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Archive for the ‘Restaurant Reviews’ Category

Review: Forks and Corks

Posted by Woody On April - 12 - 2010

Thursday evening the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association along with the Arizona Restaurant Association hosted ‘Forks and Corks’. The evening served a dual purpose to raise money for Arizona Hotel and Restaurant Education foundation and to treat local foodies to some great culinary samplings of what Arizona had to offer.  The combination of the perfect weather and the amazing selection of food made ‘Forks and Corks’ a memorable night for all.

The moment I entered the venue I was handed the following platter:

As I’ve said before, the food events that know what they are doing offer these platters for everyone while they mill around tasting food and wine. As you can see from the picture, not only was there a spot on on the platter for a wine glass (right above) but there were spots for silverwear and any other food item that you needed to leverage this platter for.

After receiving the platter, I was offered what looked like a push-up ice cream. However, we were told by the person handing the push-up treats out that they were to be used for cleaning my palate after each sample. In my years of being immersed in the foodie culture I have never seen anything like this before. However, after eating a few samples from the booths around the venue, I found that this push up treat really helped in being able to experience all the flavors of each booth.  The push up was the perfect solution to not having to worry about my palate being all muddled up with residual flavors of previous samples around the venue.

There were many great booths that had amazing samples (the best are noted below) that really made an impression on me.  However, many of the booths at ‘Forks and Corks’ were just average and didn’t really offer anything that could be considered the best that Arizona had to offer.  For example, there was one booth, who shall remain nameless, that had a shredded pork taco that was soaking in a very watery pan.  The meat was then taken from the pan and put on uncooked or extremely undercooked corn tortillas.  The liquid the meat was soaking in then wasn’t fully drained when transferred to the undercooked tortilla so the final presentation included a puddle of water.

For an event that is billed as some of the best that Arizona has to offer, that’s just rank amateur food presentation.  Not even Applebee’s would allow food like that to be consumed by the public.

Anyways, here’s some of the best of what Forks and Corks had to offer:

Different Pointe of View – Pan Seared Day Boat Halibut Cheeks atop Morel & Brie Risotto and topped with Apple Basil Olive Oil Emulsion. – This is definitely a mouthful to say.  However, this was one of the better dishes I had as the combination of the Halibut cheeks with the Emulsion was just a new and fresh experience brought to a classic seafood dish.

Bluwater Bistro – Oyster Shooters, Shrimp Cocktail, and Smoked Salmon – All were Atlantic seafood and were presented in a straight forward, classic fashion.  I love Oyster Shooters when they’re done right.  Still in the shell but not attached to the shell, in a tiny bit of water and ready for shooting.

Double Tree Paradise Valley Resort. – Braised Short Rib with Butternut Squash on a Risotto cake – Just a simply amazing dish with flavors that complimented each other perfectly.

Blanco Tacos and Tequila - Shrimp Ceviche (Below) – This sample was something I had to come back for again and again.  The taste of the Ceviche was perfectly balanced in that neither the vegetables or seafood overpowered each other.  Just a perfect appetizer for such a warm evening.

Capital Grille – Fillet Mignon with shallot butter – Tender and a wonderful compliment to the warm day on Thursday.

Ruth Chris – Cajun Lamb Lolly pop – Yes, you read that right.  A Lamb Lolly Pop.  It actually was extremely tender lamb still on the bone that just melted in your mouth.  Just amazing presentation.

La Hacienda – Pipian de Puerco – Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Pipian sauce, roasted corn puree, pumpkin seed, and pickled red onion.  One of the best dishes I had this evening.  The combination of all the individual parts to the Pipian de Puerco were essential in being able to fully enjoy this sample.  This was one of these dishes that you had to have a little of each part of the sample to be able to full appreciate how it crossed your palate.

Best Desserts – These two desserts deserved to be mentioned for their amazing taste and originality.

Most Original – Frank and Albert’s at the Arizona Biltmore – Liquid Nitrogen Frozen strawberries coated in hot chocolate and topped with chocolate covered pop rocks – served with champagne. This was simply an amazing take on the classic Strawberries and Champagne dessert.  The addition of the sinful chocolate sauce and the chocolate covered pop rocks took two classic tastes and sent them into the stratosphere.  The first bite of the enormous strawberry coated in chocolate was a culinary delight unto itself.  However, after taking a sip of the Champagne the chain reaction of the Champagne on the chocolate coated pop rocks started a sustained popping in the back of my mouth.  The Pop rocks were still popping a good five minutes after the last bite.   This was simply an extremely original and well done dish.  In addition, the fact that the complexity of serving this dish for hundreds of people while maintaining the overall quality and excellence of the sample was an amazing feat.

Best tasting – La Hacienda – Coconut Flan – I’m normally not a fan of flan.  However, when I took a bite of La Hacienda’s Flan I was treated to a taste that was as fresh tasting as it was sweet.  The coconut didn’t overpower the typical flan taste but there was enough to make it a perfect warm spring/summer time dessert dish.

Popularity: 4% [?]

REVIEW: Ear Candy Phoenix A’ Fare Benefit

Posted by Editor On September - 28 - 2009

We went to check out the Best of Phoenix A’ Fare on Saturday as this was Ear Candy’s biggest benefit of the season. This event was billed as an evening of Food, Music, Wine Tasting along with a KILLER silent auction (photos below).

We sampled some of the best food and wine that Phoenix had to offer including Udder Delights AWESOME Vanilla Cupcakes, the Tamale Store’s delicious selection of tamales (including a very tasty Blueberry and Cream Cheese dessert tamale!), to Famous Dave’s wonderful Ribs! There was literally something for everyone’s tastes and even dietary needs. To top that off, they had a great selection of (bottomless) beers and wines to compliment the wonderful array of food.

Once the sampling of food was completed, there was a really fascinating selection of silent auction items (Pictures below) that included signed guitars, U2 tickets, to even a Dinosaur gift package. Many of the items were taking on very competitive bids including two tickets to see U2.

Overall, it was a wonderful, festive, and positive night for an amazing charity in Ear Candy. If you get the chance to attend this party again for Ear Candy, DO IT!

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If you would like more information on why we think Ear Candy is such a wonderful organization doing amazing work, please check out this link:

http://www.earcandycharity.org/About.aspx

Popularity: 3% [?]

Restaurant Review – Rio Rico Mexican Grill

Posted by Editor On March - 25 - 2009

Editor’s Note: Today marks our first article from Karyn Wyatt.  Karyn is our new contributing writer and will be writing about a whole array of topics.

By Karyn Wyatt

I have always joked about the odd location of this restaurant since it is tucked behind a veterinarian’s office. Because of this, I have always steered clear of eating there. However, on Sunday, March 15th I happened to locate a BOGO (Buy One Get One) coupon and figured I had nothing to lose.

When entering you just can’t help but feel like you walked in off the beach. The decor is very basic with a sea side feel. There are a handful of tables straight ahead. To your right and up a couple of steps there are some booths alongside the windows, which lookout to the parking lot and a gas station. To your left is a window with a cash register which is attached to the kitchen area.

The staff, although friendly was limited and very slow to recognizing that there were patrons waiting to be seated. On a busy day I could understand this and let it slide but there was only one table of four people in the whole place. We stood by the front door looking clueless (there is no sign asking that you wait to be seated) and then we finally sat ourselves at a booth.

After sitting at the booth for ten minutes we finally went up to the window to ask if we were supposed to order there. The girl seemed surprised that we were there and informed us that we were supposed to wait to be seated. She did apologize for not seating us, stating she was busy making more chips.

Anyway, we finally got our menus and ordered. The menu has a combination of the usual Mexican dishes and hamburgers, which I thought was odd. I ordered the Taco Salad with ground beef. My friend ordered enchiladas.

The waitress gave us chips and salsa to nibble on while waiting for our food. They were basic.

Finally, we got our food. And the drum roll please……my taco salad was in a crisp tortilla shell with lettuce and cheese and presumably nothing else. I couldn’t see past all the lettuce and had to dig to find the beans and beef. I think there were tomatoes and some sour cream in there too. The beef was not seasoned and it actually tasted like they had grilled up a burger and then broke it into pieces and tossed it into my taco salad.

I asked for salsa and the waitress asked if I wanted mild or hot. I said hot and she said, “Ok, but it’s not very hot I don’t think.” She was right. It was fairly flavorless.

I ate about half of my meal and asked for a box…which is what I usually do because I’m a tightwad and don’t waste anything.

My friend’s enchiladas were nothing spectacular and again flavorless. He ate about half of them and pushed the plate away. No box for him.

I have read reviews that say, “Rio Rico offers diners warm hospitality and mouth-watering cuisine that will not easily be forgotten” and “Thought the food was great!” Where are these people eating??? They must not know how to cook because I am Asian and can make better Mexican food than what I tasted at Rio Rico.

With the BOGO coupon the total for two drinks, chips, salsa and two meals was around $10.00. Not a bad price for good food, but it was a bad price for bad food.

Needless to say, I will not be returning to Rio Rico. And, since I decided I wasn’t getting my money’s worth either way, I threw away my leftovers when I got home.

If you decide to judge for yourself, Rio Rico is located at 747 N. Val Vista Drive, Suite 110 in Gilbert.  When I called for hours I was told they are open from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm everyday….actually, I was corrected, it is not everyday but Monday through Sunday.  You do the math.

Popularity: 2% [?]



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