Category Archives: Forking Restaurant Reviews

Honest unbiased reviews based on actual experiences

Casa Filipino Restaurant and Bake Shop Phoenix AZ A Forking Experience like no Other

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When you walk into Casa Filipina in Phoenix Arizona you step into a small bake shop and enter into what looks like a older banquet hall with numbered tables and a musician corner.

I’m not real familiar with Filipino Food although I know it’s cuisine is sort of Asian, Indian, Latin and American influenced. I also know some but not all dishes include organ meat, uncommon animal parts and blood.

I asked my waiter what spices are used for the Filipino Chicken Dish called Chicken Inasal. I just wondered what it would taste like….Instead of telling me what spices are used he says, “I don’t know but it’s a good choice.” I order it anyway….

Then all of a sudden….

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Our waiter just starts up with a forking Karaoke Machine and starts singing “Love is a many splendid thing” and many other Frank Sinatra tunes followed.

This was kind of neat but also forking strange. The waiter actually had a forking great voice and was good enough to be a professional singer.

My husband’s meal arrives.

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It’s called Beef Kalderetta. It’s basically a tender beef stew. The beef is tender and is infused with flavors. The onions lacked caramelization that was noted on the menu, “topped with caramelized onions and potatoes”. The fries were a surprise as we guessed the stew would be prepared with a potato. It tasted like something anybody’s grandmother would make but served with rice and Asian flavored noodles that contained a piece of carrot and some chicken meat.

At least ten minutes goes by and then my meal arrives during a Frank Sinatra number.

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Chicken Inasal

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The chicken seemed marinated in lime, vinegar and annato. The chicken was falling apart tender and a vinegary soy sauce was served on the side for dipping. Annato rice and Asian flavored noodles spiked with chicken meat and a piece of carrot were served on the side and all the food was served over some sort of leaf.

We order two desserts because the Phoenix New Times wrote this year that this restaurant serves up some of the very best baked goods in the metro Phoenix Area. They are officially on a top 10 list this year.

We order a mango and a ube (purple yam) tart.

Mango and Ube Tart from Casa Filipina Phoenix AZ

Mango and Ube Tart from Casa Filipina Phoenix AZ

I notice that the Ube tart looks very dry.

We tried to eat the desserts but neither of us could penetrate either dessert with a forking fork. I’m NOT talking about the crust. The FORKING CENTERS can’t be penetrated with a fork. The filling from these tarts can be used to fill forking pot holes in the road.

Needed  a forking  jack hammer.

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My husband breaks the desserts apart with his hands.

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The desserts are inedible. I reckon the people at The Phoenix New Times didn’t try the desserts I tried. Or maybe they forking  like the desserts this way? Who the FORK knows?

We called a waitress over told her about the desserts and she told us the manager would speak with us.

He said nothing is wrong with his desserts and they are just cold. To me that was a weird thing to say. He should have said something like I’ll fix them for you….

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I’m forking thinking if his tarts need to be heated up well then why weren’t they served heated up? Am I suppose to heat them up myself sitting on them with my forking butt or perhaps I should have   my own portable forking heat source?

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He serves us a new ube tart that is good but our dry inedible mango tart is still on the table.

We ask for the check…pay…and leave.

As we walk out the door the manager comes running out after us.

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He says you didn’t have to forking pay for the desserts.

The desserts were on our check and nobody said to us that we didn’t have to pay so we forking paid.

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Guess we needed forking telepathic powers to know what the fork the manager was thinking. I guess he meant to take the desserts off the check. He just forgot.

Casa Filipina serves up some tasty homestyle foods and offers weekend all day entertainment. We actually had fun dining here and now have a funny story to remember about the dessert.

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I already forking told you about the desserts I tried so I would be too frightened to try a dessert from here again.

Casa Filipina Restaurant and Bake Shop….It was a Forking Experience like No Other.

If you want more information on Casa Filipina Restaurant and Bake Shop in Phoenix AZ visit www.CasaFilipina.com

Rated 1/2 a Fork because it's a mix of good and not so good

Rated 1/2 a Fork because it was a mix of good and not so good

This is tasty and that's The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Forking Dining with Dogs at Cucina Tagliani Glendale AZ December 2015

On the way to Cucina Tagliani

On the way to Cucina Tagliani

Our adventure starts with a fun car ride and the cute three year old on the left starts crying she is so happy when she sees the parking lot because she anticipates some yummy food and fun. The 14 and 1/2 year old is still feeling fine and living life despite his condition of cancer.

We visit this restaurant often because of the location, the budget pricing, the friendly staff,  great service, the dog friendly patio and the tasty food. One of the things that makes this budget American Italian Restaurant better than the others are all the vegetable selections they offer. I like that you can also substitute spaghetti squash for pasta in most dishes. They also offer a few heathy seafood dishes with very reasonable pricing.

We pick a comfortable table and the Cucina Tagliani Staff is quick to bring the dogs water and  the table a hot basket of garlic toast.

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We order big happy hour priced glasses of wine and then decide on dinner.

I picked a dinner I haven’t had before at Cucina Tagliani, it was the Chicken Piccata.

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I had it over spaghetti squash instead of pasta and it was pretty darn tasty and not too heavy. The white meat chicken was moist and flavorful. I liked the fresh basil in this dish and the bright lemon flavor in the sauce. My buddies thought the chicken was good too.

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My husband had the Papa’s Special. It’s enough forking food to feed a small family. It’s two spinach manicotti’s, veal parmigiana, and a full size sausage lasagna bubbling with molten cheese.

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"He he I'm close to the good stuff"

“Tee he I’m close to the good stuff”

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“HEY! Your NOT going to eat all that Forking Food without me.”

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“Much Better Now” Veal is so tender and forking tasty.”

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“My other favorite is the Sausage Lasagna…I could Forking eat that any day.”

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I forking love coming here. It’s the best!

The nice folks at Cucina Tagliani sent us a coupon for complimentary dessert so we had a piece of chocolate marscapone cake.

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It was moist and chocolatey and not too sweet. It’s one of the best chocolate cakes I had out!

20% off Gift Cards are available for purchase at Costco. Cucina Tagliani also offers a dining card that periodically gives you extra discounts and offers via email.

Cucina Tagliani is worth a fork if you are in the area.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

For most information on Cucina Tagliani visit www.CucinaTagliani.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

"We got to go to Leo's BBQ again too!"

“We got to go to Leo’s Island BBQ again in December too!” “We ate crispy grilled maui maui fish and some BBQ.”

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“Hopefully we will go to more forking places to eat in 2016.”

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“2015 was a good year. I wonder where we’re going to forking eat next?”

 

Dining with Dogs at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery Phoenix AZ Worth a Fork

"Where are we going to eat today?"

“Where are we going to eat today?”

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery is a small fast casual restaurant that specializes in the Vietnamese Sandwich called a Banh Mi. The sandwich is made on a Vietnamese Style Baguette that’s made with rice flour in addition to wheat flour. The sandwiches at BMBVE get topped with fresh sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, daikon radish, jalapeño, house made aioli and one of ten fillings to pick from. Most of the sandwiches look similar to the photo below. I’ve tried three of the ten Bahn Mi Sandwiches so far. The bread seems much lighter than a regular baguette with a different kind of crunch to the exterior and a soft center. All the sandwiches taste different and so far all that I tried were very tasty. They are the perfect blend of savory, sour/sweet and spicy. I also like that you can eat a big sandwich and it doesn’t leave you with a rock in your stomach like a regular hoagie or submarine sandwich.

Banh Mi Sandwich

Banh Mi Sandwich

This Vietnamese Restaurant does NOT offer Pho. This is a Pho-free Vietnamese Restaurant.

Other items they offer are….

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Lotus Root Salad

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Green Papaya Salad (more sweet than sour and accented with fresh mint)

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Egg Rolls served with lettuce fresh herbs and fish sauce so you can wrap them.

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Tasty plump Pot Stickers in chicken or pork

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Noodle salad bowls called bun. It’s almost like a pho salad.

This time I tried a rice plate with chicken. I note that this plate came with an egg roll that my husband swiped.

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This was really FORKING delicious! The dark meat boneless chicken was moist, juicy and developed with exotic flavors and brushed with more flavors. Even the salad was light and delicious.

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The dogs forking enjoyed some of the food too! This is dining on a budget. Prices run from $4.00 for a salad, most Banh Mi Sandwiches run 6-$7.00 and the rice plate is the most expensive item on the menu and runs $8.00 at the time of me writing this review. (I do note prices are subject to change)

Other items that they offer are specialty drinks such as Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Milk Tea and Smoothies.

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“Banh Mi Vietnamese Bistro is Worth a Fork!”

Your most likely not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

Your most likely not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

For more information on Banh Mi Vietnamese Bistro go to www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Ocotillo – Destination Casual Dining in Phoenix – Certainly Worth a Fork!

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Ocotillo is a Compound that looks like it takes up an acre and consist of a coffee shop,

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an outdoor bar with all kinds of outdoor seating

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and multiple patios (also another larger patio that spills out of the inside dining room that I didn’t photo) and a big sleek modern light and airy restaurant with comfortable seating. The menu is very varied but is Modern American that changes with the season with International Accents. Ocotillo offers breakfast items, detailed salads, small (but not so small) plates, hot plates cold plates big plates. Interesting vegetable plates, sandwich plates, house made pastas, A selection of roasted chicken plates and much more! From what I tried the food seems to be quality casual detailed food at reasonable prices.

I’ve been at Ocotillo a few times and this is what I tried so far…..

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A well thought out detailed Spinach Salad with Smoked Salmon. The salmon was rich and buttery. Everything tasted perfect together. The eggs were prepared medium and weren’t chalky. Fresh herbs were used and brightened everything up and crisp capers added that perfect crunch.

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The Mole Chicken Salad. Also delicious but far more substantial than the Spinach Salad. If I only ate the spinach salad with smoked salmon I’d still be hungry. I ate around 1/3rd of the chicken mole salad and was almost full. I’d be willing to put it out there that if you don’t like mole or never had mole you will still enjoy this salad for a few reasons. The chicken in all the dishes I tried from Ocotillo are exceptional. Very good quality chicken that’s prepared to perfection that happens to be delicious. The chicken is only lightly kissed with mole. You have just enough to taste it but it’s not blanketed with mole. Everything in the salad is very good from the heirloom cherry tomatoes to the fresh marinated avocado. The pepitas are also roasted and are bursting with flavor.

On the small plate menu are Japanese Fish and Chips.

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The plate is not so small. Big Sweet Pieces of Panko Covered Cod that are served with Seaweed and Sea salt Seasoned Fries. The fish was so mild and sweet I didn’t even think this could be cod. Fries with just a light touch of seaweed were tasty too. Everything seemed like it was oil free.

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The Tandoori Style Chicken Sandwich is delicious. Besides many exotic spices it has this red lentil hummus kind of spread on it that elevates the already delicious charred chicken in it. This sandwich was very layered in textures and flavors. Crispy slightly bitter greens the charred in a good way moist flavorful chicken with tomatoes that added sweetness and cut threw the richness of the lentil hummus. I had my choice of fries or the side dish of the day, the watermelon and tomato salad with mild chiles. It was light and not spicy but interesting. The light bread seemed like it was fresh made and didn’t get soggy even two days latter when I ate the other half. I thought this was a real bargain for only $9.00.

My husband had the Grilled Steak Sandwich but I tasted a small piece of the steak.

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The Steak was tender,  moist and flavorful. The tabasco horseradish cream on the side was amazing. It was suppose to be served spread on the sandwich but my husband wanted it on the side.

So far I only tried one of the roasted Chicken dishes.

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It was the Thai Style Roasted Chicken. The Chicken was moist and developed with flavors and had a delicious red curry style sauce on it. I thought this was a large portion and this was shared the day I ate it.

Can’t wait to go back and try more.

Everything I tried was delicious so far. Unfortunately I didn’t have have room to try a dessert here yet.  I thought the prices were reasonable. Atmosphere is attractive and comfortable.

For me service was like from most restaurants.

On my first visit service wasn’t so great because the hostess sat me at a table that was being used as a bus-stand. On my fist visit the server I had knew little about the food and didn’t pace our plates. Perhaps that was just opening growing pains and the bugs were worked out because on my next visit the service was greatly improved. This server could answer questions about the food and we were checked on and served in a timely manner.

Between the menu and atmosphere you might want to come here if you are from out of town for a solid good casual detailed meal that isn’t too expensive.  If you live here you might want to travel across town for a  very nice meal out.

Ocotillo is Worth A Fork!

Worth a Fork..... You might Travel across Town to Dine Here

Worth a Fork….. You might Travel across Town to Dine Here

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Forking Dining with Dogs at Humble Pie Glendale AZ November 2015

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Today we thought we’d like to forking try Humble Pie in Glendale AZ. They offer a comfortable dog friendly patio and a budget casual menu of mostly pizzas, salads, soups and sandwiches with wait staff service.

I noticed they offer an express lunch special of any individual pizza and any soup or salad they offer for $10.99. I thought that sounds forking good so I’d go with that.

I soon receive my strawberry and gorgonzola salad.

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Gosh this was a much nicer salad than I was forking expecting. The strawberries in it tasted like those really good strawberries than you only get from farmers markets and not like the tasteless cardboard kind you get from the forking supermarket. Even the balsamic dressing was tasty and seemed like house made.

One of my companions gets a whiff of  my salad.

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He looks at me and says something like, “What the fork do you think I am…..a Forking Chipmunk or something? I don’t eat forking nuts and berries! Then he forking races away from me and sits by the minestrone soup my husband is eating with special Humble Pie sausage in it.

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I didn’t try the soup but I was told it was very tasty. I know the 14 1/2 year old dog thought it smelled good and the soup was made with sausage that is called HP Sausage.

Soon our pizzas arrive.

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Then one of my buddies comes close to me again or maybe close to the pizza?

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He takes a big whiff of the pizza.

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Of course I share with both dogs.

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I was forking surprised that this was a quality pizza.

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House made milky mozzarella, good quality sauce, fresh basil and a light thin crispy crust with a little added cornmeal or semolina and topped with some oil. I wasn’t expecting something this forking good with a really nice salad for $10.99.

Pretty good food with attentive service, the waiter even provided drinking water for the dogs and reasonably priced. Worth a Fork……If you are in the area.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

For more information on Humble Pie Visit www.HumblePieUSA.com

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

New Asian Kitchen in Phoenix AZ- Take Out Chinese That’s Worth a Fork

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New Asian Kitchen is a small Chinese Restaurant located in an older strip mall in Phoenix AZ. For my taste this is the forking BEST small independent Chinese Restaurant in a several mile radius of it’s kind. They offer a variety of Mostly American Chinese Favorites, Cantonese Style, Mandarin Style, Szechwan Style and Mongolian Style dishes.

I haven’t found any of the other nearby Chinese Restaurants offering foods packed with so many fresh vegetables. Or food layered with so many flavors. I’ve been coming here for years and the chicken 100% of the time is always tasty and moist. I usually eat only chicken but I also note anytime we had a meat other than chicken it was also prepared well.

The majority of Chinese Take Out Restaurant do not have the Cantonese Dry Sautéed Beef Chow Fun on their menu. That is because that dish is considered a major test for Cantonese Cooks for their cooking. I’m NOT a big fan of beef personally but I do enjoy the Cantonese Dry Sautéed Beef Chow Fun from New Asian Kitchen. It is FORKING delicious and made with melt in your mouth buttery beef that’s very tasty. It’s among the best beef dishes I had at any Chinese Restaurant.

Dry Sautéed Beef Chow Fun

Dry Sautéed Beef Chow Fun

I don’t have a good photo of the Curry Chicken but it’s the only Curry Chicken that taste like what I was told was authentic Chicken Curry when I vacationed in Hawaii. In Hawaii I went on a food tour and an Asian Person made a point of having us taste Chicken Curry. She told us that this is what authentic Chinese Chicken curry should taste like and New Asian’s is just like it.

The killer dish that New Asian Prepares is the Szechuan Chicken.

Szechuan Chicken

Szechuan Chicken

You’re not not going to find anyone anywhere that prepares this dish this way but this dish is absolutely amazing. It’s a flavor BOMB! Not for wimps or little ones. The sauce is spicy and layered with many flavors. You also get a variety of many fresh vegetables of different textures and flavors that turn into magic in your mouth. It’s just a treat!

Some dishes do shine more than others but I never had a bad dish here.

Spicy Pineapple Chicken

Spicy Pineapple Chicken

The spicy pineapple Chicken is a very large portion and can feed three people. The white meat chicken is flavorful and moist. I really liked the fresh pineapple in this dish. The sauce was more savory than sweet with lots of pleasing flavors and it’s spicy. I would have liked the chicken a little more crispy  like they prepare it back east but the sauce was so yummy I don’t care. This dish seems like a grown up more sophisticated version of the American Favorite orange chicken.

A few of the other dishes we had at New Asian Kitchen were………

Kung Pao Delight

Kung Pao Delight

You Shan Pork

You Shan Pork

Bean Curd with Vegetables

Bean Curd with Vegetables

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken is spicier and not as sweet as from most places.

Kung Pao Vegetables

Kung Pao Vegetables

Mushroom Chicken

Mushroom Chicken

Not spicy but very mushroomy. Not as layered in flavors but still very tasty.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Tastiest Moo Goo Gai Pan I ever had!

House Wor Wonton Soup

House Wor Wonton Soup

The Chicken Corn Soup is also really delicious don’t have a photo here.

Mongolian Beef

Yui Shan Chicken

I often get the Yui Shan Eggplant. It’s just a really delicious eggplant dish. I just wish it had a tofu or chicken option.

The Szechuan Chicken is just so forking good I have to mention it again. It’s their “Killer Dish.” It might be worth taking a drive for……..It’s very unique….didn’t seem like authentic Szechwan but way more delicious than than any other Szechuan American Style chicken I had before.

The service is always fantastic. Portions are very large and prices are very low. It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

Your not going to drive across town to dine here but if your in the neighborhood this place is suggested.

Worth a Fork

Worth a Fork

For more information visit www.NewAsianKitchen.com

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

Angelina’s Pho & Grill of Glendale AZ – Is Worth a Fork

The Chicken and Asparagus Salad from Angelina's Pho & Grill Glendale AZ

The Chicken and Asparagus Salad from Angelina’s Pho & Grill Glendale AZ

This is a small sleek and modern Asian Restaurant located in a strip mall with an outdoor patio. It’s hard to do a review on this restaurant because they make changes to the menu often.

Angelina’s opened up a few years back as a Vietnamese Restaurant. In the opening weeks they had some problems with service and Pho dishes weren’t being served with the correct condiments possibly due to service and management.

Angelina’s has come a long LONG way since then. At this time you can still get a variety of Pho, Pho like dishes, Thai Style Curries, Stir Fries, Beef Tenderloins, Salmon Consommé, weekend sushi, a bar and much much more.

I think one of the tastiest meals I had in all of Glendale recently was the Chicken and Asparagus Salad from Angelina’s. The dark meat Chicken was moist, infused with flavors and brushed with an exotic sauce. The salad was made with fresh crisp vegetables, grilled asparagus and crisp noodles. I think the clear sauce was fish sauce to use as a dip for the chicken but I never tasted fish sauce that was so layered with flavors before. The white sauce for the salad was also mysteriously delicious. I forking don’t know what it was but it was so good they should sell it. This salad is one of the most delicious dishes you can find in Glendale. I know a salad like this would cost $12-$14. in Scottsdale. I hope the menu isn’t a misprint because Angelina’s was only charging $7.09 for this great salad. I note I would still be happy with this salad if it cost more.

Luc Lac Beef

Luc Lac Beef

The Luc Lac Beef is flavorful moist and tender beef tenderloin. It was delicious and at the time was priced at $15.00. This dish was delicious, I think anyone would forking like this dish.

Green Curry Chicken

Green Curry Chicken

The Green Curry Chicken was made with tender chicken and a whole bushel of vegetables in an aromatic spicy sauce.

Yellowtail Sashimi

Yellowtail Sashimi

Angelina’s offers Thursday-Sunday Yumi Sushi. It’s among the best and freshest sushi you can find in Glendale as it never get old and forking gross.

Yumi Signature Roll

Yumi Signature Roll

I don’t know of any other Asian Restaurant that serves an Asian Salmon Consommé.

Salmon Consommé with fresh dill

Salmon Consommé with fresh dill

This dish I had a while back but I still remember how fresh the salmon tasted and it just melted in my mouth. This dish was very fragrant and unique. It was like an inspiration of Vietnamese, Thai and French all in one.

Hot and Spicy

Hot and Spicy

My husband had this one. It was something like Pho but with a twist and was spicy. My husband almost always orders the Pho and pho like dishes here because it’s his favorite from the Vietnamese Restaurants we tried. It’s never watery and seasoned so well you don’t really have to add the sauces to the pho to get the right taste. I’ve had beef pho here it a long time back from here and all I remember is that it was a more intense of a beef flavor than other pho’s I tried. It seemed richer and the beef was tastier.

Yellow Curry Chicken

Yellow Curry Chicken

This might have been the best Yellow Curry I ever had. I still remember that it was very infused with Thai Basil and the chicken here is excellent. This dish also had an unusually large varied amount of vegetables in it including cauliflower, green beans, bok choy, and several other vegetables.

Rare Beef and Brisket Pho

Rare Beef and Brisket Pho

Tasty fresh beef in a rich aromatic beef broth.

Chicken Pho

Chicken Pho

The Chicken is always good in any dish you pick at Angelina’s. I’ve had Chicken Pho at other Vietnamese Restaurants in the area and none of them were close to as good as the way Angelina’s makes it. It wasn’t lacking in chicken taste and the chicken in the bowl was moist and flavorful and an extra generous portion.

I’e been going to Angelina’s for years. The food has always been good. They always offer dishes you won’t find at other Vietnamese Restaurants like the La Vong Style Alaskan Cod in Turmeric and fresh dill, the menu is always changing, pricing is reasonable (I don’t think anything is over $15.00). The atmosphere is stylish and modern.Patio seating is available. I do note service is usually good but a few times it was a miss just like most restaurants.

Angelina’s Pho & Grill       5350 West Bell Rd Glendale AZ

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! You might not drive across town to dine here but if your in the area this is a very good choice.

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“This place is Forking good”

"This place is Pho-nominal"

“This place is Pho-nominal”

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

The House Brasserie in Old Town Scottsdale is Worth a Fork!

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This is a small converted old house with a large patio. The interior is a bit dark and filled with lots of wait staff and candles and mirrors. It’s kind of looks like the dark side of shabby chic.  The cuisine is a Modern American mixed with  international and created using French Techniques.

This restaurant offered an interesting inviting menu for restaurant week so I thought I’d give them a forking try. The Paper read that they were offering three courses and an amuse bouche for $45.00 a person.

We came and were seated quickly. I had to use a forking light to read the menu as it was painfully hard to read at my seat but I do note my husband had more light on the other side of the table. No mention of restaurant week was given by our waitress and I had to ask if they were serving restaurant week items. I felt weird asking about restaurant week but was given restaurant week menus quickly and ordered off the restaurant week menu.

They started us off with an amuse bouche.

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Little corn breads topped with pickled mushroom and fresno chili. These were delicious! I could have forking ate a bunch of these.

Then I was surprised to receive a second amuse bouche.

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Tiny perfect crepes wrapped around a piece of ham topped with San Marzano Tomatoes and fennel frowns.

My first course was …….

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Malted Rice, scallions, mushroom dashi, garlic and furikake. It was delicious. I got to eat something great and different that was unique and delicious. It was really good.

My husband ordered the other first course I was thinking of trying.

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Charcoal roasted beet with brussels, fava beans and caraway yogurt. This dish was also good but not as tasty as the malted rice. We switched plates halfway. I liked the beets with the caraway yogurt. They went together well.

I was surprised to also receive a complimentary full size glass of wine for restaurant week! Cheers!

My main course was the Scottish Salmon,

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The Salmon was absolutely perfect, fresh tasting and delicious. It was pretty much all a salmon could be. It was just as good as the salmon I had at Bouchon’s in Napa CA. It tasted the same. The cauliflower, whole grain and dill complimented the salmon and didn’t over power the tender rich fish. Another high light was those amazing horseradish pickles. They might have been the best pickles I ever tasted. They were multi dimensional with flavors. I wish I could have purchased a jar of those pickles.

My husband had the Pork Collar.

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It was basically pork over grits. My husband kept saying this is really REALLY good.

Then came two plates of dessert.

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Little fluffy light greaseless donuts, each with a different filling. The first one was mild and honey like, the second one seemed like grapefruit with poppy seeds and the third one was spiced chocolate.

Then we ate the Roasted Apple Pain Perdu.

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It was a fancy French Toast with melted camembert cheese and drizzled with a cider caramel. This dessert was great. I loved the play between savory and sweet. It was perfect. Delicious, light texture, buttery and tasty.

Dinner was lovely.

It was Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! You might drive some distance to dine here.

Worth a Fork! You might drive some distance to dine here.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale AZ is Certainly Worth a Fork

Amuse Bouche of Hawaiian House Smoked Fish with Caper and Lemon

Amuse Bouche of Hawaiian Opah House Smoked Fish

Atlas Bistro is a small but upscale restaurant located in an older strip mall in Scottsdale AZ. This little ten table restaurant is also a B.Y.O.B. and is adjacent to a fine wine store next door. Different chefs have worked here over the years and all of them have gone on to open some of the greatest restaurants in the metro phoenix area. All the meals I had here were all exquisite, very detailed, masterfully prepared and exciting.

This happened to be Arizona Restaurant Week and we were getting a lovely three course meal for $44.00 each. They started us off with an amuse bouche of house smoked Hawaiian Fish with a caper and lemon aioli. It was just delicious and would be forking awesome on a bagel with cream cheese. I wished I could purchase some to go!

My first course was easy on the eyes and very easy to put away in my stomach.

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Cucumber, sweet crisp watermelon, Israeli Feta, jicama, pickled honeydew, pistachios, and a watermelon/lime vinaigrette. This was delicious and was one of the plates my husband kept trying because it was so DARN likable. All the flavors and textures were exciting and so refreshing. The cucumber was so crisp and sweet, the pickled honeydew added light acid and the creamy very mild Israeli Feta just melted everything together. Anyone would love this dish as it was forking delicious. I never came across Israeli Feta before it wasn’t too salty or tangy like some feta cheeses are, and was much more creamy than the average feta.

My second course was also well orchestrated.

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Golden beets that were so moist, soft and naturally sweet and obviously just picked, with creamy pungent blue cheese, fennel for brightness, onion brûlée, Swiss chard, crisp rye berries, a couple dabs of lightly smoked buttermilk and red beet vinaigrette. Another light and tasty earthy dish that’s full of lots of detail.

Then came dinner.

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Exotic Wild Hawaiian Hebi Spearfish, beet cous cous, za’atar shitakes, asparagus, braised leeks, harissa, charred radicchio and saffron corn puree. This was all delicious and painstakingly detailed. But I had to fight my husband’s fork from taking too much of the amazing cous cous. The cous cous had the most exciting flavor of everything on the plate and outshined the perfectly prepared and seasoned fish. I never imagined cous cous could be so exciting. They were cooked with beets and that delicious mildly spicy, red peppery and the taste of caraway. It was just  so delicious. The shiitakes were also very tasty the way they were seasoned. I would have traded some of the bitter radicchio for another mushroom.

Unfortunately I was too full to even forking think about dessert.

One of the benefits of a B.Y.O.B. is also a low down because your wine won’t pair with all the entrees but if you drink your wine between dishes it doesn’t matter. At the time of this review 9-21-15 the corkage fee is $15.00 at Atlas Bistro.

Worth a Fork! You'd Drive Across Town to Dine Here.

Worth a Fork! You’d Drive Across Town to Dine Here.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Bistro Laurent in Paso Robles CA is Worth a Fork!

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Bistro Laurent is a little cafe in down town Paso Robles CA that serves up Classic French Cuisine.

You have a choice of ordering a la carte or doing a multi course tasting where the server picks for you after you discuss with him allergies or dislikes. Most of the dishes that were served to us neither of us would have forking picked but I still had an amazing dinner.

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The meal started with an amuse bouche. This was sweet breads with apple. Honestly I didn’t eat this so my husband ate two of them. I know it’s phycological and not logical since I do eat meat but I can’t stomach the thought of eating brains. SORRY!

Then the vichyssoise (cold potato leek) soup came.

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Bistro Laurent’s version of this soup stared the leek more than the potato.

My next plate I wouldn’t have pick but was amazing.

Tomato Cheese Basil Tart from Bistro Laurent Paso Robles CA

Tomato Cheese Basil Tart from Bistro Laurent Paso Robles CA

It was this Tart with Tomato Basil and Cheese. It was divine! So light and tender just bursting with delicious flavors. I could happily eat one of these every day.

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Next course were these tiny raviolis. They were prepared perfect and were very good but I needed my stomach room for the next three courses so my husband happily ate most of these along with his own plate of raviolis.

My main course was this well prepared filet.

Bistro Laurant Paso Robles CA

Bistro Laurant Paso Robles CA

The steak was tender with a nice flavorful crust and was prepared to a perfect medium rare. The potatoes were smooth and buttery topped with just the right amount of crisp onions for the just right accent.

Then came the cheese plate that was to die for….

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It was simply the best selection of cheeses I ever tasted. I had to ask for a list of the cheeses we received. I never tasted cheeses that were that delicious before.

Tete De Moine

Etorki

Camembert

Comte

Reblochon

Ste Maure

Then came a dessert that really surprised me.

Floating Island from Bistro Laurent Paso Robles CA

Floating Island from Bistro Laurent Paso Robles CA

We received something called a Floating Island. It was meringue that sat in a thin but rich custard sauce with fruit and the meringue had a super crispy thin sugar crust. Never had anything like that it was forking interesting.

Much of what I received I wouldn’t have ordered but I enjoyed my meal very much and this dinner from Bistro Laurent was certainly Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth