Tag Archives: #PhxFood

Sometimes it Feels like you Traveled the World when you go to an Ethnic Restaurant

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I’ve been a fan of the fresh baked bread that Euro Bakery sells at the Asiana Market. The bread they sell is all natural and is only made from flour, water, yeast, salt and oil. They also sell Bosnian style pita breads and long curved breads called Kifla that are made to go with soup but I cut them in half and use them for hot dog rolls and other sandwiches at home.

The Bosnian Bread here differs from the Bosnian Bread of a another more popular Bosnian Restaurant near by….The bread here is not as pretty but what I like about it is that it is lighter and not so oily.  I thought I’d try them out for lunch and maybe try a fresh baked dessert since I love sweets and have a sweet tooth.

The atmosphere is very energetic and noisy. It just just like visiting a foreign land. Everyone is talking LOUDLY in a foreign tongue to each other and foreign TV is also playing very loudly here. This place is not only a market, store, bakery and cafe but also a social place for the Bosnian Population. I thought the doors in the back of the dining room was storage space but someone opened a door and a banquet room and dance floor were revealed.

People were unusually friendly here. A Bosnian stranger came up to us and greeted us switching from Bosnian to English real fast ….he was praising the food here and his love for this establishment. I can see this place is very special to him and all the other people I see coming and going.

It was an unexpected long wait for our food. They didn’t seem that busy but we soon found out that they were slammed with takeout orders and people picking up bags of groceries.

Someone runs out my Grilled Chicken Sandwich to me. I thought chicken was a safe choice…after all this place has been around for over 20 years….all the kinks should be worked out by now. ….Or are they?

This looks like enough food to feed at least two people. The pita like bread is very large and fluffy. Inside are two seasoned and grilled pounded chicken breasts. On the side is what was described as salad. It’s really a mayonnaise-free sort of cole slaw. I go to take a bite out of the chicken sandwich. The bread is tasty. The chicken is seasoned………But it’s like trying to chew a steel belted tire. It’s impossible to eat……I think it’s that bad chicken I came across at a few grocery stores. When a certain grocery stores have boneless chicken breasts on sale super cheap you have to take a really good look at the chicken. I’ve found that if you see chicken breast that looks like it’s almost marbled no matter what you do it isn’t going to come out right. It’s almost like silver skin running threw chicken breast. I chalk this up to being a fluke….They purchased that sale chicken breast…..That’s what I think I got in this sandwich.

SEE the WHITE LINES in the middle chicken breast. AVOID CHICKEN TTHAT LOOKS LIKE THAT

It reads on the Euro Bakery Website that the Bosnian diet is mostly known for eating beef, veal and lamb…………Could chicken be a bad choice?

My husband ordered one of the several the Combo Platters. I think it was a special of the day…..

A large platter indeed was received. It could feed a household of hungry people.

But……………………

They took some liberties at making surprise substitutions and gave extra (maybe beef case-less) sausage for the lack of steak and hamburger that was in the description for this platter. In other words my husband didn’t get the steak or hamburger that he was expecting. This was suppose to be a platter of steak, chicken hamburger, sausages and a kabob.

Any who-

My husband really enjoyed the fresh baked fluffy bread, The spicy long sausage and the mayonnaise free cabbage slaw. He also liked the short sausages but not as much as the spicy one. However the veal kabob was tough like the chicken and of course the chicken was tough.

When we ordered at the counter we picked out a dessert from the dessert case.

We picked what they called a Subarice. It’s basically a Bosnian Cup Cake.

I love sweets but I have to tell The Forking Truth and let you know I really don’t like this dessert……I can’t stomach the tastes or textures here………maybe this dessert is for an acquired taste?  Perhaps any of the other deserts would have been a better choice for me?

I enjoyed the fresh baked bread.

I enjoyed the fresh made cabbage slaw.

My husband really enjoyed the spicy sausage, bread and slaw.

Although my trip wasn’t perfect I still enjoyed some things and the atmosphere of another culture. It was like a small piece of Bosnia was only a few miles away at Euro Bakery and Cafe in Phoenix.

Sometimes it Feels like You Traveled the World when You go to an Ethnic Restaurant.

www.EuroBakeryRestaurant.com

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

That was my visit to The Euro Bakery and Cafe in Phoenix.

The Forking Truth

Pomo Pizzeria Scottsdale AZ – YUM! – Worth a Fork!

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Pomo Pizzeria has three locations in Metro Phoenix Arizona. They are most well known for serving Certified Neapolitan Pizzas made with high quality ingredients. Pomo also offers appetizers, charcuterie, soups, salads, handmade pastas, seasonal items and the most AMAZING house made gelato.

This restaurant has a beautiful modern decor. You can view the imported Italian Wood burning oven that cooks your pizzas at 905 degrees F. They also offer some retail Italian dry goods for sale. This location of Pomo offers a variety of seating choices that are indoors and out.

We decided to share the Fregula Salad with Chicken off the Summer Menu.

Fregula are small round shaped tiny pasta that are similar to Israeli Couscous. This sort of pasta was invented to take the place of rice when there was a rice shortage long ago. Other ingredients in this salad are grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, roasted bell peppers, creamy avocado, arugula, sweet grape tomatoes, wrinkly black olives, Pecorino Romano and added grilled chicken. We were very pleased and impressed with this salad. The chicken was moist and had a delicious flavor to it. The ingredients just seemed like they were held together with mostly just olive oil but somehow everything was delicious and very flavorful together. It was barely touched but had a lot going on with it. This might be the most delicious salad I ate this year!

The Food Critic of the Arizona Republic (Dominic Armato) recently wrote about his latest “Killer Dish,” a Focaccia like no other I ever heard of so I had to try it. (if you are a local you need to know this special focaccia is only served at Scottsdale) This Focaccia Di Recco is super flat and paper thin crisp dough. It’s like if you had a big flour tortilla and carefully split it in half so it was even thinner. But this Ligurian Style Focaccia is fresh made yeast free dough with a different texture and has a melty cheesy stracchino cheese middle. The thin dough gets crisp and sort of bubbly in different parts. It sort of seems like it was fried. It’s a $2.00 add on option to get warm local honey so you can drizzle this on your Focaccia. A little bit adds interest and a different sensation.

This is really great! It seems so light with crisp parts and other parts that almost seem grilled but aren’t. It’s like an Italian Cheese Crisp but has a rich thin pull-ee center. I think it’s even better with just a very small amount of the warmed local honey.

From previous visits at this location-

And DON’T even think about leaving without trying the BEST GELATO in Metro Phoenix. I highly recommend the signature and namesake flavor called Luna. Luna Gelateria is located in Pomo Pizzeria. The Gelato is fresh made daily with state of the art imported Italian machinery.

Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale AZ is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.PomoPizzeria.com

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

The Forking Truth

 

 

Dining Out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix AZ June 2018

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“We are on our way to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante  in Glendale AZ”

Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It sort of got started when my dog Louie came down with cancer and I wanted to take him out to eat as often as possible because he enjoyed it very much. Today my current dogs enjoy going out to eat. You do need to know that many restaurants on Metro Phoenix do have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. You really SHOULD CALL a restaurant in advance of dining and ask if it’s ok to bring your dog. Some restaurants suddenly turn non-dog friendly and sometimes the patio is already booked for a party. IT”S ALWAY BEST to avoid other people and other dogs. You never know if a person is allergic or just hates dogs and that person can spoil your dining plans. You also never know how your dog or someone else’s dog will react….It’s possible that the dogs will start barking at each other and YOU MIGHT BE ASKED TO LEAVE. Avoid trouble and dine out with dogs at off times. More restaurant really do need your money at off times and more of them are likely to welcome you and your dog during the lean times of the day. There are a few rules for dining out with dogs. Your dog(s) MUST be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates. You also NEED TO BE AWARE that MOST of the food and drink you consume can be hazardous or even TOXIC to your dog. You must consult your veterinarian on a food friendly list and a list of foods to avoid. Usually lean un-sauced meat is a safe bet.  Here in Metro Phoenix IT IS TOO LATE by now to dine out with dogs because dogs can NOT TOLERATE as much heat as you do. Your dogs may differ from mine but I’d say under 90 degrees F and ONLY IN SHADE are the top degrees that might be safe to dine out with dogs. At the end of May we had cooler weather at lunch time as it was only in the 80’s so my dogs got to dine out at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale AZ.

“Here I am at Bottega…I’m hungry what will I eat?”

“Maybe if I look Forking Cute and rest my head on someone’s leg I’ll get more food?’

“That FORKING RUNT is such a suck up!”

“Smells like we got a Sicilian Tuna Salad and a Sausage Panini.”

“We enjoyed ourselves at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante.

www.BoteggaRistorante.com

Most of June was too hot to dine out with Dogs but then came Monsoon Season and we had one day around the middle of the month that was nice.

“We are on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ”

Cucina Tagliani in Glendale Arizona has been in business over twenty five years. They serve casual American/Italian Food. They are a little different from other similar American Italian Restaurants and do offer many healthy options and many vegetable dishes. Cucina Tagliani happens to have an official Dog Friendly Certified Patio.

“This is how I wait for the food!”

“This is how I wait for the food!”

Here’s what we ordered. I had the Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad that comes with Chicken and my husband had the Papa’s Platter (sausage lasagna, two cheese and spinach manicottis, and veal parmesan).

They made my salad extra good today…(yeah!) Everything is fresh and tasty. The strawberries are super sweet too.

The dogs are very happy and did some celebrating under the table.

They just have to wait to be served.

“We did very well at Cucina Tagliani!”

www.CucinaTagliani.com

That was Dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix for June 2018.

Dine In with Dogs at Home Now. It’s too Hot to Dine Out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix……(unless we get a monsoon!)

We hope to see you soon!

The Forking Truth

In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

Mowry & Cotton Restaurant in Scottsdale at the Phoenician – Worth a Fork!

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Mowry & Cotton is a Modern American Restaurant located in the Phoenician Resort and Spa in Scottsdale Arizona. The atmosphere is warm with wood trim, hanging fixtures and walls filled with lots of growlers.

Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

We started with a Mushroom Flatbread.

2 pieces have been removed

The Flatbread is made of Mushrooms , melted cheese, apricot, scallions and is sparingly laced with horseradish. The flatbread is light, thin and crispy with just enough toppings and is very tasty.

We also shared a Salad.

The Salad is very large with lots of peppery arugula. It’s full of sweet cherries, creamy goat cheese and chewy granola.

For dinner I had the Salmon.

The fish was prepared to a perfect medium. It seemed like it was slow cooked or sous vide. The fish was like butter in the mouth and it did seem buttered and carefully seasoned. The crisp edges did add a nice contrast to the melt in your mouth fish.The skin wasn’t as crisp as I would like but I usually remove the skin anyway. Around the plate looked like a galaxy of tasty pickled mustard seeds, pistachio a little grapefruit and some grilled lettuce. As pretty as this dish I do note that this is a lighter dinner and the appetizers were necessary. There’s not much here but fish and mustard seeds.

My husband had the 1/2 Pheasant.

It looked like a stunning platter of broccolini, onions, almonds, smoked blood orange and cherries. The was a very unique platter that you won’t find anywhere else.

Service was very welcoming, professional and efficient.

For the Summer of 2018 Mowry & Cotton is running multiple summer specials that can save you a great deal of money off your dining check.

All the food was good. Nice atmosphere…….and outstanding service.

Mowry & Cotton – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.MowryandCotton.com

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

Food we had at Mowry & Cotton from a previous visit.

The Forking Truth

 

 

The Forking Truth is Sometimes Restaurant Owners are just Restauranteurs

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I went to a small Italian Restaurant located in a Strip Mall somewhere in Metro Phoenix Arizona.  Since this is a newly opened small family owned restaurant I don’t feel the need to mention the name of the restaurant. This restaurant serves up some of the usual Italian favorites and also offer some unique items you don’t see everyday…..Such as…… A ravioli of the day, Chicken, Sausage, Beans and Greens, Grilled Chicken with lemon and mint, Brooklyn Thin Pizza and Long Island Grandma Pizza. That all sounds really delicious and a little different than the usual.

This restaurant is just big enough to have a bar and a patio.

The light fixtures are mixer attachments.

We started off with an Italian Salad of Arugula, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Artichokes and Hot Red Peppers.

It was dressed with the lightest amount of oil.

We splurged and also tried some garlic knots.

Each knot is almost like eating a slice of pizza. They have a nice chewy texture and are well seasoned with LOTS of Cheese! Mozzarella and Grated Cheese. The sauce is tasty too! I need to stop at one but my mouth wants to eat more. All the fresh garlic, herbs, sauce and cheese is delicious.

For the most part everything is great enough…until now.

Then dinner arrives. I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Mint over Sautéed Spinach.

While the generous amount of Chicken was prepared reasonably well and did indeed have tasty grill marks………The rest of it didn’t meet my expectations.

The over-cooked spinach was in a state of decomposing and a mourner’s blessing was appropriate. The X- spinach is at rest on my plate and is also mixed with over-cooked droopy melted arugula (that might have been also on it’s way to knock on heaven’s door) that just doesn’t taste well cooked together……… I hate to knit pick but I have to add that the cook was allergic to lemon and mint because they weren’t added to my dish…..However  It taste like they used parsley.  It might have been wrong that I didn’t bring this to the owner’s attention but my husband complained about his plate so I didn’t want to also complain. That’s just too much complaining.

My husband got the Chicken, Sausage, Beans and Greens that was suppose to be in garlic parm sauce. Does THIS look like garlic parm sauce?…….it wasn’t…My GOD…any sighted individual can see this dish isn’t in a garlic parm sauce. The sauce in this dish tasted like the same vegetable broth from my dish. Wouldn’t you know that the sauce wasn’t the biggest problem here so we forgot about it….and let that one get away like a surprise fart.  The plate did indeed contain chicken, sausage and spinach.

I do note for all of you that don’t know…..Italian Bean and Green dishes are made with bitter greens and not a sweet green like spinach….

But the biggest disappointment  with this plate was that we didn’t get the beans that this dish was suppose to contain and we brought this to the attention of the owner that served us.  The owner apologized and  brought him out some warmed up beans. (we don’t know for sure but the beans seemed like fresh drained  from a can………Oh Joy!. Maybe most of the people reading this would not know that this is not at all to an example of how this traditional Italian dish should be prepared.

Down below is Broccoli Rabe with Cannelloni Beans from www.Food52.com ……..This is an example of the type of dish we were expecting.

www.Food52.com

I happened to notice that the cooks that were working in this restaurant were obviously not Italian and obviously weren’t trained in preparing Italian Foods. I also noticed that the cooks didn’t speak English so it might be a possibility that they can’t read the recipes. Maybe that is the reasons for some of the problems in these dishes….?

What got me is that it was the owner that served us…..She didn’t have a clue that anything was wrong with the food she served us. Even servers working for other people (if they are good servers) glance at the food they serve and make sure it’s correct.

Chances are that it is a possibility that at least half the people out there will not have a clue that anything is wrong with food like this.

On the positive side I do note the pizzas from this establishment looked delicious so maybe that’s the sweet spot here.

The Forking Truth is that Sometimes Restaurant Owners are just Restauranteurs and have NOTHING to do with the food.

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

The Forking Truth

 

 

My Trip to Elements at Sanctuary Paradise Valley Arizona – Worth a Fork!

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Pulling in by the valet

Elements Restaurant is located at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in the Paradise Valley part of Scottsdale Arizona. The executive chef is Celebrity Chef Beau Macmillan who has been showing up on various Food Network TV Shows for many years now. The food that is served at Elements is Seasonal Asian Inspired American Food. The menu changes regularly.

Upon arrival you stop at the valet. You are only steps away from Camelback Mountain but you are a lot closer to Elements….I recommend if you are hungry to go to Elements.

Here’s the lobby between the Elements Restaurant and the Jade Bar.

Elements offers formal modern dining rooms with stunning picturesque views of beautiful Paradise Valley.

This was the view from my table. It’s just the beginning of monsoon season and we were having a very rare June Rain Today so the outdoor patio was empty.

We ordered and soon someone starts us with hot crusty chewy sourdough bread and sweet butter that’s embellished with crushed seaweed and sea salt.

The combination is appetizing and resistance is futile.

The salt and pepper on the table appears to be fresh ground and is displayed in a Ying and Yang Plate.

I went with the recommended Tea Brined Fried Chicken Thighs.

My plate is bright and colorful. Everything looks scrumptious! I have the most moist tender chicken you can imagine. It has this incredibly light textured and crisp batter coating that seems free of oil.. Underneath is a flavored oil and a sauce with gingery Asian Flavors. The sauce is  mild and a bit sweet but the flavors are delicious. My plate also contained pickled watermelon that was light and sort of was a break that cut the rich parts of this dish. This plate also contained sprouts, shreds of carrots and fried green beans. In the center of the plate is this scallion sticky rice that is unexpectedly delicious.  This rice has a firm but chewy texture similar to risotto. The rice is almost creamy but what makes it special are those sauces underneath that make it super scrumptious! There are delicious flavors going on here.  As you can see it’s a very large portion. I would have had two meals if it didn’t taste so great AND IF I didn’t share……….

My husband tried the Feature of the Day….it was a Beef Tenderloin in hoisin and five spice with green onion sticky rice, celery, charred cauliflower and peanuts.

The beef seemed like a high quality and was tender like butter with flavors that were delicious. I do note that this plate was smaller in size compared to the Tea Brined Chicken Thighs. For me it would be enough food though.

The dessert menu sounded too great to turn down. My favorite dessert was on the menu so we tried a Lemon Meringue Pie.

It’s a little different with toasted coconut and a coconut brown butter crust.

Ummmmm It’s really great…….The meringue is good as sometimes meringue can have an unpleasant egg white taste.  The lemon curd has the correct amount of sweetness and tart lemon flavor. The crust is delicious and is good enough to be make into some kind of biscuit or cookie. It is way too thick (maybe 3/4 inch on the bottom) so I couldn’t eat much of it but flavor wise is was unusually delicious.

Our server was helpful and made good suggestions for us. She was also efficient and other members of the staff also checked on us.

I’d say Elements at Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.SanctuaryCamelback.com/dining/Elements

The Forking Truth is that EVERYTHING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

The FORKING Best Foods I Tried in Metro Phoenix in 2018 so far

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Christopher’s in Phoenix AZ

This is a collection of what I thought was most delicious that I tried in Metro Phoenix in 2018 so far. I note that the foods are in no particular order.

In the beginning of the year I made it to Christopher’s again before the Chef relocated to Geordie’s at Wriggly Mansion. All the food I ever tried at Christopher’s over the years has been superb. The Chef is well known for classic and contemporary French Cuisine.

But my last meal there was lunch and it was exquisite! Things start out with the unforgettable amazing shattering baguette like no other. What not to enjoy about expertly  prepared house smoked salmon that blankets this thin crisp crepe like no other holding this magical lemony salad. It even came with an edible spoon filled with cream…..Dessert was so detailed and equally as STUNNING……Actually MOST of  the very BEST DESSERTS I’ve ever had in Metro Phoenix might have come from Christopher’s over the years…….. This lunch was deserving of a standing ovation.

WOW!

The Bourbon Cellar (now closed but soon to relocate near by) specializes in Burgers by day and in the evening also serves steaks and fish.  I tried the House Ground Prime Filet Burger with Bourbon Pickles on an Apple Cider roll topped with a Wasabi deviled egg and a Bourbon Cherry. WOWEEEEEEEeeeee it  was so FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS it just might flip Vegetarians to eat beef……DAM it was that great! ******FIRST Burger I’ve ever had anywhere that didn’t even need a sauce…..I’ll be honest like I always am that this burger was all the packed with LOTS of mixed greens that were annoying. BUT who cares?  The greens fell out and the actual burger was so incredibly flavorful and juicy….Dang it was Great!. I’m looking forward to the reopening of The Bourbon Cellar in the fall in North Scottsdale. I have hopes that they are more than a one hit wonder. But that one hit is sure worth trying again!

The Luna Flavor Gelato was also FORKING INCREDIBLE from Luna Gelateria in Scottsdale…..it was so smooth……so creamy……just the perfect amount of sweetness…….the most amazing flavor with great mouth feel………THIS WAS THE FORKING BEST GELATO I’VE EVER TASTED…WOW! It must be tasted to be believed!

The Hot Chicken from Starlite BBQ in Scottsdale was Mighty Forking TASTY……It was the most developed with delicious flavors of the hot chickens I tried so far….not just hot but also delicious….The house made pickles, and that really awesome house made mustard also helped to elevate things….

I do have to say the Thai Style Ice Cream Roll from Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls were the best Ice Cream Rolls I’ve Tried…..others I’ve tried were also good…..but Shhhhhh….these were Forking Better……..Nomadic were the most creamy with the best rich and most interesting flavors. This one was made with avocado, a Brazilian Candy, high quality chocolate and agave……sounds weird but it was crazy good.

From La Piazza al Forno in Glendale came the Bianca Pizza – It’s made with a house pulled mozzarella like no other, a high quality ricotta, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, Sicilian oregano and we added Calabrian Chili peppers…..This was insanely delicious. Nobody’s crust is as light, tender and chewy…..This is the one pizza that is lighter than all the others. It really melts in your mouth. The mozzarella here is the best I’ve tried anywhere. When La Piazza al Forno gets it right….there are angels singing…..

The Other BEST Pizza I had this year was the Bufalina from Fabio on Fire in Peoria. The Flavors were unexpected…..Everything was happening here….The Bufala cheese was unlike any Bufala Cheese I’ve ever had before and was very flavorful and not watery….This pizza had sweet from the balsamic and peppery from the arugula. The cheese and San Marzano Tomato sauce was scrumptious……It was just everything you want and MORE! in a pizza. I seriously think this gotta be one of the BEST pizzas in Metro Phoenix.

Cafe Monarch is a fine dining restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. The two dishes I enjoyed most were the Squash Blossom Relleno and the Tuna on a rice cake with Calabrian Chili Oil and Capelin Caviar……. I could do a serious number of the Squash Blossom Rellenos……I could eat them all day till my gut explodes……….Cafe Monarch should open a side window just for those dam Squash Blossoms……….Yes they were that great!

Pizzeria Bianco is well known for possibly serving the best pizza in the country and sister restaurant Pane Bianco is well known for their original high quality sandwiches……But what lingers in my memory the most from these places was the Nutmeg Ice. It is something to FORKING reckon with…It should be on everyone’s bucket list……It’s a wonder. It’s among the best desserts you should get in Metro Phoenix. It’s so unique light but creamy with that unexpected refreshing surprising taste…..YES bucket list if you haven’t tried it yet.

The dinner I recently had at Prado in Scottsdale was all delicious and very enjoyable. The house baked Sour Dough baked with Brie and served with lemon curd can help to aid the world to make world peace. (providing they supply a steak knife to cut the crusty bread) Prado also makes one of the most delicious Chicken Dishes in Metro Phoenix……Be real…..Who doesn’t enjoy an insanely moist, juicy and flavorful chicken with a thin crisp well seasoned skin. This was Forking Delicious and the rest of the plate wasn’t too shabby either.

Notable Honorable Mentions.

The Pecan  Smoked Chicken from The Rogue Tomato in Glendale AZ with Sweet Potato Hash was pretty darn good!

The Semifreddo from Botegga Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale AZ was delightful.

The Hot Pot from Shabu Fondue in Phoenix was FUN and Delicious. This makes dinner like a date night. You don’t just eat you dip, swish the meat in the hot bubbling broth and talk the night away.

You might not be aware that is very rare that you will find any restaurant that brines their own corned beef. Most restaurants either purchase already prepared or they just finish the cooking process of the already brined corned beef in house. 3on Smith Cafe in Phoenix impressed me with their in house brined corned beef, Although this corned beef sandwich is a very NON-TRADITIONAL tasting it still is very good and 3on Smith deserves a shout out!

We regularly enjoy the Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and more from Banh Mi Bistro in North Phoenix. I like these Banh Mi Sandwiches best.

Both plates we tried from La Mejor Comida Barbacoa Restaurant in Glendale were quite good. I enjoyed my Corn Smut Quesadilla. I might be slightly more impressed with the Bisteck Huarache. It starts with a hand made flat bread that might be made from corn and it was topped with a house made green sauce, Mexican Crumbling Cheese and the tastiest tender nicely caramelized steak…I’m impressed because I usually don’t enjoy steak…It has to taste really good and be very tender like butter for me to eat it and it really was.

April – 22 – 2018

My last meal from Zabari Mediterranean Grill was a pita sandwich but it truly was the best pita sandwich I’ve ever had. They made a tastier, juicier and more caramelized Chicken Shawarma than any other I ever had anywhere. The pita bread was amazing and they also made all these delicious interesting  sauces and salads that none of the other Mediterranean Restaurants that I know of offer. I was particularly found of the Matbucha (cooked tomato salad) that was also in this pita. Sadly Zabari Mediterranean Grill has closed their brick and mortar restaurant. But who knows..maybe they aren’t done yet.

Saffron Jak Bakery and Cafe is located in North Phoenix and offers Modern Persian Food. They do make a great caramelized Chicken Thigh platter served with DELICIOUS charred vegetables. Most of the food they offer come with Persian Sangak Bread also known as Pebble Bread. It’s a flat bread that’s tasty and chewy…Saffron Jak also offers Persian Tacos and Pizzas made from Sangak Bread. This is a Great Value restaurant…delicious reasonably priced food and big portions.

The FORKING BEST FOODS of what I tried in Metro Phoenix AZ so far in 2018….

There’s so much more out there!

Don’t know what I’ll taste next!

Feel free to leave your favorite food finds in Metro Phoenix in the comment section……If you care too.

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

The Forking Truth

A Few of the Novelty Restaurants of Metro Phoenix AZ

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Slick’s Garage Peoria AZ

Metro Phoenix AZ offers a WIDE variety of restaurants to try. Some of the restaurants out there are the Novelty Restaurants. They all offer a unique atmosphere or theme.

****UPDATE****SADLY SLICK’S GARAGE BAR AND EATS HAS CLOSED FOR BUSINESS***

In Peoria AZ is Slick’s Garage Bar and Eats. They offer a casual menu that includes Burgers, Sandwiches and New Mexican Cuisine spiked with New Mexican Chili Peppers. ……Oh so yummy! …………Besides filling up on the food it is like dining in a museum of model trucks, vintage gas memorabilia and other things. The surroundings will keep your motor roaring and the vegetables they use don’t give you unwanted gas.

www.SlicksGaragePeoria.com

*****UPDATE****SADLY CAMP SOCIAL HAS CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*******

Camp Social is located in Phoenix. Camping can be fun..it’s a also a family friendly thing. You don’t need to bring a tent or bug spray to dine here…..the hostess steps out of a camper and then you get seated.  There is one camper on the floor to be seated in. There are also tire swings at the bar….Maybe you can be a swinger at the bar here while camping out?

The menu has changed since my visit but it’s still all casual and they offer Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizzas and MORE! I have to wonder if they added a bush to the restroom…because everyone pees behind a bush when you go camping.

www.CampSocial.com

The Fictional Mel’s Diner from The Alice TV Show is alive and hopefully still doing well in Phoenix.

You are not going to see Alice, Flo or Mel and you don’t have to kiss anyone’s grits. The people working there offer breakfast and lunch items at very reasonable prices. ………..(gosh the burger was only like $5.99 at the time I was there.)

As a child growing up I used to enjoy the TV Show but I never thought I’d actually dine at Mel’s Diner.

Look Mel’s Diner Phoenix AZ on Facebook, watch the re-runs! Or just stop right in.

Corleone’s is a Philadelphia Cheesesteak Themed Novelty Restaurant with more than one location in Metro Phoenix.

You can have a taste of Philadelphia without the traffic. You can a try a Cheesesteak on a genuine Amoroso Roll with hot and or sweet cherry peppers. Lots of Philadelphia Memorabilia to make you feel you are there and you don’t have to ride down the Schuylkill Expressway to get there.

www.Coreleones.net

Out here in Phoenix we really are a part of the Wild West and in Chandler AZ you can dine at Rawhide Western Town at Wild Horse Pass.

My few pictures here don’t do justice….This is a really neat place to visit. It’s really a small theme park with some entertainment, a train ride, panning for gold, activities, some cute shops and a restaurant. I don’t recall what I ate here (the few times I’ve been here) but at the time they served steak and my niece and nephew were very excited to eat the rattlesnake. My husband also entertained co-workers here and they seemed just as thrilled with Rawhide as my niece and nephew. It’s a place that you want to re-visit.

www.Rawhide.com

Maybe the most UNIQUE NOVELTY RESTAURANT THAT IS LIKE NO OTHER might be Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa AZ.

Check it out! Look! Some guy is at the BIGGEST WURLITZER ORGAN IN THE WORLD and Belts out all kinds of music. Themes from Star Wars, Star Trek, Lots of Disney…..Classics….lots of Americana…….It’s all Amazing!

Organ Stop Pizza

The pizza isn’t the type you’d drive across town for but the experience is like no other anywhere!

www.OrganStopPizza.com

These are just a few of the Novelty Restaurants in Metro Phoenix AZ.

Every Forking Thing is Subject to Change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Ajo Al’s Mexican Cafe in Glendale AZ

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Ajo Al’s is a Sonaron Style Group of American/Mexican Restaurants in Four locations in Metro Phoenix AZ. They serve up the usual Tacos, Combo Plates,Fajitas and more. As I walked in memories from long ago resurfaced. This restaurant looks identical to the Casa Lupita Chain that latter became a different but similar Mexican Style Restaurant.

The Dining Room is very large and airy. It’s painted with bright colors. There are many Mexican Style Artifacts to look at and there’s an incredible amount of benches and booths to sit on. In the corner of the room near the kitchen entrance is a neon sign that reads tortillas. I remember at Casa Lupita and Don Pablo (they took over some of the Casa Lupita Restaurants)  they used to have a worker make fresh tortillas all day in a similar looking corner. The sign still hangs but I don’t see fresh tortillas being made at Ajo Al’s.

What brought me in were two things. One – it was Restaurant Week and Two – They were offering an Award Winning Menu with the incredible Taco Festival’s 1st prize winning Potato Tacos.

Everything on the menu was prize winning.

I tried the 2016, 2017 First Prize Winning Vegetable Tacos from the 2017 Taco Festival. Those Potato Tacos at the Taco Festival sure were FORKING Delicious! I was hoping to try them again.

We ordered and they started us off with Chips, Two kinds of Salsa, and Drinks.

My husband tries a margarita and I try an Ajo Al’s Mule. The Mule is suppose to contain Tequila, Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Poblano Chile Liqueur. Doesn’t that sound good?…..I go to taste it….I don’t know what it contains but it taste like Ginger ale mixed with seltzer and something sour….I don’t get a buzz….and I don’t care to Finish it either…….Oh well.

Any Who-

Then I taste the Chips and Salsas.

These chips are very thin also crisp and lack corn flavor and salt. The small container of sauce taste like chile powder mixed with water and lots of dry oregano. The larger bowl of salsa lacks fresh tasting ingredients like onions, garlic and fresh herbs. Chips and salsas taste like they should be avoided.

Then our shared appetizer comes out that also is suppose to be the 2017 1st prize winning guacamole with smoked salmon. (Sorry my photo didn’t come out clear so I added part of it from another photo).

They gave a very large portion of guacamole…..maybe about four portions with a little smoked salmon sprinkled on the top. The Salmon is good but his taste like a combination of fresh and frozen avocados mixed with something creamy…..there are no lumps of actual avocado or onion and I don’t taste any fresh herbs. Actually it could use some garlic and lime juice too. because it’s very flat or one note tasting. The smoked salmon does go well with the avocado dip but this guacamole lacks the delicious fresh flavors and textures that make a delicious guacamole.

Our Prize Winning Tacos, Rice, Beans and Calabacitas (squash with vegetables and cheese) arrive.

I try a Potato Taco. THE FORKING TRUTH is that this doesn’t taste anything like the Potato Taco I tried at the Taco Festival….. 🙁 ……….The Taco at the Taco Festival was all full of delicious flavors. This Taco at the Ajo Al’s Restaurant taste like Mashed Potatoes with LOTS of sour cream…..It’s not flavorful and delicious like the Potato Taco that drew me in.  I feel bamboozled….They did a bait and switch on me.  My husband made me try a piece of steak taco. I took a bite….YUCK! …..It was FORKING  WEIRD…….It Tasted like SOY SAUCE! ……..Nobody wants a Mexican Inspired Taco to taste like soy sauce……..do you?

Sadly the rice and beans were too salty for me. It tasted like some sort of boxed flavoring that was mostly salt and specifically iodized salt.

Lastly was dessert. Our waiter made a big deal out of the dessert. he said only managers are allowed to make the dessert because the ice cream they serve coast $88.00 a gallon. I have my doubts about Ajo Al’s serving $88.00 a gallon ice cream……Maybe he heard wrong and the ice cream cost $18.00 a gallon.

The taco is filled with a caramel sort of ice-cream with a chewy center and also deep chocolate ice cream in a crisp chocolate taco shell.The plate is garnished with stale cotton candy, a jelly rainbow, watery whipped topping and some gel and some jimmies. Looking back the dessert was the best thing I ever tried at Ajo Al’s.

Nothing was spectacular and mostly everything was Disappointing…….

That was my Trip to Ajo Al’s in Glendale AZ.

www.AjoAls.com

Every opinion is subjective.

The Forking Truth is that every FORKING THING EVERYWHERE is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

 

Sometimes Your Taste Will Differ From The Chef’s Taste

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I recently went to a nice restaurant that I have enjoyed before somewhere in Metro Phoenix. They were offering three course specials for Restaurant Week so we decided to give them a try. I started with the Smoked Tomato Gazpacho. My first taste and I’m thinking to myself…….. Wow it’s powerfully smoky. To me it taste like a half a spice jar’s contents of smoked paprika is in there plus something else that is smoky too. For me this is painful to eat. In the middle of the Gazpacho is a mound of creamy Buratta Cheese…it seems odd to me that it’s in there but it does bring some relief to all the strong smoke. Maybe it’s just that my taste does differ from the Chef’s Taste…..I know I do have some sensitivities to certain flavors of smoke and I do prefer foods to be gently smoked and not strong with smoke. Perhaps it was MY BAD that I ordered this dish?……

For my main course I had the Seared Red Snapper.

The fish was a large portion that was slightly over cooked but seasoned well. It rested over the toughest gnocchi I ever tried to eat in my life. WOW the Chef here is talented for sure and does other things quite well but needs to try some really good gnocchi so he knows what gnocchi should be like. No matter what variety of gnocchi this is the gnocchi are suppose to be light pillows that melt in the mouth. Not tough, chewy and crispy. This was not my taste….These Gnocchi were really bad to me. Gosh now let’s tell The Forking Truth……These Gnocchi were Forking Awful.

I made a mistake and tried a small bite of my husband’s Relleno.

All I taste is smoke………… 🙁 …………..My husband wasn’t found of this either but really more because he didn’t like the chicken inside……It was very smoky but I think he didn’t like the fine shredded texture even more……..It was like they put the chicken in a blender…..My husband’s taste did differ too from the Chef’s. This plate wasn’t his cup of tea.

For Dessert We shared the Lemon Poppy Bread Pudding and the Flourless Brownie.

I liked the lemon cream that came with the Bread Pudding but the Bread Pudding might have been over cooked because the end was burnt tasting and the pudding was dense and dry. No complaints about the flourless brownie as it was quite good.

Sometimes Your Taste will indeed Differ from the Chef’s Taste.

The Forking Truth