Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

My Forking Thoughts on “Tastes of the World” at Coca Cola Las Vegas NV

2 Replies

 

Coca Cola World is located on the Strip in Las Vegas and besides of offering all kinds of collectables they also can sell you  an international tasting of 16 Coca Cola Products from around the World!

Here we go Tray #1. I didn’t take any notes…….but I do remember what I liked and what I didn’t.

Tray 1

My taste will differ from yours but the only sodas I could drink were

#5 Aquarius Libre from Spain. It was citrusy tasting and refreshing.

#6 Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand. It tasted like a Honeydew Melon.

#7 Smart Watermelon from China. It tasted like watery watermelon juice.

#8 Fanta Pineapple from Greece. It tasted like Lifesaver Pineapple Candy.

Tray 2

 

I don’t want to spoil this for you but I found tray two mostly inedible. The only beverage that was somewhat edible was the #5 Sunfill Mint from Djibouti. The beverage tasted like minty mouth wash to me. The other flavors were hard to stomach………

But one soda the #7 Beverly from Italy…………………………made my throat lock up……….it was not digestible………… and I had to spit it out.

I SURE DIDN’T SEE THIS ONE COMING!

It was like driving and hitting the biggest deepest pothole you ever hit.

It was a Tidal Wave of unbelievable bitterness. I think this liquid could be me vomit.

Beverly truly was so shocking it was polarizing.

I screamed after it was in my mouth. I remember it had the most horrifying stomach turning bitterness to it. My husband thought I must be exaggerating so he tried it and said you are right that is horrible. The worst….I gotta buy one for my dad. (who is from Italy)

The Forking Truth is Coca Cola Beverly Soda from Italy is one of the least favorite things I ever tried to swallow.

It sort of was fun to taste International Flavors of the World….But I would have skipped over Beverly if I knew what it tasted like.

I note everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

I also found out that Beverly is no longer sold and only made for Coca Cola Tastings at Coca Cola Worlds.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth is that Every Forking Dining Experience is Subject to Change

2 Replies

 

WhyyyyyyyWhyyyyyWhy…..

It’s very painful for me to tell the story about a recent dining experience at a Modern European Restaurant in Scottsdale since I had prior experiences here that were excellent at this place. I purposely have not used the name of this restaurant in my review because I don’t want to bring negative attention to them but I do want to tell The Forking Truth………because that’s how I roll………I do really hope that what I experienced was temporary…….. This is a stunningly beautiful restaurant with a glamorous artsy atmosphere of crystal, cozy sofas and beautiful wood work. It has a unique stunning atmosphere indoors or out.

 

I thought this would be an idea place to dine out with my In-Laws for my Mother In-Laws’ Birthday.

I’ve been here a few times before and we have enjoyed.

House salmon over potato cakes.

Pastrami Hash

Dessert Pierogis

Oxtail Stew

Ruskie Pierogis

Filet

Everything pictured above was Amazing and Delicious!

The Pierogis were so incredible last time that I suggested that we start off with a plate of them to share. Last time they were well prepared, spectacular with all kinds of complexity, a delicious sherry wine glaze, caramelized onions, melted leeks and tasty mushrooms with  carefully made pierogi containing a careful combination of farmers cheese and potatoes. These pierogis really knocked my socks off. At the time I thought they were the best I ever had.

This time I received something different.

These Pierogis were made with very GOOEY DOUGH and lacked the sherry wine glaze and many of the flavors they had last time. We all tried them and ate them not because they were good but because I couldn’t believe how strange they were…….I did inform the waiter they were different from last time.  🙁 I thought at the time it was best to just move on…hoping that this wasn’t a precursor of things to come. But I also did get a sudden urge to leave that I ignored.

My Mother – In – Law and I both order the BBQ Glazed Salmon. Maybe you don’t want to read the details below. To sum things up this plate was NOT GOOD.

  1. The Fish was old tasting 🙁
  2. BBQ Sauce (LOOK at the BBQ Sauce…does it look like BBQ Sauce?) tasted like raw salty tomato paste with another slightly sour ingredient that highlighted the lack of freshness of the fish. (the sauce made the fish taste even worst)
  3. Potatoes weren’t awful but were rather plain and might have lacked dill and hemp I thought I read on the menu.
  4. Corn splash on left side of plate did taste like corn but also with a raw flour taste.
  5. Corn splash on right of plate just didn’t taste good. (one corn splash was suppose to be Creamed Corn and the other was suppose to be a Corn Nage) 🙁

…this dinner was  🙁      🙁       🙁     🙁       🙁

NOT WORTH A FORK!

To tell the whole Forking Truth the other two dinners were ok I was told.

Octopus Dinner

Stuffed Cod Dinner.

The waiter noticed I left a good amount of food on my plate and he asked me if I wanted it wrapped up. At that point I did inform the waiter about the “Off Tasting” “Old Tasting” fish and he said he’d tell the kitchen. I didn’t really expect much but I was surprised that nothing came of this either. But then again I didn’t go into detail with the dish……I thought I’d just sum up the most serious offensive. As offensive as the BBQ sauce was I was able to scrap it off but I couldn’t scrap off the fishy fish taste. The only part of my dish I finished was the small clump of spinach.

After the main courses my In-Laws and Husband all had Gelato.  They complained to me that all the gelato served all was full of ice crystals.  🙁

When I made my reservation I specifically requested a Happy Birthday to my Mother-In-Law and my request was overlooked.  🙁

The Forking Truth is that no matter how beautiful the atmosphere is or how nice the waiter seems……The Food is what matters in the end and in the end I can only remember Gooey Flat tasting Pierogis and Fishy Fish topped with Salty Slightly SourTomato Paste masquerading as BBQ sauce.

I don’t know what happened…….I can only speculate the chef has been replaced with someone far less skilled. (I am just saying the very least)

I can only hope that maybe this restaurant is between Chefs and soon will be Amazing Again.

The Forking Truth is that everything is subject to change and YOUR or MY Dining Experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Sin City’s Sweet Side – Some of the Desserts on the Las Vegas Strip

Leave a reply

 

I was in Las Vegas only a few short weeks back. I do have a few more stories to tell and I thought after the worst mass shooting in US History maybe a “sweet story” would be a welcome today.

Las Vegas also known as Sin City offers many temptations.

One of the most famous desserts is Emeril’s Banana Cream Pie that’s offered at multiple Emeril Laggassi Restaurants on the Strip. Somehow this dessert is always perfection. Even people that don’t like bananas love this cake. This dessert is layers of moist delicious tasting cake with layers of these really perfect tasting bananas. The bananas taste better than normal bananas. There are tons of bananas in the cake with just enough cream and sauce and really rich chocolate flakes. This is a must do in Vegas.

Table Ten Las Vegas

If you are up for a some really fine dining and have dinner at L’atelier de Joel Robuchon you MUST ORDER the Les Tartes.

I just have to call this one Little Slices of Heaven. The variety of tarts varies but each little slice is stellar. You just might hear angels singing.

Pinkbox Doughnuts are voted best doughnuts in Vegas. Here we tried Key Lime and Chocolate Dipped.

It was on my list to find the Milk Bar in the Cosmopolitan and try the famous Milk Quake. It’s ice-cream mixed with a cookie or cake. We ordered the Strawberry Corn Flavor.

Sorry neither of us liked this one. Maybe it wasn’t made correctly? Ours was very sour like yogurt and didn’t taste like strawberry. The Corn bread Cookie also was savory. We tossed this one out after a a couple taste. Well on the positive side this dessert was the lowest in calories.

Greek Walnut Cake with Greek Ice Cream who knew! Served at Milos

Maybe you’ve seen Celebrity Baker Buddy Valasco on TV also known as the Cake Boss. Here’s his Las Vegas Location of Carlo’s Bakery. We tried an Italian Lobster Roll. WOW it had crispy texture like raw thin noodles and was filled with hazelnut cream.

If you dine at Lago in the Bellagio you MUST get dessert.

This is what they served me.

It’s a work of art. It’s absolutely stunning. You must order dessert at Lago. You must go to Lago.

I haven’t found any dessert shop that compares to Jean Philippe with one location in the Bellagio and a nother location in the Cosmopolitan. It’s Willy Wonka to the max. They also sell chocolates, gelato, sorbet and pre made sandwiches to take out.

The artistry is amazing. I try a few every time I come here and everything is the best! (sadly the ones I purchased to take back melted so I couldn’t photo but I assure you the Lemon Desserts and Chocolate Cupcake are both amazing.

I also love the fancy chocolate art they always do here. Here are life size polar bears in chocolate.

On the right side is the biggest Chocolate Fountain…in America…maybe the World!

 

And that was just some of the Sweet Side of Sin City.

P.S. don’t even worry about the calories because you know what they say……

The Forking Truth

Where the Fork I Went…… Fall Arizona Restaurant Week 2017 #EATARW

Leave a reply

 

 

The Forking Truth

Fall Restaurant Week ran from September 15th-24th in 2017. There were over 160 restaurants participating. Most were offering three course meals at either $33.00 or $44.00. Some were offering couple packages for either the $33.00 or $44.00 and a few other special deals going on. This really is a time to discover a new restaurant that you haven’t been to. I’ve been to Match Cuisine and Cocktails at the Boutique Found:re Hotel before but yet again they have a new chef and new menu. So I felt the restaurant was new again. The Executive Chef is the FAMOUS Alex Stratta…….AKA Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef, James Beard Award Winning Chef, Personal Chef to Jesus Chef ( I made that one up). He’s very well known and has impressive Chef History and training. For restaurant week The menu sounds amazing so here I am again at Match Cuisine and Cocktails at the Found:re.

You step into the lobby and this some of what you will see.

It is so cool looking here.

Our First Courses were Tabbouleh with Citrus Marinated Ahi and Lobster with Spinach Agnolotti.

The Tabbouleh was Non-Traditional and was served over a passionfruit vinaigrette. It not their fault but the strongest onions I ever tasted in my life were used here. My husband said the lobster was cooked nicely and the Agnolotti were good.

Dinner was Halibut with Vegetables in a Parsley Sauce and Short Rib with Shallot and Potato Gnocchi.

Halibut was Textbook Perfect with a perfect sear and the flesh was moist and flaky. The Parsley sauce was a little flat…maybe the container needed a stir? The Short Rib was tender and flavorful. Gnocchi were tender but not gummy.

There weren’t any strong flavors in any of the above dishes (expect for the onions) For the most part everything was pretty mellow.

Dessert was a little bit of Tapioca Pudding with a little chopped fruit, topped with toasted coconut. Restaurant Week Priced at $33.00 (2017)

That was Match Cuisine and Cocktails at Found:re  www.MatchPHX.com

Another Night I re-Visited Christopher’s and Crush Lounge in Phoenix. I know I’m suppose to go to a new place but Christopher’s knocked it out of the park last year and I enjoyed a few dinners there since so we couldn’t resist. This restaurant is a little different than most. The Chef Christopher is an actual James Beard Award Wining Chef that owns and actually works in his restaurant. He personally greats everyone and ask how things were while he is working on the line.

Christopher’s and Crush Lounge Phoenix AZ

They started us off with the amazing in-house made French Baguette and French Butter…Ummmmmm

First Courses were Herb Ravioli and Scallops and Tart of House Smoked Salmon. Words aren’t needed for any of the dishes…Here you just eat because everything (so far…every time I’ve been here) has been absolutely perfect and delicious.

Dinners were Buttery Sole Meuniere and Duck Confit Cassoulet.

Then we shared a delightful an Artisan Cheese Course. (Husband’s dessert pick)

Lastly we shared Chef Christopher’s REALLY Incredible dessert!

Parnassienne of Chocolate. It’s the most beautiful Mousse Tower I’ve ever seen and an amazing treat!

Then they sent us home with a whole baguette.

We always have a splendid dinner at Christopher’s and Crush Lounge. Restaurant Week Priced was $44.00 with optional wine pairing.

www.ChristophersAZ.com

That was Fall Arizona Restaurant Week for me 2017.

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

The Forking Truth

 

 

Where the Fork I Ate in Las Vegas

Leave a reply

 

Vegas is a place like no other. It’s sort of like Disney Land but Micky had some botox and Dumbo ain’t so dumb and sells souvenirs for more than peanuts.

You can land the finest in clothes and jewelry.

You can stay in the highest end hotels.

Everywhere you go it’s a show.

You can find and see all kinds of things that’s only in Vegas. HONEST to GOD…We were in an elevator with an Elvis impersonator who was disabled and on a scooter. (dressed as an older Elvis in the white jeweled jump suit) He was drunk with a large can of beer that he accidentally spilled in the elevator.

There’s booze, gambling, prostitution, weed, a mob museum.

For about a week every year Las Vegas gets spaced out with the Star Trek Convention.

Vegas is a busy crowed place filled with people from all over the world.

Vegas can be insincere and is artificial.

BUT The FOOD is mostly so GOOD! Not just good. If you hit the right spots FORKING GREAT!

Over the next week or so I will be writing about the places I ate at while in Las Vegas.

Here is a sneak peak of what’s to come.

Just a taste!

Table Ten Las Vegas

In The Venetian

In the Venetian

Don’t worry about the calories. Everything stays in Vegas.

The Forking Truth

 

 

My Forking Thoughts on Hershey’s NY Cherry Cheesecake Bar

Leave a reply

 

Hershey’s is one of the largest manufacturers of chocolate in North America. They’ve been manufacturing affordable chocolate since 1894. People of a certain age might remember the jingle from TV commercials that went……”Hershey’s the Great American Chocolate Bar”……..Until now I haven’t come across much in the way of unusual or weird flavored food in the Hershey’s Brand until now. Here is Flavor of New York Cherry Cheesecake bar embedded with crispy cookies. New York is famous for many foods but one of the New York Specialties is considered to be Cheesecake.

I open up the bar.

It doesn’t smell appetizing.

It smells like a combination of cough syrup laced with something I remember from my childhood……..my Mom’s cedar Closet with moth balls. (I don’t think people have cedar closets or use moth balls anymore)

It also doesn’t look appetizing.

Looks like a skin disease …….. maybe… chicken pox.

I bravely taste a pip.

It’s very sweet like canned frosting.

It doesn’t taste natural at all… It really doesn’t taste like any kind of food.

It taste like how it smells……Very Sweet…..main flavor is cough syrup…..laced with cedar closet moth balls.

feeling something gritty…..

Yuk…the lumps taste like crumbs of cough syrup.

My mouth feels very greasy now.

YUK! THIS IS FORKING AWFUL!

I don’t think any person in the whole wide world can enjoy this…….

Poor Milton Hershey would be turning in his grave if he could taste this bar with his name on it.

I have no understanding of how such an awful tasting product could have been manufactured.

NOT WORTH A FORK!

NOT WORTH A FORK!

My Forking Thoughts on the Hershey’s NY Cherry Cheesecake Bar.

Your taste and experience may or may not differ……(but I FORKING doubt it)

The Forking Truth

The Chicken Fajita Salad Battle Glendale AZ Popo’s VS Phoenix AZ Carlos O’Brien’s Mexican Food

Leave a reply

 

This is a well matched battle. The competitors are two established local Sonoran Style Mexican Restaurants that have two or more locations. For the most part they offer a similar menu. I do note the Carlos O’Brien’s is a new location for the Local small chain but this company has been in business for over 20 years so I feel they are free game to battle. Both competitors are located in North Phoenix or what locals call the Way North.

Ladies and Gentlemen……. In the Phoenix corner is Carlo’s O’Brien’s Mexican Restaurant.

The Set up is-The Fajita Style Chicken Salad- Fajita Style Chicken, salad, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream $13.95

The chicken is moist, a little greasy and nicely caramelized. The tomatoes are unripe and the iceberg lettuce is very plain. This is a very plain salad…..very very plain. My guacamole was forgotten but latter arrived. It was a small side of mashed avocados with non-detectible seasoning.

Pros-

nothing is burnt.

nothing is spoiled.

I didn’t get sick after eating here.

Cons – This salad is very uninspired.

Suggestions –

Alert the public that this salad lacks any seasoning or flavor.

Consider changing the recipe or your order if you are a customer.

and now Ladies and Gentlemen!

In the Glendale corner is Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol.

The set up is – The Chicken Fajita Salad – Fajita Chicken, Garden Salad with the grilled onions, bell peppers, avocado, scallions, tomatoes, cheese, olives served in a flour tortilla bowl. $10.99

Chicken Fajita Salad with Cheese on Side ( and a s/o of guacamole given to me off my husband’s plate.)

The chicken is moist and nicely seasoned. I received lots of fresh avocado, tomatoes, olives, grilled peppers and onions over mixed greens. The salad is flavorful and very hardy.

Pros- The salad taste good.

It’s a salad that I most likely won’t make at home so it’s a treat.

I don’t feel the least bit deprived ordering a salad.

The salad cost about $3.00 less than from the Phoenix competitor.

Con’s- This salad is a gut buster.

It’s impossible to eat the whole thing and leftovers turn to a soggy mess.

The Verdict

Chicken Fajita Salad with Cheese on Side ( and a s/o of guacamole given to me off my husband’s plate.)

Glendale’s Popo’s Fiesta Del Sol Mexican Restaurant – It’s a much better tasting flavorful salad bursting with thoughtful ingredients and priced at about $3.00 less.

I do note that EVERY FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

My Forking Thoughts on Lay’s Everything Bagel Potato Chips

Leave a reply

 

The Lay’s Million Dollar finalist winning flavors for the  “Do Us a Flavor” Contest varieties are now out in stores for us to try!  I was pretty excited to try out the Everything Bagel and Cream Cheese Kettle Cooked Potato Chips from Lay’s. Everything Bagels are so bold with flavors. Those bagels are crusted with onions, garlic, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. All them flavors really wake you up and I thought that this would be a very easy flavor to pull off.

I start by opening the bag and take a whiff.

It smells like something fried.

It smells a little bit like fried onion rings.

I smell a slight sourness……

I pour some chips on to a paper towel.

I notice that the chips are very small and came from tiny potatoes. Many of the chips are folded and some are sprinkled with poppy seeds.

These chips are greasy. My paper towel is getting oily.

They are very crunchy with some potato flavor.

They do have some sort of flavor that’s similar to buttermilk with a hint of onion.

Almost ranch………..Almost Onion Dip……….some sort of cheese flavor?

Some chips are almost flavorless and some have stronger flavors.

I don’t get any sesame seeds….I don’t get that burnt onion taste…I don’t get the pops of garlic either.

Some of the chips taste almost a weird buttery flavor with poppy seeds…like a poppy seed crunch with a slightly tangy buttery dip-like like product.

Not so good………Not horrible…….disappointing!

1/2 a Fork…………

Crispy Taco and Fried Green Tomato are also out for a limited time.

Give them a try if your up for it!

Your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Guy Fieri Original Salsa

Leave a reply

 

Salsa is a tasty dip made from fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeños, spices, cilantro and vinegar and or lime juice. I usually prepare my own but I can’t all the time so I need to pick up a jar every now and then. I do find that most jarred salsa is awful and doesn’t taste like salsa. So I am on the hunt for jarred salsa that taste ok.

I decided to try a jar of Guy Fieri Original Salsa. Guy Fieri is a Restauranteur, Cook Book Author, Food Network TV Host and Television Personality. He gives the impression on TV that he knows something about food…especially bar grub so I thought I’d give his salsa a try after being on the hunt for a long time.

I open the jar and it doesn’t look like salsa. It looks like jarred spaghetti sauce.

Salsa from a Mexican Restaurant near me looks like this. The salsa pictured below is bright and fresh tasting with chunks of real tomatoes, hot peppers, fresh cilantro and garlic.

So I go and take in the aroma of Guy Fieri’s Salsa before I taste it.

WOW it smells like cumin……….. we are talking Donkey Boats of Cumin.

Then I go to taste it.

It taste kind of GOOD but in a spaghetti sauce laced with lots of cumin kind of way and not like salsa……. This salsa lacks that fresh salsa taste and texture….it’s more like cooked down tomatoes  with lots of cumin and some cooked vegetables.

It does have a little heat and some other flavors but it’s very heavy with and mostly CUMIN.

I guess “Flavor Town” is mostly flavored with cumin.

Lets see what the bottle says.

Lets take a better look at the ingredients.

Oddly it does taste better than most of the other jarred salsas I tried….It’s good but in a weird way…….because……………. it doesn’t taste like salsa to me………. (to me) It’s  salsa that taste like spaghetti sauce flavored with cumin.

Your opinion may or may not differ from mine.

Go and try it and see what you think.

The Forking Truth

You aren’t always going to agree with Food Critics……………. Falafels

Leave a reply

 

Falafels are deep fried patties or balls made from chickpeas, fava beans or both. They usually are flavored with fresh parsley, scallions, garlic, cumin and coriander. The best falafels are said to have a crispy exterior and a moist flavorful interior.

Recently a professional food critic from a local magazine wrote that the above falafel was the best falafel in all of Metro Phoenix. I kept reading this over and over because I thought I was seeing things….because………My experience did differ to say it mildly as possible…..While I found that the falafel pictured above had a desirable crispy exterior the interior although fluffy and slightly dry was mostly tasteless and totally lacked fresh herbs and any flavors a falafel traditionally has. The falafels I tried only tasted like  sesame seeds. Honestly I thought these Falafels were among the worst I ever tried anywhere.

I’ve had not all the Metro Valley has to offer in falafels but I tried more than a few so it’s not like I’m a falafel virgin.

The above fresh herb falafel is green inside and is fresh with flavor. This one didn’t have the crispy exterior but it had great flavors and didn’t leave any grease in my mouth. A few I tried not pictured here were greasy. This came from a place no longer open for business in Scottsdale.

The Falafel pictured above rates very high on a popular review site. I don’t remember if this one had any crunch but I remembered that it lacked flavors. You can see this one lacks herbs. I remembered I never wanted to go back. This one came from the Arrowhead area…not sure if this place is in Peoria or Glendale.

The above Falafels were seasoned well and were herby with a great crisp exterior. These were among the best that I tried in Metro Phoenix because of the flavorful interior and the crispy exterior.

Solid good crunchy Falafels from my favorite falafel fast food kind of place in Tempe.

This Falafel hasn’t won over any love from Professional Food Critics yet but it is among the better with a crisp exterior, and a moist fresh herb flavorful interior. Also the Eggplant dip from here was delicious with lemon and smoke. Got this one in Scottsdale.

Here’s another Falafel from a newer restaurant in Phoenix. It’s an decent Falafel….Not my favorite but not bad and OK.

Here are falafels from a newly opened place in Scottsdale. They have the correct flavors but have like a really weird soft wet meatball texture.

Back to the professional Food Critic’s pick…”Best in Metro Phoenix”….(????????????)

It’s a fact that I don’t know if the Food Critic got the same thing I tried pictured above from this same place. (As you know experiences may differ…..) The Professional Food Critic wrote for all of Metro Phoenix to see that the above Falafels are the BEST that Metro Phoenix has to offer…….

Is it possible that the recipe has changed????? ……..Is it possible that almost tasteless dry falafels are the best?????

I don’t FORKING know!

The Forking Truth is……..You aren’t always going to agree with food critics.

REMEMBER EVERY FORKING THING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE and your experience (or my Forking experience) may or MAY NOT differ.

The Forking Truth