The Mekong Plaza is an Asian Shopping Center that is a mall with a dozen Asian restaurants, an Asian/International Grocery Super Market gift shops and more. Today we thought we’d do some exploring here and mostly tasting.
We started with a full service Vietnamese Restaurant called Com Tam Thuan Kieu.
We shared a dish that is seldom found at most Metro Phoenix Vietnamese Restaurants called Com Do Ga Roti (fried Cornish hen with tomato paste red rice). Today they were out of Cornish hen so chicken was offered.
First came out a cup of broth and chunks of very developed soft pork.
Next we moved on to the main event.
We received a generously sized plate of very moist tender delicious bbq chicken thigh made with house made bbq sauce. I picked fish sauce as the dipping sauce and it went together to make something mighty tasty. The plate also came with pickled vegetables, a fried over easy egg and tomato paste red rice. I’ve had Vietnamese red rice before and this differed as they do from home to home or restaurant to restaurant. Here the rice was on the dry side and contained very little tomato.
Below is com do ga roti from Thao Sandwiches now closed for business. You can see the texture and tomato and seasoning does differ.
Thao Sandwiches (now closed for business)
Moving on next stop was suppose to be a Filipino Restaurant called Wholly Grill for Grilled Tuna with Eggplant Salad but that wasn’t on the menu today so we stopped at Heng’s Kitchen in the food court instead to share a Szechuan Spicy Boiled Fish.
Soon we are served and they are nice enough to split the rice plates for us. The fish is very tender and mild and cooked to perfection. We receive a good amount of bean sprouts and fresh chopped cilantro. There is some heat from hot chili and some Sichuan peppercorns but this is the least spicy Szechuan Spicy Boiled Fish that I’ve ever had…….I saw the chef looking at me when I ordered it……..It’s possible that he thought I looked like someone that can’t handle spicy foods and it’s a possibility that he was trying to spare me too much mouth numbing painful heat?????? I don’t know…..but that’s what I thought. This dish was still very good but super mild for the kind of dish that it is.
The last time I had Szechuan Spicy boiled fish it looked like this from Szechuan Cosine in Glendale.
from Szechuan Cusine in Glendale
See all the peppers…..now this was ultra spicy and mouth numbing.
Now we take a break and walk around Mekong Market. Lets see what we see.
Chestnut Kit Kats!
WOW Sake KitKats too!
Boiled corn with colorful kernels.
Faux fish.
LOTS of real fish. (near the middle is rabbit fish…..rabbit fish?……does it hop?)
Much more fish..thought the moon fish look attractive…..they shine much more than the photo shows.
Lay’s tomato and cucumber flavor chips.
Togarashi
Lay’s Spicy Hot Pot flavored potato chips that actually DO contain Szechuan pepper.
Asian gefilte fish…..who knew?
Fermented mudfish in rice……….?
Best Wild Jelly Fish Head.
Yellow Rock sugar…….I don’t know about yellow sugar??????? Makes me think of a Frank Zappa song.
A whole world of produce and herbs.
We decide we can hit one more restaurant and go to Happy Baos.
They are packed and we have to wait outside.
In reasonable time we are called in to sit at a table.
This is a tiny restaurant that is very packed with tables close together.
I don’t know if they are short on help or just very unorganized today. We’ve had ordering problems and waited abnormally long for our food while others around that came in latter had multiple plates. But this restaurant was written about in the Arizona Republic recently and might be busier than usual????? We finally get served.
Chicken Cabbage Dumplings and a Tofu Vegetable Bao.
The Bao is ok….
There is a possibility we waited so long because they rushed out a batch of dumplings for us. These dumplings seemed rushed because they lack seasoning and the cabbage they were suppose to contain.
That was my trip to Mekong Plaza in Mesa.
www.MekongPlaza.com
Every FORKING Thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
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!
Worth a Fork!
www.RestaurantConfluence.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
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 Dog
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.
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?
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.
The Forking Truth
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…..
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.
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.
Worth a Fork!
www.TheLarderandtheDelta.com
Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
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.
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.
