Confluence is a small casual but upscale restaurant located in beautiful Carefree Arizona. They offer Painstakingly detailed farm to table elevated modern cuisine.

The atmosphere is classic with modern touches.

Seating is available at traditional tables, the bar or on the patio with mountain views.

Tonight they started us off with delicious crusty complimentary house made country bread with house made black pepper and lemon ricotta cheese.

We picked a cold appetizer of Ceviche.

The Ceviche was very unique and full of delicious changing flavors with different textures. It was made with a mild New Zealand Fish with black garlic, yucca, black beans, cilantro, onions that were turned into crisps, avocado, tomato and guajillo chili.

Next we shared the Sweet Potato Ravioli.

Wow! What an amazing dish. Even the radicchio is ridiculously DELICIOUS….I really had no idea how it was made to taste so good..The waitress told me that the radicchio was cooked with red wine and brown sugar….who knew…? Same thing with the leeks….they taste better than leeks…I should have asked how they make leeks taste that good. Everything on the plate was better than very good…it astonishingly spectacular food………This plate was pure bliss.

I had the Red Sea Bream with moscato raisin, turnip, jicama, haricot vert, meyer lemon and gnocchi.

Not only is this a stunning plate visually……..The Flavors are mind-blowing. The fish is perfect and seasoned perfect. The little green things are the green beans…….They aren’t like anything I can describe…….They almost pop or burst in the mouth with this most amazing slightly sweet pickled kind of taste that is very complex….And then when you hit another vegetable it just adds another interesting layer. Then there are the gnocchi….They really do melt in your mouth…They have a toasted exterior and inside is just melty cheesy goodness.

My husband had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin, pork ragout, pine nut, beet, polenta, bacon.

My husband just kept saying, “this is really good!” and “This guy can really cook!”

Dessert is just as great as the food courses so you have to get dessert.

Was torn between all four offerings but went with the one called Peanut.

It’s a mix of all kinds of things Peanut, Strawberry and Port. There’s semifreddo, brittle, fresh strawberries, crunchy strawberries, cold smooth peanuts, peanut crunch, peanut dust…the port….every bite taste different.

Service was friendly and efficient!

Dinner at Confluence really is like from another planet delicious….The way things get transformed into mind-blowing is thrilling! It seems like magic!

Confluence is always Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

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

Some prior dishes from Confluence

Monroe’s Hot Chicken is Phoenix’s first Hot Chicken Restaurant. They describe their chicken as Nashville Style. According to the Nashville Coalition that means the chicken is fried and coated in a dry spicy sauce made with oil or fat. The Chicken should be very hot but also very flavorful and is typically served with white bread and dill pickles. Monroe’s Hot Chicken offers their chicken as a boneless breast sandwich, a boneless breast waffle sandwich or chicken tenders with fries. The chicken is offered in southern style (no heat) mild, hot, extra hot and the hottest as shut da cluck. They also offer sides, desserts, milk shakes and more. This is a casual small restaurant that’s artsy, gangster industrial style.

…..Inside is busy and energetic with loud music.

As you enter you are welcomed from the kitchen. Next you order at the counter via a computer screen. Workers are there to guild you.

You grab your drink and pick a seat.

You name gets called by someone with a microphone.

We split a few things and start with a Hot Chicken Sandwich Extra Hot. It served in a deep open box with paper wrap.

Here’s my half.

The sandwich is served on a soft shiny roll with aioli fresh slaw and pickles. On first bite the sandwich doesn’t seem spicy but the spice does build to spicy. The chicken has a little crisp to it but the chicken is not bad at all but slightly dry today. It’s a tasty sandwich. It’s a GOOD sandwich as far as Chicken sandwiches go but the chicken breast is not as developed with flavors as some of the other Nashville Hot Chickens I’ve tried that include Hattie B’s. (I do note that it’s a possible opening hiccup and it could be my luck I hit them when the kitchen isn’t in the rhythm yet…..or forgot to marinate or whatever)

We also shared the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich in the Shut da Cluck Hottest Heat Level.

Here’s my half.

It is HOT….nose running hot…It’s builds to burning hot…..maybe nuclear…..a little past my comfort zone……There is an earthy flavor I didn’t pick up in the extra hot sandwich……..chicken breast meat is the same as the other chicken and is slightly overcooked.(a little dry)……chicken meat seems sort of plain. It sounds crazy but I think that warm spice could it be cumin??????……or maybe the spices are so toasted and I think I taste cumin??????…….. Waffles are tasty but are less cooked than I’m used too. To me the extra hot taste better than the Shut da Cluck…..I’m not a big fan of whatever that warm spice was.

We also shared one side and tried the Macaroni and Cornbread.

Fresh Herb topped creamy cheesy macaroni and cheese mixed with sweet corn bread. Different really different. I never tasted a macaroni and cheese that had a sweet salty thing going on. The macaroni was softer than I’m used to but I thought the flavors were very good. Fresh herbs added a nice freshness to it.

There are a few things that you might want to know before you try Monroe’s Hot Chicken. They are in downtown Phoenix and do not have street parking or a parking lot. You might consider using a parking garage at $4.00 an hour or hop on the Phoenix Light Rail and get there that way. Another thing you might want to know is when you order there are tipping options. The lowest easy to see option is an 18% tip (ours was $6.45 on $33.00 before tax). Normally I always leave at least 20% but here there isn’t wait service. YOU ring up your order and YOU pick up your food……so that means you are tipping the kitchen. One might prefer to leave a cash tip in the tip jar.

That was my trip to Monroe’s Hot Chicken in Phoenix.

I haven’t found a website for Monroe’s Hot Chicken but you can find them on Facebook.

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

Chula Seafood is a high quality family owned casual seafood market and eatery. They have three locations……They have one in San Diego California and two in Arizona. One in south Scottsdale and a shiny newly opened location in Phoenix.***** Any “Fin” is possible!**** The ownership are very passionate about fishing. They hand harpoon swordfish and line catch other fish in San Diego and drive it back to Arizona for us to enjoy! The Phoenix location is larger with a larger kitchen so they are able to offer a larger menu of “Fintastic” things.

You start off by standing in line, order at the counter, grab a number and seat yourself at a table.

We shared two plates.

Smoked Fish Plate. ($25.00)

The Chef’s Choice Smoked Fish today were salmon, salmon pastrami and trout. The plate also came with deviled egg mousse, pickled jalapeños, caramelized onions, chow chow, hot/sweet mustard, jalapeño jelly and an everything biscuit (that looks like it was bait for a fish. I have to be Forking honest here……You know this is The Forking Truth……….The sides are original and different. I think they are nice……even the everything biscuit with a fish bite. But the actual smoked fish I got on our tray were all dry….and not succulent…..These pieces of fish are like the type you add mayonnaise to become smoked fish dip. I also think the portion was on the small side compared to smoked fish plates I got from other Metro Phoenix Restaurants pictured below.

Oddly nobody asked us how things were…..I noticed everyone around were asked. ?????

ANYWAYS….

We also shared the Tuna Confit Sandwich ($15.00) with Moroccan Carrot Salad.

The sandwich is described as Chula Albacore confit, greens, gardiniera, smoked paprika aioli, avocado on grilled Noble Bread.

I “Porpoise-ly” ordered this sandwich because I was convinced that this same sandwich I had at the original location was made incorrectly. I was right. To cut the story as much as possible our order at the other location was lost and they rushed out the sandwich with the driest tuna ever………….I am happy to report that this sandwich was a great improvement from my first Chula Tuna Confit sandwich……My husband and I both think they left out the gardiniera (opening hiccups) today but still we were happy that it was a tasty sandwich. The Moroccan Carrot Salad was made of deeply charred carrots and onions, peppers with raisins and was slightly scented. Here’s a close up of the carrots.

Afterwards I purchased some Black Cod to have for dinner. WOW! it “Cod”d’t be any better! The cod was Forking “FINTASTIC!” Never had Black Cod that was this melt in your mouth before.

That was my trip to Chula Seafood – Uptown Phoenix.

The Market is certainly Worth a Fork!

Any “FIN” is possible!

www.ChulaSeafood.com

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

The Collins Small Batch Kitchen is an American/New American and Research and Development Playground Restaurant by Chef Christopher Collins located in the Biltmore Section of Phoenix. The website states that this restaurant was created to reflect the people that live in this neighborhood. TCSBK offers a daily menu, a weekly rotating menu, a weekend brunch menu and more.

The restaurant atmosphere is for the most part Traditional American with some modern accents and Arizonian motifs. They offer various seating options that include a large bar area, traditional tables, booths and a small high top table patio. The dining areas are bright from natural light that comes in during the day.

Depending on where you are seated you might have a view of the kitchen action. The kitchen is really open…….If you happen to go in to wash your hands you will be walking into the end of the open kitchen.

We decided to start with an appetizer and tried the Pecan Wood Fired Artichokes with Parmigiano Reggiano Citrus Aioli.

Gosh they are a lot of work but the flavors are perfect and delicious. I like that this dish isn’t heavy at all. Really scrumptious dressing.

For my main I tried the Twisted Noodle Salad. It comes in choices of shrimp or steak.

It’s piled high you need to see it this way.

OMG it’s a BIG Pile of FORKING DELICIOUSNESS! It’s bright, a bit sour, sweet, spicy, flavorful, crunchy, chewy, delicious…….It’s very unique!

The salad is made of buckwheat soba noodles, kale, avocado, really nicely gently pickled cucumber, arugula, scallions, herbs, toasted coconut, roasted peanuts, carrots, chili-lime vinaigrette, steak and other secret ingredients that make this UNBELIEVABLY FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!!! I can taste some Asian Flavors with some heat. This salad has a kick that doesn’t hurt. I’m not much of a beef person but even this beef is really delicious and tender in this salad. All the flavors are magic together.

My husband went with the King’s Burger.

We need to see this again.

The King’s Burger is fit for a king.

It’s a house ground blend of beef with Abby Farms Danish Bleu, applewood bacon, Collins Slaw, red onion, pommery mustard on a local Noble Brioche Bun and Mac ‘N’ Cheese as his side.

WOW! impressed with the burger! My husband said it was among the best he has tried in Metro Phoenix. It was prepared a perfect Medium Rare that he requested too! He also liked that the bacon didn’t have all the juice cooked out of it and was still moist the way he likes it. He usually doesn’t enjoy Blue Cheese on a burger but it becomes magically delicious when its paired with the pommery mustard. Even the slaw is delicious and the soft rich roll goes perfect with this burger.

I love the desserts I’ve tried from the other Collin Restaurants but my salad was very delicious and also substantial so unfortunately I ate too much of it so I didn’t have room for dessert today…. 🙁 ……but if I had more room I would have went for the blackberry cobbler a la mode today.

The food wasn’t just well executed and delicious it exceeded my expectations!

Yes! The Collins Small Batch Kitchen was Worth a Fork!

www.TheCollinsAZ.com

EveryTHING is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may NOT differ.