Prado Restaurant in Phoenix is Worth a Fork!

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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

Red Wine Poached Pickled Beets Recipe

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Red Wine Poached Pickled Beets

I had about 2 1/2 pounds of beets and a half opened bottle of red wine. So I thought of Red Wine Poached Pickled Beets. The wine gives the beets a better flavor than just being pickled and I didn’t use the best wine either. I just threw my pan of beets in the oven with all the liquid but if you prefer you can do the beets on the stove top. The beets came out with subtle complex flavors this way. Far better than a standard beet pickling. They didn’t really come out winey just more complex with subtle flavors. I presented the beets with toasted pistachios and a cream cheese rose that I piped. I’m thinking that if I did this again maybe toasted spiced walnuts and basil flavored cream cheese would be a really good choice too. OH and don’t use yellow beets….they react with aluminum.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

2 1/2 lbs beets – scrubbed

1 3/4 cup white vinegar

1 3/4 cup red wine

2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the beets in a large pan. Cut the beets in half or quarters if needed….

Add all the ingredients and cover the pan tightly with foil. After two hours remove the pan from the oven.

When the beets are cool enough to handle the skins should slip off.

Put the beets in some sort of storage dish and add back the beet liquid. If you desire some onions you can add very thinly sliced onions too. Chill over night and serve.

With extra beet liquid you can make winey pickled eggs too…They really only a need a day but I left mine in for a week before I used them in a salmon salad lavash wrap with saffron pickles.

Salmon Salad with winey pickled eggs and saffron pickles

Red Wine Poached Beets

This was very easy and these beets are better than plain pickled beets. They have a little more going on with them….

The Forking Truth

 

Forking Random Thoughts on Thai Cuisine

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Chicken Fortune Bags from Thai Time in Santa Rosa CA

Thai Cuisine is usually aromatic, usually is made with lots of vegetables and often is spicy. What’s not to like?

Spicy Lemon Salad – Sala Thai Peoria AZ

One of my favorite Thai Dishes is the Spicy Basil dish also called Pad Gra Pow usually known as Sweet Basil on menus. Not all but the majority of (Spicy) Sweet Basil Dishes offered at most North Phoenix Thai Restaurants really lack with the basil and sometimes the heat so I’m always looking for someone that makes this dish delicious like the way the dish should be made.

Pad Gra Pow is a simple dish. It translates to Stir Fried Holy Basil. Basically it’s meat (chicken, beef or wild boar) that is usually hand chopped and stir fried with garlic, something like 10 Thai chilies, soy sauce, fish sauce and at least a handful of holy basil. It should be topped with a fried crispy egg if you desire to eat it Thai Style.

Here’s Holy Basil Chicken from Thai Time in Santa Rosa California. (I don’t recall if egg was an option…I usually don’t add the egg. The egg if offered is usually an add on option)

Holy Basil Chicken from Thai Time in Santa Rosa CA

In California I lucked out and some of the restaurants I visited do say they use Holy Basil…….It does taste different. Holy basil is more fragile with less shelf life so nearly every Thai Restaurant in Phoenix uses Thai Basil instead of Holy Basil. Holy Basil is more peppery and is filled with more nutrients….Thus…”Holy Basil.” Holy Basil is believed to aid many health ailments. Thai Basil is Sweet Basil with a slight hint of an anise taste. A few times I came across Holy Basil at the Scottsdale Farmer’s Market.

The FIRST best Pad Gra Pow dishes I came across was from the LONG CLOSED Lao Thai that used to be in Scottsdale.

From Lao Thai of Scottsdale AZ (LONG Closed for Business)

Wow it was sooooooocrazy good! I enjoyed this dish with pumpkin so what I had was Spicy Sweet Basil with Pumpkin. I think this is my number one favorite Thai Dish. I get the best of both worlds. Creamy sweet pumpkin and spicy basil chicken. IT JUST POPS!

We had bunches Pad gra pow (or similar dishes) from many restaurants in Metro Phoenix.

Pad Gra Pow with Beef – Thai Plates Mesa

Phad Kaprow  – Krachai Thai Kitchen Phx

Pumpkin Basil with Chicken – Sala Thai Peoria

Holy Basil Chicken – Little Tigar Scottsdale

Wild Boar Grapao – Little Tigar Scottsdale

Basil with Ground Chicken – Thai Spices Mesa

Kappa Thai Style – Cha da Thai Scottsdale

Sweet Basil Chicken – Chanpen Thai Phx

Pad Gra Pow – Siam Kitchen Glendale

Pad Gra Pow – Siamese Kitchen Glendale

Pad Gra Pow – Kura Thai Phoenix

It’s very easy to see that some were much better than others.

It’s also a big win to find Northern Thai Dishes. Two Sisters Thai Restaurant used to be located in the Moon Valley part of Phoenix. (since closed for business) They specialized in serving North Thai Food. One of the dishes I really enjoyed there was the North Eastern Thai Dish called Esan Gang Gai also called White Curry.

Esan Gang Gai (White Curry) made with fresh dill and Lao Basil (Lao Basil is also known as lemon basil) from Two Sisters (since closed for business)

This dish was the most different of all the Thai Dishes I tried anywhere. It was flavored with fresh dill and Lao Basil (lemon basil) it was so different. It also had an Asian Vegetable in it that was something like a Chinese Broccoli in a very Chicken-ee broth. I still remember the waitress at Two Sisters telling me that White Curry is a “REAL THAI DISH.” She said that Thai People in Thailand really do eat this dish. That was very telling to me. I can now only imagine that most Thai Food on menus might not actually be Thai Food that Thai People eat?  I watched many of the Anthony Bourdain’s (Food/Travel) TV Show called Parts Unknown. Every-time he went to Thailand he didn’t eat anything that resembles food we eat in Thai restaurants……I remember in one show I watched Anthony Bourdain said, “You ain’t going to find your Pad Thai here.” Then he ate something cooked in Pig’s blood that was spicy…..and I don’t remember the rest of the dishes but that was maybe the first one.

Recently I came across another difficult to find Northern Thai Dish called Kang Pa Curry in North Phoenix. I read that Kang Pa Curry is also known as Jungle Curry and Forest Curry.

I don’t really know if this dish is Authentic Thai Cuisine or not because …….. this dish was HOTTER THAN FORKING HELL! (Kura Thai Phx)    MY GOD………and I only ordered hot……..this dish was also offered extra hot and Thai Hot as hotter choices……….It was so hot my lips felt like they were soaked in acid……..I don’t believe the heat actually came from chili peppers. It felt like some sort of chemical powders were used…….the texture of the sauce was very granular.  I’ve recently read at www.LonelyPlanet.com that it is very hard to actually find authentic Thai Cuisine even in North Thailand. Generally Northern Thailand Dishes do not contain coconut milk, they do a lot of frying, often feature pork and generally don’t serve spicy food…???????? Well that’s according to www.LonelyPlanet.com   ? I reckon it’s a possible that Kang Pa Curry makes up for all the spicy dishes they don’t serve….and it does…my God it does.

I have tried many curry dishes too….at many Metro Phoenix Restaurants….but I don’t order curry as often as the other dishes but here are just a few of the curry dishes I tried.

Soi 4 Bangkok Eatery- Scottsdale, Chanpen Thai -Phx, ……………..& Thai Spices -Mesa

Some were better than others.

But The Forking Truth is that the majority were delicious!

Those were some of my Random Forking Thoughts on Thai Cuisine.

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

The Forking Truth

Asian Style Cabbage with Saffron and Chestnuts Recipe

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Asian Style Cabbage with Saffron and Chestnuts

I was reading about a Michelin Stared Chinese Restaurant Chain called Da Dong. One of the dishes on the menu is Braised Cabbage in Saffron with Chestnuts. I’ve never tasted the dish but I did get inspired to make my version of it so here it is. It’s much more delicate than what I normally do. It’s not spicy or very strongly seasoned. Saffron is the star and the cabbage is absolutely perfect. I made the cabbage like I do for slaw and let the salt and sugar cook the slaw for me. Then I made the sauce and poured it over the slaw and it really is delicious. BTW leftover re-heat just as well so there are no worries. I had no idea that saffron and roasted chestnuts are so great with cabbage. The earthy chestnut also goes surprisingly well with these flavors and the sweetness…..I would not have thought of these flavors together. I do note that I didn’t actually roast chestnuts and I used prepackaged roasted chestnuts. The window for fresh chestnuts is maybe one week a year here so if you want to prepare this dish you must use packaged roasted chestnuts.

Ingredients for about 6-8  servings

2 lbs cabbage – thinly shredded

1 carrot – fine shredded

1/4 large sweet onion – fine shredded

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 oz sliced ginger

3 red dried chili peppers – crushed

2 star anise

3 garlic cloves – smashed well

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 teaspoon saffron

2 cups vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons corn starch

2 Tablespoons sweet butter

5 oz roasted chestnuts

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

Directions

In a large bowl add the cabbage, carrot, onion, salt and sugar. Mix well and let set it off to the side. Take your time….it needs maybe 45 minutes to cook itself. Make the sauce next.

In a pan add the ginger, dried chilies, star anise, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, saffron, vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons corn starch (mixed into cold vegetable stock) and butter.

Heat it up to medium high. Let it bubble a few minutes  and reduce to simmer……let it reduce to half and then remove all the big pieces of stuff in it. (garlic, ginger, star anise, chili pods) Heat it up briefly with the chestnuts. Pour over cabbage mixture and mix and serve.

Asian Style Cabbage with Saffron and Chestnuts

What an interesting and different way to prepare cabbage! I don’t know if my inspiration from the Michelin Stared Da Dong Restaurant is even close but this what what I came up with.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

I’ve Forking Tried Dragon Breath Dessert at Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale AZ

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Dragon Breath is a frozen dessert made from cereal dipped in liquid nitrogen. The ingredients listed on the bag are corn flour, baking powder, sugar and a bunch of coloring.

Made in Korea

Behind the counter we see a girl whipping up something that looks frozen. The bottom half of the mixer is covered in ice.

The cereal comes to you in a cup. You skewer the balls to eat them.

You can dip the ball in a sweet sauce that taste like 10x sugar mixed with water.

Vapor comes out your mouth when you eat the cereal.

The cereal is very cold. If nothing hurts you don’t have any cavities. This Dragon Breath sure doesn’t taste like much. The cereal is similar to Trix Cereal but unflavored …but  also larger like on steroids.. maybe sort of  generic…..(pardon bad pun)……like Cheap Trix.

Trix Cereal…… $1.49 is some Cheap Trix

I did find a few random pieces of cereal that did differ some in taste and shape….They were bigger and held even more coldness to them…They scared me a little I thought I could burn my mouth or lip on the bigger pieces.

I just wish this dessert tasted better….I’m thinking by adding a strawberry sauce it can be tastier………or maybe bumping up the refreshment and making it mint flavored would also be fun…so I could feel “REAL” cold refreshment like a York Peppermint Patty.

Even though this dessert didn’t taste awesome it was still fun to try. I could see people trying this at Disney Parks, Festivals, Amusement Parks, Parties. Every kid and every old kid might want to try this at least once.

That was my Forking Thoughts on Dragon Breath Dessert. Your Forking Opinion may or may not differ.

Dragon Breath is located at Arrowhead Towne Center on the lower level not too far from The Apple Store.

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

The Forking Truth

Special Brunch Menu at Ocean Prime is Worth a Fork!

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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

Korean Fried Style Baked Tomatoes Recipe

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Korean Fried Style Baked Tomatoes

Korean Fried Style Baked Tomatoes

Did you ever try Korean Fried Chicken? KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) has a crispy skin and is coated in a hot/sweet Asian sticky sauce made with gochujang……….You might be wondering what is gochujang? It’s a fermented savory, sweet, spicy  condiment. It’s a very stylish foreign ketchup….. sort of. I had these leftover smaller tomatoes and most of them were these unusual green ones with black skin. We all know that green tomatoes taste great fried with pimento cheese…..I wanted to swing the fried tomato in a different direction so here they swing towards Korean Fried Style. These tomatoes here aren’t actually fried. I do fry sometimes but I avoid frying when I can.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

13 oz smaller sized tomatoes

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon granulated ginger

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 eggs – slightly beaten

2 Tablespoons potato starch

1 cup whole wheat panko (regular panko won’t work out as well or look as good either)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup whole wheat panko

Non stick spray – canola or vegetable

2 Tablespoons gochujang

1/4 cup all fruit strawberry jam

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 garlic clove ground to paste or grated

1 Tablespoon hoisen

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons sesame seeds to finish

2 Tablespoons scallions to finish

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F

Rinse of your tomatoes very well. While they are still damp powder them with the potato starch. Whatever starch stays in the bowl leave there and it will mix with the batter.

Next in a small mixing bowl mix together the dijon mustard, ginger, black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic and eggs. Mix well.

Pour over tomatoes and coat.

Clean small bowl and reuse to add one cup of whole wheat panko.

Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.

Coat the tomatoes in crumbs. After one coating you will have used about three quarters of the crumbs. NOW ADD the remaining 1/2 cup of panko and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and do a second coat of panko on the tomatoes. After you double coat each tomato set them on the sprayed baking sheets.

When you are done put the baking sheets in the oven for about 20 minutes till they look browned.

While the tomatoes are getting crisp and brown whip up the sauce.

In a small mixing bowl mix together gochujang, strawberry jam, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, fresh and remaining granulated garlic, hoisin and crushed red pepper.

The tomatoes should be brown now and cover them with a spoonful or so of sauce on them. Now they go BACK in the oven for about five minutes to get sticky.

They get finished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped scallion.

Korean Inspired Fried but really Baked Tomatoes

They have a Sticky spicy, savory and sweet crispy crunchy coating. Make sure you wait for them to cool slightly. Some of the tomatoes do burst when you eat them but they taste good. Especially the green ones.

Korean Fried Style Baked Tomatoes

These Korean Fried Style Baked Tomatoes are really Forking Tasty.

The Forking Truth

Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe

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Making a delicious juicy boneless chicken breast couldn’t be easier when you Sous Vide it. All you do is to set your Sous Vide with water to 146 degrees F. Bring the chicken out of the refrigerator to warm up for about thirty minutes. Then pound the breast out some and try to make them a similar width.

Apply fresh ground Sea Salt and quality Fresh Ground Black Pepper to both sides.

I always have some frozen garlic confit in my freezer. You can make it by either slicing a fresh garlic head in half and a heavy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. In the oven covered at 350 degrees F for about an hour. Or you can do a large amount like I did below and prepare it the same way. Freeze it in smaller portions.

 

I add about 2 teaspoons of FROZEN garlic confit to each bag and then vacuum seal.

I make sure that I get the bags under the water.

The lid goes back on.

It’s recommend to keep the chicken in the water between one to four hours. I find it usually is best around three hours.

If you are not using the chicken right away you should put the chicken pouches in a water bath so you can cool them down and then refrigerate.

The chicken is done now but you might or might not want to take it one step further.

You might want to sear the breast.

Get a fry pan on high heat with about two or three tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the pan is hot sear the breast for about one minute on each side.

You now have the most delicious, moist flavorful, and crusted chicken!

The Forking Truth

 

 

Brûlée Pineapple Sriracha Slaw Recipe

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Brûlée Pineapple Sriracha Slaw

One of the supermarkets had Pineapples on sale for .99 cents so I got one…WOW what an awful pineapple….not sweet at all. I have to do something to this pineapple. I removed the ends and skin and then cut the pineapple from the core and cut it in small thin pieces. Then I tossed the pineapple pieces with a small amount of sugar and broiled the pineapple till it looked slightly burnt. That made it taste good. Then I built Sriracha Slaw around it and that’s how I came up with this one. This slaw is low fat…there is only one tablespoon of oil here. I think it might be considered to be a healthy food that’s very flavorful, a little spicy and a little sweet. You can eat it as is or serve it with a grilled meat or fish.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

non stick spray – vegetable or canola

1 pineapple

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 head cabbage – sliced very thin

1/2 sweet onion – sliced very thin

2 teaspoons course sea salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/8 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 red bell pepper – core, stem and seeds removed – chopped

1 carrot – shredded

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

1 Tablespoon parsley – chopped

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

6 Tablespoons Shark Brand Sriracha Chili Sauce(this one is high quality and natural and does taste different than the other brands) ((I found it at Asiana Market, Lee Lees and I found very small tiny  bottles of it that cost about the same at LF Market)

2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

Directions

Set oven to broil.

Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.

Remove the ends and tough skin from pineapple. Slice off the fruit from the core. Cut the fruit in matchstick type pieces and place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar and mix well so sugar get s distributed. Spread out the pineapple on baking sheet(s). Place under broiler till the pineapple is charred well but not burnt. Sort of like this.

Set the pineapple to the side.

In a large bowl add the cabbage sliced very thin. Next add very thinly sliced sweet onion. Add salt, remaining sugar. Mix well….

Add white pepper, celery seed, ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, carrot, scallions, parsley and lime juice and mix well.

In a small bowl mix together the Shark Brand Sriracha, vinegars and sesame oil. Pour over ingredients in large bowl mix well.

Add brûlée pineapple and mix well.

Ready to serve!

Brûlée Pineapple Sriracha Slaw

The Forking Truth

 

 

My Trip to High and Rye Restaurant in Phoenix AZ

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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