Tag Archives: #PhxFood

The Forking Truth is that All Restaurants have Potential

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The Forking Truth is that All Restaurants have potential. They have potential to do well or not to do well. I am purposely  not mentioning the name of this restaurant because they are newly opened. It is NOT my intention to bring negative attention to them. It is my hope that they work things out because this restaurant certainly has potential that can go either way. I am not a professional reviewer by any means and  I pay my own way just like you when I go out to a restaurant. I am not treated special and I walk in like anyone else. I can’t cherry pick my stories and only tell the good ones. I can only tell The Forking Truth.

Somewhere in metro Phoenix a New BBQ Restaurant opened and I had to try it for a few reasons. The chef is a known competition BBQ Master……so that means his BBQ should be great. The Chef was also skilled enough to make it on to the Food Network Grill Masters TV Show and the other reason I had to try this place was that pastrami was a regular item on the menu and no other BBQ restaurant that I know of in the area offers pastrami regularly on the menu. I’ve been working on my own pastrami recipe so this was of special interest to me. Pastrami is a lot of work and a very difficult thing to prepare correctly. Things do go wrong even if you do things correctly because each brisket is different. That is why (not all) but nearly every deli out there does NOT BRINE Corned Beef or Pastrami in house. The majority of places that serve corned beef and pastrami pay a professional company to brine by their own recipe. Pastrami sort of is an art. Speaking of art there’s artsy kind of decor in this tiny restaurant.

The dining room is very small with very limited seating and some stools on the other side.

When I arrived on the patio there was five outside tables but then they removed one for a DJ to set up.

Back to coming in……

As you enter your at the counter.

You see BBQ Awards to your left and a Pig Mural to your right. In front of you is the menu.

We made our orders and sat ourselves on the patio. In about fifteen minutes my husband goes to pick up our order…..

We orded a New York Style Hot Pastrami Sandwich that was suppose to contain a PTG Slaw (…..oh initials of Chef Guy) Russian Dressing and Toasted Marble Rye.

The White at bottom of sandwich is fat

My sandwich was missing the slaw….not a deal breaker but someone should have told me that they didn’t have slaw ready yet. The Pastrami is barely warm but is tender, a bit fatty with a few fat chunks I have to remove. It’s very different……..Mildly seasoned and mildly smoked…Not much of a crust but it’s a different unique style………It’s more like corned beef but with a very slight smoke……The dressing they used is sweet with chunks of pickles in it ………(technically more of a Thousand Island Dressing and not the savory, spicy Russian Dressing)  …..The bread was toasted nice but I would have enjoyed the sandwich more with thinner bread….. It’s a lot of bread….like a double portion….I make a big 1/2 sandwich out of it and it’s still a lot of bread to eat with the meat. Makes it hard to taste the meat with so much bread. Maybe the ratio would have been better if my sandwich contained the slaw it was suppose to have.

We also tried the Two Meat Plate with an added Hot Link. I have to be FORKING Honest here……The Brisket had really good flavor but was just barely warm with hard fat and the beef part was chewy like rubber. This meat wasn’t ready to be served to people.

After I tried a bite my husband asked me to try more and I said, “NO.” My husband said the pork was good and he said the Hot Link would have been good if it wasn’t dried out…Usually Hot Links are juicy.

The Forking Truth is that the Cheesy Jalapeño Grits were inedible.

Again another thing served next to being cold and the grits were still hard and crunchy in a drippy thin watery sauce. It was like trying to eat sand mixed with water.

We told someone about the grits and she ran away. (Wow, I found this baffling…no I’ll tell the chef or I’m sorry or I’ll take that off your bill or anything……we didn’t get to say anything else….she just ran away….who does that?)

I will say the Waffle Fries were Delicious…..Seasoned nicely, seemed oil free with a fluffy interior. Shame they were also almost cold too.

To sum things up – The only thing that was served at the correct temperature was the Hot Link. All the other hot items were served next to cold.  My Sandwich came out without slaw. The Brisket and Grits were served to us before they were ready to be served to people. That is NOT Professional or OK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES……..(that is something a child might do)…….and lastly……….We started to tell someone about the grits and as we were talking she ran away….

We cleaned up our stuff and left. No Thank you for coming or come back again or anything.

The Forking Truth is that all restaurants have potential….to do well or not.

Hopefully they will work things out……… but I’m not going back.

Every FORKING THING Everyday Anywhere is subject to change and YOUR Experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

General Admission – Devour Culinary Classic Day 2 Sunday March 4th 2018

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Devour Culinary Classic is an annual two day sold out event that is considered to be the premier culinary event of Arizona. Unlike other culinary events across the country that offer celebrity chefs Devoured is uniquely Arizonian and only features our local culinary elites.

2018 is a big year for change. No longer is this event hosted at the Phoenix Art Museum. Devoured has now moved to bigger grounds at the Desert Botanical Gardens. Bigger grounds are suppose to offer more people the opportunity to attend the annual sold out event and this is a bigger venture to offer more things…..Will it be bigger? Are more people attending? I know this annual event always sells out and it did again months ago so I do have to wonder……I also got informed that there is limited parking…..

That worries me…WTFork do I do if I don’t get a parking spot…..leave? I always had a place to park at or near the Art Museum……If you can’t park at the Botanical Garden there is nothing near by except for the zoo and if you park there it’s a few mile walk. in the desert with the brutal Arizona Sun.

Way back when I attended Devoured back in 2012 it only cost me $45.00 for each of the two days if I purchased my tickets in advance for general admission. Today in 2018 the same two general admission tickets has rocketed to a whopping $210.00 and if you times that by two it cost a couple $420.00 for two days of general admission. That’s a great deal of money so I’m only doing one day this year.

This year the tickets were broke down into THREE price ranges with no discounts.

general admission “tasting package” $105.00 per day

connoisseur package (1 hour early admission) $155.00 per day

VIP package (1 hour early, VIP gift bag and special VIP tastings and cocktails) $205.00 per day

Everyone ($105. $155. & $205. ticket holders) gets admission, access to Hensley/Quench Beverage Garden, access to chef demos, passport, wine glass, yolk, lift discount.

Connoisseur ($155.) also gets lift discount plus, admission to heritage food experience, admission to AZ Beverage experience.

The VIP’s ($205.) get all of above plus

One hour early admission, VIP access to Chef Welcome Beverage Service, Early admission and reserved seats to Heritage Foods Service & AZ Beverage Experience, VIP Swag Bag, Collector Pin, Reserved Parking & Lyft discount plus.

Parking was unorganized. They directed us to an already filled parking lot so we just found a spot ourselves.

We get paper wrist bands and wait in line. I look at the wines offered and most are not well known wines. I used to enjoy Merry Edwards wine at Devoured for years……Merry Edwards is a well made wine…..even the lower end Merry Edwards was awesome. ($38-$65). I recognize Marietta a $10.00 bottle that’s ok some years. I didn’t drink any wine today…….I don’t want to make myself sick……(well here anyway)

A one man band person entertains us while we wait to get in. It seems we got this instead of the nice reception room with goodies we used to enjoy……Gone is the reception room for general admission. Three years back you could stuff yourself silly in the reception room if you wanted to…..they have been cutting back on that but it was still something to look forward too.

The clock strikes 11:30 and we get to go in.

Tammy Coe – Cake

Pe’la – Shrimp Grain Bowl

Worth- Cuban Sandwich, Cocktail and Banana Pudding

District American Kitchen – Corn Pudding Avocado Mousse, Mole dusted Meringue and Waffle, bacon bourbon Ice Cream, apple butter compote, maple cotton candy, caramelized white chocolate pecan bark…Woof! This was among the better that I tried.

I think one of the most memorable (in a good way) dishes I tried came from Artisan. The Smoked Broth Congee with Mesquite smoked black garlic, chicken, spicy daikon and dehydrated onion was so interesting that I actually forget most of all the other things I tried. Artisan also served Indian Spiced hot shrimp.

Different Point of View – Duck Two Ways over Corn Cakes.

I didn’t try the Pibil  Tostada from Mi Catering but my husband said the salsa on the tostada was exceptional.

I didn’t come back to try the noodles from Red Thai but I did try the Chewy Pounded Rice Noodle in Spicy Ginger Sauce. (sorry I forgot to photo)

My husband enjoyed this Pork Belly Dish from House of Tricks.

Gluten free pasta from the Parlor.

The Larder & The Delta – Pork Tamale

Sel – Pork Taco in steamed Bun.

Crujiente Tacos – Short Rib with Szechuan Sauce.

Clever Koi – Szechwan Chicken Feet and a Duck Dish.

Becket’s Table – Eggy Bread stuffed with Creamy Shrimp and Peanut Butter Topped Chocolate Cake.

Handlebar Diner – Crusted Green Chile Ice Cream and Sweet Corn Cake. This was interesting!

Green – Vegetarian (or Vegan?) Burger and fried potato strings.

Scallop and Short Rib Dish from Windsor

Federal Pizza – Chicken Parm  (?)

This section is really crowed.

Sweet Republic ran out of Ice Cream before 1:00  🙁      🙁     🙁    🙁   🙁    🙁      ;(

Sweets from Nutwhats

Wigwam – Lamb Belly

Hawaiian Ahi Poke Taco and Mongolian Beef Bowl from Hulas and then we left. Only one dish pictured here made me gag……It was awful…..most were good a few were exceptional……..There were several restaurants missing from the general admission ticket that were moved up to the VIPS. Devoured is different now. I would recommend going if you can swing the VIP Admission. But they cut back on the General Admission so much I doubt I will attend again.

That was most of the General Admission Experience for Sunday Day Two of Devour Culinary Classic for 2018.

The weather for Devour 2018 was the best we ever had. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t rainy either…….The surroundings were lovely but……………..

Between the higher cost and getting much less for General Admission compared to past years I don’t think I’ll be attending Devour in the future.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

OMG YUM – Luna Gelateria Scottsdale AZ – Mind-blowing Crazy Good Amazing Gelato

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Luna Gelateria serves authentic style artisan Italian Gelato. Ingredients from different parts of Italy are used for the Gelato but the dairy products are only locally sourced. The machinery that makes the Gelato is state of the art Italian machinery. You can watch the fresh Gelato being made in front of your eyes.

The interior of the Gelato Shop is upscale, rich and modern and is connected inside to Pomo Restaurant next door. (You can see the open kitchen from a seat at Luna)

What am I going to get?

You can’t really tell from my photo but the machinery is spinning and many flavors of gelato are being created. Some of them are not ready. The first one I got to taste was called Luna (pistachio/chocolate chip) OMG stop right there….It’s the FORKING Best Gelato I ever tasted anywhere……….AMAZ-BALLZ It’s so creamy and velvety……but it really is the flavor…….It’s amazing Pistachio……It’s the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s so FORKING Flavorful……They made the chocolate chips creamy and they don’t take away from the pistachio……SOOooooooooo…Pistachio-eeeeeeeee…….Never had a gelato like this before……

My husband asked to try the Giaduio (hazelnut/chocolate) WOW it’s so good….so creamy unlike any other gelato I had before…..but with perfect really great flavor…..so good…. Yum YUM DE-Lish! The hazelnut is such a magical flavor and yummy….The chocolate is really a really good chocolate-teeeeeee.

It will be difficult to ever try another flavor since these were so amazing.

OMG YUM! Mind-Blowing Crazy Good Amazing Gelato!

******(our local newspaper published on Feb. 19th 2018 that breakfast and lunch was available here. On the day of my visit Feb. 24th Luna had Pomo Menus scattered around and lunch was offered next door (at Pomo) (They weren’t ready to serve lunch yet)…….perhaps lunch will be available soon at Luna. As of today March 1st 2018 Luna doesn’t have a food menu posted on their website)

Luna Gelateria is Worth a Fork! …………. OMG YUM! Mind-Blowing Crazy Good Amazing Gelato!   🙂

Worth a Fork!

www.LunaGelateria.com

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

The Forking Truth

 

Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix February 2018

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“Whoo Hooo we’re going out to EAT!”

Dining out with dogs is just a fluff story about taking my dogs out to eat. I enjoy filling a page with some food from some local restaurants and I have an excuse to add pictures of my dogs. Me and the dogs make only a minimal reviews on the food. We usually (but not always) go to the same local casual restaurants with patios. You need to know that many restaurants in Metro Phoenix do indeed have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s always best to call a restaurant and ask if it’s ok to dine with your dog that day because a restaurant can suddenly turn non-dog friendly (happened to me) or the patio can be booked for a party. I need to mention it’s always best to avoid problems so I suggest to dine at an off time to avoid as many people as possible. Some people don’t like to dine with dogs, or have allergies and they might complain and it’s a possibility that you might be asked to leave. It’s also best to avoid other people dining with dogs because it’s possible the dogs might start barking with each other and you might be asked to leave for that reason. Now that we got that down there are some rules to Dining Out with Dogs. You need to know Dogs must be by your side at all times. Dogs are not to sit on furniture or to eat off restaurant plates. Most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or toxic to your dog. You should consult you veterinarian for a food friendly and a foods to avoid list. Usually the safest food to feed your dog is lean plain meat without sauce. Now you are ready to Dine out with Dogs!

For our first stop this month we went to Salad and Go! This is a small Drive Threw Restaurant local growing restaurant chain that specializes in serving Natural, Organic, Everything Made in House, Low Priced Gourmet Salads. (salads run about $5.75 and chicken runs around $1.50…at this time) They offer around ten different choices plus seasonal specials. They also offer healthy breakfasts, smoothies, wraps, soups and a children’s menu. This place is a drive threw. No dining room or restrooms but they have a nice patio and except dogs. Depending on who’s working there they hand out dog biscuits to the doggie customers.

I got a Southwest Caesar Salad with added Chicken today with House made Poblano Dressing.

“This is a surprisingly large salad with a good amount of chicken to share” “A few of the other ingredients are picco, chickpeas, kale and radishes”.

 

“We are Forking ready for more chicken!” “And Shrimp.”

My husband had the Santa Fe Salad with added Chicken and Shrimp. He saved a little shrimp for the dogs….

“We scored a good amount of healthy grub at Salad and Go!”

www.SaladandGo.com

“We were going to eat at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale but there was Forking Loud live music on the PATIO so we left.” “Why the Fork would they do that on a dog friendly patio?”

“Now we are on our way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale.”

Cucina Tagliani serves American Italian Favorites and they offer many heath conscious alternatives like baked spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash substitutions for pasta, grilled chicken parmesan, whole grain pastas and a long menu of side vegetables.

Today I got one of my favorite’s for lunch, the Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with House Made Dressing.

Dogs enjoy Goat Cheese and Chicken. Actually they’d eat the strawberries and Romaine too!

The Dogs are also very interested in the Chicken and Shrimp Rigatoni.

“We’re Back!”

“We enjoyed our meal at Cucina Tagliani.”

www.CucinaTagliani.com

“We’re on our way to Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ” (he’s not biting the seat….he’s really yawning but I thought it was cute)

Pita Kitchen serves casual Greek Mediterranean Food. My favorite meal here is the Greek Salad with a Chicken Kabob.

“The salad is good because the white meat chicken is usually juicy and tasty.”

“I’m a BIG fan of the chicken too!”

My husband likes to get the two meat platter.

Gyro Meat and Beef Shawarma with Greek Salad and Rice.

“I’m ready for more chicken please!”

www.PitaKitchen.net

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

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante serves Italian Food. They specialize in Neapolitan Style Pizzas, They also serve appetizers, salads, in-house pasta and Italian made pasta. They also serve lunch, seasonal specials, wine dinners and brunch.

The dogs were so cute while they were waiting for our meals to arrive.

“I’m so Forking Happy I’m here!”

He looks up at me between my legs and says, “Where’s the food?”

Today I went for the Vegetariano Panini. (zucchini, eggplant, roasted red pepper, tomato and provolone cheese on seasoned house made bread with a simple mixed green salad, shaved parmesan)

The dogs got to eat slices of parmesan and grilled zucchini.

My husband had the Bottega Pizza. (sausage, pepperoni & fresh basil)

She has her eye on the pizza.

“We are waiting for our next bite.”

www.BottegaRistorante.com

“We are on our way to Culver’s in Phoenix”

Culver’s is a national chain Fast Food Restaurant that started in Wisconsin and is in around half the United States. The signature dishes at a Culver’s are Butter Burgers, Frozen Custard and maybe the made fresh to order- Hand Battered Fish.  Culver’s advertise that they differ from the other Fast Food Restaurants out there because they claim the food they serve is restaurant quality…..I’ve never been to a Culver’s Before……but they have a limited special on Walleye….(a really GOOD fish that’s hard to come by) so I thought we’d try Culver’s today!

My husband got me the three piece Walleye platter.

It came with a bun, crinkle cut fries, cole slaw, lots of tarter sauce and THREE BIG BATTERED pieces of fish.

“The fish is fresh tasting mild and flaky in a shattering crisp crust”………”I like it a lot”

“I agree the fish is Very Good for the price point and even if there wasn’t a price point….it’s still very good……… I hate to say this but I’d even say it’s better than from a few full service restaurants I had walleye from.” ……….. “I’m not the biggest fan of the crinkle fries but the cole slaw is surprisingly good.” The  Butter Burger made with Wisconsin Cheese and the Bun is buttered and grilled with Wisconsin Butter.”…………gets an OK.

“My folks wouldn’t let me finish up the leftovers so I get to have Walleye again for lunch soon!” ‘Woo Hoo!”  “We will be dining at Culver’s again!”

www.Culvers.com

That was Dining Out With Dogs in Metro Phoenix for February 2018. We hope to see you next month!

The Forking Truth

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

 

 

 

 

 

My Trip to Blue Clover Distillery Scottsdale AZ – Newly Opened

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Blue Clover Distillery recently opened in DownTown Scottsdale AZ. This is Scottsdale’s first distillery.  I think I overheard that the Vodka is ready now but several other spirits are soon to come. The atmosphere is neat and clean and open. Interesting light fixtures grace the ceiling.  They offer regular tables and high top community tables inside.  They also offer bar seating indoors and out with a patio for dining…or sipping.

The menu is mostly casual and mostly laced with New Mexican Chile Peppers.

My husband tried the Spicy Shrimp Scampi and Bacon Grilled Cheese (pepper jack, havarti)  and Sweet Potato Tater Tots as his side.

The sandwich came with a nice crisp garlic-ee Deli pickle too! He said the sandwich was spicy and the shrimp were prepared well. He thought it was a tasty sandwich. We think it was spread with a Vodka Prickly Pear Jam that made the sandwich very unique. We both liked the Sweet Potato Tots…..They tasted like Sweet Potato but less mushy with a light skin that wasn’t oily.

I went with the Corn Bowl Salad with added Chicken. It comes in two sizes and I asked the waitress to show me with her hands the difference is size so I’d know what to order. She said the smaller one is just an appetizer size so I went with the large.

I have to be FORKING Honest like I always am………My first thought when I received the Corn Bowl was that this Corn Bowl Contains a very small amount of corn……(hardly Forking any)

Any Who-

Here’s a close up so you can see the salad better.

On the other hand my salad had Forking LOTS of chicken on it. I think it might satisfy a truck driver OR TWO!……(Extra to bring home for my dogs) The chicken has tasty grill marks on it but it was pre-cooked and was served refrigerator cold. Other ingredients in the salad were mixed greens, black beans, green chiles, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, local cotija cheese, spicy sunflower seeds (? seemed plain) in a BC. Mezcal Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. (not certain if the salad contained all those ingredients)…..The dressing was very good…….It was very flavorful….But the green chiles in this salad were too spicy for such a delicate salad. They were burning my mouth…..and I enjoy spicy foods…..If the salad had a little more corn, beans and cheese I think it would taste better and tone down the heat…..The chef did come to our table and asked how things were…I just said, “OK.”…….because my meal was OK…..At the time I felt grumpy from this platter and I didn’t have the balls to bitch about the cold pre-cooked chicken in a $18.00 salad, the spicy level, trace ingredients and the lack of corn in something called a corn bowl……… To me it’s just obvious that a $18.00 menu item should have chicken that’s hot and juicy and I should have a more noticeable amount of grilled corn on something called a Corn Bowl………Listen folks we have to chalk this one up to an opening hiccup that nearly all restaurants do. ……..Maybe..chances are that I ordered the one item they do least well. Maybe  it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have ordered a salad……….I mean Corn Bowl.

Remember Folks! The Spicy Shrimp Scampi Grilled Cheese with Sweet PotatoTater Tots was well received!

At the time of this review  Blue Clover Distillery is just Newly Opened and may or (may not) be still working things out.

That was my trip to Blue Clover Distillery – Newly Opened

www.BlueCloverDistillery.com

Every FORKING THING EVERYWHERE is subject to change and YOUR experience may or MAY NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

D&Y Chinese Restaurant Glendale AZ – Fresh Asian Fish on the West Side ****With Update

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D & Y Chinese Food is located in a older looking strip mall in Glendale AZ. This isn’t a fancy restaurant and would look nicer if they organize things better.

(incase you are wondering…..This restaurant was full of people when I left….We were the only non-Asians there)

This isn’t your average take out Chinese Restaurant but yes…..they offer that too!

According to this restaurant’s Facebook Page they serve Canton and Mandarin Food.

I came for the Chinese Menu and the Fresh Live Fish.

Here is the Chinese Menu (not the take out menu).

Did you catch Chef Special C3?      Jellyfish Head w/Sweet Peas…….Bet your Grandma never cooked that for you!

The fresh fish listed on the board in by the dining room were –

Lobster

Crab $15.99 Lb

Tilapia $8.99 Lb

Striped Bass $10.99 Lb

Red Grouper $15.99 Lb

When I asked about the live fish I was told they only had one Tilapia left so I ordered it and an iced tea. (It seems that they get sold out by Sunday)

My iced tea is very watery. It’s mostly water.

We wait about 45 minutes to receive our meals.

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

Wow…..I never had a tilapia that was this fresh before. It’s prepared like a really good fish from a fine restaurant. It’s really perfect…..and really fresh…..It’s in a delicate soy-ginger kind of broth that’s slightly oily. The Fish is topped with a shredded vegetable that might be celery. When a fish is this perfect it melts in your mouth and this one does.

My husband ordered Beef with Black pepper.

Notice that this dish is dry sautéed. I tried one piece of beef and one piece of green pepper. The beef is a little chewy, not partially tender and not as flavorful as other beef with black pepper I tried from other places….

Well the Fish was really great! Today fish was the sweet spot here.

I will come back to try fish again and maybe a few other things on the Chinese Menu.

If you happen to be in the area you might want to step in to D & Y Chinese to try some fresh live (until you order it) Fish! (but make it there before Sunday)

www.DYChineseFood.com but you will only see the Take Out Chinese Food there.

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

Went back and tried the Rockfish and Shiitake Mushrooms with Asian Greens. (pictures below)

Fish was like rubber and very tough and they charged me $89.10 for it. The Shiitake and Asian Greens were not for our taste….Sauce was very slimy…

 

The Forking Truth

$89.10 and like rubber…very tough
Very slimy sauce……

Starlite BBQ of Scottsdale AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Sign isn’t up yet but will be in a few days.

The Starlite BBQ just opened a few days ago in down town Scottsdale AZ. This is a casual BBQ restaurant that offers a menu like no other BBQ place I’ve been too. They offer many interesting appetizers like Grilled Squash with Mole Negro, Sesame and Epazote, Fried Macaroni and Cheese and a Grilled Cauliflower with Green Goddess and Crispy Black Eyed Peas. A wide variety of sandwiches are offered. House Smoked Turkey, A Burger, Smoked Grilled Meatloaf, Pork, Fried Chicken (reg or HOT), Brisket and Fried Green Tomato. Of course they also offer Traditional BBQ plates and a Crispy Grilled Fish for Two! Some of these BBQ plates come in two sizes regular size and a larger size. For me what was special was the all the sides I tried were delicious as well as the BBQ I tried.

Starlite BBQ is a smaller sized casual restaurant. They have three community tables on the Ocotillo lined patio that seat up to twelve people each. Inside seating is either at the bar on one half of the room or the high top tables on the side.

It killed me not to order an appetizer since so many sounded delicious to me. I will have to try one or two next time……This time we shared two BBQ plates and three full sized sides. (and yes we had yummy extras to bring home)

We shared the smaller brisket. My server said this was about an 8 oz size.

The Brisket was out of this world delicious! It was SUCCULENT with a thoughtful amount of smoke. I really enjoyed the caramelized ends and for me it was sauced just right. I also thought the pickled onions was an amazing touch. The onions seem to magically lighten the meat up. I didn’t use the mustard but I did taste it and was great. I wish I scraped it out and brought it home.

We also shared the Hot Fried Chicken.

We received a Big Chicken Breast and a whole leg that were CRUSTED with a HOT Sauce. I will tell you The Forking Truth…like I always do…….The Chicken was Mighty Scrumptious and delightfully HOT but it was served not hot enough today in temperature and was almost cold.  I made sure we told them about it. So we just have to chalk this one up to being an opening hiccup…….(only hiccup I came across) The crisp pickles and that really yummy whole grain mustard were a nice touch…..

Now the sides come in two sizes and I tried were -either vegan or vegetarian bbq beans, v- braised greens, tomatoes and macaroni and cheese. I thought it was thoughtful that they offered mostly vegetarian sides at a BBQ place. I really liked that because when I eat meat I don’t like meat in my side dishes.

Wow the BBQ beans are really good…they are spiced nicely with a small amount of heat and are a little sweet. The Braised Greens have some punch are a lighter vegetable with sweet tomatoes. The macaroni and cheese is very creamy and taste like melted American Cheese on good pasta that isn’t mushy with a top that is nice and crispy!  These sides made me happy because I like to enjoy other food besides the meat when I eat BBQ and these sides were the best I’ve had at the different BBQ places I tried. I also enjoyed all the nice little touches like the pickled onions, pickles and whole grain mustard.

Wow overall this was Great! Looking forward to try other things too!

Starlite BBQ Just Opened and seems to be already – Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! Just opened….already pretty Forking Great!

www.StarliteBBQ.com

Every FORKING thing is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

My Trip to PINO Restaurant in Scottsdale AZ

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Pino is a casual restaurant that serves Italian Style Wood Fired Pizza, many salads, sandwiches, appetizers, specials, French Foods and entrees. Pino is actually a European Pizza Chain. The Owners are from France and Owned a Pino in France. They moved to Arizona and opened the only Pino in the United States. Nothing about this place seems like a chain at all. The bread is baked in house and some of the pastas are made in house. The patio is very charming. There’s a flower pot on every table and a lot of shrubbery as walls and shade on this patio. It’s like a little piece of France in Scottsdale by the Movie Theater.

On our way in we were welcomed by a gentleman with a French Accent and then we were welcomed by a waiter with a French Accent. We made our orders and the food arrived in reasonable timing.

I had the Lunch Sized Bonita. It was made of crisp romaine, avocado and few other vegetables. The salmon was prepared reasonably well. Although it was fully cooked the salmon was moist with a crispy skin and nice grill marks.

My husband had the French Dip.

It was thinly sliced Prime Rib with caramelized onion on house made bread with hand cut fries.

I managed to save room to try the Lemon Meringue Pie.

It seemed house made but had a soggy crust and a tough chewy meringue. Maybe it was better when it was fresh made?

That was my visit to Pino.

www.PizzaPino.US

The Forking Truth

Taco About Tacolandia Phoenix 2018 #TacolandiaPHX

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Tacolandia Phoenix 2018 was a Phoenix New Times Event held January 27th at Margaret T Hance Park in Phoenix AZ. This event benefited Los Diablos. Only $20.00 got you FREE parking, Admission and all THE FORKING TACOS you can eat!

We started off really well. Tacos Tequila Whiskey offered two kinds of detailed delicious tacos.

I tried the Hongos Taco on the left. It was a fancy mixed mushroom taco with gridded cheese, corn and ancho chili sauce. It was surprisingly satisfying. It seemed meaty but with good flavors that were balanced.  On the right was the El Pulpo Taco that was octopus, chicharrones, vegetables and a spicy salsa.

Freebies- besides a variety of tacos Del-Real Brand was giving out a variety of merchandise.

The first hour was no wait at all for food.

Among the better tacos I tried (I note I skipped over many….) was the Helio Basin Brewing’s untraditional Coffee Stout Braised Beef, papaya salsa, pomegranate, pipian Taco. This taco was very developed with lots of stout flavor in the beef on a very unique but delicious spent grain crisp tortilla. I liked the pop of the crunchy but also refreshing pomegranate in it. This taco was NOTHING like the taco I recently had at the restaurant. This one was large and full of lots of meat..to me it didn’t seem like from the same place at all mostly because of the meat to vegetable ratio. This taco was a very different style. The fish taco I had at the restaurant was very delicate but also with bold flavor.  This beef taco was hearty but both were very good with full flavors and very different.

Still no lines.

My husband ate more tacos than me…He said the Los Sombreros was good. I know they are under a new ownership since I ate there.

The next most notable taco I tried came from Presido Cocina Mexican.

I got to try the Chicken Taco on some sort…..I forgot but a special type of…house made tortilla that was extra delicious. the taco was very full of traditional flavors with a nice variety of textures. Maybe the best I tried…..I kept thinking to myself….now this is what a taco should taste like…..My husband finished up the beef one before I could try it but he said it was very good….

By this time we were here over an hour. By this time it’s getting very crowded and hot even though it’s only a little over 70 degrees F. By now there are long lines for tacos and beverages.

The Health Inspector showed up here. I noticed an empty tent….I don’t know if that was due to the health inspector. But I used it for shade for a little bit.

Here is the Puffy Taco from the Puffy Taco Shack. They made a small sample sized taco. It’s only maybe an inch an a half- two inches long (around matchbox sized). It had a unique puffy taco shell.

I didn’t try Willies Taco Joint but my husband said it was good.  Look at the green tortilla…a green chili -corn tortilla topped with green chili pork…….You can’t tell by my photos but the Willies Taco was a full size taco…….one of the largest or maybe the largest most filled taco I came across.

By now I’m feeling the effects from the strong sun, being slightly dehydrated and having a full stomach.

There’s a bunch more to try. There’s more freebies to get. There’s live music. There’s voting for my favorite and there’s more tacos!

My husband and I split-up here and he waits for water in a line and I wait for the last taco that I’m going to try……The sun is strong and I’m really Forking Thisty…….It’s a half hour wait for either a taco or water.

My last taco I tried was the Cash Taco by Rock A Belly Food Truck who has been on Food Network TV Show Eat Street. It was also a bigger taco (not street sized) but it also was among the better tacos. It different and delicious. It was made of sermato poached chicken, cabbage and chipotle aioli and cilantro cream. It was kind of a joy getting this last taco. The Food Truck guy had a really great personality. No wonder why he made TV….He was so friendly and energetic and shouting out to everyone about how great his tacos were.

There’s a whole bunch more at Tacolandia but I can’t do it…..

I think I got more than my $20.00 worth. Didn’t even think about having dinner.

That was Taco about Tacolandia Phoenix 2018

www.TacolandiaPHX.com

Worth a Fork!

THE FORKING TRUTH is that every FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

Dining Out with DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ January 2018

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“We are going to “see food” at Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale AZ”

Dining out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. These are not full reviews on restaurants………It’s just a meal out with the dogs. We usually go to the same several local very casual eateries that aren’t too far from home. Once in a while we do go to some new places. You need to know that many but not all of the restaurants in Metro Phoenix do have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s always best to call a restaurant first and ask if it’s ok to visit the patio with your furry friend. You never know if the patio might already be booked for a party or if the restaurant suddenly turns to no longer accepting dog guest. It’s also a good idea to dine on the patio at off times to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Some people do complain if they see a dog on the patio. Also sometimes multiple dogs on a patio turn into a loud barking event and you might be asked to leave. There are also a few rules for Dining out with Dogs. One is that dogs must be close to your side at all times. Dogs are not allowed on the restaurant furniture and dogs are not permitted to eat off restaurant plates. You also need to be aware that most food and drink you consume can be HARMFUL or LETHAL to your dog. You should consult your veterinarian on safe and non-safe food list for dogs. Usually your best bet is always lean sauce free meat.

We recently went to Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale AZ. This is a casual order at the counter seafood restaurant that specializes in battered seafood. They also offer some shellfish, Seafood Tacos and platters and a few other things. Today I went with the Salmon Salad.

I received a very generous portion of salmon. The fish was very moist for being prepared well done.

My husband had the Two piece Cod Platter and the Shrimp Taco.

Both Dogs enjoyed some seafood today!

www.OP83.com

“We’re off to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale AZ”

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante offers Neapolitan Authentic Style Pizzas, hand made pastas, brunch and much more! They offer a stylish modern dining room and an outdoor patio that has an indoor/outdoor bar. Today our visit was for lunch and I tried the Nisida Panini (grilled chicken)

The fresh made seasoned bread is very tasty. The sandwich comes with a nice but simple mixed green salad with parmesan shavings. I don’t like posting prices because they often change but this sandwich platter was only $11.95 and I make two meals out of it. So I feel it also is a very good value. I’ve had many sandwiches in various places in Scottsdale that weren’t as good that cost $14-$17.

“Look how big those sandwiches are!”

My husband tried the Pompei Panini (Cotto Ham, Salame Parma, Provola Cheese, Onions, Lettuce, Roma Tomato. He said it was very good.

Dogs and me don’t eat much lunch meat….We had Chicken!

www.BottegaRistorante.com

“We are off to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale”

Cucina Tagliani has been in business for over 20 years. They are well known for offering American Italian Favorites. All the sauces and dressings are made in house and they offer more heath conscious and vegetable dishes than most Italian Restaurants. They offer Grilled Chicken Parmesan, Baked Spaghetti Squash and Healthy option pastas.  Cucina Tagliani also offers a Certified Dog Friendly patio and depending on what server you get your dog might be served a bowl of water.

Today I tried something new to me.

The Chicken Artichoke Panini with Caesar salad as my side. (I had the chicken on the side so I could feed the dogs)

“Hey you don’t need all that food!” “Hand some over!”

This is a really big sandwich. I removed one piece of bread and just folded the bottom piece over and then it was the right size. It didn’t look too gooey or cheesy inside but it was tasty.

My husband had a Stromboli.

“Hey Chicken Goddess….You are our favorite at the moment!”

“We enjoyed our chicken at Cucina Tagliani!”

www.CucinaTagliani.com

“We’re on our Forking Way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix”

Banh Mi Bistro is a Pho – free  Vietnamese Eatery that offers many of your Vietnamese Favorites except for Pho. They specialize in the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich and offer it in around ten varieties. They also offer many appetizers, salads, noodle bowls, rice plates and MORE!

Today I had the Chef’s Special Vietnamese Style Curry with Rice (instead of baguette). It’s a bowl of sliced chicken breast, carrots, potatoes and crushed peanuts in a lemongrass laced curry sauce.

“Ummmmmmmmmmmm It’s Forking Scrumptious!” It seems lighter and more aromatic that some of the other styles of Chicken Curry I tried!”

“I need some more please!”

My husband never ordered a Chicken Banh Mi before so he tried one today.

How can it not be tasty with delicious pickled carrots radish salad, crisp cucumbers, jalapeño, marinated chicken and fresh cilantro on that wheat/rice flour baguette.

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

That was Dining Out with Dogs for January 2018. We hope to see you next month!

The Forking Truth

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