Phood on Main

 I traveled five hours from Phoenix to Riverside, CA, where we ran into another Fun Frank Friday at a restaurant called "Phood on Main".  What caught my eye was their own description of being a "hip and creative eaterie".  Here they create new dishes as well as improvise on other chef's creations but giving credit where credit is due.   We were joined on our adventure with some of Patti's family members, John and Julie as well as Rachel, who were willing to brave a "phoodies" indulgence.

So Patti started off by ordering from the "little plates" side of the menu.  This would give her several options of tastes to try without having to order several different entrees.  First out was the sweet potato fries.  Described as being served with "mapled" Superstuff, but the kicker was the apricot orange ketchup.  She really loved the ketchup and was disappointed when the fries ran out before the ketchup did and she had nothing left to dip.
Next out was the Bibimbap Arancin.  She chose the option for the carnivore, which is a rice ball deep fried and stuffed with sausage and cheese.  They came atop a mushroom parmesean cream sauce that  helped balance the dryness of the rice ball.

 And last of the three was the Rock Shrimp Katsuya-is.  The menu described it as "Our attempt at stealing and copying a dish we had in LA."  However as I have never been to Katsuya in LA I could not verify how close they came to imitating it.   These breaded tiny bites of rock shrimp were served in a  spicy sambal-garlic creamy toss-sauce.  It was delicious and because Patti loves me lots she shared.  It was a smidge too spicy for her liking which is why she was willing to share more than a single bite.

Rachel, who is a very adventurous eater by nature, chose the chicken parmesean.  This surprised me as I would consider it a more common-place Italian dish.  Nonetheless, this delicious chicken was smothered in marinara and parmesean and served with a side of garlic cheese bread.  I don't feel she shared nearly enough of the crazy addictive bread.

 Next was Julie who ordered the French Onion Steak Tower.  This included 

layers of Hereford Beef steak medallions topped with deep-fried caramelized onion straws and Swiss Cheese.  The bite she shared with me included the medallion that was incredibly tasty and tender.  The onion straws gave a nice crunchy texture to the meal.

John opted for the BBQ Pork Ribs because he wanted to make sure there was enough to share.  These ribs are done in a St. Louis style with a BBQ sauce that is slightly sticky & slightly spicy.  They were "fall off the bone tender" and I was glad he was sharing! The side of house chips seemed like a nice touch but they were a little under seasoned.  Patti however was pleased to be able to dip them in her ketchup.

I went for one of the signature dishes, the "Drunken chicken".  The chicken breasts were smothered in their rum, wine, shallot, leek, green onion, mushroom and parmesan cream sauce.  The chicken was juicy and with the sauce it gave even more of a robust flavor.  I could see why this would be one of their top dishes.  I ate the whole thing as was reluctant to share even with Patti.

So if you find yourself in downtown Riverside California, near the Mission district, stop by Phood on Main.  Because if you haven't tried a drunken chicken, or apricot orange ketchup, try it now.

Cafe Ga Hyang

Do you need another place to satisfy your Korean craving?  Sometimes the hole in the wall can be a great place for truly authentic Korean food.  We found a very unassuming place in a unassuming little strip mall called Cafe Ga Hyang.  It is located on Olive just west of 45th Avenue. When you get close to the address you really have to keep your eyes open because if you blink you will miss it.   We started with a Coke which they bring in a can with a glass of ice on the side.  My first appetizer choice was Gyoza or more commonly known in our house as potstickers.  This was one of my favorite street foods from my life in Korea.  These are deep fried dumplings filled with meat and vegetables and dipped in a soy sauce mixture.  Kudos to Cafe Ga Hyang who have this down to a "t" and every bite flooded me with memories of the streets of Seoul.

For my second appetizer choice I went with duk bokki, also known as Korean spicy rice cakes.  Despite the warning from our server that this was an extremely spicy dish and not for the typical American palate, I ordered it anyway and assured her my palate was anything but typical.  After devouring about a quarter of this inferno of an appetizer, I had to quickly set it aside.  This is truly a "15" on the 1-10 spicy scale.  Although it was delicious, after a few bites you can no longer taste anything but the heat.  I recommend you go when you are congested as it will clear out your sinuses quickly!  Patti was so intrigued by the rice cake noodle-things that she wanted to try it as well despite the warnings.  She attempted to scrape off the sauce and what she could visibly see as peppers but to no avail.  She couldn't even finish a single bite in her mouth.

In this small restaurant you have, accenting in the background, one of our key indicators of authenticity, the TV playing native language broadcasts.  We were pleasantly surprised by the change from soap opera looking shows to more of a newscast program here.
And as in a traditional Korean barbecue, they provide 10 side dishes that accompany your meat entree.  This included a variety of pickled vegetables including kim chee, as well as fresh vegetables like bean sprouts.  These were all very delicious and if you don't mind a little bit of spicy kick, I recommend their traditional kim chee.

Patti ordered the bulgogi, which is a Korean marinated beef that is grilled and served on a bed of sizzling onions.  Unlike the other Korean BBQ's that we have been too, this one did not appear to have the option to grill your own food at your table.  Instead they bring it out to you sizzling hot.  The beef was extremely tender and full of marinated goodness.

Another excellent option would have been dukgolgi, which is a marinated chicken.  I however decided to step out of my usual list of favorites and went with the Korean short ribs.  I'm sure many of you have tried short ribs at Asian restaurants have found them to be typically tasty but still chewy.   These at Cafe Ga Hyang are a must try rib!  The meat nearly fell off the bone and only needed gentle prodding from the chopstick.  I was happy that I was able to satisfy my Korean craving, although I wish I had heeded the waitress' warning.  So when she tells you it is spicy you better believe her and if you haven't tried gyoza, try it now.

Thai Basil

For this Fun Frank Friday, I was craving some Thai food and realized we hadn't been to one in a long time.  So we decided to try Thai Basil in Ahwatukee on Chandler Blvd.  We started with our usual Cokes and an appetizer combination plate.  It consisted of 2 pieces of Satay Chicken, deep fried Sweet Potato, Fried Tofu, Spring Rolls,  and Thai Toast, served with sweet and sour sauce, Thai plum sauce and peanut sauce.  What is Thai toast, you ask?  Well it is flash fried toast filled with garlic and ground chicken and served with spicy cucumber sauce.
On the table were four containers filled with a variety of spices.  Each one ranged from a mild kick to a raging burn.  These spices are used to increase the heat of any dish if you so desired.

Patti went with her all-time favorite, chicken Pad Thai.  It consists of chicken in pan-fried rice noodles with eggs, bean sprouts, green onions, tofu and ground peanuts.   Our server gave us an option of how spicy we would like our entree.  These included mild, medium, hot and Thai hot.  I of course went with medium spice and to my surprise, Patti did as well.  Despite the extra heat, the pad thai was addictively delicious.  She couldn't stop eating it despite the burn.  Next time she said she would go mild and add her own spices if necessary.

I decided to go with the signature dish, Thai Basil.  This consisted of sauteed Thai basil with spicy garlic sauce, bamboo shoots, carrots, broccoli, onions and zucchini.  You then had a choice of meat to add if you wanted.  The choices included chicken, beef, pork, tofu, shrimp, calamari, or fish.  I went with the chicken and medium spice.  The distinct flavor that really comes out is the basil and it went really well with the melody of the other vegetables.  This also comes with a side of white rice which was a nice touch especially if you accidently order it too spicy for your taste.
For dessert we decided to go with the fried bananas with ice cream.  I think this is becoming one of my favorite desserts.  Anything deep fried is good but the gooshiness of the banana is a great complement to the crunch of the fried batter and the temperature warmth complements the cold ice cream.  Thai basil also tops theirs with honey.  This was an interesting choice that really stood out in my mind.

So if you get a hankering for Thai food and you have never tried Thai toast before, you can go to Thai Basil and try it now!

Test Kitchen

 In your adventures of eating out, you should be on the look out for a key element that is critical to an enjoyable meal.  That element is fresh ingredients.  That is what drew us to the Test Kitchen restaurant.  Located at 10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Rd.in Scottsdale.  Truly the complete opposite side of the valley from where we live.  The ingredients used at this place are gathered fresh from a local farm and thus the menu changes each week.  You can check out current week's menu on their Facebook page.

The meal consists of a set price for three courses.  You have a choice of one of three appetizers, one of three entrees and one of two desserts for that set price.  It is a small and cozy place so reservations are a must.  Patti chose for her appetizer the Italian Wedding Soup.  This had excellent flavor and took the chill off on a cool evening.  I chose the Grilled Eggplant and Mozzarella en Carozza with Puttanesca Sauce.  The eggplant and the cheese gave each other a great texture contrast but the true flavor was brought out with the Puttanesca sauce.

 For our entree I ordered the Grilled Veal chop on wilted kale with roasted red potatoes and Bernaise sauce.  This is where the true freshness of the meal shone through.  A fresh tender veal is a rare treat to find.  The bernaise sauce is definitely to die for!
 Patti went with the Pan seared opah on wilted baby bok choi in soy broth with daikon and mitzuna garnish.  For those of you who (like Patti) are not familiar with opah, it is a white fish very similar to a tuna steak.  Despite being in a broth the fish was a tad bit on the dry side, although still tasty.

For our final course Patti was drawn to the Chef Lou's mixed nut brownie with Udder Delights Chocolate Nutella Ice cream.  Being a huge fan of Nutella, she was intrigued in the concept of it being in ice cream form.  She was a bit disappointed when the server informed her that they did not actually have Nutella ice cream but instead it would be vanilla.  Obviously sensing her disappointment, the server informed her that the chef would try and make a nutella-like sauce that would go over the ice cream.  The brownie was more cake like but delicious and needed the ice cream to balance the texture.

I chose the "Four Cheese Cheesecake (not made in a factory)".  At first glance I was a little disappointed in the presentation of the dessert.  It looked plain and typical of a cheesecake, nothing out of the ordinary here.  That was until I took my first bite.  I am a cheese lover at my very soul and this cheesecake was exquisite in it's cheese flavor.  There was a tang of citrus that kept my going back for more and more bites until it was gone.

This restaurant was a hit and miss when it comes to ordering your food, but it truly does make a difference when you can tell the food is fresh.  So if you haven't tried from "Farm to your Fork", then try it now!