dessert so we gave the Bananas Foster Ice Cream Tortas a try!

OMG! This was delicious!

It’s also twice are large as I thought it would be……

It’s like a doughnut stuffed with ice-cream that’s dressed with with this delicious, not too sweet bananas sautéed in anejo rum, butter, brown sugar and sprinkled with walnuts…. You get a mix of the warm sauce, warm doughnut….a little savory against the sweet creamy ice cream and delicious bananas. This was really great!

I’d say my first taste at Urban Margarita was Worth a Fork!

www.UrbanMargarita.com

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

Game Day Hot Dog Spaghetti Squash Faux Kraut Empanadas Recipe

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I got the idea to fill empanadas with reduced fat hot dogs and my spaghetti squash faux kraut. I came up with the spaghetti kraut recipe a while back and really like it. I grew up thinking that I don’t like real kraut maybe because all I tried was nasty canned kraut? One day I happened to have a bunch of spaghetti squash and I thought I could make it into something that taste like kraut. The spaghetti squash “kraut” isn’t real kraut because it’s not fermented…..that’s why I call it faux kraut. Anyways- This is a very tasty recipe that almost anyone would enjoy. use whatever kind of hotdog you like.

1 cup spaghetti squash – cooked, drained very well and packed tight

non stick spray

1/4 med-large sweet onion – sliced very thin on mandolin

1 garlic clove – ground to paste or microplane

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons turbinado or dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 juniper berries – ground (easy to smash them in a sandwich bag with something heavy)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

2 cups flour – plus a little extra for rolling

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/3 cup water

2 eggs separated and each lightly beaten (whites are for sealing, yolks are for glazing)

4 reduced fat hot dogs chopped up

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two sheet pans with quilon coated baking sheets or parchment paper and set to the side.

Make the dough.

In a large bowl add the flour, oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon sea salt and the water. mix well and knead well. Make the dough into a ball. Set the dough ball in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set to the side.

Make the faux kraut.

Get a medium fry pan in medium high heat and give it a little non stick spray. When the pan looks hot add the onions and cook them till they are clear looking. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and stir. Add the vinegars and the sugar and stir. Mix in the spaghetti squash, salt, juniper berries, caraway seeds and mustard seeds and turn the heat off. When the mixture cools down you can stuff the empanadas.

You will need a small amount of flour to roll out the dough. Add some flour to rolling surface and some flour to dough surface. Slowly roll out dough as thin as you can. You need something like a bowl or lid to cut the dough in 5-6 rounds. (I used a lid from a container of mixed nuts) After you cut your circle you might want to roll it out slightly larger. Now with your finger or a brush you need to brush all around the ends of the dough with the egg whites. Now grab a Tablespoon and fill the middle of the dough with the filling. Fold the dough over and try to seal. After you seal the empanada crimp the end with a fork and then place the empanada on the lined baking sheet and repeat till you are out of dough circles. I made 8 empanadas but I had enough dough for two more so I took the dough scrapes and rolled them into two balls and rolled each one out so I was able to make two more empanadas. When you have all your empanadas made brush them with the egg yolks but be careful not to paint the paper with the yolks because it will act like glue….Just brush the tops of the empanadas till you are out of egg yolk. I brushed mine three times.

The empanadas go into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Serve with your favorite mustard I recommend Amora Brand from France.

ENJOY!

HEALTHY GAME DAY Taco Flavored Baked Cauliflower Recipe

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I’m always thinking up something different to do with cauliflower. I made this batch of cauliflower taste just like tacos. You can dress them up better than I did with some cheese, sour cream and avocado they’d be a little more special if you like. Or you can put the cauliflower in tortillas or taco shells with some pickled onions and avocado cream and make vegetarian tacos out of them. This taco flavored cauliflower is easy to prepare. I just threw everything (except the fresh cilantro and scallions) into a bag and shook it up and then spread the cauliflower out on sprayed baking sheets. In my oven (yours may differ) they were done in 45 minutes. For a healthy option that taste great serve with a fresh made salsa and or low fat yogurt. For a more indulgent option you can also serve with a fresh made jalapeño cheese sauce.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 large cauliflower – break down to florets

4 Tablespoons canola oil

3 Tablespoons Mexican hot sauce (I used Cholula Brand hot sauce)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon coriander

4 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

8 extra large pimento stuffed olives – cut each olive in half

1/2 cup masa flour (NO substitutions as this is part of the secret to the taco flavor)

non stick spray

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – leaves – you can use tender parts of stems chopped

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

Directions

Set oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray.

You can use either a large mixing bowl or a large bag and add the cauliflower, oil, hot sauce, cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, olives and masa flour and mix well.

Spread the cauliflower out well in a single layer with a little room around each floret. Depending on the size of florets and oven the timing will differ. After 30 minutes check the cauliflower…..They should be close to done if not done. If not done turn each floret over and cook until they look slightly browned. Mine needed another 15 minutes after the 30 minutes….but yours may differ slightly.

The cauliflower really do taste like tacos…..Serve with salsa, low fat yogurt or sour cream, avocado or cheese sauce.

My Trip to Mariscos Culiacan in Glendale AZ

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Mariscos Culiacan is a casual Mexican Seafood Restaurant located in an older strip mall in Glendale AZ. This isn’t a fancy place. Culiacan is a city in northwest Mexico in the state of Sinaloa so the food served sounds like Sinaloa Style. They serve appetizers, soups, fish platters, tacos, burritos, fajitas, Mexican beverages and they also do offer a children’s menu. Today’s selection of seafood included many dishes mostly with shrimp, octopus and tilapia.

As soon as we were seated a large basket of chips, blended salsa, and cups of hot (temperature) fish soup arrives.

The fish soup taste fresh made. Taste like bayleaves, oregano, garlic and cumin but very delicate and balanced…just enough to enhance the fish stock.

My first choice the whole snapper wasn’t available today so I went with the Veracruzana Style Tilapia. ($13.99)

Veracruzana Style Tilapia comes with tortillas not pictured

I received a fresh tasting mild flaky fish that tasted like it was fried, seasoned in butter and was crispy on one side. I don’t think I had fish fried in butter in a long time and this seemed very tasty to me. My fish was topped with bell peppers, onions, carrots and the tiniest olives I’ve ever seen in my life(they looked like capers). The sauce seemed to be made with a mild chili. My plate also included salad garnish, mixed vegetable studded white rice, refried beans and steamy hot fresh tasting tortillas.

My husband tried the Marinero Relleno. ($16.99)

It was a big pocket of tin foil that contained a lot of mixed seafood in a tomato based sauce with bell peppers, onions and melty white cheese. At the bottom of the foil was a filet of tilapia as big as my meal. Other seafood in the dish were shrimp and octopus. The shrimp and tilapia were cooked nicely but the octopus was on the chewy side. On the side was vegetable studded white rice, refried beans, salad garnish and hot steamy tortillas.

That was my trip to Mariscos Culiacan in Glendale.

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

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

My First Taste at Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue in Cave Creek Arizona

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Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue is located in beautiful Cave Creek Arizona. This is a casual order at the counter…..unique Barbecue Restaurant with a Cowboy type decor.

They offer the usual smoked meats that you expect and vegetable offerings that you might NOT expect.

Fried Artichoke Po Boy with Smoked Tomato Remoulade, Smoked Apple Cider Butternut Squash Soup and Vegetarian Pulled Squash Sandwich……..Sound so yummy and different! Ah what to order….BBQ or interesting vegetables.

We ordered, got a table number, got our beverages and sat on the patio since the weather was perfect.

Soon our name is called so my husband goes in to pick up our order.

The Firebird with Olive Cole Slaw and Baked Potato Salad

The Firebird is a half Chicken that’s tender, moist and flavorful. It coated in a sticky spicy sweet sauce that isn’t too sweet or too hot…….but it is hot. The bird rest over sliced white bread and a sweet pickled jalapeño pepper. The chicken is delicious…..I like the olive slaw…It not too drippy and it isn’t too creamy…It’s just right with crisp fresh cabbage. The baked potato salad was spiked with sour cream and is very dill forward. These sides are above average for BBQ places.

Two Meat Platter with Pulled Pork, Brisket Chili and Cowboy Beans

I tried the Brisket. I really like the smoked pecan flavor…..but today’s brisket runs slightly dry and they gave us from the lean point side …..But hey I usually hit BBQ places when the brisket runs drier than normal from the flat side. We also were talked into the Cornbread. We were told that it is special because it’s made with Brisket Drippings.

I think the cornbread is best not with the butter but combined with the Chili that’s enhanced with Brisket. This works best for me….Combined they are both better this way. My husband said the Pulled Pork and Cowboy Beans were very good.

I took most of the Firebird platter home so I could save room for a House Made Ice cream Sandwich.

It’s served a little too frozen…but it’s tasty…….I bet it’s probably much better when it’s hot outside… A couple of days latter we had the leftovers. WOW the cornbread tasted completely different when I heated it up in the oven….It was so smoky and it tasted like BBQ meat……It didn’t taste anything like this before…you must get them to heat the cornbread for you. The Firebird Chicken was still moist and delicious after re-heating.

That was my First Taste at Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue.

www.BryansBBQ.com

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

My Trip to Phoenix Tacolandia 2019 – Worth a Fork! #TacolandiaPHX

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Tacolandia is an all-you-can-eat taco festival that took place Saturday January 26th from 1pm-5pm at Margaret T Hance Park in Down Town Phoenix. General Admission cost $20-$40. depending on where and when you purchased your tickets and VIP tickets cost between $40.-$55. also depending on where and when you purchased your tickets. The VIP this year seemed only slightly different than general admission. The VIPs got into the festival slightly sooner, got two free drinks and were able to vote for favorite taco.

WOO-HOO! this was an All-You-Can-Eat Taco event! Over 20 taco venders participated. There was some free entertainment and libations were available for sale.

This event was dog friendly and parking was free and also metered depending on how far you wanted to walk.

(Don’t tell my dogs that this was a dog friendly event)

The 2019 Tacolandia went similar to the 2018 Tacolandia. The event was held at the same place and the festival goers trickled in the same way. The first hour from 1pm-2pm it was easy breezy getting around anywhere you wanted to go. Either no lines or very short lines.

Then about by 2pm lines ran about 25-30 minutes.

By 2:30 I got tired of standing and was very thirsty. The line for lemonade ran 45 minutes.

Just like last year some tacos were better than other tacos. Some were made with MADE TO ORDER FRESH tortillas that were mighty delicious! The Forking Truth is that only one vender used an awful tortilla.

This was all I ate from this taco. Filling was tender but bland and on a hard tortilla that needed to be grilled.

Here are what we tried. Just like last year my husband tried more tacos than what I tried. The majority of the tacos offered were beef, followed by pork, a few chicken and I only found one fish taco. There were two vegetable tacos offered that I noticed. I wasn’t able to hit every vender but between the two of us we hit much of the offerings. One vendor had trouble and didn’t have power so I don’t know if they got to serve. Another vendor started serving tacos about an hour or so after opening.