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

Arriving at Omni Montelucia in Scottsdale AZ

Prado is a high end Spanish Style Restaurant located in the Omni Resort in the Paradise Valley Part of Scottsdale. The Atmosphere is rich and majestic.

Not all but many of Phoenix’s most prestigious Chefs have worked at Prado at one time.

Many of the dishes that Prado serves are prepared in the wood fired oven that you can see at the end of the dining room. When you walk in it ……you don’t know what it is but there is some sort of delicious aroma in the air that possibly comes from the wood burning oven.

We get seated and made our order.

They start us off with Prado’s signature Sourdough Bread and Arugula Pesto.

The bread is INCREDIBLY crusty, not too sour but with a tender center and rich tasting. The pesto is delicious but more like a spread than a pesto.

We share the Roasted Beet Salad and the Baked Triple Cream Brie.

The Beets were soft, fresh and delicious. The Quality strong tasting Valdeon Creamy Cheese sure left an impression (how could it not?) and played well against the Wild Amarena Cherries. All the flavors went together very well. I thought I thought the salad could have used a few more more candied pecans. I think I only got a total of one. Maybe there were more on the half I didn’t eat?…But still it was really great as far as Beet Salads go.

The Baked Triple Cream Brie was baked in the Prado Sourdough Bread and was served with Meyer Lemon Jam. The Taste was AMAZING but this is super heavy bread. It’s too darn delicious not to eat but I lost a lot of stomach room after trying only two small slices of Prado Sourdough Bread with Arugula Pesto. I wish I had a steak knife so I could slice my slices thinner.

For dinner I tried the Wood Grilled Half Chicken with Harisa Potato Puree, asparagus and Chermoula.

WOW as far as Chicken goes this was FORKING STUNNING! Mostly deboned Breast and Dark Meat all juicy with thin crisp skin and MIGHTY FLAVORFUL. I didn’t see the Chermoula but those were the delicious flavors in the chicken. Something like paprika, garlic, lemon, coriander, cumin…like those kind of flavors. Just delicious. The Asparagus was substantial, tender crisp and delicious too. The Harisa Potato Puree didn’t scream Harisa to me…as if it did the flavors would be too strong and compete with the Chicken…….The Potatoes were more mild than they look  but were still rich, tasty and delicious.

My husband had the Paella Valenciana. It was a combination of Shrimp, Mussels, Roasted Chicken, Spanish Chorizo, Salmon, Peas and Bomba Rice.

All the proteins were seasoned well and prepared to perfection. This Paella lacked the bottom crust one might expect but all the flavors were delicious.

For dessert we shared the Wild Berry Crumble and the Chocolate Mousse Bomba.

The Wild Berry Crumble was much lighter and fruitier than we both imagined. It’s doesn’t look it but the dessert was mostly strawberries. The bottom was an unusual almost granola tasting light cake filled with strawberries. The dessert was topped with a very creamy vanilla flecked custard. It was very good. The Chocolate Bomba was SO RICH an SOOOOOoooooo Chocolate-tee. It was filled with very rich thick very chocolate-tee mousse with a rich caramel mousse filling. Both desserts were a sweet ending to an incredible dinner.

Prado is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.OmniHotels.com

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

The Forking Truth

Phoenix’s Ocean Prime is located on High Street just by the Desert Ridge Marketplace. This is an award winning restaurant group. Ocean Prime Restaurant has had the honor of hosting dinner at The James Beard House. Other locations of Ocean Prime are in Upscale or Resort Areas across the USA and one location in Naples. Ocean Prime offers modern-ish and or slightly global menu. Offered are seafood dishes, prime steaks, signature cocktails and a Wine Spectator honored wine list and more.

When I found out that Ocean Prime was offering a reasonably priced Special Brunch Menu May 13th I made my reservation quickly. I thought to myself….WHYTFork not! ……This is a reasonable special treat out on a holiday weekend at a very nice place. Ocean Prime seems sort of ritzy…….and I prefer to eat quality fish….YEP WHYTFork not!

We got seated in the lounge.

On the way to our table I spotted something that caught my eye.

Forking WOW!

Is Angelina Jolie on her way to Ocean Prime in Phoenix?

NO    NO  NOooooooooooooooo!

…….No it’s a little joke…On our table was a reserved for Betty Davis Sign and I saw a bunch more celebrity reserved for signs when I left.

Our table is nice and formal with crisp linen, sparkling glasses and shiny silverware. The dinning room is part masculine and classic with dark wood and dark leather. But there are some modern bright touches here and there that round things out.

We get presented with The Special Brunch Menu and the Dinner Menu.

I ordered the Blackened Salmon Salad.

I received a perfect sized plate for lunch. A nice amount of fresh lightly dressed assorted greens adorned with candied walnuts, creamy mild goat cheese, grapes and cantaloupe. The salmon was incredibly fresh tasting and prepared a perfect medium with a nicely spiced sear. The fish was almost creamy and melted in my mouth.

My husband had the Crab and Egg plate.

A well rounded plate with salad and fresh fruit. The toasted English muffins were topped with quality mostly all-crab, grilled crab cakes…..(they do them on a flat top). The Crab Cakes were blanketed in a rich hollandaise sauce and fresh snipped chives completed the dish.

Instead of sharing an appetizer or dessert we also shared a side order of the Black Truffle Mac and Cheese.

I have to say this Mac and Cheesy was pretty darn great for it’s price point. It actually contained some real truffle that actually had truffle flavor to it. The Mac and Cheese was also creamy and cheesy like it should be with perfectly cooked noodles. It also was the perfect size for sharing.

Several members of the staff made us feel welcomed on our visit and it seemed like they were genuinely happy we dined there.

This really was a Special Value Holiday Brunch that was Worth a Fork at Ocean Prime.

www.Ocean-Prime.com

Worth a Fork!

The Forking Truth is that EVERY THING EVERYWHERE is subject to change and your Forking Experience May or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

High and Rye recently opened in early March 2018 in Phoenix by the Desert Ridge Marketplace on High Street. This is a Southern American Style Restaurant set up with a very LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG bar that’s packed with a lots of bottles of booze…….It might be safe to assume that many of the bottles are RYE and Whiskies.

This restaurant looks sort of like a shot gun style house when you walk in. It’s long and narrow with high top tables on one side and the longggggggg bar on the other side. If you keep walking you might come across singing guitar player like we did and behind him is loads of seating more bars. It looks oddly large.

From my seat I have a view of High Street.

I tried the Smoked Trout Spinach Salad.

I received a generous amount of fresh spinach. My salad also contained, red onion slices, maple-ly tasting sweet pecans, some marinated apple that looks like chopped spaghetti and was wet and limp like wet spaghetti, and oddly only contains a very small amount of Smoked Trout.

Sorry Folks, I can’t sugar coat this one…….In a nut shell this is not an award winning salad.

The size of the salad is very good and perfect as far as salads go but many things should be improved here if they want repeat business.   This salad cost $14.50 (at the time of this review May-2018). For starters A Smoked Trout Salad needs some Smoked Trout in it. All I had was a little bit of fish that maybe if I added them all together came out to maybe a HALF A FORKING OUNCE…….I had to “FISH” for the Trout. The trout might have been good but it was really was hard to really tell since it was served to me in such small pieces.  I imagine I had less than HALF  a Forking Ounce of Smoked Trout in a Smoked Trout Salad.  I didn’t need a lot of trout…..But I’m thinking if they up the portion size of Trout to TWO ounces I wouldn’t be feeling so bamboozled like I am right now. The other thing I feel the need to put out there was the limp wet chopped spaghetti shaped apple in my salad. The apple wasn’t fresh tasting and was obviously held and kept in some sort of solution that sucked all freshness and crispness  from the apples. Honestly the first few pieces of apple that I tasted I actually didn’t even recognize the fruit as apple. I feel a $14.50 salad should have fresh crunchy apple in it……..How hard is it to grate an apple fresh for each salad………Also while I’m still grumpy I will add that the salad would also be tastier if they did a quick pickle to the onions. This Smoked Trout Salad left me High & Dry at High & Rye. I have to tell The Forking Truth and admit that I was disappointed with the Smoked Trout Salad.

We also shared a small side of Jalapeño Corn Bread.

It came out pretty nice looking.

This Cornbread was like a trip to the Sahara Desert.

It was very dry and lacked much jalapeño flavor.

It really needed the butter but unfortunately it was impossible to spread butter on the corn bread because it just crumbled away like my thoughts of a tasty meal here today. Either someone didn’t follow the corn bread recipe or they need a new recipe for Jalapeño Corn Bread……

Lets move on.

My husband had the Shrimp and Stone Grits with a Hand Crafted Hot Link. Fortunately this dish faired better than the Smoked Trout Salad and the Jalapeño Corn Bread but also wasn’t perfect. (Look this up on AZCENTRAL.com The Food Critic was served a very different looking Shrimp and Stone Grits)

This Shrimp and Grits contained a generous amount of shrimp that were tender and well prepared. Grits were creamy but a little lumpy. The hand crafted hot link wasn’t like a moist juicy and spicy hot link……This sausage was dry and lacked heat. This dish also was also served  warm and not hot.

At the time of this review High and Rye is newly opened and may or may not be fine tuning things.

www.HighandRyeAZ.com

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

That was my Trip to High and Rye in Phoenix AZ.

The Forking Truth

Wraps ‘N’ Curry is a small Indian Fast Food and Take Out casual cafe in an older strip mall in North Phoenix. Some people might remember the former Ecuadorian Latin restaurant that was once here called Mi Comida.

Wraps ‘N’ Curry is very casual. You walk up to the counter, order and seat yourself. Everything we tried was made fresh to our order but didn’t take too long.

Impossible to see from Bell Rd because Wraps ‘N’ Curry is hidden behind the Taco Bell.

We started out by trying the Aloo Tikki.

Wow it’s enough for a meal! (only $4.95)

The Chic peas were tender and delicious. They didn’t call them channa masala but thats what they tasted like. The potato patties were very good. They seemed free of oil and had a light crisp exterior. The potatoes were seasoned with flavors that included onions, cilantro and turmeric. They were tasty! We also received an herby chutney and tamarind sauces.

I tried the Desi Chicken Wrap.

Wow! Fresh made naan bread that was almost like a tortilla… lightly brushed with mint mayo and was stuffed with crunchy lettuce, tomato, cabbage ,onions, green chili, cilantro and tasty tandoori chicken. Everything is very fresh and flavorful with nice textures. I’m not getting green chili…either the chilies are very scant or forgotten but it still is a delicious generous fresh wrap so I’m very happy. I forgot the wraps also came with fries. The masala fries are addicting. They are light and fluffy with crisp exteriors and are dusted with something that taste like garam masala. This big plate of fresh herby food was only $7.95.

Today my husband ordered the Crispy Fish Wrap.

The Crispy Fish Wrap is also a Fresh Made Naan Bread that is lightly brushed with mint mayo (but none here at my husband’s request) lettuce, cabbage, onions, cilantro and this mild just battered fish! This was really good! The fish is so mild and meaty with such a nice batter. A great value for $8.95.

Tasty Casual Indian Food that is very approachable and a great Value!

Worth a Fork!

www.WrapsNCurry.Business.Site

Worth a Fork! Great Value Dining. No I wouldn’t travel across town to dine here but if you happen to be in the area this restaurant is suggested.

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

The Forking Truth

Arizona is credited for the Chimichanga. Not everyone in Arizona will say so but the majority of the country credits New York for Pizza. Nashville is the Hot Chicken Capital. The meaty sandwich that represents Philadelphia is the Cheesesteak. A real Cheesesteak is sliced Ribeye (or chicken, or pork.. variations) fried up on a flat top grill. It’s acceptable to use American Cheese or  Provolone Cheese on a Cheesesteak but most people expect Cheez Whiz (a processed cheese food that comes from a jar or can).  A traditional Philadelphian Cheesesteak is also served on an Amoroso’s Roll.

From www.Corleones.net

Corleone’s is a bit of a novelty restaurant. People from Philadelphia feel at home here because Corleone’s pokes fun at Philly People but in a good way.

Below on the self serve beverage cup are 10 reasons you know your from Philly.

Number 1. is kinda true…..We went to Pudge’s…….Only locals from the subs-burbs (lol) would know about Pudge’s.

Number 2…? Do I say wooder ice instead of water ice?….My husband said we do so number 2 is also true.

Number 4 is not true……

Number 5 I agree.

Number 6 I disagree.

Number 7 & 8 are very true.

I’m an incredibly bad speller so I never was able to spell Schuylkill we’d call that expressway that ran down the Schuylkill River the Sure Kill Exspressway. So Number 9 is not true.

Number 10 – I can go either way on that one.

They also have a board inside of 20 Reasons you know your from Philly. There are some really good ones there..

There are also fun Philly Artifacts to look at.

Up on the left is a former Mayor Frank Rizzo….Below that to the right is a picture from the Rocky Movie that was filmed down in the city…..not far from Pat’s.

The Love Sculpture in Philly.

There used to be John Wanamaker’s Department Store. It was a really neat old time department store at one time. I believe the building and sculpture are still there and are a part of the Philadelphia Skyline.

Enough of that! …………… Let’s get to the food! Here’s the menu. We ordered and got our beverages and some proper condiments.

In Philadelphia they ALWAYS offer Cherry Peppers of hot and also sweet. It’s not a Philly Steak without Cherry Peppers!

We waited and looked around taking in the sights of memory lane. There is a lot to look at.

The Movie Rocky (filmed in Philadelphia) plays non stop on the TV.  Lots of Pennsylvania license plates on the wall. Lots of Cheez Whiz and all kinds of other things.

My husband got a full size cheese steak with American cheese. I got a small chicken steak and I added a bunch of hot and sweet peppers to mine.

My husband insist that this Cheesesteak is really good. I think the Chicken Steak is ok but I really like the hot and sweet cherry peppers. The fries are pretty good for fries….Onion rings are almost good…..just slightly burnt.

Haven’t tried the pizzas yet.

Been to the Tatum Blvd location before they closed.

Corleone’s is a little taste of Philadelphia in Phoenix in two locations. (as of April 2018)

www.Corleones.net

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

The Forking Truth