There’s no need to hop the Marrakech since we have Alzohour Market Bakery Restaurant in Phoenix Arizona. It’s a Moroccan/Middle Eastern Restaurant-Bakery and MORE! Here you can find Halal meats, some home and kitchen goods, some Indo Euro Moroccan and Middle Eastern Grocery, Islamic clothing and books. The location is in North Phoenix but is close to central Phoenix and is on the south/east corner of 27th and Northern.

It’s important to know that good things come to those who wait.

When you order an eggplant dish the eggplant doesn’t get cooked till you order it. The owner Zhor does the majority of all the work herself. Get it? OK.

Remember that the food is unusually delicious so it is worth the wait.

It looks like this when you walk in.

To one side is the Islamic Clothing Store.

To the other side is the food market.

Today I thought I’d try something I’ve never heard of or tried before the kashkbademjam ($7.)

It was hot roasted eggplant with some herbs, garlic, mint and onions served with flatbreads. I never had eggplant this meaty before. You eat it just like fajitas and it even comes on a sizzling skillet. The eggplant is so meaty…never had eggplant like this before.

Ummm

Also having the best tea I’ve ever tasted anywhere.

I was too slow to show you how it was served to me. The tea was poured from two pots at the same time from up high real fast. I was caught off guard. But seriously this tea is Forking Delicious.

Next we were served salads but I forgot to photo them….they were slightly fancier than these salads we had here before. They had more vegetables but didn’t have cheese on them.

For my main today I tried the couscous with chicken ($15.).

I got a generous amount of chicken on the bone with carrots, winter squash and some slightly spicy peppers and exotic flavors, cooked chicken flavors and an enormous amount of couscous. The chicken is moist and tender. It is developed with flavors. The couscous in the middle of the plate is full of more flavors…..maybe from chicken braising liquid?….. It’s very delicious.

My husband tried the kebssa with chicken ($15.)

If you are like me than you never heard of this dish before either. It’s lemon topped chicken with mint, onion, tomato, tzatziki (made from her home made yogurt) It smells very fragrant and is delicious. We were told it’s made with about ten different spices but weren’t told what they were. I looked up the recipe for this dish and everyone does make it different but most people use black pepper, cloves, cardamon, saffron, cinnamon, black lime, bayleaves and nutmeg in this Saudi Dish called kebssa and also spelled kabsah.

I had plenty to bring home and couldn’t pack in her delicious desserts today.

Below are dishes we tried from previous visits.

B’stilla – Chicken in house made phyllo dough with cinnamon and almonds ($20.) I note that this is very large and it’s also rich. I think it might be at least 4 servings.

Falafels with house made tzatziki (made with house made yogurt, pickled vegetables and flat breads ($8.).

Cod Tangine ($15.).

Couscous with lamb ($15.).

Frekah with chicken ($15.)

Desert of the day a stuffed baklava with cheese and topped with pistachios.

www.AlzohourMarket.Business.site

Worth a Fork!

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

*****UPDATE BAR ONLY AT THIS TIME****Century Grand is a 1920’s themed restaurant with a prohibition train themed with special effects cocktail bar and a high end whiskey bar and store in the Arcadia Section of Phoenix Arizona.

You can only make one reservation a day for 90 minutes in the train themed bar called platform 18 or make your reservation for dinner in the restaurant Century Grand. Dinner is only served three times a night at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm. I came in early for my dinner reservation and hoped I could start with a cocktail in Platform 18 but I was told that no seats were available but I could make a reservation for the bar after dinner I declined but took two pictures of the restaurant before opening.

Came back for dinner and only a what seemed like a few minutes the same room looked like this. The tables are somewhat close together and the tables are very small.

Once they open up the atmosphere is loud but not too loud with 1920’s music. Dinner starts with a drink. There is a menu with lots of detailed exotic cocktails and wines. There also is a passing wine cart with a sever that describes the wines. I picked a drink called Iowa ($13.)

It was made with Old Forester 100 proof Rye Whiskey, Peychavo’s Apertivo, calamansi juice, a big handful of fresh mint and sparkling water. It was strong and not too sweet and was served with a metal straw.

We ordered a couple things off the menu and mostly picked from the passing dim sum carts.

We started with a spaghetti squash spring roll with spicy peanut sauce ($3.) from the dim sum cart.

It’s super tasty delicious and spicy! YUM!

Then another dim sum cart rolls by.

We try a cold spicy Szechuan Noodle Salad and house made hand pulled mozzarella and vegetable salad with herbs and a slightly spicy oil. We both really enjoyed the cold spicy Szechuan Noodle salad. It really was spicy and delicious! The mozzarella salad was very good too but was a much milder dish. (I forgot the prices of the rest of the dim sum dishes but they were priced between ($7-$11.)

My husband ordered a fried oyster Rockefeller that was made with fennel, spinach and bacon ($5.).

He said is was brine-ee (like it should be), the oyster was soft and tender and very good.

Another dim sum cart rolls by and we pick up a house smoked salmon with yuzu cream cheese and our heirloom cauliflower dish arrives from off the menu ($13.).

Both dishes are absolutely delicious.

I’m almost full now.

Here comes another dim sum cart.

My husband talks me into the tuna stuffed pepper with romesco sauce. I didn’t need it but it’s tasty.

I saw that this cart also had panko fish on it but by the time it got to us all the fish was sold out.

Maybe two more carts roll by and offer about four more things that I would have enjoyed but had to turn down because I am full by now.

Then our dinner that we ordered arrives.

It’s a Snake River Farms Prime Wagyu with Jerusalem artichoke puree and a warm potato arugula salad with some crisp chips that I think are fried Jerusalem artichokes. I have to tell THE FORKING TRUTH (that’s my thing…that’s what I do) The steak is not the most tender. My husband eats a good amount of it and I bring the rest home for my dogs….My dogs had no complaints.

The desserts offered tonight sound amazing and that baked Alaska flambe has my name on it but I can’t do dessert tonight.

Most of the food was amazing! Service was terrific everyone worked as a team to serve us.

I take a little stroll around the restaurant to take a few pictures.

Behind the room that I’m in is another dining area that is in-between Platform 18 and the Grey Hen Whiskey Bar and Store.

I peek into Platform 18.

The windows look like they are passing by snow in the desert.

*****UPDATE During the pandemic this became a bar only.

I’d say Century Grand is Worth a Fork!

www.CenturyGrandPHX.com

Every FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.