Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

Forking BEST Thing I ate out this week – Hiramasa w/ Huitlacoche & Tamale from Confluence in Carefree AZ

OMG YUM! This was another one of the BEST FORKING Plates I ate out in Metro Phoenix. It’s a magnificent creation that does not seem like it could be from this planet. It was something that mere mortals can’t think of……This plate had all kinds of flavors and textures. Sweet, sour, crispy, salty, spicy, lots of umami and TONS of YUM! It’s not just very good…..It wasn’t just outstanding…This was like from another planet FORKING DELICIOUS!

We must start with the fish. It was a Hiramasa. This fish came from Australia and it’s from the yellowtail family. It’s a very mild tender fish but the chef put this unbelievable sear on the skin and made it into careful deliciously seasoned potato chip texture but underneath the fish is super moist, clean tasting and tender it melts in the mouth……It REALLY melts in the mouth. …… Little smear of a spicy arbol chili sauce that add some playful heat and more flavor………(yum)…….Sprinkled around the plate are these incredible pieces of huitlacoche. WOW I’ve had huitlacoche a number of times in Mexico and here but I never had Huitlacoche on this level before. At first I thought the first piece I ate was a mushroom ……it mushroom-ee taste but more interesting. It also had a more melty texture. So delicious! This is even better than the Huitlacoche I enjoyed in Mexico. But all together with the toasted pepitas and the magical ….sweet tomatillos these flavors Forking POP like a hot air balloon. Sweet, salty, crunch, umami, spicy..POP! …… I don’t know WTFork they did to the tomatillos…..but they tasted better than tomatillos…..some sort of potion was applied. The Tamale was made with blue corn masa floured was topped with some sort of magic mango chutney. It was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating to sip my wine.

Everything we’ve tried at Confluence was great but this was one of those plates that was so great that it seemed like it was from out of this world! It was CRAZY Forking Great…Like from another planet! This was also among the Forking BEST plates of the year I tried in Metro Phoenix.

In case you didn’t know…..Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in beautiful Carefree Arizona (also runs 5 degrees cooler than most of metro Phoenix bonus). They serve painstakingly detailed quality farm to table elevated modern cuisine. This is the kind of restaurant that you should drive across town for. This restaurant serves masterfully crafted interesting dishes at a very fair pricing.

Always Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

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

Happy Fork of July! Hot Dogs, Frankfurters and Wieners OH MY!

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July is officially Hot Dog Month. The adopted German Sausage now is as American as apple pie and baseball. In doing research of who invented the hot dog it is my conclusion is that nobody Forking knows who invented the hot dog. Most likely it was someone of German decent. I found in Food Network Magazine (and no where else) that a German Immigrant named Charles Dachshund invented the hot dog. (above photo is from www.TheTreeofLiberty.com)

According to multiple sources including Wikipedia…At one time people called hot dogs “dachshund sausages.” Not all but some sources claim that dog actually did get ground into some sausages……………………..”DOG GONE IT!”…………

As time went by a hot dog vender with poor spelling skills couldn’t spell dachshund for his hot dog cart sign….so the sausages were then known as HOT DOGS.

Hot dogs, frankfurters…………………. Frankenfurter………..

Like I was saying hot dogs, frankfurters and wieners are all seasoned pre-cooked sausages. Frankfurters tend to be seasoned more aggressively and are usually made from beef. Wieners tend to be more bland and are often made with pork.

Not all but many hot dogs are stuffed into a natural sheep’s small intestine for that snap that people enjoy. Other hot dogs are skinless.

Happy FORK of July! Hot Dogs, Frankfurters and Wieners OH MY!

This mustard been a reading that you relish….if not ketchup later.

Have a Happy Fork of July!

Can any FORKING salad be a Caesar salad if you stab it enough?

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Can any salad be a Caesar salad if you stab it enough? (incase you didn’t know Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by his assassins)

I recently went to Pappadeaux Fresh Seafood Restaurant located in Phoenix.

I ordered the Creole Caesar Salad with blackened Salmon with house made Caesar dressing. ($24.95)

My plate arrives and the first thing I notice is that the fish isn’t very blackened….(for $24.95)

It should look more like this Blackened Salmon from Ocean Prime below.

The Blackened Salmon Salad from Ocean Prime

.(blackened is the technique of darkening the protein in the pan or on the grill) The second thing I notice is that the dressing doesn’t look like Caesar Dressing?

It doesn’t taste like Caesar Dressing either…..

Trust me I was a Caesar Expert….I was a professional…and preformed Caesar salads Table-side when I worked in fine dining. Maybe you are wondering WTFork is Caesar dressing anyway?

I was taught that Caesar Dressing should only be made in a large wooden bowl. You start by breaking down a garlic clove with a fork. Then you mash in the anchovies, add an egg yolk and slowly drizzle in olive oil while you are stirring real fast and you get the mixture to emulsify. Then you dance around with other ingredients and go back and forth as much as you can to make a show with red wine vinegar, you squeeze a fresh lemon, add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, back and forth with the olive oil bunches of times, stir stir stir, toss in a big bowl of hand torn romaine, add lots of shredded parmesan, add croutons and finish with fresh ground black pepper. That is what Caesar should be. The dressing should be somewhat thick, deeply flavorful and is a sort of grout color.

What The FORK is this?

It’s a loose white dressing that is almost tasteless except for the chunks of cheese that taste like a weak parmesan.

I get my husband to taste some salad….He gets mad because this salad cost $24.95 and this house made Caesar Dressing isn’t Caesar Dressing.

He flags down our waiter and questions him. We were told that the dressing is made without anchovies and egg……I didn’t ask but I think it was made without garlic and also lacks black pepper and maybe everything else…..

Maybe these days any salad can be a Caesar salad if you stab it enough?

Fun Photos were used from www.Pinterest

Can any FORKING Salad be a Caesar salad if you stab it enough?

The FORKING BEST Sandwiches I’ve Tried in Metro Phoenix AZ 2018-2019 so far

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These are the sandwiches that are not just excellent or very good….These sandwiches are what they call life changing….They go more than one step beyond…..These sandwiches are like they were created on another planet delicious and are OUT OF THIS WORLD CRAZZZZZZZZY GOOD! The sandwiches are in no particular order. Pictured first is the K.F.C. Sandwich from The Larder and the Delta in Phoenix. This sandwich holds a generously sized very moist and ultra scrumptious succulent chicken thigh that seemed lightly caramelized with amazing flavors that are out of bounds and a little heat for interest. The super awesome boneless chicken thigh that is developed with more flavors than most chicken on the bone gets topped with granny apple cole slaw, big yummy bread and butter pickles and is drizzled in a hot sauce aioli. All this goodness is set in the perfect size potato bun. They call this a K.F.C. Sandwich….I call it a Kentucky FORKING Crack Sandwich.

www.TheLarderandTheDelta.com

I don’t eat burgers often so I consider a burger a sandwich. This burger I had from The Bourbon Cellar in Scottsdale is very notable. This might be the most delicious burger that I’ve tried to this date. This is the ONLY Burger I’ve ever tried that was full of flavor, very juicy and didn’t even come with sauce. What makes this burger special is that it starts with an apple cider bun. Then the burger is filled with a generously sized ground in house prime filet burger patty, lots of greens, a tomato slice and the whole thing got topped with a wasabi deviled egg. I added on bourbon pickles because they’re unique. I think it was the best burger I’ve ever had!

Had another one since…….made with better lettuce this time.

www.TheBoubonCellar.com

Is an open sandwich a sandwich? YES it can be! Here we had grilled high quality seeded bread, tea egg, pickled shallots, dill creme fraiche, salad and house smoked buttery salmon. It’s so perfect and beautiful…..This came from Ocotillo in Phoenix. It’s just so good….I wish I could eat one every week.

www.OcotilloPhx.com

Another open sandwich that I tried that was exceptional was the Beet Toast from Singh Meadows in Tempe. High quality grilled country bread was topped with stunning vegetables of assorted beets (roasted, raw, pickled), fancy greens, avocado, almonds, onions, green beans and maybe some urfa pepper….It’s prettier than some pictures too!

www.SinghMeadowsTempe.com

This sandwich is called the BBQ Chicken sandwich from Confluence in Carefree. But really this sandwich is so much better than that….It’s OMG FORKING ASTONISHING……It should be called The Mind-Blower. The sandwich is a HUNDRED TIMES BETTER than I can make it sound. This gem must be made with magic…..I have no idea how chicken, celery root, spicy pickles, beet greens, staled onion mayonnaise and it’s on this mouthwatering fontina cheese bun can turn out this mind-blowing scrumptious!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

I’ve had some other excellent sandwiches in Metro Phoenix but these sandwiches were The Forking Best!

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

When I think about how incredible and over the top these sandwiches were….In the back of my mind this is burning…..and I just have to let out……..THE FORKING TRUTH.

It’s hard to believe but the above amazing restaurant Confluence only rates a 3.5 on a popular review site. A restaurant in Peoria that served us this sandwich a few months back also rates the same 3.5 stars. (incase you are not paying attention the below sandwiches are NOT BEST of metro Phoenix) The sandwich below is from the Peoria restaurant.

This bothers me.

I also have been to this sandwich shop in Glendale that rates a whole star MORE than Confluence from the same popular review site…..

That’s The Forking Truth!

FREE COOL Plants from Produce you already purchased

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I’ve always liked plants and don’t come across too many when I go shopping. Came up with some new plants just from grocery produce. I purchased one of those living lettuce heads and used the lettuce and saved the rootball and planted it in a plant box I have. Only a couple days later I have some new heads of lettuce growing!

It got bigger!

Did the same thing with a watercress.

The watercress is almost ready to harvest……it bigger now.

…Wonder if I can get a third crop?

Planted a garlic clove….

Maybe it will flower?

Here’s a radish top.

Below is a carrot top.

Here’s a pineapple top. They swore to me when I was in Hawaii that a pineapple top can grow a pineapple. A few days latter this one died……..???? Either I didn’t do this correctly or my pineapple top was already sick????

Maybe the most unusual one and my favorite is the cabbage core..

I think it looks kinda neat.

A few days latter it looks like this.

Love Plants…….

Working on an avocado….did it before……You put toothpicks to hold the seed above water and it will eventually root. Just a few days latter the seed is rooting but I don’t have a plant yet….

Hopefully this one will become a plant.

These are a few FREE Cool Plants you can get from produce you already purchased.

The Other Forking Best Thing I Ate Out This Week – The Hoppin John from The Delta and The Larder in Phoenix AZ

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A new best dish of the year that I tried recently came from The Larder and The Delta in Phoenix Arizona. The dish is called Hoppin John and is made with Sea Island Field Peas, Carolina Gold Rice and Herb Salad. Gosh it’s Forking Scrumptious and you don’t have to wait till New Years to eat it. Why wait? You can prosper now!……. It’s earthy, a little spicy, deeply flavorful also with interesting textures like crisped rice. The Sea Island Field Peas have a taste that is not so different from lentils. This dish taste like a marriage of Persian Tahdig (Bottom of pot Crisp Persian Rice Casserole and Lebanese Mujadara (rice & lentil with onions) It’s just so delicious that you won’t be able to leave your fork down for long!

While we are here I should also let it be known……..That I’ve tried many hot chickens in metro Phoenix and I have tried Hattie B’s…………but the absolutely FORKING BEST Hot Chicken I ever tried anywhere was the K.F.C. Sandwich from The Larder and The Delta. The thigh meat was so succulent, juicy and flavorful like no other. The coating was ever so slightly caramelized, crisp, spicy but not too spicy. Big gorgeous pops of pickles cut threw and a really great slaw with the perfect bun…..better than good…. it’s like from another planet.

OMG….to me that K.F.C. stands for KENTUCKY FORKING CRACK SANDWICH. This is really to die for!

But today’s extraordinary dish was The Hoppin John!

The Larder and The Delta is a small restaurant located in downtown Phoenix. In case you didn’t know they serve high quality chef driven modern food that swings southern inspired. A Forking Great little place to check out.

The Other Forking Best Thing I ate out this week was the Hoppin John from The Larder and The Delta in Phoenix.

www.TheLarderandtheDelta.com

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

Dijon Vu – Dijon Mustard Tasting – Grey Poupon VS Amora

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Dijon Mustard was originally made in the town of Dijon located in Burgundy France since the Middle Ages. Since then people have enjoyed Dijon Mustard and it’s a part of food history.

For years and years the only Dijon Mustard I used in recipes was Grey Poupon. I don’t spread mustard on things because I find that most mustards are very overpowering. If I spread mustard on something I can’t taste the food…..I read about how smooth and wonderful Amora Dijon was so I had to give it a try.

In the middle is Grey Poupon.

On the left is Amora Intense

On the right is Amora 1/2 strength

First I go and give each mustard a sniff.

Amora 1/2 strength smells mustardy.

Amora Intense smells a stronger mustardy smell.

Grey Poupon doesn’t seem to have any aroma…..?

Now I go for the taste.

Amora 1/2 strength – is super smooth, mildly mustardy. It’s almost like eating a loose deviled egg that’s heavy with mustard.

Amora Intense – is a little more interesting but is also very smooth and a little bit stronger…this one taste sort of has an almost Chinese-like Mustard taste with Horseradish…….but smoother……This one is slightly more acidic or it taste sharper but is still delicious…This one you can feel it in the back of your mouth. This is the only one out of the three that leaves a mild mustard finish in the mouth.

Grey Poupon – Seems harsh and vinegary after the other two. I also can taste something a little sour in this one..

Those were my Forking Thoughts on Dijon Vu – Dijon Mustard Tasting – Grey Poupon VS Amora.

Your opinion may indeed differ.

Popular and The Highly Rated Recipes at The Forking Truth with updates***

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These aren’t necessarily my best recipes but they all are very good to excellent. Up above is a picture of the Cook’s Country Potato Cheddar Pierogi I made. I can’t even tell you how often this recipe is pinned. At Holiday times and when this is featured on TV up to 350 people a day look up this recipe on my site.

So far 139 people Yum’d Forking Easy Classic Boule Bread.

Portuguese Inspired Roasted Chicken got 56 Yum’d so far.

Korean Inspired Leek Salad got Yum’d 128 times so far!

So far 93 Yum’d Duchess Style Parsnips.

Healthy Creamy Low Fat Roasted Cauliflower got at least 71 times Yum’d.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza got Yum’d at least 240 times and 5 stars.

Pumpernickel Bread got Yum’d 43 times so far.

Spicy Thai Basil Salad got an official 4 stars. (might have made 5 stars if they didn’t switch up ingredients. The person rating this recipe didn’t add the oil, basil, Chile or soy sauce and used sambal instead.)

Spicy Mexican Style Cole Slaw is officially 5 Stars.

Socca Bread is officially 5 stars.

Eye Roast is officially 5 stars.

Indian Inspired Green Beans with Chia Peas is officially 5 stars.

One of The Forking Truth’s Recipes made it to our local newspaper.

Since I published this I just got a new official 5 star rated recipes.

and

Tumbleweed Potato Chips

Enjoy!

Favorite Under $10.00 FOODS I’ve Found Mostly in Phoenix AZ (2018-2019)

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I paid $3.00 each for these pastries from Cafe Chenar are BOTH Yummilious……I thought they’d be small since they were only three dollars each but they weren’t so small. One was filled with ground beef and the other was filled with seasoned potato….Both were scrumptious! I note on my last visit to Cafe Chenar I noticed some prices did go up a dollar or two…..maybe these pastries went up?….Well they should have because I thought most of the food was priced too low.

The Crispy Fish Wrap from Wraps ‘N’ Curry in Glendale is Fresh made naan bread brushed with mint mayonnaise, lettuce, onion, tomato, cilantro and hand battered fish. I think it’s tasty and quite a value for only $8.95.

Salad and go is a Drive Threw gourmet Salad to go restaurant. They offer about a DOZEN different salads and also seasonal varieties. You have different protein options but chicken and tofu options only cost $5.74. Other options that only cost slightly more are shrimp and beef. Salad and go is a local group of restaurants that operate in Metro Phoenix.

Mac ‘N’ Cheese Balls from The Social on 83rd in Peoria at P83

Notable Mac ‘N’ Cheese Balls were served to me from The Social on 83rd. They had creamy cheesy interiors and a crisp thin, seemed like oil free exterior and mighty tasty. They were served over a lemon herb aioli. ($7.50) (Price increase possible)

$8.00 Happy Hour Vegetable Plate from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante

Usually Happy Hour Food is breaded, fried, maybe wings or something heavy. But these $8.00 Happy Hour Vegetables are delicious and seem healthy….You actually have room to order dinner if you want to after enjoying them! This $8.00 Happy Hour Vegetable Plate is an unexpected Healthy, nutritious and the just right appetizer to share from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale.

Chino Bandido in Phoenix offers Chinese and Mex style foods in about 90,000 different combinations. You either get one entree with white rice for $7.35 or pick the combo with two entrees and rice and beans for $8.90. Upgrades to burrito-ize or quesadilla-ize an entree cost 85 cents, upgrade the white rice to jerk fried or one of the other fried rice also will cost 85 cents more. Complimentary snickerdoodle cookies are served with meals.

From Banh Mi Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix. The Rice Plate with Grilled Chicken (The egg roll was already consumed)

Well between me and my husband we tried most of the food that Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery Offers and everything we tried is delicious and EVERY FORKING THING THERE is under $10.00. The one plate that stands out to me today is the Rice Plate. It’s a double portion of protein, salad garnish, rice and a pork egg roll. They offer the rice plate with Pork Chop, Grilled Pork, Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, Shaken Beef and Tofu Vegetable options. I can vouch that the Grilled Chicken, Shaken Beef and Grilled Pork are Great Choices….They all taste different but all are a Great Value and are delicious…This is the best $9.00 complete plate that I know of in North Phoenix.

They are small street sized tacos but these vegan tacos from Casa Terra in Glendale are to die for……..and we’re only priced at $9.00. They are made with house made tortillas, pibil mushrooms and escabeche…OH SO FORKING GOOD!

I hit the jackpot at FiGaMi Asian Fresh in Phoenix. They have a whole menu of $3.50 appetizers I didn’t try them all yet but the three I tried were all very good. (Chicken Meat Puff, Chicken Dumplings and Burmese Style Fermented Tea Salad)

My favorite Appetizer was the Burmese Fermented Tea Salad. It was earthy, tangy, crunchy and refreshing. It was unlike any salad I ever tried before. It was made with vegetables, peanuts, fried beans and tomato. (ONLY $3.50)

For my dinner I enjoyed the Burmese Style Fish Noodle Soup ($6.50)

It was crazy Forking Good. It was a thickened fish soup with rice noodles, crispy noodles, an Asian marinated jammy egg and fresh cilantro. This dish happens to be the national dish of Burma……Dang it was great!

I’m certain that there are a bunch more out there but this is what I tried this past year

Everything is subject to change and price increases are to be expected.

Where The FORK I’ve Been – NAPA CALIFORNIA #WineCountry – Just a little taste of where I’ve been

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I tasted and drank the MOST FORKING AMAZING things in Napa California. I’ve been to Napa many times over the years and have been to many of the restaurants and many of the wineries. But Napa doesn’t stay the same. Wineries and some restaurants come and go. Many smaller wineries are getting sold to large wineries. I also noticed that there is a new more hip Napa now. Tasting have gone up dramatically in prices in Napa. Not all but many tasting rooms now are lounges with servers instead of bars you taste at.

This isn’t your grandpa’s Napa Tasting Room (The Prisoner). They seat you here and serve you some dip with crackers. (tasting was around $45.00)

Even old school wineries like Trefethen have converted to the new hip modern way.

(Clos du val)

Some tasting rooms are also show rooms for goods. We did a tasting at a Ralph Lauren Showroom. I did my tasting sitting on a $7,605.00 leather chair. (Trident Wines)

But not every tasting room is multi million dollar building.

The finest wine I tasted came from this bare bones shack and it was called Pina. Not only was the wine the finest the tasting fee was also the cheapest ($20.00 a tasting)

The Food

Protea a casual Caribbean-Latin-Global order at the counter restaurant with a daily changing menu.

Torc – a new American restaurant. Highly recommended by the locals but what drew me in was that truffles were on the menu.

The Silverado Trail is without restaurants so if one is doing those wineries chances are that you will do a stop at the Oakville Grocery.

Bistro Jeanty serves classic French Foods.

The Acacia House by Top Chef Master Chris Cosentino is in a renovated victorian mansion. They serve Californian Cuisine that’s bold yet refined.

La Calenda is a casual Oaxaco Mexican Restaurant that is part of the Thomas Keller Group.

Gott’s Roadside is a casual American Eatery with several locations.

Bottega is an Italian Restaurant by celebrity chef Micheal Chiarello.

Addendum is only open Thursday – Saturday for lunch (11:00-2:00) and is by Chef Thomas Keller. They only serve three different boxed lunches with changing sides. It has been said by many publications that the fried chicken is the best in the country.

That was just a taste….here are some pictures to savor.