Wraps ‘N’ Curry North Phoenix AZ Restaurant – Indian Fast Food that’s Worth a Fork!

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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

Crispy Baked Salmon Potato Cakes Recipe

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Crispy Baked Salmon Potato Cakes

Someone here read that one of the most favored purchases from Costco was the Canned Wild Alaskan Salmon so we purchased some to try. I will say it really is better than any canned salmon I’ve tasted. Of course it’s not as great as really great fresh salmon. Sadly in my part of Phoenix I very rarely find fresh salmon. I haven’t even tried to purchase any nearby because it’s a 50/50 chance if it’s fresh enough and I often return fish to store after I purchase it. Today I thought this canned salmon would be great in a potato cake so that’s what I did with it. I felt there wasn’t a need to fry these Salmon Cakes. By just using whole wheat panko crumbs you can get a very crispy crust SUPER FORKING EASY without an egg wash or flour dredge… easily. These Salmon Cakes came out very tasty and I think just about everyone would like them. I didn’t try but I don’t recommend freezing leftover Salmon Cakes. After eating one of these Salmon Cakes I have to say they really are tasty. I think they are flavored well but not too much. But it is very surprising how Forking Crispy they are……They came out much better than many fried things I’ve tried. No oil and a big crispy crunch. YOU MUST make the Jean Georges Vonericten’s Saffron Cucumber Pickles to go with these Salmon Potato Cakes. They go together like magic….

Ingredients for 5 servings

1 oz celery – fine chopped (about 1/2 a rib)

1 oz sweet onion – fine chopped

2 garlic cloves – very fine chopped

1/2 oz red pepper – fine chopped (I used a hot/sweet cherry pepper – a fresno would be my 2nd choice.)

non stick spray – canola or vegetable

1 lb potatoes

1 Tablespoon kosher salt (for boiling the potatoes)

sea salt – fresh ground to taste

black pepper – fresh ground to taste

1 oz whipped cream cheese

1 egg – lightly beaten

1- 6 oz can wild salmon – drained

1/2 cup regular panko

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

1 cup whole wheat panko (****you really only use 1/2 cup but it’s hard to coat using only 1/2 cup)

Directions

Set the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cover potatoes with water in a pot. Add the kosher salt and bring to a medium boil and cook till fork tender. (should be about 15-20 minutes) Remove potatoes from the water and put to the side. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle peel them.

In a fry pan add non stick spray. Add the celery, onion, garlic, red pepper and cook on medium high heat till vegetables are soft. Take off heat and put to the side.

Potatoes should be cool enough to handle so peel them.

Mash the potatoes and add the fry pan of vegetables. Mash well. Add fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix in cream cheese. Mix well. Mix in beaten egg. Mix well. Add drained salmon and 1/2 cup panko, parsley and mix well.

Divide and make into five cakes. If you weigh them they should be about 5 oz. each.

In a small bowl add 1 cup whole wheat panko (secret to crisp breading that usually comes out better than frying) Add a small amount of fresh ground sea salt and a small amount of ground ground black pepper.

Pick up a cake and gently roll it all around in the crumbs. Repeat the next four cakes.

Repeat and do a double coat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Place the salmon cakes down with a little space in-between them. Very LIGHTLY spray the tops of the salmon cakes with spray. Put in the 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes on the first side, then gently turn each cake over and very LIGHTLY spray them again and they go in the oven for another 20 minutes . They should look sort of like this.

After about a total of 40 minutes they are ready to serve. Or you can chill them and reheat latter. If the cakes are coming chilled from the refrigerator I’d say to reheat put them on a pan for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Serve with either lemon aioli, tarter or cocktail sauce. A lemon wedge would go nice too. We really enjoyed the Salmon Cakes with Jean Georges Vongericten’s Saffron Cucumber Pickles. That recipe you can find in the search or just page back two days.

(salmon cake was cut in 1/2 here) They came out really crisp too!

Brûlée Pineapple Sriracha Slaw

I think these Salmon Potato Cakes would pair with the Brûlée Pineapple Sriracha Slaw above! (recipe soon to be published)

Crispy Baked Salmon Potato Cakes

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

 

My Forking Thoughts on Philadelphia and Temp Tee Cream Cheese – they Taste Different

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As a child growing up I always preferred Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese over Philadelphia Brand Whipped Cream Cheese……(Was I a foodie as a child?)…… Latter when I left home as a young adult I didn’t eat much cream cheese……but these days I do eat cream more. In Arizona Temp Tee brand cream cheese isn’t sold at any major grocery store. Every once in a while East Coast Foods show up at the 99 cent store. Breakstone’s and Hellman’s products show up every now and then along with Temp Tee Brand Cream Cheese. Today I happened to pick up some Temp Tee Brand Cream Cheese. I happened to have a tub of Philadelphia Whipped Cream Cheese at home so I wanted to see the taste difference for myself and how accurate my childhood memory of Temp Tee was.

I turn both tubs around and look at the ingredients. To my surprise both cream cheeses are owned by Kraft?????

 

Philadelphia Brand has more ingredients.  Pasteurized milk and cream, Skim milk, Whey protein concentrate, Whey, Modified Food Starch, Salt Carob bean gum, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Lactic acid, Natamycin ( a natural mold inhibitor), Vitamin A Palmitate, Cheese Culture.

 

Temp Tee has less ingredients but more fat. Pasteurized Milk & Cream, Salt, Carob Bean Gum, Cheese Culture.

I go to smell them.

I think they smell similar but slightly different.

I taste Temp Tee first.

 

It’s very creamy and also buttery and bright. It is very smooth in my mouth. It has a very rich mouth feel. Temp Tee taste like heavy cream and whipped sweet butter with a little tang. It taste natural and very good.

Now the Philadelphia Brand Whipped Cream Cheese.

Do I have an off batch?….. It’s almost like those Jello deserts that people used to make like Jello and Whipped Cream mixed together.  This cream cheese is very flat tasting after the Temp Tee and has some flavors I can’t identify. It lacks that natural cream and butter kind of taste with sour instead of tang. After the Temp Tee it doesn’t taste or feel natural. It’s very disappointing after the Temp Tee. Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese seems slightly gross to me after the Temp Tee. I do note that Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese usually does taste good to me but it’s only after tasting Temp Tee that I really notice the difference.

I hate to admit this but This Philly Girl (I was from the Philadelphia Area) Proclaims that New York Temp Tee Brand Cream Cheese is Forking Better than Philadelphia Cream Cheese by a long shot.

I do note your opinion may differ.

Those were my Forking Thoughts on Philadelphia and Temp Tee Brand Cream Cheeses – They do indeed Taste Different!

The Forking Truth

 

Jean Georges Vongericten’s Saffron Cucumber Pickles

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Jean Georges Vongericten’s Saffron Cucumber Pickles

I had some leftover English Cucumbers and got this Jean Georges recipe from the Tasting Table in my email so I thought I’d give it a try. Jean Georges Vongericten is a world famous Chef. He has many three and four star restaurants in the USA and across the world. This is a very easy recipe that anyone can do. These pickles are unlike any pickles I’ve ever tasted….They are light and refreshing but very different. It’s recommended to serve these pickles with Match Salmon, Swordfish, Tuna or Mackerel. These pickles should stay fresh for at least two weeks.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 pounds European Cucumber (also called English Cucumber, Hot House Cucumber and in the 70s-80s had the classy name of Burp-less Cucumber) – Sliced in 1/8th inch slices

1 cup champagne vinegar – (I used white vinegar…. champagne would have cost about $11.00 here)

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads – (make sure to crumble them to use)

Directions

Bring everything but the cucumbers to a boil. Take off the heat and let cool to room temperature. When cool add to cucumbers cover and refrigerate over night before use.

Jean Georges Vongericten’s Saffron Cucumber Pickles

A very different way to pickle and a very upscale pickle! I gotta whip up some fish now to serve with these pickles.

The Forking Truth

Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls in Old Town Glendale AZ are Worth a Fork!

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Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls is a small specialty Thai Style Ice Cream Shop located in Historic Old Town Glendale AZ. You might be wondering WTFork is an Ice Cream Roll?  Ice Cream Rolls are made to order ice cream with mix ins that freezes instantly on an anti-griddle and gets scraped off in roll shapes. The mixture gets lots of chops and smears by the Ice Cream Roll Chef and when it’s just right the mixture get scrapped off into a roll shape that might be topped with more stuff.

This small Ice Cream Parlor is crammed with mostly Ice Cream Roll related art work that’s for sale by the owner who also just happens to be the Artist.

They have a small counter by the front for seating, a few paint splashed chairs and one table.

Ooooh what to order?

Everything sounds interesting and a bit different than from another Ice Cream Roll Place I’ve been too. The Lady there is super excited about the flavor of the week and really pushing it to me so I tried it….

Chococavo – High Quality Chocolate, Avocado (YES Forking avocado!), Bitbits (a Brazilian Chocolate covered rice cereal candy) and agave.

WOW! This was incredibly creamy…..with a really satisfying chocolate flavors and a little crunch here and there from the Brazilian Bitbits candy. I have to say it was downright great!

My husband had something similar with less frills that looked the same but tasted different and also was incredibly smooth and delicious. ( I think he just had chocolate ……maybe with chocolate sauce….he not a fan of things in his Ice Cream)

Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls does run on the expensive side for ice cream (at this time $7.50 for a not so large and $8.50 for a large) but this Ice Cream is hand made FRESH in front of your eyes and is very high quality with interesting and different mix ins you won’t find at other places. Making the Ice Cream Rolls is also labor intensive…..Each serving of Ice Cream Rolls takes some time to prepare.

Fresh made, high quality Ice Cream that taste Amazing and that is very creamy is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.NomadicIceCreamRolls.com

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

The Forking Truth

Four Different Flavors of Italian on The Upper West Side of Phoenix AZ

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www.cliparts.co

There are four different flavors of Italian Restaurants in the Upper West Side of Metro Phoenix.  Here’s a little stroll to the four different Italian Restaurants that are in the Upper West Side of Metro Phoenix in no particular order.

The one restaurant that has been around longer than any other I know of in the area is Cucina Tagliani who’s been a neighborhood favorite for over 25 years now. They serve up your favorite American Italian Dishes and offer some unusual HEALTHY SPINS you don’t find anywhere else. Spaghetti squash can be substituted for pasta. Chicken Parmesan can be grilled and not breaded or fried. They offer more than SIX kinds of vegetables and healthy style pastas and a Spaghetti Squash Lasagna to boot. But if you’re into the gut-busting Italian Combos they offer that too! The Mama’s and Papa’s Combo plates are a great value and can feed a small family or one big eater for a few meals. They also offer a certified dog friendly covered  patio. We’ve enjoyed the patio and have been bringing our dogs here for years.

 

www.CucinaTagliani.com

We also have The Twisted Italian in Peoria. Under the second ownership the Twisted Italian improved and REALLY went Twisted. The second owners are from Chicago and changed things up. They serve up most Italian-American Favorites, pizzas, pastas…..Pierogis……yes a few Pierogis…..Nobody else else anywhere has an Italian Relleno on the menu with house made sausage…do they? The Twisted Italian also ships in beef from Chicago for Italian Chicago Beef sandwiches and also buy baguette bread made in New Jersey for the sandwiches. At the moment this is the only restaurant that I know of on this side of town that serves bronzino. Recently I found them listed on www.BringFido.com so my dogs got to eat here too.

www.EatTwisted.com

One of the restaurant’s with the nicest atmosphere in this area is Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante. They offer a nice modern dining room, an indoor/outdoor and patio. They serve Neapolitan Pizzas, and mostly house made pastas. They also offer black board specials, wine dinners, bunch and have a dog friendly patio.

www.BottegaPizzeria.com

Another Italian Restaurant we have is Fabio on Fire in Peoria AZ. Fabio is already well known for his pizzas, breads and pastries that he serves at festivals, Farmer’s Markets and from catering. This is a small Italian Restaurant. Here you’ll find Italian Style Neapolitan Pizzas, fresh baked breads, hand made pastas, baked in house Italian pastries, gelato that’s to die for too! They offer a small patio that is not dog friendly so you won’t see my dogs here but you will see me here every now and then.

www.FabioOnFire.com

Now that was four different flavors of Italian that you can get in the Upper West Side of Metro Phoenix.

The Forking Truth is that Everything EVERYWHERE is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

 

 

Foodstock Food Truck Event at P83 Peoria AZ Sports Complex 2018

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Saturday April 28th from 12:00 – 9pm was the 2018 FOODstock Food Truck event at P83 Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria. 87 food trucks participated in this event this year. Admission was $5.00 a person, kids 12 and under were free and the proceeds went to charity.

I wasn’t going to attend after the food I tried last year….

Close up of Corned Beef Wild Buckeye Roll

I did some homework this time. I researched some of the participating food trucks and made a small list of the food trucks that are well known for serving good food. (instead of picking trucks on a whim like I did last year)…….

One of the food trucks I wanted to hit was The Main Lobster Lady.

I don’t eat lobster…..I know they are a delicacy but lobsters sort of gross me out……I see them as something like really BIG cockroaches…….and I don’t have an appetite for big insects….. I figure with the rave reviews everything must be good so we split a Haddock Sandwich.

We receive a very generously sized sandwich. it’s on a soft buttery roll. The fish is REALLY SUPER FRESH tasting and fried to PER-FEC-TION! This sure ain’t no fish from Safeway…..WOW it’s really good fish. You rarely will find fish this good around Phoenix. I gave my half a little squeeze of fresh lemon….I used a small amount of the tarter sauce…The tarter sauce is extra thick…..it’s mostly mayonnaise. This sandwich…as great as it is …..is super difficult to eat standing up…(at food stock there are only a few tables…you mostly walk and stand here)………..This fish is so delicate and the fish is so flaky. You really need three hands to handle this sandwich….everything is bursting out and I  look like a mess…..Good thing you can’t see me. As messy as it was this was a much better start than last year.

The next Food Truck down happened to be on my list. It was the Puffy Taco Truck.

We shared a chicken taco plate with added green chilies. I think we waited about 15minutes in the high heat for this plate. It was about 90 degrees F but in the hot strong sun it felt like a little over 100 degrees.

The best part of this plate are the Puffy Taco Shells…..They do have a nice fresh really good corn taste……The Taco shells are very good. The chicken was fresh moist and tender pulled rags of plain breast meat. topped with lots of iceberg lettuce, a little cheese, our added chilies and  chopped tomato. I use the salsa…..the salsa is very plain and lacks herbs, tang, seasoning and flavor.  The chilies are mild. The chicken and salsa are delicate and were barely touched with flavor so you can taste the taco shell more……….

We walk around the whole place and I have three more stops on my list – Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen, Jamburrito’s Cajun Grill and Mighty Moo.

Mingo’s and Jamburritos are not here.

Bummer ……….. 🙁     🙁    🙁

I just read this morning on www.phoenix.carpediem.cd that they were suppose to be here.

Decide it’s best to end this thing here on a sweet note.

Very good small batch hand crafted Ice Cream from Mighty Moo. For me it was a small cup of Chocolate covered cherry and my husband had salted butterscotch.

With a small amount of research with food trucks I did much better than last year. It’s too bad the Food Truck List is subject to change. If I go next year I now know to create a longer food truck list to do better.

That was my visit to the 2018 FOODstock.

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

The Forking Truth

Corn Cake SUPRISE Recipe

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Corn Cake Surprise

Corn Cake Surprise and Sous Vide and Pan Seared NY Strip

Here are Sweet Moist Corn Cakes that have an Egg and Roasted Poblano Pepper Surprise. The Batter is accented with scallions, sweet grape tomatoes and cilantro. Inside is a roasted poblano  that is stuffed with some batter and an egg. It gets inserted in the cup cake liner and gets baked. I made them with the points sticking out but you can do them however you like. These came out FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS! They are sweet and a little spicy with lots of flavors. Juices do come out from the poblano pepper and give great flavor to the egg and to the batter. The flavor makes people smile and you will be asked often if there are any more left…… I do NOTE ****THESE DO NOT FREEZE because the egg inside won’t freeze right. This recipe makes 6 servings. You can use them for breakfast or a side dish. I recommend to slice in half to serve.

Ingredients for 6 servings

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 poblano peppers

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon corn meal

1 Tablespoon chick pea flour (once I accidentally added a small amount of chickpea flour to my corn bread and I thought it was really great…..that is why the chick pea flour)

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon sweet butter – room temperature

1 egg – slightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1/4 cup non fat yogurt

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

12 sweet very small grape tomatoes (mine were very small you might need less if they are bigger) quartered

non stick spray – canola or vegetable

Directions

To start with- You need to roast the poblano peppers and boil 6 eggs.

Put 6 eggs in your pot. Cover the eggs with an inch of water and add a teaspoon of baking soda. Bring the water to a boil. TURN OFF THE HEAT AS SOON AS THE POT REACHES BOIL. Leave the pot on the stove for 3 1/2-4 minutes NO MORE THAN THAT. Pour out the hot water and let cold water run over the eggs. Add some ice and let the eggs cool.

Turn the oven on to broil and place the poblano peppers on  baking sheet(s). Leave them under the broiler till the skin turns charred but the pepper isn’t burnt. Keep rotating the peppers till they are black all around and then cover the tray with foil so the peppers can steam themselves. When the peppers are cool enough to handle.

Pull the stem and you will remove the core at the same time.

The skins should slip off.

Eggs should be cool so they should be peeled. They might be slightly hard to peel….Usually softer eggs are harder to peel but don’t worry. Eggs don’t need to be beautiful or perfect here.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees F.

Add all the dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Then mix in all the wet ingredients with a fork. The batter should be thick.

Lightly spray the cup cake liners with non stick spray and set in cup cake pan. (set to the side)

Take a roasted poblano pepper and cut of the back third of it or it will be too much pepper and your corn cakes might turn gummy from too much of a good thing.

Spoon in a spoonful of batter into the liner.

Spoon in a spoonful into the pepper.

Now insert egg into the pepper and set this in the cupcake liner egg down so it looks like an evergreen tree or Hershey Kiss.

I smeared the small amount of leftover batter over the peppers…..

They went in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. (you should check them at 20 minutes incase your oven cooks faster)

I let them cool slightly.

Two of them disappeared quickly.

Corn Cake Surprise

Corn Cake Surprise and Sous Vide NY Strip

They come out FORKING DELICIOUS! The egg is still a bit moist too!

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Refreshing Cucumber Herb and Lime Ice Recipe

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Refreshing Cucumber Herb and Lime Ice

I had extra cucumbers hanging around so I thought I’d make them into some sort of frozen ice dessert. Cucumber doesn’t have much flavor so at first I added just a teaspoon of fresh mint….often mint needs a companion herb so I added a small amount of dried basil and I thought it was good but needed just one more flavor and one lime was it…..the finishing touches were just a pinch of course sea salt and a secret small pinch of ground white pepper. This one came out with an icy texture. This cucumber ice might not be for everyone but it’s light, balanced and refreshing.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

2 lbs cucumber I used English. (was slightly over the 2 lbs)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 teaspoon fresh mint – finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

pinch course sea salt

pinch ground white pepper

Directions

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Reduce to simmer for a about ten minutes. Turn off heat and put pot to the side.

Chop up cucumbers. If the sugar-water is cool you can use a blender and add cucumber. OR- Add cucumber and the rest of the ingredients back to the pot and use a stick blender to blend. Pour in freezable covered tub and let sit over night. Next day scrape it up and it’s ready to serve.

Refreshing Cucumber Herb and Lime Ice

It’s Cool as a Cucumber and You can be too!

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Dining Out with DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ April 2018

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Dining Out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix is just a “fluff story” about my food adventures out with my dogs. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with cancer. I felt I had to take him to as many restaurants as possible because eating out was one of his greatest enjoyments. There are a bunch of things you need to know before you start dining out with dogs. Many restaurants in Metro Phoenix do have outdoor patios but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s always BEST to call a restaurant and ask them if it’s ok to dine there with your furry friend before hand. You never know if the patio is already booked for a party or if the restaurant suddenly stopped accepting dogs. It also is always BEST to dine at off times so your dog(s) is the only dog on the patio. Often even well behaved dogs start barking at each other and you might be asked to leave. It’s also best to dine at off times to avoid other people. Many people don’t share a love for dogs and you could soon find that out….Also some people are allergic to dogs. Other rules to dining with dogs are that dogs must be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates. You also need a dog friendly food list available from your veterinarian and a list of foods to avoid. Much of the food and drink you consume is either harmful or can be TOXIC to your dog. Usually the safest thing to feed your dog from the table is a lean piece of sauceless meat. In Phoenix we also have to worry about the temperature so make sure it isn’t too hot for your dog to dine out. Dogs absorb more heat than we do and can’t sweat. I think 90 degrees in the shade is the top temperature most dogs can tolerate. OK now your ready to dine out with Dogs!

Sadly we lost our nicest dog friendly patio recently. Carvalho’s Brazilian Kitchen in North Scottsdale. They actually had a separate patio just for Dining out with Dogs….Amuse Bouche in Surprise was also a nicer restaurant to dine at and is under a new ownership so I’m not certain if dogs will be welcomed there anymore.

Cucina Tagliani in Glendale offers a Certified Dog Patio so we went there. This is a family friendly American/Italian Restaurant. They serve up all your American Italian favorites and offer you the choice of many healthy spins on the food. you can substitute spaghetti squash for pasta. They also offer spaghetti squash lasagna, grilled chicken parmesan and whole grain and gluten free pasta.

I usually like the Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad here but today tried the Chicken Fritte Salad.

It’s just a basic salad with house made Italian Dressing. The Chicken is fried absolutely perfect and seems free of grease. For my taste it could use a little seasoning.

“Looks like we are getting a bunch of chicken!’

My husband get the Sausage Rigatoni.

“We do pretty well at Cucina Tagliani!”

www.CucinaTagliani.com

“We are on our way to Pita Kitchen in Glendale”

Pita Kitchen is a very casual Greek Mediterranean Restaurant. They aren’t officially dog friendly but I asked them if it’s ok for me to bring my dogs there and they said yes. I always go at off times. So far we never shared the patio with anyone.

It might be a little boring but the only thing I ever get here is the Greek Salad with a Chicken Kabob. I tasted most of the food here and the Greek Salad with a Chicken Kabob is what they do best to me. The Chicken is usually moist with a nice flavor and a little char. My husband got the Gyro Plate today.

The dogs get very excited for chicken.

“I’m watching YOU!”

“More Chicken Please!”

“We do good at Pita Kitchen!”

www.PitaKitchen.net

We get to try a new Official Dog Friendly Restaurant!

“We are off to PNPK in North Scottsdale”

PNPK is a craft slider restaurant and wine bar. It’s sort of mostly Comfort Casual American Tapas Food and Drink…..They offer many different Flights of different foods, dessert, Craft Beer and Wine.

This is an official Dog Friendly Restaurant. The Dogs got started off with individual water bowls and biscuits…..The dogs were very relaxed afterwards.

The patio was very comfortable even at 90 degrees F that it was today.

Dogs got to sample sample some macaroni and cheese and some of the sliders we tried.

For us the macaroni and cheese was good but a little too mild and under seasoned for our taste. The dogs disagreed with us and thought the macaroni and cheese was scrumptious.

Look at the smiles.

They also enjoyed some of the sliders…..(some weren’t dog friendly)

Between me and my husband we tried 5 different sliders. My husband liked the Banger and mashed slider best of what he tried and I liked the Hot Chicken best of what I tried.

Service was really attentive to us and our dogs. They made us feel very welcomed.

www.PNPKAZ.com

“We are on our way to the Twisted Italian in Peoria AZ”

The Twisted Italian Restaurant is a small local American Italian Restaurant located in a strip mall. They are indeed a bit different from other American Italian Restaurants. They serve Pirogies of the month (that have been corned beef and cabbage on my every visit all year round here) Besides Pirogies The Twisted Italian offers also offers Italian Rellenos, other American Italian favorites, pizza and they highlight their Chicago Beef Sandwich. I recently found The Twisted Italian listed on www.BringFido.com so I called them up and asked if it was ok to bring my furry friends and they said yes so we did dine with dogs here.

“We are eating “Twisted Today!”

I went with a two course $7.99 lunch special***(subject to change).They gave me a fresh pretty good size salad.  I tried the chicken pesto, mozzarella, provolone, pesto and roasted pepper panini. (I got the chicken on the side for sharing). The bread is pretty good and MUCH BETTER than when this restaurant first opened up. (different ownership) Our waiter tells us that this bread is from New Jersey Ummmmmm. The sandwich is pretty tasty even without the chicken. Then I try some chicken. It’s moist and seasoned well. It’s actually much better than most sandwich chicken I get out from many places….I have paid almost twice the price for chicken sandwiches that weren’t as good.

“This is a BIG FORKING WIN for us….look at all that food…she doesn’t need much chicken.”

My husband got the Chicago Beef.

We were told the owners are from Chicago and they get their beef from Chicago.

While this variation of the Chicago Beef is not up there with the top Chicago Beefs it is still a tasty sandwich with lots of beef.

“We did FORKING GREAT at The Twisted Italian”

www.EatTwisted.com

“That was Dining Out with Dogs for April 2018…..It’s getting Hot here in Metro Phoenix but we hope eat out a few more times and see you next month!”

The Forking Truth

In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017