The greek goddess Athena

 This Fun Frank Friday begins at the restaurant Athena, in North Scottsdale at the 101 and Scottsdale Road.  Athena is the Greek goddess of many things, one of which is wisdom.  This is something we should have paid a little more attention to as we were not wise enough to remember to bring the camera.  As a result we had to rely on our cell phone camera which doesn't have the same quality for pictures.  So sorry.  When we arrived at the restaurant, they had two large seating areas separated by the bar.  Our host greeted us and promptly sat us in a booth where it was quiet and nice ambient lighting.  At first I was really concerned when I looked around and noticed that there was only one other party sitting in the restaurant.  This is normally a sign of a dying a restaurant.  But it was still early as I like to beat the dinner crowd and I thought to myself, I'm sure more people will show up later.  Our waitress soon came over to take our drink order.  We asked what type of soda and she replied, "We serve Pepsi products".  Our next reply was "thank you for playing we will just have water with lemon".  We did make it known that this was our first visit to this restaurant and we would appreciate any explanations and recommendations she was willing to give.   She was very helpful in the suggestions she made, and as we were contemplating our appetizers, she brought over our complimentary bread and butter.   I would like to tell my friend, Mike (currently in Armenia) that this was a true European loaf, a hard crust topped with sesame seeds around a light airy center.  After snacking on the bread, the first of our two appetizers came. 
People have a lot of misconceptions when it comes to octopus.  Some say they don't like the flavor and some say they don't like the texture.  Here at Athena they have solved both problems.  Their GRILLED OCTOPUS (OKTAPODI SCHARAS) Char-grilled, marinated octopus, tossed in olive oil and red wine vinegar was the best octopus I have ever had.  This includes the time I was in Southeast Asia.  Most octopus that I have had, have always had somewhat of a chewy texture and when prepared wrong can be downright rubbery.  This dish was grilled lightly and marinated which brought out true flavors.  It was surprisingly tender.  I have had steak that was more chewy than this octopus.  The red wine vinegar accented the grill flavor well.  If you can get past the word "Octopus" I highly recommend you order this when coming to Athena.
Next we have something for the adventurous diner.  FRIED SMELTS (MARIDES) Lightly battered smelts, fried crispy and served with garlic spread.  This is a fun appetizer to share.  The smelts are served without heads, battered and deep fried so they are crispy on the outside but still soft and flaky on the inside.  The smelts do have a fishy after taste but the garlic spread was an amazing way to balance the fish flavor.  The garlic spread also made a GREAT dipping sauce for french fries.  This was a truly authentic Greek dish and not for the faint American heart.

Our entrees came out quickly.  Patti ordered the Gyro platter which included thin slices of beef and lamb gyro, topped with onion, diced-tomatoes, sprinkled with feta cheese, it came with pita bread, tzatziki and french fries.  This a typical dish most people will have when they choose a Greek restaurant.  The pita bread was really fresh and she needed more of it to balance the large amount of meat that comes with the platter.  The meat was well seasoned, tender and juicy.  This dish is typically eaten by taking a bite of pita topped with a little meat, some of the vegetables and a dab of tzatziki sauce.  It was very enjoyable to have a fresh tzatziki sauce made from fresh cream and cucumbers.  The large amount of food was more than enough to take home as left overs.  Yea!  Lunch!

I couldn't decide what I wanted, so instead of just having one, I went with the ATHENA COMBINATION PLATE.  It consisted of roasted Leg of Lamb, Moussaka, Pastitsio, and Dolmades drizzled
with Avgolemono sauce with Greek green beans on the side.  The lamb was tender and moist, lightly seasoned on the edges.  The Moussaka consisted of layers of eggplant, potato, ground lamb, beef and spices topped with a light béchamel sauce.  Even though this was mostly vegetables, this is a heavy "stick to your ribs" type of entree. The Pastitsio include macaroni with braised ground beef and lamb topped with a light béchamel sauce, oven-baked and sprinkled with parmesan.  This reminded me a lot of a type of lasagna.  You would think with the pasta it would be a heavy entree, but I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and creamy each bite was.  As I gobbled it down, it did not seem nearly as heavy as the moussaka had.  The dolmades are grapevine leaves stuffed with a blend of ground lamb, rice, topped with egg-lemon sauce. On the side of it were also vinegar roasted potatoes.  This was one of my favorite bites of the combination plate.  The flavors from the lamb with a hint of bitter from the leaves was a surprising contrast to the sweetness of the egg-lemon sauce.
You can't go to a Greek restaurant without trying their Baklava.  This is a truly traditional dessert and at Athena it is obvious that it was freshly made by an authentic Greek chef.  Baklava is roasted walnuts & almonds flavored with ground cinnamon & cloves rolled with filo & baked crisp then finished with a light syrup & honey.  Truly one of my favorites when it comes to desserts. 
When we first arrived at the restaurant and they handed us the menus, included with it was the chef's specials for that night, a three course option.  On that paper was a dessert listed that was not on the regular menu.  The chocolate almond bread pudding so intrigued Patti that she had to ask if it could be ordered separately from the other special courses.  Our waitress was happy to inquire not only if we could order it but to also make sure there were no raisins in the production of it.  Patti was debating between this special bread pudding and Loukoumades (Puffy fritters drizzled with honey, sprinkled with walnuts, cinnamon and powdered sugar).  Our waitress shared with us that as delicious as the loukoumades were the portions were such that you would want to share it.  Since I was already ordering Baklava, Patti opted for the bread pudding.  The bread pudding is served warm, a dark chocolate flavor complimented with almonds surrounds the heavy bread  with a sweet honey sauce drizzled on top.  This is definitely more bread than pudding.  If you can find it on the menu, I would order it again, just be don't deceived as there is nothing pudding-like about it.
As we were finishing our desserts, our waitress quickly came by and discreetly dropped off a single loudoumades for us to sample.  These are extremely delicious Greek donuts!!!  And next time I will be ordering them.

There seems to be many exciting things on this menu that will bring out the Greek in you.  Once you have tried Athena's you might not want to go back to the typical Greek chain restaurants.  And if you haven't tried their grilled octopus or the fried smelts before, try it now!

Try it NOW!

grilled mushroom caps

 On Saturday, April 21, 2012,  We went to the Scottsdale Culinary Festival.  Within this festival there is live music, drinks and food galore.  The event was called the "Great Arizona Picnic".

cheesecake and berry kabob w/ chocolate

pulled pork barbecue

balsamic grilled steak

chocolate fondue

Barbecue St. Louis rib

calamari

beef brisket slider

"New York" slider

yellow-fin tuna

filet mignon wrapped asparagus

crab crunch roll and spicy shrimp

Wafu steak

Have you ever been out to a restaurant and while looking at the menu have a difficult time trying to decide which dish would be most enjoyable?  Wouldn't it be wonderful to just be able to get a small taste of what the restaurant offers without having to pay for the whole dish?  The only problem is who has time to drive from restaurant to restaurant sampling off the menu?  What a brilliant idea it is to combine 50 places to sample from.  I was able to order one small bite and if I enjoyed it I could order more, if I don't enjoy it I could just step up to the next tent. 

Hanabi, tuna poke and asparagus

This place was a food lover's dream.  Whatever you favorite type of food is, there was a place here for you.  You can sample something as simple as sno-cone or you can indulge in the complex flavors of the balsamic steak.  But don't stop there.  The desserts were just as incredible.  My favorite was the frozen cheesecake on a stick.  It was perfect for the 100 degree weather we had today.

 This sampling of flavors gave me some great ideas for future "Fun Frank Friday" adventures.  And yet there were others that we decided did not pass the taste test.

jalapeno sliders

Even though it is very difficult to "fail" a FFF taste test, believe it or not, some of them did.

The highlight of the event was the presentation by Andrew Zimmern.  For those of you not in the know, Andrew is a TV personality whose show "Bizarre Foods" can be seen on the Travel Channel.  His motto is "If it looks good, eat it".  He has inspired me to follow my heart and embark on this food adventure with you all.  His presentation started with how he first started in the culinary business and where his passion came from.  He touched on some of the places he has been all over the world.  He described his philosophy of being a "good guest" when in someone else's home and/or country as you should never turn down an offering of food no matter how meager or unappealing to you it may seem.  This philosophy rings true not just with me but to many cultures around the world. 
Andrew also prepared two dishes for us, one was a Thai spicy shrimp and the other was a goat tartar.  The goat tartar was cool and smooth with a bit of a kick to it from the African spices he had added.  I was excited to actually be able to try an excellent dish of raw goat meat.  After the demonstrations he opened it up to questions from the audience.  So I took this opportunity to ask this question:  "Andrew, when I tell my friends about some of the things I eat, I often get the reaction of 'eww, I could never eat that'.  During your travels around the world, have you experienced other cultures that think or react that same way about the foods we typically eat here?"  He replied "yes, in fact, people in Venezuela think that peanut butter is the most disgusting thing they have ever seen."  He went on to explain that he had also met an individual in Africa that could not understand how we could take perfectly good milk, let it rot, squish it into a block and eat it on pizza.  There are many people who are biased against food in a variety of ways including texture, color, smell or even its origin.  He went on to explain that these biases begin in the home with the way the parents react to food in front of their children.  So the best way to break this food prejudice and to truly find out if you like it, is to "try it now".

Which brings us to our weekly "Fun Frank Friday" which was held at Nobuo at Teeter House in the historic district of downtown Phoenix.  Located approximately 5th Street and Adams in a renovated pioneer home.  This place requires reservations, do not arrive early or late, there is no seating for waiting on the inside.  So promptly at 5:30 they opened the doors for us to enter and be seated.  We noticed that this place was small with limited tables, and we were seated next to the fireplace which was near the front entrance and hostess podium.  This restaurant is described as "Izakaya" which loosely translates as a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food.  Our server explained that the food would be served "tapas" style and meant to be shared by all at the table.  The establishment did have an extensive drink menu.  So we were excited that they included Coke as well but it is served in the bottle or can rather than as a fountain drink.  But the water was free flowing and it was difficult to get our glasses below half full.
We started off with "Teeter Tots" which are panko fried tofu in a spicy miso sauce.  These were yummy!  The outside was a golden crisp, almost tempura like, while the inside tofu was smooth and creamy.  The miso sauce gave the sweet tofu just the right kick to keep you craving more.
 Now is the time when you put your food bias to the side.  Open up your mind and your mouth for a new exploration with fried food.  If you had tried this next item without anyone telling you what it was, I guarantee you would love it!  We had to try the Tako Age.  It comes with a yuzu aioli sauce.  What is Tako Age you ask?  It is fried octopus.  Yes, octopus.  Take my challenge and tell me I'm wrong that you don't love this!  It was crispy and warm on the outside but when you bit into it, the inside was soft and melted in your mouth with just a hint of firmness from the octopus.  The aioli sauce reminded me of a sweet citrus that would compliment many seafood dishes. 
We next ordered the "Big Eye Tuna Tataki".  This is tuna seared and served with a roast beet puree.  When we normally eat seared tuna, we prefer it to be about 80% raw.  This tuna seemed to be on the grill just a tad bit too long.  But don't get me wrong it was still incredibly good, just more cooked than we usually have.  I really don't care for red beets but when it has been roasted and pureed with the mix of the tang from the greens, the textures of this dish is what really brought out the flavors.  Individually, I would not have sampled just the tuna, or just the beets or just the greens but when combined it was excellent.

Following the tataki, came a dish we weren't sure how to pronounce and knew nothing about it.  The Karei Karaage is described as fried black back sole, served with a blood orange vinaigrette and bone chips.  We actually had to ask our server to describe what "bone chips" are.  He explained that these were the fish bones that are deep fried and salted.  It comes out similar to a cracker and is best eaten in alternating bites with the fish meat.  Even I had reservations about eating fried fish bones.  But I hadn't tried it before so I buckled on my motto and decided to "try it now".  Patti and I agreed that this was one of the best culinary delights of the evening.  The fish was lightly fried so as you bit into it, the creamy white flakes melted in your mouth.  This was quickly followed with a sampling of the bone chip.  The bone chip gave an incredible contrast of a firm crisp and salty flavor.  By alternating between the two, you will devour this dish before you can blink and eye.

 Now for a contrast of color from the fish, we went with the Coconut Curry Lamb.  It is served with mango fennel salad.  How can you go wrong with Coconut and mango?  The lamb was magnificently grilled.  It was juicy in the middle and as tender as any filet mignon.  I discovered that by taking a bite of the mango, it cleansed my palate and then the next bite of lamb was like tasting it for the first time with the explosion of flavors all over again.



We thought we were done but  our server asked if we wanted to order anything else.  Since I was having so much fun and everything was so delicious, I decided to explore a little further.  So we decided to end the evening with the Warm Duck Salad.  A soy and zinfandel duck served with grilled greens and a yuzu vinaigrette.  The first thing that ran through my head was a nice cool salad topped with warm grilled duck.  But to my surprise, the romaine hearts of the salad were grilled and served warm.  This was a new experience for me.  I took a piece of duck with the greens, slid on a bit of marinated grilled onion and started doing the "happy mouth dance".  I don't know if I will ever go back to a cold salad.  This not only brought out new textures but also flavors from the grill.  The duck was moist and not gamey.  The most surprising part of the dish was that the lettuce was still crisp and did not go limp when cooked.

This weekend renewed my resolve to try new places and eat new things.   Through the inspiration of my hero, Andrew Zimmern, I would love to rid the world of food bias starting here with my blog.  So don't stop exploring, try new things, and if you haven't tried bone chips try it now.

Authentic Peruvian

 On Fun Frank Friday as you know, I enjoy going to different restaurants.  The ones I enjoy more than any others are the ones with truly authentic cuisine.  You may ask how can you tell if it is authentic or not?  One of the ways you can tell is by looking up at the TV screen playing in the restaurant.  If the program playing matches the ethnic food being offered that is a good indication that the employees prefer that channel.  It also is a good indication that it would be appropriate entertainment for the clientele they intend to serve.  For an example, when we went to CGJ Korean BBQ, 75% of the dining room was Korean and the TV screen showed a Korean game show.  This week we are over in Chandler at the Tumi Fine Peruvian Cuisine.  This is a small "mom and pop" authentic restaurant.  There were approximately 9 tables available inside with an international Spanish program playing in the background.  When we arrived, around 5:30 pm, the place was already half-full, by the time we left there were people sitting outside as well as people waiting to get a seat inside.  I looked over the menu at the drink options and saw soft drinks but also saw a Coca-Cola sign behind the counter.  So of course I decided to order a Coke without asking what the options were.  This was a mistake, I did not know that there was an option to have what they call "Inca Kola" (apparently a common Peruvian soft drink) so when  you do go to Tumi, try the Inca Kola and let me know how it is.  As we were trying to decide what we were going to eat, our waitress brought out a basket of rolls and a small dish with two dipping sauces and some toasted corn kernels. 

Bread is bread and there is not too much to say about that.  But the dipping sauce, somewhat similar to salsa, is where they excel.  The two sauces were very similar in ingredients with the main difference being that one was made with a green chili base and the other a red chili base.  Both bring forth a lime tang with the taste of cilantro which was not overpowering which I enjoyed as I tend to not be a big cilantro fan.  The red chili base had more of a spicy kick so if you like it hot and spicy this is the one for you.  I don't eat corn kernels very often, I mostly find them at the bottom of my popcorn bucket at the movies.  But I did enjoy this fun little munchie.  It was toasted and lightly salted and surprisingly addictive.  You can't just eat one.

For an appetizer, my first choice was the marinated beef heart on a skewer.  Unfortunately our server informed me that is was unavailable at this time.  So we went with something new and something fun.  I have never tried fried yucca before.  This is deep fried yucca served with a side of huancaina sauce.  The yucca is not a plant I associate with eating.  The only encounters I have had with yuccas in the past were when they stabbed me in the shins as I walked by them. To my surprise, it has a similar taste and texture of a fried potato (aka "steak fries").  The sauce is a creamy cheese sauce that reminded me more of mayo than a cheese.  The sauce was smooth with a hint of yellow chili, this gave it more of a mustard taste rather than a chili spice kick.  These went quickly and they also went great with the dipping sauce that came with the bread.

 We noticed that they had an appetizer that we have enjoyed in the past, fried plantains.  I enjoyed Tumi's take on the dish much more because the fruit was thicker and meatier than those I've eaten else where.  The outside of the plantain was crisp while the inside was soft and sweet.  It was delicious!







Our friend, Nanette, decided to order the "Picante a lo Tumi".  This dish includes shrimp, scallops and red bell peppers served in a white wine cream sauce they call Aji Amarillo.  A side of jasmine rice accompanied it.  This was a delicious dish.  With the mixture of scallops, shrimp and the white wine sauce you can never go wrong.  These flavors compliment each other and it is easy to snarf the whole thing down before you realize it.

Patti ordered the Saltado Tumi from the "specialties" section of the menu.  It included strips of beef tenderloin and shrimp sauteed with onions, tomato and a cilantro mignonette all on top of a french fries.  The beef was chewy but flavorful.  She really loved the sauce, the mixture of cilantro and onion was like a really well done barbecue marinade.  She was surprised that the sweet taste of the cooked tomatoes went perfectly with the marinade.  There weren't many shrimp pieces included in the dish but the ones she shared with me did have a firm full taste and were not overcooked.

I was looking for the out of the ordinary type of dish.  So when I saw the words "eggs sunny side up" as part of a dinner entree, it intrigued me.  I did also briefly consider the "cau cau" or cow tripe entree but instead opted for the "Lomo a Caballo".  Beef loin strips sauteed with onions, tomatoes and cilantro mignonette on top of a bed of french fries and crowned with two eggs sunny side up.  All with a side of Peruvian rice and fried plantains.  The beef loin strips were a little tough but when included with the sauteed vegetables and mignonette, it was extremely tasty.  The best was to describe the mignonette would be a cilantro barbecue marinade mixed with soy sauce.  I know my description does not really do it justice.  It truly is something you just need to try yourself.  The eggs on top complimented the entire meal and it would not have been the same without it.  All this on top of a bed of french fried potatoes.  So when you add in the flavor of the rice and the plantains you can tell this had comfort food written all over it.

 Since we were celebrating Nanette's birthday, of course we decided we must have dessert.  Nanette chose the flan.  This was a large slice that was smooth and creamy with a toasted almond flavor topped with caramel sauce.




Patti had the Peruvian Ice Cream.  It was a rich creamy vanilla flavor topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.  Patti says of all three we tried, hers was the best!

I chose the Peruvian donuts.  This is deep fried Peruvian dough covered with maple syrup.   This dessert can be sticky but was crunchy on the outside and a fluffy light dough inside.  I think my dessert was the best!  All in all the flavor was fun, the texture was great and it also made for great table conversation.  It works well as a spyglass for a donut pirate.

 Remember that dinner needs to be fun and enjoyable.  Don't let others rule your taste buds.  So if you haven't tried Peruvian cuisine, try it now!


P.S.  My co-worker, Gordy suggested that I take donations to support my eating adventures.  So if you would like to be featured on "Fun Frank Friday", and have a restaurant that has not previously been featured, I would love for you to buy me dinner.

The Wild Thaiger

 There are truly diamonds in the desert.  If you are not careful, you might pass right by and never even notice them.  This week's Fun Frank Friday is at The Wild Thaiger located in Central Phoenix (Thomas and Central).   One of the things that really caught my eye was the word play with the name of the restaurant.  Who can resist a fun pun?
As you arrive at the address, keep an eye out for the alley north of the restaurant and turn in there.  As parking is limited in downtown phoenix, it is a pleasant surprise to find ample free parking behind their restaurant.  When you arrive at the front door you will notice that you have a choice between sitting out in the front patio or eating indoors.  We chose to sit inside at a booth, even though there were a few diners out on the patio enjoying the nice spring weather.

We had placed our drink order for Cokes and a glass of water each.  I know Thai food can be a bit spicy so I knew I might need a back up fire extinguisher.  Our drinks were brought to our table quickly.  The soda was excellent of course, Coke always is.  Unfortunately, the water seemed to have an overwhelming hard water taste.   It could just be that Patti is spoiled rotten and used to filtered water but she could not stomach the weird water taste.  Luckily the staff kept refilling our sodas before we thought to ask for refills.  This restaurant uses a rating guide for how spicy the food could be.  No chili icon represents "mild", a one chili icon is "medium", two chile icons are "hot" and three chili icons are "Thai hot".  And when they say "Thai hot", you will feel the burn not only on your tongue but anywhere the food touches!

For appetizers, we started with the Dragon Eggz and the Satay Sampler.  The Dragon Eggz are dumplings stuffed with pork and crab, served with tangy dipping sauce.  You have a choice of steamed or fried.  We opted for half and half.  The steamed dumpling had a soft wonton wrapped around a large ball of meat, that was thoroughly cooked and juicy on the inside.  The fried one was the same but with a crispier outside which complimented the soft center and gave a contrast of textures for the eating experience.  The tangy dipping sauce was a sweet soy sauce that enhanced the flavor of the meat rather than overpowering it.  It was topped with slices of green chilis and cilantro (I was not brave enough to eat them).

The Satay Sampler comes with a selection of chicken, beef, AND shrimp, marinated in a savory yellow curry, served with peanut sauce and a side of cucumber chutney.  This is one of their mildly spiced dishes.  The beef and chicken were tender and juicy.  The shrimp was surprisingly large, firm but not overcooked at all.  This was topped with a sweet peanut sauce that complimented the curry marinade.  But do not overlook the cucumber chutney as just a garnish.  It is part of the dish and extremely delicious.  For the foodie fans, try a bite of cucumber with the meat in the peanut sauce for an interesting blend of flavors and textures.

(Sorry for the blurry picture, something went wrong with the camera apparently).  Patti ordered the Pad Thai which comes as a "one chile" spice rating.  Thin rice noodles in a plethora of intense flavors with chicken, shrimp, and fried tofu.   A side of fresh sprouts and crushed peanuts surround the noodles and it is all topped with fresh cilantro and a splash of stringed beet for color contrast.  The textures of this entree are so diverse that it is hard to keep track of everything that is happening in your mouth.  The plate presentation actually separates several of the items, but Patti prefers to mix it up before taking a bite.  This is one of our most favorite dishes.  Anyone who enters a Thai restaurant must have the Pad Thai at least once.  Here at the Wild Thaiger, we have found one of the best Pad Thai we have ever tasted.


For the truly brave foodie, this restaurant offers "Decha Boar".
Welcome to the jungle… featuring traditional thin sliced wild boar, green beans, bamboo shoots all in a hot red chili sauce.  It is rated as a "Thai hot" entree.  The wild boar meat was not as gamey as I expected.  Though, keep in mind that it is a little more tough than your regular marinated beef.  All the vegetables were fresh, cooked yet still crisp.  The red garlic chili sauce gave an almost addicting flavor that kept me coming back for more despite the heat.  Once in a while, I had to wipe the sweat off my forehead and I was grateful that my server kept my Coke glass filled.  Despite the spicy sauce, I was still able to taste every distinct flavor of the meat and vegetables.  This restaurant realizes the importance of dish presentation.  The garnish helps make each dish appeal to the eye as well as the palate.  They do not skimp on the garnish presentation at all.  One fun experience we had was the orange pepper cut to look like a blossoming flower.  This obviously took skill and practice to make this beautifully elaborate garnish.  It would seem to me to be a waste if I didn't enjoy eating it to the equal amount of the effort put into creating it.  I had no idea what type of pepper it was.  Knowing that my dish included bell peppers, I was kind of expecting a miniature bell pepper taste.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a habanero pepper.  HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!! Lips on fire hot!  Good thing I had the extra fire extinguisher and didn't mind the taste of the water.  I don't recommend that you follow my example.  You might want to just leave that garnish as a garnish.

Now it is time for dessert.  I know we said we were going to try and not order more desserts but you can't pass up the Wild Thaiger's choices.  Have you ever heard of the Durian fruit? Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”.  The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit’s banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia. Sounds delicious doesn't it?  This is where we separate the foodie from the adventurer.  The Wild Thaiger offers a "Dynamite Durian Ice Cream".  I knew I was going to order it, but I was very concerned that I was going to get something that tasted like frozen feet.  After I took my first bite, I would describe it as rich and creamy but with an indescribably distinct taste.  It was very rich and seemed to have a filmy texture coating my mouth after each bite.  We searched for the words to describe the flavor but could not come up with any thing to compare it to in our western culture.  It didn't taste like feet though.  It was nice and sweet and not overpowering at all.  When compared to the coconut ice cream that I tried right after this, there was no comparison.  The coconut came up bland and with little flavor to it, as if there was nothing there.  This is not a dessert for the faint of palate.  I tip my hat to Andrew Zimmern who introduced me to the fruit on his show "Bizarre Foods".

A lot of Asian cultures, have the concept of contrast when it comes to their dining experiences.  Sweet AND sour.  Soft AND crunchy.  Hot AND cold.  This is well represented in my favorite dessert, the Fried Banana.  Crispy coconut covered banana, homemade coconut ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauces. 
This is the dessert that will leave you craving more and more.  This is the dessert you will dream of and wake up wishing you had it in front of you.
The bananas are fried which make them tender and sweet but with a crunchy toasted coconut covering and served warm.  For the contrast, you have the cool of the homemade coconut ice cream.  This is topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.  The best experience of eating this is when you take a small scoop of warm banana paired with cool ice cream and introduce them together in your mouth at the same time.  This will make your taste buds dance!  Patti said she was only going to take one or two bites but I noticed the plate inching closer and closer to her side of the table as the food quickly disappeared.
This is truly one of our diamonds in the desert.  A hidden gem of a restaurant.  If you are a foodie or just a casual diner, this is one place you should not miss.
And if you haven't tried wild boar or durian before, try it now.