I haven’t been everywhere in Metro Phoenix but I’ve been to many restaurants in Metro Phoenix. The foods pictured are in no particular order. These just are the dishes that stood out from the rest of what I tried in Metro Phoenix.

From Multi Award Winning and James Beard Award Winning Chef Christopher Gross- who was at Christopher’s and Crush Lounge I had the incredible House Smoked Salmon. It MUST BE NOTED that this restaurant is now closed for business but Chef Christopher is the executive Chef at Geordie’s Steak at Wrigley Mansion in the Biltmore area of Phoenix. This smoked salmon plate was epic. It’s so painstakingly detailed…..the thin crepe, the crisp greens, hand made squid ink spoon with creme fraiche, crisp potatoes. The salmon was sliced with expert perfection and was so buttery it just melted in the mouth. If you tried this plate you’d know how lousy most other smoked salmon you can try is…….It’s very rare that you get smoked salmon like this.

I have to give another one to Christopher’s and Crush Lounge for dessert. The Lemon Pie with Sorbet (in a shell) might have been the very best dessert I ate all year.

The pie was just AMAZING with the PERFECT tart/sweet.  The sorbet was natural tasting and perfect. I also loved the detailed plate.

The BEST beef burger that I tried (maybe in my life) was the Prime in house ground Filet Burger on an Apple Cider Bun with Bourbon Pickles and was topped with a Wasabi Deviled Egg and a Bourbon Cherry from the The Bourbon Cellar in North Scottsdale. They went too heavy on the mixed greens but who cares about that? This burger was the most flavorful and juicy burger I’ve ever eaten. This burger was delicious without any sauce. How often does that happen?

Luna Gelateria (Pomo Ownership) serves the most incredible Luna Flavored Gelato. There are some other outstanding Gelato Shops in Metro Phoenix but this Luna Flavor gotta be among the best! It has a different creaminess that comes from local dairy and state of the art Italian machinery.

The placement of the spoon makes it looks like we are checking for breathing

One of the best Fish Dishes I had came from a place you wouldn’t expect………It was the fresh killed Tilapia in a scallion Ginger Broth from D&Y Chinese in Glendale. Tilapia usually isn’t among my favorite fish to eat but fresh killed and prepared well it’s great!

I can add maybe a 1/2 dozen pizzas that are incredible and memorable. This Bufalina Pizza from Fabio on Fire in Peoria was up there among the BEST! The combination of Bufala Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar, Arugula and San Marzano Tomato Sauce are the things that make angels sing. I also have to add that the Spinach Raviolis and the House Made Gelato in Strawberry and Passion Fruit are just as great!

The other most delicious pizza I ate this year came from La Piazza Al Forno in Glendale. The Certified Neapolitan Pizzas do taste different than from other Neapolitan style or certified Pizzas from other restaurants. The Mozzarella Cheese is made in house and is very flavorful. The crust also is more delicate and usually more wet in the middle. I don’t usually order the Bianca variety but I have to say it was more delicious than my photo shows. The combination of House made mozzarella, (tasted like house made but not sure) ricotta, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, Sicilian Oregano and Calabrian Chili Peppers was also one of the most delicious pizzas ever! It’s a possibility that La Piazza also offers the very best Cheese Cake in the Valley…..I know that I don’t care for any other I tried…..La Piazza Al Forno’s Cheese Cake is the best!

April – 22 – 2018

Here’s another one that you can’t get anymore. Zabari Mediterranean Grill is now closed for business. I have to say that pita sandwich was the best I’ve had anywhere. What made it much better than the others were several things. One the fresh baked pita was very above average….it was perfect and molded around all the filling and didn’t fall apart or get soggy. Their Chicken Shawarma was KILLER……KILLER>>>>>>I MEAN KILLER……most flavorful and moist I’ve had anywhere. But the one thing they offered that none of the other Mediterranean Restaurants offer was that unbelievably delicious DELICIOUS Matbucha (spicy tomato and roasted pepper salad or salsa). That Matbucha was so delicious that stores should sell it. All those other sauces they made were delicious too….I should be happy that I got to eat here twice but I get upset when I have so many mediocre Mediterranean Restaurants near me that are in business and a really good one isn’t anymore. My other favorite for Mediterranean is also closed for business this past November The Shawarma King…BAHHHHH!

I was fortunate to dine at Cafe Monarch in Old Town Scottsdale. The Squash Blossom Relleno is what I remember most…….It was so layered with delicious flavors and so so textured. It packed a little heat so but was so dam scrumptious I wish I had a Forking Platter of them.

The Food is great and also painstakingly highest of quality from all the Bianco Restaurants….But This Nutmeg Italian Ice I had from Pane Bianco in Phoenix is still burning in my memory of one of the most delicious things I tried this year…..It really was THAT GOOD!

This Focaccia di Recco made with Stracchino Cheese from Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale is ULTRA SCRUMPTIOUS!!!! It’s so thin and cheesy……but not the normal cheesy…..it’s a cheesy flavor that just melts in the mouth and also taste better than most pizza cheese.

The Tea Brined Fried Chicken Thighs from Elements at Sanctuary was so darn delicious I tried it twice. It did differ the second time around but was still incredible. Both times the chicken had a developed flavor and was juicy with a tasty crust. It went really yummy with the pickled watermelon salad. The delicious sauces underneath kept each bite interesting.

How can I pick one favorite dish from Confluence in Carefree AZ…..It’s impossible. Every dish was way up there……like from another universe……..EVERY FORKING DISH WAS A FORKING MASTERPIECE…..So complex so interesting and so darn amazballz…..This Red Snapper from Confluence in Carefree AZ was really perfect and unusually delicious. The skin was seasoned just so and was extremely crispy. This dish contained fennel and I don’t know what they did to it but it was the best tasting fennel I ever tried. The plate also contained cucumber, grapes and Calabrian Chili Peppers….it was a hum-dinger! The Monk Fish….mindblowing…….The BBQ Chicken Sandwich…..OMG YUM!

From The Delta and The Larder in Phoenix came the MOST FORKING GLORIOUSLY DELICIOUS Spicy Chicken Sandwich I’ve eaten (so far). OMG this was scrumptious YUM! The chicken so flavorful and delicious. It had this slightly caramelized thin crisp coating, delicious slaw, extra great thick pickle chips (not chips more like blocks) and a bun that wasn’t too big….If Jesus wanted a DELICIOUS GREAT Hot Chicken Sandwich he’d fly to Phoenix and stop in to The Larder and The Delta in Phoenix.

Spicy Chicken Noodle from Szechuan Cuisine in Glendale AZ

The Spicy Chicken Noodle (Big Plate Chicken) from Szechuan Cuisine in Glendale was one of the best Chinese Dishes I’ve ever had…….It was a magical food adventure like Chinese Thanksgiving with fireworks. This dish was rich, full of flavors and spices and comforting, spicy and with all the chicken, potatoes and noodles.  The magic part were the Sichuan Peppercorns because they made the onions turn unusually sweet in your mouth. This was a very delicious dish.

Another one of the BEST MEALS I ate this year came from Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale. Just like Confluence it’s next to impossible to pick one dish…..Another restaurant that offers highly creative detailed plates that are beyond delicious!

It’s very hard to focus on just one plate but this plate of Carrot Gnocchi, Lentil Meatball, Artichoke Melted Leeks, Fried Broccoli and Sea Scape Cheese was a stunning gastronomic adventure of flavors, colors and textures.

The Sushi I tried from Haru Sushi and Grill in Glendale was incredible……This sushi is different than other sushi I’ve tried on the upper west side. The texture and taste is different. It just melts in my mouth. Toro, Blue Fin and Ocean Trout were my favorites but even the mackerel was sweet.

What just squeaked in was the Chilean Sea Bass Entree also from Haru Sushi and Grill. Wow super fresh fish that was prepared as well as from the finest restaurants and the vegetables were also delicious fresh and tender crisp. You might not be able to see but I also got a nice serving of black rice.

Another one of the best things I’ve eaten this year was the Charred Sweet Potatoes with Avocado, Lime, Pickled Shallots, Radish Salad, Pasilla Pumpkin Salsa and Aleppo Pepper Plate from Ocotillo in Phoenix. OMG YUM! The flavors went together so well! Something about that char……and something about that pasilla pumpkin salsa….really made flavors pop! This plate was way more delicious than I can describe and truly was among the best of the year.

This was a sampling of the Best Foods I tried in Metro Phoenix 2018

The Forking Truth

Not every restaurant trip is worth writing about. On the other hand if I don’t write about my Forking Trip then I don’t have a story for my blog. It’s not my intention to put a little mom and pop shop out of business because I told you how much they’ve sucked so I won’t mention the name of any new restaurants that I can’t praise. Sometimes some restaurants do need a few months to work out the bugs to get better……..but some never get the chance because a few months can be too long and go under. Other restaurants just never get better. It always pains me not to write a positive review. I FORKING WANT to enjoy myself just like you when I go out to eat. I can’t sugar coat things.  I just have to tell it like it was and that’s The Forking Truth.

I recently went to a new Mediterranean Restaurant that opened somewhere in Glendale AZ.

The Chicken Shawarma might have been good at one time but on my visit it was dry and chewy. It’s pretty difficult to make dark meat chicken dry and chewy so I’m thinking I wonder how many times was this chicken re-heated?  The owner must know that they are serving me dry chewy chicken. I’m thinking that this chicken might have been re-heated a number of times (but I don’t know for sure).  The rice also seemed a few days or maybe a week old. Even the tomato slices have seen better days. I thought this really sucked. I felt like they  screwed me out of a nice meal out. I would have rather eaten almost anywhere else.

My husband made me taste his beef shawarma…………(but I didn’t want to)……….I could clearly see I wouldn’t like it.

It also was dry and chewy with the same old rice.

Maybe we can chalk this up to the restaurant owners did not know how much food to prepare and accidentally prepared too much food that got old and dry. I don’t know if they will get their act together????

A couple months back I went to different newer Mediterranean Restaurant also in Glendale. Most of the food photoed nice so you can’t tell how it taste but you can see the pickle they served me was a geriatric pickle with its’ own Senior Citizen’s discount card.

Their rice and raw vegetables were good but the Beef Shawarma was even dryer that from the above place. It was like chewing someone’s pony tail as it was next to impossible to break down in the mouth.

Their Chicken Shawarma was similar to fried processed Chicken Baloney and grossed me out.

But those were the highlights….

Their eggplant dip contained so much smoke that it was like trying to eat a really large ash tray. Sadly even their falafels were inedible because they were very similar in texture to gritty mortar mixed with small rocks. The chickpeas never got soft and stayed like rocks…that taste sort of burnt. .(don’t know but maybe from not being soaked)

The best Mediterranean Restaurant that I know of in Glendale was the Shawarma King. BUT HOLY FORK!!!! *********DANG!**********THEY JUST CLOSED FOR BUSINESS JUST THIS NOVEMBER 2018. I haven’t been able to try their Chicken Shawarma yet because on my (at least three or four visits) they were out of it when I wanted to try it but I tried a number of things there that were all delicious.

So sad………. 🙁  It’s a shame …………

Not Every Restaurant Trip is Worth Writing About. I also don’t recall the Arizona Republic or The Phoenix New Times including The Shawarma King in their listings of closed restaurants for November 2018.

Everything is subject to change!!!!!! Your experience may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth