Zinc Bistro is a New York Style Parisian Bistro Located in Scottsdale Arizona in the Kierland Commons. They offer ever changing menus of lunch, Afternoon menu, dinner, brunch and more. Whatever you order the food is finely crafted, detailed, and quality. The atmosphere is charming and sort of yesteryear…..Tin roof and classic fixtures with some nods to France.
You can choose patio, limited courtyard dining, bar seating and traditional table seating.
courtyardinside
The tables are set with crisp linen and heavy silverware.
The menus do change but one dish that is on all the menus but IS OMITTED FROM BRUNCH is the onion soup gratinee made with six month aged AOP gruyere cheese.
Traditional French Onion Soup
This soup was featured on Food Network TV Show called, “Best thing I ever ate.”
It really doesn’t taste like any onion soup I had before because it’s better….It taste like very developed onions….The onions are the star and everything thing else is just delicious with it…..
Other appetizers we’ve tried.
roasted beet salad chicken liver mousse, fig and port compote and grilled Noble bread (fall restaurant week 2021)Escargot Bougugnon vichyssoiseScottish salmonKale saladfoie gras raviolis in consomme
Lunches we tried. (We’ve also enjoyed lunches from the Phoenix Airport location called Zinc Brasserie)
chicken curry salad sandwichbrisket pastrami sandwich (this is very small)fries
It is Restaurant Week here in Phoenix Arizona. Around a hundred and fifty restaurants are participating and are offering three course meals for set prices of $33., $44., and $55. Usually I look forward to going to a restaurant or two that I have never tried before during Restaurant Week. Tonight we made reservations to Fuego at The Clarendon in Phoenix. It’s a Latin Fusion type of restaurant. I do note that this restaurant has earned a 4.5 star average out of 5 stars on Yelp from nearly 900 people so that means that most people enjoy what they order here.
It looks like this when you walk in.
To left is a musician playing the piano.
To the right is the cool looking bar area.
We get seated in the main dining area. It’s early and it’s already a very energetic atmosphere.
All around the main dining area is a wrap around patio. We start with margaritas that seem good.
My husband gets an extra starter and starts with a cubano sandwich off the happy hour menu. (only $5.)
He said that the cubano was very good and tasty……THE CUBANO WAS VERY GOOD!
I soon get my appetizer the salmon croquette.
It looks nice but taste fishy….not spoiled fishy…It taste like the type of fishy fish my local Safeway sells. I’m hungry so I eat it anyway.
My husband got the pernil nachos.
They also look nice. But you can’t see that the pork is dried out tonight. Or maybe this one sat under a heat lamp too long and the fresher ones were carried out first?
I just received my complimentary red sangria. It taste like it was made not good, past it’s time wine. I can’t drink it……………. just tasting it makes me feel queasy now….
I soon get my dinner.
Most of the food on this plate looks great but most of the food doesn’t agree with my palate.
To the right is a cup of jalapeno creamed corn. I can only imagine that someone slipped in the kitchen and accidentally dumped a whole bag of sugar into it. It is so painfully sweet I thought I’d get sick eating it. It’s sweeter than dessert sweet. The green beans are good and very garlic-ee……..I forget what was under them (something like sweet cabbage?). but I couldn’t eat it. The salsa on top of the fish seemed good but whatever the fish is coated with taste unpalatable to me. I tried to scrape the exterior of the fish off but didn’t do so well.
This is what I left on the plate. I tried to eat it but couldn’t.
I’m surprised that nobody said anything to me……….about this.
Anywho-
My husband had different issues from his meal (surf and turf pasta).
It is very hard to eat a steak that is served in a bowl of loose pasta. My husband said that the steak and the pasta had little flavor. The person that ran the food promised to bring salt and pepper but never came back with any………….My husband said, that the beans had an unusual taste in them that he didn’t like. The signature jalapeño corn bread was tasty but very sweet and very rich. At some point during dinner someone did ask how things were….I lied and said ok. My husband was surprised that they accepted the ok the way I said it………. I’ve worked in restaurants. Some chefs are professionals…..and some are not. Some chefs get very unhinged when food gets sent back. You don’t want to know how some chefs get and what they might do to your food that gets “re-fired.” I pretty much never send food back when it isn’t an open kitchen.
Moving on…
For our third course we shared the key lime pie and the ancho chile torte.
These are both very good.
The good news is that currently Fuego at The Clarendon has a 4.5 average on Yelp from close to 900 people so that means that most people order dishes at Fuego at The Clarendon that they enjoy.
BUT The FORKING Truth is – Not every dish a restaurant serves is for your taste…..or maybe they just had some screw ups in the kitchen?
Remember that the cubano sandwich, key lime pie, and ancho chile torte are recommended.
De Babel is a semi/fast casual Middle Eastern type restaurant located in Scottsdale Arizona. It isn’t a fancy place but seems shiny and clean. They offer many of the usual Middle Eastern Mediterranean offerings and some that are not that usual.
Some of sandwiches offered are falafel, meat shawarma, chicken tawook (classic Lebanese chicken marinated and usually made on skewers…), a burger, ribeye, wild mushroom and more. They offer some plates, platters, salads like tabouli, fattoush and freekah. Some of the sides they offer are truffle fries, cole slaw, mushroom soup, bread bowls, and roasted cauliflower.
You order at the counter, grab a beverage, pay, and seat yourself. They run your food to you when it is ready.
We shared a vegetarian platter of hummus, falafel, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaf platter with added chicken shawarma so we could taste that too.
hummus, falafel, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaf with added chicken shawarma
It’s very crisp, moist and green inside and flavored well. The hummus is nice and creamy and accented with oil, chickpeas, and Aleppo pepper. The baba ganoush is smoky and the top of it glistens with pomegranate. The grape leaves are very tender, rolled thinner than most and taste laced with allspice. I think that the chicken shawarma is seasoned nicely and it is flavorful but is a little dry today. Same with the meat shawarma…… It’s seasoned very nice but is a little dry. The tabouli is bright and lemony fresh and flavorful. The rice is also flavorful here too.
That was a little taste of De Babel in Scottsdale AZ.
Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi is located in North Peoria Arizona in P83. This is an American Restaurant with a full bar, thirty two taps, over fifty HDTVs, and a food menu that is all over the place. It almost like you name it and they probably have it.
They try to please any appetite.
Maybe you want to start with something healthy like edamame?
Or something unhealthy but more fun like made in house macaroni and cheese bars with spicy ranch sauce.
You can have tacos (two chicken tacos one Korean Style beef).
You can also have sushi tacos ( fried seaweed shells, spicy tuna, shredded krab, avocado, choice of sushi). (I prefer the sushi tacos to their regular tacos)
tuna, smoked in house salmon, and salmon
They also offer a variety of burgers with a few different protein choices.
atomic beef burger
Or maybe a pulled pork sandwich.
A few of the other things on the menu are all sushi, sushi rolls, sushi burrito, sushi burger, tuna pizza, wings, pizzas, salads, rice bowls, fish and chips, spaghetti and meatballs, pan seared sirloin and desserts.
There is a lot to taste at Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi in Peoria at P83.
The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen is an American Restaurant and distillery located in North Scottsdale Arizona. If you were a fan of the now closed fine dining Italian restaurant called Sassi then you should be a fan of The Craftsman because the chef is the same. This restaurant offers lunch and dinner menus and a new brunch menu will start up sometime fall 2021. The patio is large and wraps around the restaurant and also is dog friendly.
They also have garage door windows that open during nice weather that expand the patio even more. It so airy and comfortable here….I think this is the most comfortable restaurant I ever dined in…..The air conditioner is blowing and the garage doors are open. It just feels great here.
There is a variety of indoor seating, a bar area and the distillery.
distillery
The dinner menu is made of small plates like AZ chicken lollipops, charcuterie curated by chef Chris, and the popular chips and dip or dips that I noticed every table ordering. So I came back after a few visits and tried it.
chips and dip
The chips are really great….So crisp and seem free of oil….really great chips. The dips are different. The dips aren’t bad at all but not my favorite thing here….(but others might disagree since this is the popular dish from what I observed dining here several visits)
I thought the shipwright ahi salad was very good and was made with exceptional produce.
It was made of togarashi coated ahi, local greens, three colors of carrots, watermelon radishes, marinated shiitakes, wasabi peas, yuzu aioli, and ginger, passionfruit, sesame, dressing. (FANTABULOUS)
There’s the tomato and melon burrata.
It’s made with DELICIOUS fresh sweet heirloom tomatoes, creamy burrata, arugula and sweet watermelon….It was so light and delicious! I really LOVE this one! (FANTABULOUS)
Sandwiches like the distillers porcini crusted burger (ground in house) is on the menu. (the salads here are unusually good)
distillers porcini crusted burger with side salad
A wagyu pastrami on pretzel bun is also a sandwich that is offered.
to go – wagyu pastrami sandwich
There is (or was?) also a porchetta sandwich called hammer and advil.
hammer & Advil porchetta sandwich
The last brunch menu offered a dish called short rib hash.
short rib hash AZ chicken lollipops, wagyu pastrami sandwich with side salad, hammer & advil porchetta sandwich with house chips
My husband really enjoyed the Craftsman muffuletta.
Craftsman muffuletta
The sand was made with delicious house made bread, capicola, cabernet salami, prosciutto, fontina, and olive salad. (FANTABULOUS)
Some of the dinners offered are the desert branzino..
desert branzino
It was prepared to perfection with some chimichurri and a very fresh high quality salad made with arugula, watermelon radish and farm fresh heirloom tomatoes. (FANTABULOUS)
According to my husband the volcano pork is a FORKING FANTABULOUS Dish!
volcano pork
It’s basically a southwest style osso buco. It falling off the bone tender as can be shank of pork that was slow braised with incredible flavors in a mild hatch green chili jus. There is also this amazing dreamy cheesy cilantro lime queso and spiced black beans. Tortillas and jalapeño slaw are on the side. (FANTABULOUS)
Sadly I haven’t saved room for desert yet but maybe next time.
The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen is Worth a Fork! Some FANTABULOUS dishes can be found here.
Rocket Burger and Subs is a small not too fancy restaurant. Obviously they serve burgers and sub sandwiches. A Rocket Burger is a three patty burger. You can get two and single patty burgers but they are thin small burgers so most people need at least two patties. Rocket Burger offers more sodas than you ever knew existed. They also offer plenty of other things. They also offer, beef hot dogs, submarine sandwiches, pastrami, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, soft serve ice cream, and a children’s menu. Did I mention soda? HUNDREDS of sodas, craft sodas and more! Prices are very low. Single cheeseburgers are only $5.79, double cheeseburgers are only $6.99, and Rocket Cheeseburgers are $11.99 (prices are subject to change). The food isn’t fancy and the beef is fresh and not from frozen. It’s only fast food priced and it’s better than fast food. That is why locals eat here.
It’s very casual here. You grab a soda like one of the hundreds of root and birch beers or maybe something exotic? Like lemon meringue..
Huckleberry
Or orthodox kosher grape
This one might not be kosher…………chocolate maple bacon
Then you order at the counter.
You seat yourself and they run your order to you when it is ready.
Below are a few of the offerings that you can enjoy from Rocket Burger.
New York burger (pastrami & slaw) with fries and a Frostie Root Beer
Double bacon cheeseburger
cornmeal coated onion rings
fried zucchini
crispy chicken salad
pescado de cottete (also known as the Mexican fish sandwich…This is really delicious! This is my favorite here…) with a cucumber soda.
double cheeseburger topped with a fried chili and a Kutztown birch beer.
Take out – double cheeseburger with fried onions
Take out – chicken sandwich
Take out – Santa Fe double bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried chili….To the right is a Mexican fish sandwich (I think they gave me extra fish by accident in this photo?)
crispy garlic chicken sandwich with fries and a fried chili
fried chili (was only $1.)
Philly cheesesteak double burger with fries
Rocket Burger can be a blast!
Rocket Burger is a world of sodas and a place where locals eat.
The Toast Craft Kitchen & Cocktails recently opened in a strip-mall in Surprise Arizona. It’s in the spot where Amuse Bouche used to be. This is a full service restaurant that offers a weekend brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu is American but leans towards Mediterranean. On the regular menu they offer appetizers, sharing boards, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts.
They offer patio dining.
They have a bar area.
This is the main dining area.
We started with a sharing board called The Italian.
It’s a generous tray with lots of fruit (dried & fresh), lots of creamy room temperature cheese, a hot pickled pepper olives, date spread, meats, and soft bread. We both liked the cheese best from this tray…
For dinner I tried the pomegranate salmon.
The fish was nicely seared and was well done but moist inside. It rest over a bed of rice pilaf and charred asparagus. It was drizzled with pomegranate sauce and pomegranate seeds. It was tasty and different.
My husband tried the balsamic marinated hanger steak.
The steak was very tender…but kind of plain……. The fries weren’t timed right and weren’t hot and fresh like they should be.
Well the salmon was good!
I haven’t found a website for The Toast Craft Kitchen and Cocktails but I did notice that they are on Instagram and Facebook.
Jetza Pizza Restaurante & Gelateria is located in Old Town Glendale Arizona. This is a TINY Italian restaurant with a great big menu. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the menu are many things and many things like appetizers, wings, house made soups, salads, sandwiches, subs, pasta, dinners, Italian combination plates, pizzas, calzones, a children’s menu, desserts and of course gelato. And there are also dishes that you might not expect like pastrami, Italian nachos, green Chile Alfredo pasta, and jalapeño fried cheese ravioli.
A lot of bright light comes in threw the glass front.
It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean.
I didn’t notice alcohol here but I do see that they offer a variety of Italian sodas.
We started out by sharing a Greek salad. It was split in half on two plates for us.
The house made dressing is pretty good. The salad is fresh and crisp and is a very generous portion.
We shared a margherita pizza.
They added sliced tomatoes to it and used a generous amount of fresh basil. It’s a good pizza but I’m not sure what kind of style that it is…It’s a a cross between a Neapolitan and a Sicilian. It’s crisp on the bottom, thick, chewy and firm.
We also shared a combination plate called the Venecia of chicken parmesan, spinach tortellini and pasta with pesto sauce that came with garlic toast.
The chicken is moist and the pastas were heated up well. The pesto sauce taste like it was made with dried basil.
Portions were very large and prices were low.
Service was very attentive.
That was a little taste of Jetza Pizza Restaurante & Gelateria in Old Town Glendale AZ.
Campo Italian Bistro is a casual full service Italian Restaurant located in Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant is brought to you by a group called Genuine Concepts Group that also have at least five other restaurants or bars in metro Phoenix. Campo Restaurant is unique and does differ a bit on the menu and from the atmosphere of other Italian restaurants.
On the menu for brunch they offer a full bar, baked goods, coffee, fresh juices, toast plates, salads, pizzas, classic breakfast plates with an Italian twist, panini and more.
They offer seating at the bar and inside by the bar are high top tables.
They also offer seating on the patio.
And traditional table seating.
On the special board was a snack of the day that we tried called goat cheese mousse with apples, beets pistachios and a cheese crisp.
It was tasty and not too much.
For brunch I went with the arugula salad with added salmon.
The salad with made with arugula, marinated fennel, pistachios, and citrus vinaigrette. The salmon seemed very fresh and was a good quality really moist salmon with a very crispy seasoned skin. The flavors all worked well together.
Francine is a French-Mediterranean fine dining restaurant located in the luxury wing of the Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant is by celebrity chef/Owner Laurent Halasz. The food served isn’t the typical French style food with lots of butter and cream and is lighter, healthier and seasonal like the food served is like what the chef was raised on in France.
It’s light, bright and airy inside.
They offer a mix of different seating choices. They offer traditional tables, booths, bar, and patio seating.
Today we started with the Stefano Burrata.
We received DELICIOUS thin cut country style toasted bread with rich creamy burrata that was served over caponata. The soft cheese was adorned with olive oil, fresh torn basil and what tasted like Aleppo pepper. The caponata ran heavy with balsamic vinegar and the pine nuts were very marinated and dark colored from the balsamic.
Today I went with the quinoa with added salmon as my main.
I received a moist flaky fish with a nicely crisped skin over many things that included avocado, cabbage, lentils, eggplant, sprouts, and sweet potato. I liked that nothing was oily. Most of the flavors were natural. It seemed like only the quinoa was dressed with flavors.
My husband went with the shaved prime rib sandwich with horseradish cream sauce, pickles and house chips.
I thought the chips were very good with a very nice crispness to them. My husband likes his food saltier than I do so for him the chips lacked salt. I thought the pickles and sauce were very good. I didn’t get to taste the meat in the sandwich because my husband said that it didn’t contain much meat. For both of us the ratio of bread is too much for the meat but the flavors are good and the rich fresh bun was nicely toasted. I thought it was very unusual that the meat on the sandwich was topped with shoestring potatoes. I asked my husband how that was and said that they didn’t really add much to the taste but it gave the sandwich some texture. The sandwich was also stuffed with some watercress.
It was a special day out so we splurged and tried a Francine apple tart. It came out very different than what I was expecting.
I was expecting a little open pie. We got a round of puff pastry lined with a very thin layer of apples topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. You can’t just dig in and eat it because the pastry needs to be cut like a steak. It’s almost like an unrolled croissant.
That was a little taste of Francine Restaurant in Scottsdale.
