Confluence is a small casual restaurant that serves upscale, elevated modern cuisine. This photo might look familiar and that is because Confluence is the former location of Cafe Bink. There’s a fresh new paint job and new modern fixtures. They offer lunch and dinner indoors or outdoors with mountain views.

A sort of new but familiar opening. The Chef and Owners are Chef Brandon and his wife who have worked for Chef Binkley for many years. There’s a lot of locally sourced offerings and some that are exotic too on the menus such as finger limes and white flesh salmon this week.

Dinner is meant for dining and plates are smaller and are meant to be enjoyed in multiple courses. Confluence offers a quality wine menu and glasses are generous pours.

They started us off with hot from the oven herbed focaccia bread with quality oil embellished with some vinegar..

We started with the Farm Egg with Farro, Cured Red Pepper Yolk, Brown Butter Crumbs and Grilled Leeks.

This is a very unique plate and is an interesting beginning. For me this dish runs too high with salt ( because the red pepper yolk is cured in salt) but for my husband it is just right.

For dinner I had the Red Snapper with Cucumber, Grapes, Flowers, Lentils, Fennel and Calabrain Chili.

WOW! This plate was extraordinary!

There are multitudes of perfect flavors going on here!

The fish is stunning, perfect light and flaky.

The skin has several different seasons but nothing is overpowering and this is the FORKING CRISPIEST Fish Skin I EVER HAD ANYWHERE! It is hard and crunchy like really crisp kettle chips.

This all rests in a masterfully prepared delicious broth with the most careful application of Calabrian Chili.

Next to the fish is a ring of fennel……I don’t know how they prepared this fennel but they zapped it with some kind of magic that makes it taste much better than normal fennel.

This ring of this amazing fennel contains well seasoned chewy beluga lentils with some embellishments of flowers, grapes, fresh herbs and crunchy cucumber.

This plate was Forking Awesome and it exceeded my expectations.

My Husband got the Duck.

My husband said that this was really good Duck.

I won’t eat a duck so we have to take my husband’s comment that this was really good duck. I note he really meant what he said….”Really Good Duck!” This plate was made of a seared breast, pastrami, a braised leg, cherries and melon.

Next we both shared the Caramelized White Chocolate Mousse.

It was a journey and adventure of textures and flavors that wasn’t too sweet. Mousses had this very delicate moist light as air texture. The plate was embellished with a caramelized topped fresh banana, macadamia nuts and banana bread.

That was my first taste at Confluence.

I’d say Confluence is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

Everything is SUBJECT TO CHANGE and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

Zinc Bistro is a French Style Restaurant located in the Kierland Commons Shopping Center in Scottsdale Arizona. They offer a quaint little restaurant that looks like it’s been here for decades. Everything looks very old fashioned and formal. There’s a tin ceiling, some antiques, old fashioned fixtures.

Zinc Bistro also offers outdoor dining as well. The patio sort of wraps around the building and there is a sort of inside partial patio that’s relaxing to dine in.

I’ve been here several times mostly for dinner and almost everything was OUTSTANDING!

These are just some of the previous foods we enjoyed at Zinc Bistro.

Vichyssoise

Confit Lamb Shank

Scottish Salmon

Cannelles de Bordeaux

Jidori Chicken

Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Torte

Kale Salad

Foie Gras Raviolis in Consomme

Souffle

These were all exquisite!

Today we decided to try Lunch at Zinc Bistro.

I went with the Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich.

My Sandwich is on pumpernickel bread.  This pumpernickel is a style that I am not familiar with but it reminds me of those molasses dark breads that certain steak houses serve. I do note they gave me a generous  portion of Curry Flavored Chicken Salad…It seemed very fresh and was full of tender chunks of chicken. This salad was embellished with a couple of sherried raisins and the sandwich ran on the sweet side. I can’t help to wonder why there’s a sticky brown spill down my plate? The brown spill doesn’t look appetizing to me. It looks like something horrific you might see in a gas station rest room.

I was looking at my old photos and I noticed I had this very same sandwich a few years ago at the Zinc Bistro airport location.

They might prepare the sandwich different now but the sandwich a had a few years back from the Zinc Bistro Airport location seemed more detailed. I do remember at the time that I really liked this sandwich from the airport location.  Or maybe it just tasted better without a brown drip down the plate.

On this visit my husband tried the Brisket Pastrami Sandwich.

It was a smaller sandwich made with high quality ingredients. My husband said the bread was good and the stock was very good full favored of beef. When he opened the sandwich I saw that it  had very little filling so I didn’t try any. My husband said the brisket had very little traditional pastrami flavor and when he dunked the sandwich he didn’t taste pastrami at all because it only tasted like beef. The sandwich also contained a small amount of high quality cheese and a thick slice of heirloom tomato. Although each and every ingredient in the sandwich was indeed quality…we both thought……..$16.00 was a lot for such a small sandwich that contained much less than a weight watcher’s allotment.

Most of the dinners we had here at Zinc Bistro were outstanding or even better than outstanding……but lunch…..I’m not feeling the same at this moment. Maybe it’s just me….? Perhaps the lunch menu offers better choices that I didn’t try?

I’d say Dinners at Zinc Bistro are worth a Fork!

www.ZincBistroAZ.com

EVERY FORKING THING is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Pomo Pizzeria has three locations in Metro Phoenix Arizona. They are most well known for serving Certified Neapolitan Pizzas made with high quality ingredients. Pomo also offers appetizers, charcuterie, soups, salads, handmade pastas, seasonal items and the most AMAZING house made gelato.

This restaurant has a beautiful modern decor. You can view the imported Italian Wood burning oven that cooks your pizzas at 905 degrees F. They also offer some retail Italian dry goods for sale. This location of Pomo offers a variety of seating choices that are indoors and out.

We decided to share the Fregula Salad with Chicken off the Summer Menu.

Fregula are small round shaped tiny pasta that are similar to Israeli Couscous. This sort of pasta was invented to take the place of rice when there was a rice shortage long ago. Other ingredients in this salad are grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, roasted bell peppers, creamy avocado, arugula, sweet grape tomatoes, wrinkly black olives, Pecorino Romano and added grilled chicken. We were very pleased and impressed with this salad. The chicken was moist and had a delicious flavor to it. The ingredients just seemed like they were held together with mostly just olive oil but somehow everything was delicious and very flavorful together. It was barely touched but had a lot going on with it. This might be the most delicious salad I ate this year!

The Food Critic of the Arizona Republic (Dominic Armato) recently wrote about his latest “Killer Dish,” a Focaccia like no other I ever heard of so I had to try it. (if you are a local you need to know this special focaccia is only served at Scottsdale) This Focaccia Di Recco is super flat and paper thin crisp dough. It’s like if you had a big flour tortilla and carefully split it in half so it was even thinner. But this Ligurian Style Focaccia is fresh made yeast free dough with a different texture and has a melty cheesy stracchino cheese middle. The thin dough gets crisp and sort of bubbly in different parts. It sort of seems like it was fried. It’s a $2.00 add on option to get warm local honey so you can drizzle this on your Focaccia. A little bit adds interest and a different sensation.

This is really great! It seems so light with crisp parts and other parts that almost seem grilled but aren’t. It’s like an Italian Cheese Crisp but has a rich thin pull-ee center. I think it’s even better with just a very small amount of the warmed local honey.

From previous visits at this location-

And DON’T even think about leaving without trying the BEST GELATO in Metro Phoenix. I highly recommend the signature and namesake flavor called Luna. Luna Gelateria is located in Pomo Pizzeria. The Gelato is fresh made daily with state of the art imported Italian machinery.

Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale AZ is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.PomoPizzeria.com

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

The Forking Truth

Mowry & Cotton is a Modern American Restaurant located in the Phoenician Resort and Spa in Scottsdale Arizona. The atmosphere is warm with wood trim, hanging fixtures and walls filled with lots of growlers.

Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

We started with a Mushroom Flatbread.

2 pieces have been removed

The Flatbread is made of Mushrooms , melted cheese, apricot, scallions and is sparingly laced with horseradish. The flatbread is light, thin and crispy with just enough toppings and is very tasty.

We also shared a Salad.

The Salad is very large with lots of peppery arugula. It’s full of sweet cherries, creamy goat cheese and chewy granola.

For dinner I had the Salmon.

The fish was prepared to a perfect medium. It seemed like it was slow cooked or sous vide. The fish was like butter in the mouth and it did seem buttered and carefully seasoned. The crisp edges did add a nice contrast to the melt in your mouth fish.The skin wasn’t as crisp as I would like but I usually remove the skin anyway. Around the plate looked like a galaxy of tasty pickled mustard seeds, pistachio a little grapefruit and some grilled lettuce. As pretty as this dish I do note that this is a lighter dinner and the appetizers were necessary. There’s not much here but fish and mustard seeds.

My husband had the 1/2 Pheasant.

It looked like a stunning platter of broccolini, onions, almonds, smoked blood orange and cherries. The was a very unique platter that you won’t find anywhere else.

Service was very welcoming, professional and efficient.

For the Summer of 2018 Mowry & Cotton is running multiple summer specials that can save you a great deal of money off your dining check.

All the food was good. Nice atmosphere…….and outstanding service.

Mowry & Cotton – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.MowryandCotton.com

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

Food we had at Mowry & Cotton from a previous visit.

The Forking Truth

I went to a small Italian Restaurant located in a Strip Mall somewhere in Metro Phoenix Arizona.  Since this is a newly opened small family owned restaurant I don’t feel the need to mention the name of the restaurant. This restaurant serves up some of the usual Italian favorites and also offer some unique items you don’t see everyday…..Such as…… A ravioli of the day, Chicken, Sausage, Beans and Greens, Grilled Chicken with lemon and mint, Brooklyn Thin Pizza and Long Island Grandma Pizza. That all sounds really delicious and a little different than the usual.

This restaurant is just big enough to have a bar and a patio.

The light fixtures are mixer attachments.

We started off with an Italian Salad of Arugula, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Artichokes and Hot Red Peppers.

It was dressed with the lightest amount of oil.

We splurged and also tried some garlic knots.

Each knot is almost like eating a slice of pizza. They have a nice chewy texture and are well seasoned with LOTS of Cheese! Mozzarella and Grated Cheese. The sauce is tasty too! I need to stop at one but my mouth wants to eat more. All the fresh garlic, herbs, sauce and cheese is delicious.

For the most part everything is great enough…until now.

Then dinner arrives. I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Mint over Sautéed Spinach.

While the generous amount of Chicken was prepared reasonably well and did indeed have tasty grill marks………The rest of it didn’t meet my expectations.

The over-cooked spinach was in a state of decomposing and a mourner’s blessing was appropriate. The X- spinach is at rest on my plate and is also mixed with over-cooked droopy melted arugula (that might have been also on it’s way to knock on heaven’s door) that just doesn’t taste well cooked together……… I hate to knit pick but I have to add that the cook was allergic to lemon and mint because they weren’t added to my dish…..However  It taste like they used parsley.  It might have been wrong that I didn’t bring this to the owner’s attention but my husband complained about his plate so I didn’t want to also complain. That’s just too much complaining.

My husband got the Chicken, Sausage, Beans and Greens that was suppose to be in garlic parm sauce. Does THIS look like garlic parm sauce?…….it wasn’t…My GOD…any sighted individual can see this dish isn’t in a garlic parm sauce. The sauce in this dish tasted like the same vegetable broth from my dish. Wouldn’t you know that the sauce wasn’t the biggest problem here so we forgot about it….and let that one get away like a surprise fart.  The plate did indeed contain chicken, sausage and spinach.

I do note for all of you that don’t know…..Italian Bean and Green dishes are made with bitter greens and not a sweet green like spinach….

But the biggest disappointment  with this plate was that we didn’t get the beans that this dish was suppose to contain and we brought this to the attention of the owner that served us.  The owner apologized and  brought him out some warmed up beans. (we don’t know for sure but the beans seemed like fresh drained  from a can………Oh Joy!. Maybe most of the people reading this would not know that this is not at all to an example of how this traditional Italian dish should be prepared.

Down below is Broccoli Rabe with Cannelloni Beans from www.Food52.com ……..This is an example of the type of dish we were expecting.

www.Food52.com

I happened to notice that the cooks that were working in this restaurant were obviously not Italian and obviously weren’t trained in preparing Italian Foods. I also noticed that the cooks didn’t speak English so it might be a possibility that they can’t read the recipes. Maybe that is the reasons for some of the problems in these dishes….?

What got me is that it was the owner that served us…..She didn’t have a clue that anything was wrong with the food she served us. Even servers working for other people (if they are good servers) glance at the food they serve and make sure it’s correct.

Chances are that it is a possibility that at least half the people out there will not have a clue that anything is wrong with food like this.

On the positive side I do note the pizzas from this establishment looked delicious so maybe that’s the sweet spot here.

The Forking Truth is that Sometimes Restaurant Owners are just Restauranteurs and have NOTHING to do with the food.

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

The Forking Truth

Pulling in by the valet

Elements Restaurant is located at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in the Paradise Valley part of Scottsdale Arizona. The executive chef is Celebrity Chef Beau Macmillan who has been showing up on various Food Network TV Shows for many years now. The food that is served at Elements is Seasonal Asian Inspired American Food. The menu changes regularly.

Upon arrival you stop at the valet. You are only steps away from Camelback Mountain but you are a lot closer to Elements….I recommend if you are hungry to go to Elements.

Here’s the lobby between the Elements Restaurant and the Jade Bar.

Elements offers formal modern dining rooms with stunning picturesque views of beautiful Paradise Valley.

This was the view from my table. It’s just the beginning of monsoon season and we were having a very rare June Rain Today so the outdoor patio was empty.

We ordered and soon someone starts us with hot crusty chewy sourdough bread and sweet butter that’s embellished with crushed seaweed and sea salt.

The combination is appetizing and resistance is futile.

The salt and pepper on the table appears to be fresh ground and is displayed in a Ying and Yang Plate.

I went with the recommended Tea Brined Fried Chicken Thighs.

My plate is bright and colorful. Everything looks scrumptious! I have the most moist tender chicken you can imagine. It has this incredibly light textured and crisp batter coating that seems free of oil.. Underneath is a flavored oil and a sauce with gingery Asian Flavors. The sauce is  mild and a bit sweet but the flavors are delicious. My plate also contained pickled watermelon that was light and sort of was a break that cut the rich parts of this dish. This plate also contained sprouts, shreds of carrots and fried green beans. In the center of the plate is this scallion sticky rice that is unexpectedly delicious.  This rice has a firm but chewy texture similar to risotto. The rice is almost creamy but what makes it special are those sauces underneath that make it super scrumptious! There are delicious flavors going on here.  As you can see it’s a very large portion. I would have had two meals if it didn’t taste so great AND IF I didn’t share……….

My husband tried the Feature of the Day….it was a Beef Tenderloin in hoisin and five spice with green onion sticky rice, celery, charred cauliflower and peanuts.

The beef seemed like a high quality and was tender like butter with flavors that were delicious. I do note that this plate was smaller in size compared to the Tea Brined Chicken Thighs. For me it would be enough food though.

The dessert menu sounded too great to turn down. My favorite dessert was on the menu so we tried a Lemon Meringue Pie.

It’s a little different with toasted coconut and a coconut brown butter crust.

Ummmmm It’s really great…….The meringue is good as sometimes meringue can have an unpleasant egg white taste.  The lemon curd has the correct amount of sweetness and tart lemon flavor. The crust is delicious and is good enough to be make into some kind of biscuit or cookie. It is way too thick (maybe 3/4 inch on the bottom) so I couldn’t eat much of it but flavor wise is was unusually delicious.

Our server was helpful and made good suggestions for us. She was also efficient and other members of the staff also checked on us.

I’d say Elements at Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.SanctuaryCamelback.com/dining/Elements

The Forking Truth is that EVERYTHING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Ajo Al’s is a Sonaron Style Group of American/Mexican Restaurants in Four locations in Metro Phoenix AZ. They serve up the usual Tacos, Combo Plates,Fajitas and more. As I walked in memories from long ago resurfaced. This restaurant looks identical to the Casa Lupita Chain that latter became a different but similar Mexican Style Restaurant.

The Dining Room is very large and airy. It’s painted with bright colors. There are many Mexican Style Artifacts to look at and there’s an incredible amount of benches and booths to sit on. In the corner of the room near the kitchen entrance is a neon sign that reads tortillas. I remember at Casa Lupita and Don Pablo (they took over some of the Casa Lupita Restaurants)  they used to have a worker make fresh tortillas all day in a similar looking corner. The sign still hangs but I don’t see fresh tortillas being made at Ajo Al’s.

What brought me in were two things. One – it was Restaurant Week and Two – They were offering an Award Winning Menu with the incredible Taco Festival’s 1st prize winning Potato Tacos.

Everything on the menu was prize winning.

I tried the 2016, 2017 First Prize Winning Vegetable Tacos from the 2017 Taco Festival. Those Potato Tacos at the Taco Festival sure were FORKING Delicious! I was hoping to try them again.

We ordered and they started us off with Chips, Two kinds of Salsa, and Drinks.

My husband tries a margarita and I try an Ajo Al’s Mule. The Mule is suppose to contain Tequila, Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Poblano Chile Liqueur. Doesn’t that sound good?…..I go to taste it….I don’t know what it contains but it taste like Ginger ale mixed with seltzer and something sour….I don’t get a buzz….and I don’t care to Finish it either…….Oh well.

Any Who-

Then I taste the Chips and Salsas.

These chips are very thin also crisp and lack corn flavor and salt. The small container of sauce taste like chile powder mixed with water and lots of dry oregano. The larger bowl of salsa lacks fresh tasting ingredients like onions, garlic and fresh herbs. Chips and salsas taste like they should be avoided.

Then our shared appetizer comes out that also is suppose to be the 2017 1st prize winning guacamole with smoked salmon. (Sorry my photo didn’t come out clear so I added part of it from another photo).

They gave a very large portion of guacamole…..maybe about four portions with a little smoked salmon sprinkled on the top. The Salmon is good but his taste like a combination of fresh and frozen avocados mixed with something creamy…..there are no lumps of actual avocado or onion and I don’t taste any fresh herbs. Actually it could use some garlic and lime juice too. because it’s very flat or one note tasting. The smoked salmon does go well with the avocado dip but this guacamole lacks the delicious fresh flavors and textures that make a delicious guacamole.

Our Prize Winning Tacos, Rice, Beans and Calabacitas (squash with vegetables and cheese) arrive.

I try a Potato Taco. THE FORKING TRUTH is that this doesn’t taste anything like the Potato Taco I tried at the Taco Festival….. 🙁 ……….The Taco at the Taco Festival was all full of delicious flavors. This Taco at the Ajo Al’s Restaurant taste like Mashed Potatoes with LOTS of sour cream…..It’s not flavorful and delicious like the Potato Taco that drew me in.  I feel bamboozled….They did a bait and switch on me.  My husband made me try a piece of steak taco. I took a bite….YUCK! …..It was FORKING  WEIRD…….It Tasted like SOY SAUCE! ……..Nobody wants a Mexican Inspired Taco to taste like soy sauce……..do you?

Sadly the rice and beans were too salty for me. It tasted like some sort of boxed flavoring that was mostly salt and specifically iodized salt.

Lastly was dessert. Our waiter made a big deal out of the dessert. he said only managers are allowed to make the dessert because the ice cream they serve coast $88.00 a gallon. I have my doubts about Ajo Al’s serving $88.00 a gallon ice cream……Maybe he heard wrong and the ice cream cost $18.00 a gallon.

The taco is filled with a caramel sort of ice-cream with a chewy center and also deep chocolate ice cream in a crisp chocolate taco shell.The plate is garnished with stale cotton candy, a jelly rainbow, watery whipped topping and some gel and some jimmies. Looking back the dessert was the best thing I ever tried at Ajo Al’s.

Nothing was spectacular and mostly everything was Disappointing…….

That was my Trip to Ajo Al’s in Glendale AZ.

www.AjoAls.com

Every opinion is subjective.

The Forking Truth is that every FORKING THING EVERYWHERE is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Red’s Bar and Grill is located in Litchfield AZ  in the Golf Course of the Wigwam Resort. This is a very casual family friendly restaurant and bar that serves American Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I thought it might be a pretty good choice for lunch because they were running a couple’s three course special for restaurant week for only $33.00. For $33.00 a couple shared an appetizer, got a sandwich platter and a dessert. That sounds like a great deal to me.

They have a BIG Parking LOT but it was already FULL….

We were able to park nearby on the street.

On the way in I noticed that Red’s Bar and Grill is officially dog friendly too!

We walk in and I see they are cleaning up a buffet.

We get to the hostess desk and one person is in front of us.

DANG……

This guy in-front of us says………….he has a group of EIGHTY people ……

How often does something like that happen?…….

The restaurant is not so full with people yet…….. but since 80 people are ahead of us they tell us we have to sit outside and it’s very hot today…..

I say that I’ll take a patio seat but only if I can get it in the shade. We get a seat in the shade and it’s ok.

It looks like this on the patio.

We order and while we wait we are entertained by a flying plastic bag. No wind at all today…have no idea how the bag is flying all around the golf course.

We start out by sharing the Greek Salad.

My greek Salad is made up of mostly sweet refreshing watermelon, a little red onion, cucumber and feta cheese and a few olives. It’s a just right starter for when you’re hungry on a hot day.

Next we get our Sandwich Platters.

I got the Fish Po Boy.

I got a tempura battered piece of fish that was shaped similar to a hot dog on top of a really BIG Hoagie bun with crunchy citrus slaw, tomatoes and a creamy remoulade. The ROLL is so big that it is impossible to eat this as a sandwich.  It’s way WAY WAYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyy TOO MUCH BREAD for me but I do have to say that it is unusually delicious bread. I should have asked about it. Did they bake it? Who made it for them?……..The Fries were also a very large generously sized portion, seemed hand cut with skins and were generously salted and stayed piping hot.

My husband had the Cobb Burger requested with the blue cheese on the side and no guacamole. His Cobb Burger had a Fried Egg, Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Onion and Tomato.

I watched the egg yolk burst when my husband took a bite. The burger was dripping golden goodness.

However the Burger was prepared to a perfect MEDIUM so my husband didn’t get his medium rare he was hoping for.  It seems that Medium Rare Burgers happen as often as Snowy days in Phoenix. Medium Rare Burgers just don’t happen and neither does Phoenix have snowy days. I was told the pickle was very good but the burger was sort of dry.

After the sandwich plates we were presented with Two Great Big Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Now both of these ice cream sandwiches were really good and were made with fresh hand made detailed cookies.  The Ice Cream Sandwich on the left was made with Peanut Butter Drizzled Chip Cookies. The center was Milk Chocolate Ice Cream and around the sides was some peanut butter and some fudge. The Sandwich on the right had Chocolate Chocolate Chip White Drizzled Cookies and was filled with milk chocolate ice cream.

A sweet ending to our Visit to Red’s Bar and Grill.

www.WigwamArizona.com

The Forking Truth is that EVERY THING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth