Bacanora Is a small but very well received Sonoran Mexican Restaurant and Bar located in Phoenix Arizona. They have been named by Esquire one of the best new restaurant of 2021 in America. Our local food critic said in her latest review said the Bacanora is an instant classic.
The restaurant really is very small with less that 10 tables inside, a few bar seats, and a few tables outside.
Most of the insidebar areaa few outside tables
All the cooking is done on one wood fired grill that. is very close to the bar.
the kitchen
Did you know that Bacanora is the same name as a Mexican clear alcohol from agave plants from the town of Bacanora? Speaking of alcohol Bacanora (the restaurant) offers an interesting cocktail menu. Some of the cocktails that they offer are margaritas, an Oaxacan old fashioned, something called chicken milk with mezcal and all kinds of things, micheladas, and an over the top option called Con Fuego of adding hot coals and smoking aromatics.
Oaxacan Old Fashioned (LOOK at the ice cube) and Special of the day Margarita with Tamarind
Just lke the vestibul sized restaurant the menu also isn’t the largest. They offer elote (charred corn with seasoned spiced creama and cotija cheese) as an appetizer and special of the day appetizers. The special of the day appetizers today were cucumber salad, a butternut squash appetizer and halibut aguachili.
Halibut Aguachili Special Appetizer
The main digs that they offer are a carne asada burrito, A Sonoran style (fried in fat) carne asada tostada, pollo asada and daily specials.
Pollo Asado
Today’s specials were a. shrimp and chorizo entree and a tomahawk steak.
Shrimp and Chorizo Special
I’ve been wanting to come here for a long time but read about waiting around ninety minutes for a table. I recently found out that Bacanora now takes reservations. When I made my reservation they were already booked up for a month on the days I wanted.
Everything we tried was delicious with unique flavors that you won’t find anywhere else. The food wasn’t upscale but was homestyle….meaning that you had to peel the shrimp yourself. You also had to peel the chicken skin off because it wasn’t edible. The proteins today were prepared reasonably well (slightly over (shrimp & chicken breast) and slightly under (chicken thigh & leg))) but had very good flavors. My hands smelled delicious all night long.
That was my trip to Bacanora Restaurant in Phoenix AZ.
I had 3 1/2 pounds of tomatillos to use so I wanted to make tomatillo salsa. I made up my own recipes for tomatillo salsa and they were both good. One was raw and one was for roasted salsa. I started looking up other people’s recipes and they were all surprisingly different. I also read that some chefs strongly prefer the raw to the roasted salsa. I did base what I did on Chef Nud Dudhia’s recipe. His recipe was the only one that I saw that used almonds. The almonds really push this recipe above the others. It’s simply scrumptious. I really don’t want to make tomatillo salsa any other way now! This is so FORKING delicious that you are going to want to use this sauce on everything. He says that you can do this roasted or raw. I did roasted because I liked my last roasted tomatillo salsa better than the raw. I rounded some things and changed a couple things because I need to keep this salsa good for at least a month so I made it with home made pickled peppers and I added home made jalapeño brine instead of lime juice….To get the lime taste I’d recommend to add some lime zest. I made around 7 cups. Serving size is difficult. to tell because I don’t know if you need a spoonful for a taco or a cup to cover a burrito. I’ll guesstimate 10 servings.
Ingredients for around 10 servings
3 1/2 pounds tomatillos husked, washed
2 pickled serrano peppers (preferably home made) – rough chopped
2 pickled jalapeños (preferably home made) – rough chopped
6 garlic cloves – ground to paste
6 oz roasted salted almonds – crushed
2 shallots- peeled, chopped
1 avocado- remove pit and avocado flesh – rough chop the flesh
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
1/2 cup Jalapeno brine (THIS MUST BE HOME MADE by you or purchased from a farmers market to taste good)
1 teaspoon sea salt
optional but recommended – lime zest for finishing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the tomatillos in pans with edges on a middle rack and keep them in the oven till they char up. Remove when done.
If you have a stick blender you can blend everything together now. If not you need to wait till the tomatillos cool.
Blend together the tomatillos, peppers, garlic, almonds, shallots, avocado flesh, cilantro, jalapeño brine and salt. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Tomatillo Salsa (suggested serve)
Chicken thigh covered in tomatillo sauce, pickled red onion, radish pico and served with grilled zucchini topped with pumpkin seed pesto and cilantro oil.
A special THANKS to chef Nud Dudhia for sharing his FORKING Amazing recipe so I could come up with what I got here.
I was making some salsas so I thought radish pico de gallo would go well with everything and it looks pretty too. I’m thinking that you won’t use much as a portion so I think it will make around 6 servings. I used 6 common red radishes…..but mine were on the large side so you might want to add one or two more if yours are small. You don’t have to cut the radish the way I did. I think shredded would work well. I didn’t cube the radish because I thought it would be harder to eat that way.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
6 common red radishes – sliced thin and quarter the slices.
1/2 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
5 cilantro sprigs – chopped
1 pickled serrano pepper – minced (preferably home made)
3 Tablespoons red onion – fine chopped
1 Tablespoon scallions – sliced thin
Instructions
Just mix up all the ingredients in a small bowl and serve.
Radish Pico De Gallo on the right side of a NY Steak also with Morita salsa and pickled onions
Shu Han Lee is a very high end food blogger, food writer, and food stylist. She has worked with Jamie Oliver and has written for magazines. It wasn’t really my intention to change her recipe but I didn’t have the more flavorful Hatcho miso in my pantry that I need for her recipe. I used regular white miso instead and bumped up the miso by adding a splash of yuzu hot sauce. I also cooked it only slightly differently like the way I cook certain Mediterranean eggplant recipes. What I wound up with turned out FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS. Serving size is always difficult to judge. I used one regular medium sized eggplant. My guesstimate is that you would eat a quarter of the eggplant so I’m guessing 4 small side servings.
Ingredients for around 4 smaller side servings
1 eggplant – cut in half long ways – score tops in diamond shapes
1 heaping Tablespoon white miso paste
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon (or to taste) yuzu hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Brand….it’s more yuzu tasting than hot)
5 Tablespoons hot water
non stick spray
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds (to finish)
1 (or 2) scallion – diagonal cuts (to finish)
Directions
In a small mixing bowl mix together the miso, honey, oil, yuzu hot sauce, and hot water. Place the halved and scored eggplants and the mixing bowl liquid in a gallon Ziplock bag. Make sure the eggplant is cut side down in the bag so it can absorb liquid. Leave it on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
Set oven to 400 degrees F
Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.
Take the eggplants out of the ziplock bag but keep the unabsorbed liquid to the side.
Place thee eggplants cut side down on baking sheet and let them cook for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes turn thee eggplants over (cut side up) and pour extra reserved liquid over and into the eggplant halves. Leave them in the oven till they look slightly caramelized. Top them with sesame seeds and scallions.
Miso and Honey Marinated Eggplant
Enjoy!
A Special THANKS!!!! To Shu Han Lee for sharing her amazing recipe so that I could come up with what I got here!
Rags Real Chicken and Waffles is a small casual restaurant located in Youngtown Arizona. Incase you didn’t know…….Youngtown is a small-town of around six thousand in Arizona. It’s located between El Mirage and Sun City. Rags Real Chicken and Waffles offers a limited of menu chicken and waffles, fried chicken dinner, rib dinner, fried (catfish) fish dinner, fried shrimp dinner, kids meal, and a few more choices. Soft beverages are included with dinners. They do have a B.Y.O.B. sign on the wall so you can bring in your own booze. It’s not a fancy place. They have a mix of homey mix matched furniture. It’s also small and they have only three community tables and four seats at the counter. In the corner of the restaurant is a band area and dance floor.
The open kitchen is also very small. They don’t have room for a steam table so they use chafing pans on the counter to keep the sides hot. The chicken and the waffles are prepared to order so expect to wait at least fifteen minutes.
We try a dark meat chicken dinner and a white meat chicken and waffle. The White meat breast is Dolly Parton sized.
White meat chicken and waffle
The chicken in both platters is fried to perfection and both dishes the has a light crisp coating of corn meal. They are minimally seasoned so that you mostly only taste chicken. You can add salt and pepper to spice it a little more or used some hot sauce for a little zip……They also have BBQ sauce but I think it was too overpowering for the chicken…maybe it really goes with the ribs. Somehow the waffle didn’t get crushed as you would expect under that heavy breast. The waffle stayed light and fluffy. The chicken breast is really good and a very large portion. It certainly can be two meals for many people.
dark meat chicken dinner
The dark meat does have even more chicken juice and chicken flavor. It’s fried so expertly well that it doesn’t even seem fried. It’s also a large portion. The sides are like a neighbor or relative might have made them…..home style.
That was a little taste of Rags Real Chicken & Waffles in Youngtown AZ…You should be licking your fingers now!
Clever Ramen is a fast/casual Ramen Style restaurant located in the ASU part of Scottsdale Arizona. Clever Ramen is a sister restaurant of Clever Koi, Fellow Osteria, and Across The Pond. These restaurants are by Born and raised Hospitality. Clever Ramen offers Pre-Built ramen bowls, build your own ramen bowls (confit chicken thigh, lemongrass chicken breast, karaage chicken, bulgogi steak, pork belly, tofu, and soy egg), a variety of fries, extra vegetables like Korean spinach, and grilled bok choy. Extras like crispy shallots and nori. They also offer steamed buns of pork belly, Korean hot chicken, and kimchi cauliflower. They also offer soft beverages and sake cups, and canned beer and wine. We ordered and paid at the counter.
We got our drinks and sat ourselves.
It’s modern and sleek inside.
It was a nice day so we walked threw to the patio. Within only a few minutes someone runs our food to us.
We started out by trying a couple of steamed buns.
Crispy (not crispy) pork belly & Korean Hot (but not hot) chicken steamed buns
They are small so you can eat one and fit in some ramen. The better one today was the Korean hot chicken. The chicken was developed with flavors and was tasty fresh and juicy. It was good with the tasty house made pickles. It wasn’t hot it was just tasty. They put only a scant amount of sauce on mine today….it was almost dry so I hardly got any taste of Gochujang.
It wasn’t the best day for anything pork…Instead of crispy pork belly today it was mushy and chewy. Maybe it’s usually better?
I thought the Pre-Built Bowl of spicy kimchi ramen with confit chicken thigh was pretty good!
The broth is well made and taste developed with flavors. The chicken is tender and delicious. I taste kimchi but it’s not over-powering. Chili crisp is there to heat things up. The soy egg is ok but is missing that ramen taste that only mirin can give……..The only thing that can really improve are the noodles. The noodles are slightly over cooked and don’t have the chew that ramen noodles are known for. The noodles here are more like collage noodles.
My husband tried the pork ramen. Today wasn’t the best day for pork.
The crispy pork wasn’t crispy today and was mushy and chewy. The broth was weak today and the mushrooms were soggy. Maybe tomorrow this dish might be better?
That was my trip to Clever Ramen in Scottsdale AZ.
The Dish Fest is a food and drink festival based on the January/February Phoenix Magazine article naming the one hundred and one best dishes picked by Phoenix Magazine editors. This festival was held February 27/2022 at the Clayton House in Scottsdale Arizona. Ticket holders were entitled to unlimited bites and sips (hard and soft) from participants. This was an indoor and outdoor event with food trucks. Some of the proceeds benefited the Joy Bus Diner.
Here is most of what I came across in no particular order, I did skip most of the libations because the point of being here was tasting today. I couldn’t taste everything but I did sure taste a lot.
Chef Christopherfrom Christopher’sPitchBlack SheepPostinoinsideWeft and WarpWeft and WarpWeft and WarpChula SeafoodValentineObonObonOakCitizen Public HouseCitizen Public HouseCaldwell County BBQCasa De FalafelAimees Swine HouseFlavors Of LouisianaSuperstition MeaderyPA’LACasa CorazonIsland Boys Jerk HutSalsa BitesAioli BurgersRandom AFTempura takeover
That was a little taste of the 2022 Dish Fest at The Clayton House in Scottsdale AZ.
I had a bag of potatoes and also some cheeses that I needed to use so this is what I came up with for today. OMG YUM! did this come out delicious…..Somehow everything just turned into a delicious tomato-ee, cheesy, soupy sauce with lots of potatoes. Gratinated means buttered crumbs. There is a small amount of buttered fresh bread crumbs on the top. Dauphinoise potatoes are a fancy French term for potatoes baked in milk and or cream and cheese. Serving size is always difficult to judge because I don’t know if you want a tiny dish or a big bowl. I used 6 medium sized potatoes so I am guessing a half potato a person so I will guesstimate 12 portions.
Ingredients for around 12 servings
6 medium sized russet potatoes – peeled and sliced thin one a mandolin
1 onion – peeled cut in half and sliced thin on a mandolin
4 garlic cloves – ground to paste
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 Tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dried Calabrian pepper – crushed (or substitute a small pinch of crushed red pepper)
8 oz stracchino cheese thin slices (as best you can..this cheese is sort of soft)
5 oz taleggio cheese (sliced thin)
2 eggs – lightly beaten
10 oz. can cut tomatoes (whole can with liquid…..or you can use a large farm fresh ripe heirloom tomato that taste good)
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz heavy cream
1 Tablespoon of vegetable stock paste (soup paste)
2 oz parmesan cheese – shaved (I used a vegetable peeler)
non stick spray
small roll (almost 2 oz) – to grate for crumbs (topping)
Spray a large baking dish or half buffet pan with non stick spray.
In a large bowl mix together the cream, tomato paste, soup paste, and eggs. Mix Well.
Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, Calabrian pepper, stracchino cheese, taleggio cheese, 2 Tablespoons basil, and the contents of the can of tomatoes. Mix well. Put this mixture in you non stick sprayed dish or pan.
Top this with 2 oz parmesan.
Cover tight with foil.
This goes in the middle rack of your preheated 375 degree F oven for 90 minutes.
During this time grate around 2 oz of a good tasting roll ( I used a mini sourdough roll). The roll will be easier to grate if it is stale or partly frozen. Grate the butter into the crumbs and grate the cheese into this mixture and mix it up.
I spread this out on a baking sheet and threw it in the oven when the potatoes were at 80 minutes or ten minutes before the potatoes were done.The crumbs are super crunchy this way. Add the crumbs to the top of the potatoes when they are done.
Top with a little fresh basil.
Tomato and Cheese Gratinated Dauphinoise Potatoes Tomato and Cheese Gratinated Dauphinoise Potatoes
Dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told to only expect him to live 3 months more or maybe up to six. Louie couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed. eating and also enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of the 3-6 month diagnosis Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.
There are many things to know about dining out with dogs. One thing is that not all patios are dog friendly. You usually see a “Dog Friendly Patio” sign. If you don’t see a sign you must call the restaurant to find out if it is ok to bring your furry friend. It is also best to dine at off times and avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. It’s best to avoid people because some people out there really hate dogs and other people might be allergic to dogs. It’s best to avoid other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and this can be a disturbance and you might be asked to leave.
When dining out with dogs here in Phoenix you have to consider the temperature because your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. Dogs wear fur coats, they can’t sweat and dogs also absorb heat up their paws. All people and dogs have different heat tolerances. In general 90 degrees F and higher is. too hot to dine out with dogs. When there is any doubt it is always better to keep your furry friend heathy and leave them safe at home.
Do you know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even TOXIC to your dog? You need to get a list of safe foods and foods to avoid from your veterinarian. Usually a small lean piece of un-sauced meat is a safe bet. You should also bring a doggie water bowl with you so your dog can have some water.
Now that you have made to the restaurant patio with your dog you need to know that there are rules to dining out with dogs. Dogs must be close and by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT permitted to sit on restaurant furniture or eat off of restaurant plates.
Wraps ‘N’ Curry is an Indian fast food but made from fresh casual located in North Phoenix. They offer wraps on fresh made to order wraps, fresh baked other breads, and Indian dishes. They recently got a community patio at the strip mall near the restaurant so we took the dogs there.
Today I got the goa fish curry.
I think it’s tasty. I lick the sauce off of the fish for the dogs because some of the spices might not agree with them.
My husband had a spicy chicken wrap………sort of……He asked them not to put the sauce on…….but they did anyway.
It was dressed with mint mayo (and my husband won’t eat mayo) so he only picked at it and left the fresh made bread because of the mayo. (he ate something when we got home)
www.WrapsNCurry.business.site
4221 W Bell Rd PHX AZ
602-866-1907
Another restaurant that we went to was The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen in North Scottsdale. They are a craft American kitchen. They have a very nice dog friendly patio and the food is very good there. They also are a distillery too! One of their dishes that my husband LOVES there is the muffuletta and had it several times already. It’s served on house made herbed focaccia and he got it with their tasty house made potato chips.
I had the fish and chips….but without the chips and substituted a salad.
The Craftsman vodka crust on the fish is shattering crisp and fresh cod is the flakiest cod that I have ever had. The dogs enjoyed the cod ass well as some parts of the muffuletta.
www.TheCraftsmanAZ.com
20469 N Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ
480-401-1102
We also went to Cucina Tagliani in North Glendale. They are an. American Italian Restaurant. They offer sandwiches, salads, build your own pasta dishes and offer more vegetable sides than most places that are similar. They also offer pizzas, pork ribs, a few steaks, some other entrees, and more.
I got a strawberry chicken salad.
The chicken was a little dry today but my dogs didn’t mind.
“Wining!!!!” “We get MORE chicken when it’s dry!” “WHOOHOO!”
My husband got the Stromboli today.
“Stromboli is always a good choice.”
“We are ready for some more chicken!”
www.CuucinaTagliani.ccom
17045 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ
602-547-2782
We also took the dogs to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving the Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and offer around a dozen different varieties. They also offer other Vietnamese favorites except for pho.
Today I got the curry chicken with rice.
My husband got the beef banh mi (the beef really is very good here…….It’s tender like filet mignon but it is really ribeye)
Portions are very large (and prices are low) so we have plenty to share.
We always enjoy going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ
602-843-3637
Well that was Dinning Out With DOGS inn Metro Phoenix for February 2022. We hope that you’ve enjoyed and we hope to see you next month!
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Harumi Sushi & Sake iis a small casual sushi restaurant that recently opened in North Peoria Arizona. They also have their first and original location in downtown Phoenix. Their sushi is a bit unique and differs some from most other sushi restaurants. It’s made with healthier purple forbidden rice that does have a slightly different taste. The big deal here is that the fish they select to use is from fresh and was never frozen. This kind of fish gives you that melt in your mouth texture…… They use shipped overnight Scottish salmon and Nova Scotian tuna. They top most fish with fresh wasabi that is not from concentrate. Sushi is a treat here!
Inside is small and tight.
We were packed in like sardines.
The tables were so close that we couldn’t get out until the table behind us got up.
Depending on where you are sitting plates might be flying over your head.
We started with a specialty roll called The Hot Havana.
It is hot but is made with the kind of fish that melts in your mouth. I like that they make the rolls with a thin layer of rice so you don’t get too stuffed. This Hot Havana Roll was made with yellowtail, cucumber, avocado, jalapeños and mango habanero sauce.
The yellowtail collar (hamachi kama) was fried and served in ponzu sauce with lemon.
Today this was overcooked and dry….Usually this is the best part of the fish because the collar is the most flavorful and succulent part……We weren’t checked on.
Our last plate was the blue fin tuna nigiri and seared salmon nigiri. (my husband said that he checked Toro and un-seared salmon……???)
Both nigiri were were melt in your mouth fresh.
Service today wasn’t the best. In addition to not asking how the collar was and possibly serving fish different than what we ordered…….the Forking Truth is that nobody even considered clearing out our three rounds of plates.
Service can use improvement but the sushi is what you come for here and really was melt in your mouth fresh.
They were still constructing a patio on our visit that might be ready by now?
