Category Archives: Forking Restaurant Reviews

Honest unbiased reviews based on actual experiences

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 Truth

Tap and Bowl Restaurant of Scottsdale – Worth a Fork! DELICIOUS Variety Bowls, Handcrafted Beverages and MORE!

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Tap and Bowl is a unique little restaurant located in Old Town Scottsdale on the end by the waterfront. They offer about a dozen different varieties of fresh made to order artisan bowls that are seasonal and some that are globally inspired. They also offer craft beers, cider, hand crafted artisan sodas, appetizers and more!

They offer lush patio seating.

Seating at the bar, traditional tables, a sofa and high tops.

We were given water and at the time it seemed like the best water I’ve had in a long time. The waitress said that it was filtered with their Italian soda machine. So we tried a hand crafted cucumber/watermelon soda made with real cane sugar.

WOW! It was so light and refreshing! I never had a soda like this before. It was delicious and not too sweet either. It was perfect.

I went with the Atlantic Salmon and Cali Rice Bowl.

My bowl was packed full of delicious vegetables and perfectly prepared salmon that was enhanced with a delicious slightly Asian sauce. The salmon had crisp tasty edges and was towards medium rare in the center…it was really great! The bowl included cauliflower rice, edamame, carrots, avocado, onions, peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, cilantro, sesame and ponzu sauce. I’d love to eat this every week! It had so many great textures and flavors!

My husband tried the Fried Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowl.

The Chicken seemed free of oil and had a very crispy tasty exterior and was juicy inside. The pasta was prepared well and was in a tasty cheddar sauce. The bowl also included broccoli, corn, tomatoes, cotija cheese, scallions and pickled onions added some interest.

We both enjoyed our meals very much at Tap and Bowl in Scottsdale.

I have to say Tap and Bowl is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.TapandBowl.com

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

The Forking Truth

Confluence Restaurant in Carefree AZ is Always Worthy of a Mention – Worth a Fork!

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Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant located in Carefree Arizona. They prepare painstakingly detailed farm to table elevated modern cuisine. The atmosphere is classic with an open kitchen and modern touches.

Seating is available at the bar, traditional tables and on the patio with mountain views.

Tonight they started us off with house made country bread and a smear of perfect guinea hen yolk.

The yolk was jammy and very rich….The bread was just delicious..this was a treat.

Then we shared the Medjool Dates.

I don’t think I’ve ever had dates that were this fresh before…….or this creamy? The sweet dates sat on top of little mounds of labne. The rest of the plate was couscous that was studded with pistachios and golden raisins. Everything harmonized very well together.

For my dinner I tried the Scorpion Fish.

I never had scorpion fish before……It has a similar texture and taste to monkfish. It’s a dense firm fish. The crust on it is spectacular….It’s paper thin but so crisp and crusty. Bonito flakes add an unexpected smoky taste….The plate turns magical… The tomatoes taste like slow roasted tomatoes but have the texture of fresh tomatoes…..I don’t know how the Fork that can be possible….The Chinese Cabbage taste better than Chinese Cabbage…it was cooked in some sort of magical potion. The little purple potatoes just melt in the mouth in that brown butter hollandaise….and the sweet pops from the crisp snap peas are delicious and add a nice contrast.

My husband surprised me and got the Gurnard Fish from New Zealand. (I was surprised because he almost never orders fish)

It was a fresh tasting mild fish that was well seared crispy. It was served with crisp gnocchi, mushrooms, English peas and the finest Iberico Chorizo. (from a special black footed pig that was kissed by Jesus………..((only kidding))…… eats nothing but acorns……ultra expensive like around $90.00 for 4oz. )

Desserts are usually stunning so we tried the Caramel Apple this time.

It’s like a deconstructed apple pastry……On the side is a cinnamon walnut crisp that is shattering crispy. So you break it up and slice off some apple and taste it in the different sauces of honey vanilla, milk jam and apple cider. This one is delicious and really great!

Confluence is always worthy of a Mention and is – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! The kind of place that you would travel across town for.

www.restaurantConfluence.com

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

Some of the previous dishes we enjoyed from Confluence

Snapper
Duck
cucumber salad made with five kinds of cucumber
peach
Monk Fish
Guinea Hen
Fruit Granite (all the desserts were great but this one was my favorite)
This Chicken Sandwich was to DIE FOR!!!!! One of the best things I’ve ever eaten
Sea Bream
The Forking Truth

Veneto Trattoria of Scottsdale AZ – Italian Food that might make you Fish for compliments – Worth a Fork!

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Veneto Trattoria is an Italian Restaurant located in Scottsdale Arizona. They are a full service restaurant that specializes in serving Northern Italian Regional Foods and also several fresh seafood dishes.

The decor is very homey and classic. The tables are linen topped neat with polished silverware and wine glasses. All kinds of Italian souvenirs are decorations for the walls. It’s like you are in an Italian Grandma’s house. They offer some bar seating, patio seating.

There is also seating in the main dining room and the room off the main dining room.

They start you off with a basket of crusty breads, butter and oil and balsamic in adorable Italian made pottery.

One specialty of the house is the Venetian Style Cod that is very popular in Italy but seldom found in Italian Restaurants in Metro Phoenix.

Baccala Mantecato (Venetian Style Cod)

The Dried Cod (baccala) is rinsed in water for two days (or more) and then gets blended with olive oil, maybe some dairy till it turns into a mousse-like consistency and is served over grilled polenta.

But tonight we started with salads…They were fresh made and large enough to share. I started to eat mine and Forking forgot to photo it. I thought the Venetian Style Cod I just showed you from a previous visit was by far more interesting anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised with all the seafood specials they offered this evening. They offer six seafood items on the menu and tonight they offered an additional THREE More seafood dinners and one was a special branzino that was roasted in a salt crust and prepared table side.

I went with the Sea Bream Special because I don’t come across that one very often. It just so happens that one of the finest and most expensive fish dishes I ever had in my life was the Sea Bream from Bartolotta in Las Vegas. With the memory I had of that dish I had to go with the sea bream.

It’s very fresh…I don’t think it’s more or much more than a day old. It’s extremely mild and moist with unusually delicious grill marks served with some simple mixed vegetables and chunks of potatoes that taste like they were simmered in something tasty …..maybe a broth and lightly fried. The fish head is split for slurping if you care to suck out all you can….This is a really fine plate of fish for 28.95.

Someone else at our table had the Birodetto di Pesce Alla Veneta (Cioppino – fish stew)

In a fish infused tomato broth are shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and sea bass…..To be finished off with garlic toast.

My husband got the Scaloppini di Vitello Pizzaiola. Sautéed veal with marinara and mozzarella cheese and a side of house made spaghetti.

I was told all was good!

Two of us shared the Pistachio Semi Freddo.

It’s a slice of semi frozen delicate pistachio flavored ice cream that’s lighter. It’s almost like frozen mousse.

I’d say a visit to Veneto Trattoria might make you “Fish” for compliments!

Veneto Trattoria – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.VenetoTrattoria.com

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

The Forking Truth

Little Miss BBQ – Sunnyslope – Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork! with slight update at the end

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Little Miss BBQ is well known as the best BBQ in Arizona. They do central Texas Style BBQ and only the highest quality prime brisket is used. Little Miss BBQ has two locations in Phoenix. The original is close to the Phoenix Airport and the other is in the Sunnyslope area of Phoenix (considered to be North Phoenix). The original location is very busy and it’s normal to wait in line one-two hours to order. I thought I’d try the Sunnyslope location today that has expanded hours, more tables, alcohol and a few more menu items.

We pull up and there isn’t a long line outside…. (wow that’s unexpected)

We walk in.

There is a sort of lobby and we see a big smoker and a menu on the wall.

Now we’re in like Flynn….WHOOOO Hoo! It smells all BBQ-ee here!

Not bad.

Someone hands out samples of sausage while we’re waiting.

We move up in line and see some house made sauces, beverages and T shirts for sale.

It was only 15-20 minutes wait till we got to order.

I order and they weigh out the meat.

Sides get added next.

My husband gets his plate, we pay and pick up plasticware, napkins and drinks and then we are off for a table.

Do I want to sit inside?

Or Outside?

The weather is nice today so we went with outside.

WOW! Where to begin?

I got the Lean Prime Brisket, Turkey Breast, Macaroni and Cheese and the Cole Slaw.

I start with the turkey.

WOW! This turkey is even FORKING BETTER than from the Original Little Miss BBQ Location. It’s stunning with the perfect amount of smoked BBQ flavor and it’s very moist and basted with butter………………This is Forking Delicious Turkey…..It’s the best Turkey ever!

Now I go for the Lean Prime Brisket today because the fatty I tried from the original location was too fatty for me (but it did taste better than the lean). It’s really good but not close to what I remember……. I taste my husband’s Fatty Brisket….Now this is outstanding with the perfect seasons and perfect smoke….I can eat this………….It’s not too fatty for me. This Fatty Brisket at Sunnyslope (today) doesn’t seem as Fatty or succulent as the one I tried at the original location……but it is delicious! I think it’s perfection!

Fatty Brisket and Turkey from Little Miss BBQ Phoenix AZ – University (original location)


Let’s get back to Sunnyslope where I am today.

The Turkey is Forking incredible! The Prime Lean Brisket is very good…… The coleslaw is fresh, tasty and not over sauced. I was really surprised that the macaroni and cheese was pretty good….It was creamy and cheesy…

My husband got the Fatty Brisket, Pulled Pork and Sausage with Meaty Beans and Jalapeño Cheese Grits.

Everything is a WINNER HERE! My husband said, “when can we go back?”

Little Miss BBQ – Sunnyslope is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.LittleMissBBQ.com

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

The Forking Truth

Went back on a Thursday to try the Thursday special pastrami.

You have your choice of lean or fatty with the pastrami. I picked half and half. The fatty piece on the bottom did taste the best. The lean tasted stronger with salt. One of my pieces came from a different package……really I had three flavors of pastrami today. One peice had far more of an allspice kind of taste than the other pieces….(but it is normal for pastrami to be inconsistent because of the nature of the meat………This is also is a big portion…I ate a third of the meat and made two lunch sandwiches with the rest. The coleslaw tasted about the same but the macaroni and cheese did taste different today….This did taste less like cheese and had something added that wasn’t as delicious to me…..but everyone likes something different. My husband was happy to jump in and clear out the macaroni and cheese for me.


Airport Food I ate in Phoenix Sky Harbor in April/May 2019

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Sometimes when you travel you find yourself eating airport food. I heard about many local Metro Phoenix restaurants opening branches of their restaurants in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. I had to leave extra early for a flight and decided to give one restaurant a try. In general I’m not a big of breakfast foods so I was pretty thrilled to find Los Taquitos offering their full menu as the other two restaurants (Humble Pie and Nocawich) were I was were only offering breakfast.

I thought oh cool I’ll try a chicken torta…….I haven’t had a chicken torta since my last trip to Mexico. A torta is basically a sandwich on a French inspired Mexican roll.

They have a good amount of variety seating here.

They have a long table with traditional seats, a few tables with stools and a high top seating with outlets for computer use.

It’s walk up to the counter and ordering goes sort of Chipotle Style……(they ask you what you want as you walk down the line). My husband orders the food as I grab a table and guard the suitcases. He tries to order me a chicken torta. He tells the girl behind the counter that he wants to order a chicken torta. She says what do you want on the chicken torta? He says whatever a chicken torta comes with. ***********She says I don’t know what goes on a chicken torta.*********WOWEE who knew that whoever works behind the counter doesn’t know what goes on a chicken torta?

I wind up with this.

I guess it doesn’t look bad but the bread is very heavy and thick. The chicken is a generous amount of very dry flavorless chicken breast with some amounts of inedible grizzle. I also received wilted lettuce, unripe tomato slices and a smear of liquid avocado. On the side was dry seasoned rice and plain black beans.

My husband received.

Carnitas Torta with the same rice and drippy refried beans.

www.LTGrill.com

Coming back to the airport we were brave and decided to try airport food again because we were really hungry, short on time and had to be somewhere. We landed at terminal 4 this time and were walking by Zinc Brasserie.

We’ve enjoyed many dinners from the Zinc Bistro Location in Scottsdale and have enjoyed the take out at the Le Petit Zinc window here before. We waited a little while to get seated but once we were our order was taken quickly.

I got the grilled chicken salad.

It’s basically a Caesar salad. It’s a lot of romaine leaves, thinly sliced (what taste like marinated) moist chicken breast with black pepper, shaved toasted bread and shaved parmesan dressed with an emulsified slightly creamy dressing. It’s not the most exciting salad in the world but everything is fresh and good. It seems healthy and is satisfying.

My husband got the Short Rib Banquette.

Wow look how big and nice this is! This sandwich is actually bigger, better and more detailed than the last sandwich my husband got from Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale. The sandwich was delicious. The Zinc Ketchup was nicely spiced. The fries were fresh and hot and lightly dusted with smoked paprika.

Zinc Bistro Pastrami Brisket Sandwich Platter from Scottsdale

www.ZincBistroAZ.com

Airport food is rated at 1/2 a Fork because it could go either way.

1/2 a Fork…Could be good! Also could suck.

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

The Forking Truth

Black & White Cafe in Glendale AZ – Worth a Fork!

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The Black and White Cafe is located in North Glendale in the area that is considered to be the upper west side of metro Phoenix. They are hidden in a shopping center with a Home Depot on west Behrend Dr just off of 59th avenue. This is an adorable small cafe that only has 6 tables inside and a few outdoor tables. They offer an interesting breakfast menu, nicely made salads, sandwiches, fresh pastries, soups, cappuccino, latte, espresso, juices and more.

Look how cute it is inside.

On one side are big tall mirrors reflect lots of light and there are bright colored paintings for sale on the wall.

In general I’m not a fan of most breakfast food but the banana kahlua French toast and the Florentine Benedict with avocado and fruit got me interested.

Today I ordered the California Chicken Salad ($13.00)

WOW! What a nice salad! The chicken was fresh grilled to order and is nicely seasoned. There’s mixed greens, candied walnuts, sliced grapes, fresh sliced mandarin oranges, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette.

My husband got the BBQ Chicken Salad.

This salad also had fresh grilled to order chicken, romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, cheese, tortilla strips with ranch and bbq sauce. ($13.00) That’s a nice salad too!

We also shared a croissant for dessert.

It was so fresh and seemed so light it just melted in the mouth. ($2.00)

I didn’t even know this place was here until a few weeks back when we went to the Home Depot. What a great surprise!

Black & White Cafe in Glendale is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.BlackandWhite.cafe

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

The Forking Truth

My Visit to Torc Restaurant in Napa California

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Torc is a contemporary American Restaurant that offers a seasonal daily changing menu located in downtown Napa California. The Atmosphere is classic with an open kitchen and with an impressive wine list. I noticed that they have a busy bar.

Rock and roll fills the air but it’s not too loud and is at a comfortable level.

What drew me into Troc were not all the many recommendations from the locals but it was the truffle offerings I read about.

We tried the $39.00 peigord truffle grilled cheese sandwich to start out with.

The bread is grilled nicely to perfection and the plate is embellished with truffle scented aioli that’s dusted with fine French crushed red pepper.

This sandwich is light with cheese and stuffed with a generous layer of truffles. I’m very excited to try my first bite because I’ve enjoyed peigord truffles many times from the original Binkley’s Restaurant that was once located in Cave Creek Arizona. This kind of truffle can have such a great flavor that it makes your mouth try to suck up all the flavor just like a vacuum cleaner to suck in all that flavor even after you eat it. I bite into this sandwich and although its a nicely prepared sandwich for whatever reason the truffles are mostly tasteless. Every few bites I got a little of the truffle taste…….. I know that fresh truffles do lose their flavor quickly….I also know that truffles come dried , canned, bottled and frozen….I should have asked questions about the truffles before I ordered. It also is common for restaurants to show you your truffle before it’s served to you but that didn’t happen here.

For dinner I went with the house made spring green ravioli gigante.

The ravioli look amazing and are covered with black trumpet mushrooms, wild arugula pesto, pistachios and flowers.

The plate is stunning to look at…….but is best to eat with your eyes. The pesto is very busy tasting with bitter arugula, mint, basil, pistachios, raw flowers and several other flavors. Inside is just as busy…..

My husband had the house made rigatoni with Winkler Farm boar sausage sugo, spring onions and pecorino Romano.

This one was much better received.

Service was friendly and food arrived in a timely order. This restaurant was highly recommended to us by almost every local we met.

That was my trip to Torc in Napa California.

www.TorcNapa.com

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

The Forking Truth

My 1st Taste of Detroit Style Pizza at the REC in Peoria AZ – Worth a Fork! ******with updates The Rec Pizza & Dogs

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The REC is a TINY Detroit Style Pizzeria located in Peoria Arizona. They offer two outside tables. (*****Update name change to The Rec Pizza & Dogs)

One indoor table.

Four hightop community stools. (****Update they added on a dining room)

You order at the counter and seat yourself.

The pizzas come in three sizes personal, medium and large and are cut in squares. They take about 25 minutes to prepare. Many varieties of Faygo Brand sodas are offered. They offer the usual variety of pizzas and also the unusual such as hatch chili with pulled pork and spicy pickle with bacon……… As you wait you look at all the Detroit Music Memorabilia all around and a few novelty collectibles.

Then you look out the window.

I just went for a plain personal size pizza.

It’s very hot just out of the oven…I spread out the little squares of pizza.

It’s a little bit Trenton Style……..(little fact…I actually worked in a Trenton NJ Pizza Shop for a while long long ago) The sauce is on top of the cheese……that is done so you don’t get over cooked cheese……But this Detroit Style pizza is very different than Trenton Style pizza. It’s mainly the crust that is unique and different. (****Update the crust is different see down below)

It’s a bubbly thick crust that isn’t very doughy. On the edges it’s almost like eating a cheese crisp….those crackers that are only made of cheese.

The bottom has a thin layer that taste almost like a grilled cheese sandwich……It seems almost buttered but is very crisp like a really good grilled sandwich.

On top of the bubbly bread is a gooey blend of cheeses……..you can taste grated Italian Cheese………

On top of the melty flavorful cheese is rich tasting chunky tomato sauce….with the perfect amount of oregano in it. It’s delicious!

I have to say my first taste of Detroit Style Pizza at the REC Pizzeria in Peoria is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.theRECPizzaria.com

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

The Forking Truth

Did a 2nd taste on the patio.

Tried a plain again.

This one had slightly less sauce but was pretty much just as delicious.

Tried a white pizza.

This one has too much thyme for my taste…..but I wouldn’t avoid it either…..maybe you should request light on the thyme.

My husband likes meaty pizzas and enjoyed the pepperoni with added sausage.

My dogs got to enjoy some crunchy cheesy ends.

Been back a few times and more changes have been made.

main entrance

The name has changed to The Rec Pizza & Dogs (Coney Island style hot dogs)

They have added on a dining room.

They have changed the recipe for the dough. Today we tried three different pizzas. One was a seasonal pizza with pumpkin and ricotta cheese.

The dough is different.

It’s fluffy with a soft bread bottom.

The dough seemed fermented.

The crust used to have a delicious crispy bottom.

What I got today was very different.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Protea in Yountville CA

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Protea is a very small casual Caribbean/Global Restaurant located in Yountville California. Protea offers a daily changing menu. You might find things like empanadas, Philly cheese steaks, tacos, bison burgers and shishito peppers on the menu. You order at the counter, grab a number and seat yourself.

After you order and pay pick a table inside or outside.

In reasonable time our order arrives to us. We got swordfish tacos and roasted pork tacos and tried their specialty home made macaroon.

We both thought the proteins in both orders of tacos were absolutely stunning. They both were so fresh and tender. They couldn’t be more perfect. The sauces and slaws were more simple than both of us were expecting….as my mango pineapple slaw was simply cabbage and mostly just pineapple adorned with some cilantro leaves……..These are the type of tacos were the protein shines.

The macaroon was quite notable and was the best macaroon I ever did try. It was cinnamon scented, chewy and coconut tasty and also drizzled with high quality chocolate. It was just divine.

www.ProteaYV.com

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

The Forking Truth