Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

The first segment of Excited about Eating takes us to downtown Baltimore and to Nando’s PERi-PERi. I have never eaten Portuguese food but I was more than excited to give it a try.  Dora here. Hmmm…as I recall, I was the one excited to try it. You were a bit skeptical because of the chicken-heavy menu, and I dragged you along for the walk. :)

Exterior

I chose their famous ¼ chicken – breast/wing with flame-grilled corn on the cob and butternut squash medley. You can order their chicken spiced a multitude of different ways so I chose medium. The chicken was outstanding, juicy and grilled perfectly. The corn was charred from the flame grilling, giving it a deep smoky taste and the butternut squash medley packed in red onion, dried cranberries, cilantro and chili. Just a warning, this side is spicy!

1/4 Chicken Breast/Wing with Corn & Butternut Squash Medley

Dora here. Haha. Wasn’t everything spicy? A forehead slicker for sure! You kept calling for wipes. Lol. I chose the chicken breast sandwich on Portuguese bread with some lime-heated sauce. Yowza! The white meat was juicy and tender, and the whole sandwich was delish with eye-popping flavor! 

Chicken Breast Sandwich

When you enter the restaurant, you’re given a numbered rooster which corresponds to a table. You order at the counter, grab your condiments and drinks, and then sit at your assigned table. I loved the eclectic, exposed brick interior. Get here early because seating fills up fast and folks were huddled around the counter waiting to order. But not to worry if you can’t. The meals were delivered quickly and service was friendly and efficient. I’d definitely eat at another Nando’s!

Eclectic interior

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

Next, we moved on to the Chinatown area of Washington, DC, to Daikaya, serving Sapporo-style ramen. Ramen restaurants seem to be the rage lately. Dora here. Don’t conceptualize the packaged noodles you’d buy in a grocery store. Not even close. 

Daikaya - exterior

As an appetizer, we chose the gyoza dumplings, pan fried, full of flavor and something that you just want more of.

Gyoza Dumplings

Since we were told the serving sizes were huge, we shared the Shoyu Ramen, a hearty sized bowl with roasted pork, noodles, and veggies in a dark rich soy sauce. Now I have never tasted ramen before but this dish has made me into a believer. Deep flavors and full of noodles and vegetables, this dish was outstanding.  Also, they were right. Neither of us left the restaurant hungry. Dora here. Great experience, and I’d go here again, but I don’t think I’d like a weekly diet of Ramen unless it was twenty degrees outside. :) 

Shoyu Ramen

I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

After several visits to DC and just as many attempts to get a table at Founding Farmers, a farm-to-table restaurant three blocks west of the White House, we finally made it! Reservations are the best way to sample this restaurant unless you have a couple hours to kill waiting. 

Exterior

Our waiter explained that Founding Farmers typically purchases from local merchants and farmers’ markets. When they can’t find fresh ingredients locally, they buy carbon offsets to ensure that regardless of distance, Founding Farmers is walking its talk that the planet matters. 

We started our meal with the Skillet Corn Bread served with sea salt and honey butter. This corn bread was great, sweet even without the honey, and packed with fresh corn. Unfortunately, we dug in so fast, we forgot to snap a picture. Sorry!

I chose the Signature Chicken Pot Pie, and the waiter practically dared me to finish it. Chicken pot pie is one of my favorites, so I have experienced this dish at many restaurants, but this one was excellent. Bursting with chicken and fresh vegetables and a broth that kept my fork coming back for more, I still couldn’t clean my plate. 

Signature Chicken Pot Pie

Dora here. I ordered the Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli. Soft ravioli puffs, smooth and tasty, but loaded with flavor in a delicate, refined way. Delish! 

Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

 

What heat level do you prefer? Light your mouth on fire? Sizzling? Warm? Or no heat?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Exited about Eating features a bonus since we visited two restaurants on a holiday weekend. Our first visit was to the South End of Charlotte to Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop. 

Now when I hear Soda Shop, it brings back memories of diners that were located in drug stores forty years ago and this place meets the billing. We visited on a Sunday and they were serving their Brunch buffet which I was eager to try. Service was attentive and friendly, and brunch provided a wide variety of both breakfast and lunch selections and also quite of few sweet options.

For breakfast, the standout item for me was the biscuits with sausage gravy. The biscuits were light and fluffy and the gravy creamy with just the right amount of sausage. For lunch, the broccoli casserole stood out, tender, rich, and packed with broccoli. Also the scones and key lime pie were outstanding choices. 

Biscuits and sausage gravy

Brunch buffet

Dora here. Lots of carb heavy dishes, but not enough proteins for me. Some of my faves: blueberry french toast, coffee cake, and carrot cake. See what I mean? :) Flavor was great, but a tad lukewarm for my taste. I'm the gal who orders my coffee extra hot. 

I would rate this establishment 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food. 

On Monday of the holiday weekend, we visited Whiskey Warehouse in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte. This rustic looking pub has an industrial feel built into a sports bar with many TV’s and a large rooftop patio. 

We started with the Brussel sprouts appetizer, cooked in a white wine, garlic and parmesan reduction topped with bacon jelly. We are really not sprouts fans, but we gave them a try and were not disappointed. They were roasted, smoky and the bacon jelly could easily get addictive. Dora here. Still not a sprouts fan, but this appetizer is a great way to entice kids, er...adults to eat their veggies. That bacon's like candy!

Brussel Sprouts Appetizer

Since May was National Burger Month, we ordered burgers. I selected the Elvis Burger, topped with peanut butter, bacon and cheese. Now I am a peanut butter lover but have never thought about adding it to a burger but will in the future. This burger was large, juicy, and tasted great. You could taste the peanut butter, but it was not overwhelming and blended together perfectly.

Elvis Burger

Dora here. Based on our friendly server's recommendation, I ordered the Bistro Burger, topped with caramelized onions, Brie cheese, bacon and a horseradish dijon aioli. Oh my stars! This juicy burger wowed me with robust flavor, the sweetness from the Brie and onions calling out for more bites until all I had left was an empty plate. The hand-cut fries were a perfect accompaniment, and finally, a restaurant that passed my iced tea test with an A+! Adding Whiskey Warehouse to our "must return" list.

Bistro Burger

I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

What's the most surprising topping you've ever tried on a burger? Did you like it?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the South End neighborhood of Charlotte to Tupelo Honey Café which is located on the second floor in a renovated historic building near Charlotte’s light rail. The interior is a mix of industrial and rustic with lots of wood, exposed brick walls, and high ceilings.

Exterior

Interior

Dora here. Don't you just love the interior? This is my kinda place. Parking around noon on Saturday was non-existent in the lot behind the restaurant, but no worries. There's free on-street parking on the other side of the light rail. Also, the 35-minute wait only ended up being 15 minutes. Another score!

Rather than table bread, Tupelo serves scratch-made biscuits with blueberry jam. These biscuits were great, crispy and buttery and warm, and the blueberry jam was the perfect pairing. We would have preferred to eat ours prior to the meal, but with a packed dining room, they came out with our meal. Dora here. I don't care what time they got to the table. I could've stuffed myself with these biscuits! The food did seem to take awhile, but service was very attentive and gracious.

I chose the Tupelo Farm Fresh Burger with cheddar cheese, lettuce, house-made pickles and a secret sauce along with fried okra and tomatoes. The burger was outstanding, grilled perfectly, tasty, and the secret sauce brought it all together. The okra and tomatoes were fresh, lightly battered with just the right amount of crunch.

Tupelo Farm Fresh Burger

Dora here. So many choices! But I finally decided on the Charleston Chicken Sandwich, a marinated grilled chicken breast with lettuce, Havarti cheese on sourdough wheat bread with a side of mac-n-cheese. Doesn't that sound great? The chicken was oh-so-tender and juicy, and I really liked the cranberry flavored mayo. First time eating sourdough wheat bread, and I liked it. The mac-n-cheese was creamy with just the right amount of firmness and kick. 

Charleston Chicken Sandwich

I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. Definitely worth a return visit!

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the historic Elizabeth area of Charlotte to Kennedy’s Premium Bar & Grill. This pub is tucked into a neighborhood friendly area that boasts many family restaurants and has a huge outside deck. Dora here. Wish the sky hadn't been so overcast because I would've enjoyed sitting outside on the gorgeous deck. 

We started with the Pretzel Bites appetizer served with Queso and Dijon mustard dipping sauces. Dipping in the Queso took the pretzel bites from OK to good. The server warned us that the Dijon mustard was spicy and she was right. Dora here. Phew! Have a tissue handy. The mustard sauce will clear out your sinuses, but I liked it! I was expecting these little nuggets to taste chewy and soft, but instead they were a bit crispy.

Pretzel Bites with Queso and Dijon Mustard

I chose the Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness gravy, layers of beef, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions topped with mashed potatoes along with a side of tater tots. The meat was tender and the vegetables cooked so that they still had a crunch. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the tater tots outstanding. My biggest issue with this dish was that it was only lukewarm, causing the flavors not to mix well. 

Shepherd's Pie

My wife had the Fish & Chips, deep fried Haddock, battered with Harp lager, an Irish beer. Dora here. Since Kennedy's is a pub, I had high hopes for this dish. The fish was lightly battered, flakey and tender. The sweet potato fries were a bit lackluster, and the slaw was just average. Nothing  really tantalized my taste buds. And the iced tea? A total loss. Bummer. But then I'm quite sure people don't frequent this establishment for the iced tea. :)

Fish & Sweet Potato Fries

I would rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5 forks for a family friendly restaurant serving good food.

Do you set expectations for your dining choices based on a review, recommendations from friends, or perhaps from the name of the restaurant? 

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte and to Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, which is scheduled to change hands for a whopping $21 million soon.

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar

This family oriented eating spot boasts an industrial feel but includes TVs and a patio to cater to all clientele. Dora here. I think Ernie just got all excited about the diamond plate wainscoting. Reminded him of a fire truck. :) Seriously, folks, Bad Daddy's attracted all ages, and is in a walkable, bikable neighborhood. Be warned though. Parking is tight, and by Saturday at noon, people were lined up outside, waiting to get in.

We started with the Fried Pickles appetizer. These dill pickles were very good; sliced lengthways, fried very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The only thing that would have made these better would be a little less salt. Dora here. Anybody else getting tired of seeing fried pickles on here? Note to Ernie: next time go with a different appetizer! 

Fried Pickles

I chose the Classic Southern Burger, a basic burger topped with chili, American cheese, relish, mustard and slaw and served on a Brioche bun. Basically a Carolina burger except swap the onions with relish. This burger was huge, sloppy and had to be eaten with a fork. The flavors were outstanding and the chili actually had beans. Tater tots were crispy and had an excellent taste. Dora here. There was nothing basic about that burger.

Classic Southern Burger with tots

My wife had the Frenchie which is a turkey burger with brie, applewood bacon, grilled apples and garlic mayo served on a Brioche bun. Dora here. I was torn on this one because I really was leaning toward the Mama Ricotta's Burger, just to try it. Doesn't that sound intriguing? Anyway, the Frenchie with the grilled apples won. The bun was soft and fresh, as if they baked it on site, and the cheese literally oozed from the sandwich. Good thing the tables sport a roll of paper towels because you'll need 'em. But, let me tell you, the jalapeno honey mustard and bad daddy sauces on the side were ah-mazing! They jazzed this yummy turkey burger to awesome, but too much of a good thing might leave your tongue on fire.

Frenchie - turkey burger

And get a grip! Check out the size of this burger!

I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 forks for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

What's your favorite burger joint? How about a fave burger?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of “Excited about Eating” takes us to the downtown district of Indianapolis, Indiana. Downtown Indianapolis is more modern than we expected, with professional sports teams, hotels in all price ranges, and restaurants featuring almost every cuisine. We chose three of our best experiences to be included in this edition. Dora here. Want to know the coolest part of Indy? An intricate maze of sky bridges and walkways that allowed us to wander through downtown without ever having to brave the wind and 30 degree temps! And, for Pete’s sake, there’s a four-story mall!

Our first evening we visited Rock Bottom. During our visit, a fire department instructors conference was taking place at the convention center so the restaurant was decked out in fire department paraphernalia.

Dora here. Imagine that. Isn’t that why we were in Indy? Lol. Even bursting with fire personnel, we didn’t wait long for a table, and our server was friendly and knowledgeable, even recommended a couple spots for ice cream later.

I chose the Chipotle Brisket Barbacoa Pizza with honey chipotle BBQ sauce, mozzarella and asiago cheeses, beef brisket and pineapple salsa.  The pizza was outstanding, and the sweet pineapple salsa took this dish to a new level. 

Chipotle Brisket Barbacoa Pizza

Dora here. I stole a piece of hubby’s pizza, and I totally agree! I opted for their famous Classic Mac’n Chicken, creamy spiral macaroni and cheese loaded with chunks of chicken and chased with a bit of a kick from Tabasco and Paprika. Awesome, and just the right portion size for me. Some of the best Mac’n cheese we’ve ever tasted. 

Classic Mac’n Chicken

 I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant that serves outstanding food.

 **

For another dinner, we dined at Weber Grill, the first location outside of the metro Chicago area. One thing that makes this restaurant unique is that all cooking is done over authentic giant Weber Charcoal grills.

Weber Grill

Since there was so much on the menu that we wanted to try, we chose the three meat BBQ Combo with Hickory BBQ Ribs, Beef Brisket, and Black Angus Meatloaf served with a sweet and tangy Hickory BBQ sauce, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Mac N’ Cheese. The ribs were BBQ competition quality, tender but not fall-off-the-bone. The brisket was tender and had deep smoke favor, and the meatloaf was smoky with great texture. The sides were equally good; the mashed potatoes full of favor and the mac n’ cheese firm and cheesy. Dora here. Only one word: yum!

I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

**

We'd read good things about Pearl Street Pizzeria in the Warehouse District and couldn't wait to try it. This locally owned back-alley restaurant is in the heart of downtown and just a couple of blocks from Monument Circle, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium.

Pearl Street Pizzeria

For dinner, we shared a twelve inch deep dish pizza, meatlovers on half with sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham and mozzarella, and just pepperoni on the other half. This pizza would stand up to any deep dish pizza we have eaten in Chicago. The meatlovers side was full of meat and the entire pizza had just the right amount of cheese and sauce. The crust was firm and the pizza was not greasy. So tempting, we dug into it before taking a picture. Sorry. 

Dora here. Not a fan of real saucy pizzas or thin crusts, so whenever I can talk Ernie into deep dish, I’m all over it and this pizza was perfect! Just the way I love my pizza. Heads up, though. The place is small, and it was jammed and really loud. Get there early if you don’t want to wait to sit or order one to go. :) 

I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Three Amigos Mexican Grill and Cantina located in the Midwood area of Charlotte. Dora here. You getting tired of Midwood yet? I'm not. :) This restaurant located in a small strip center provides an ideal location for a quick drop-in lunch or a family get-together for dinner.

As part of an online app promotion, we started with a free Beef Empanada, a pastry shell turnover made by folding dough over a filling, beef hamburger in this case, sealing it, and frying it. 

Beef Empanada

This Empanada was great, fried golden brown, with a juicy filling including cheese. Dora here. And what a great start it was! Gooey cheese pocketed in the perfect crust. 

For the meal, I ordered the Fajitas De Camaron, shrimp fajitas cooked with onions and green peppers served in a cast iron skillet along with sides of rice and refried beans, delivered to the table, sizzling. The shrimp and vegies were tender, but I would have liked more seasoning to bring out the flavor. 

Fajitas de Camaron

Be prepared for ginormous portion sizes. If we'd known, we could've easily shared.

Dora here. So hubby knows that I usually order fajitas at Mexican restaurants. At his prodding to try something different (I find it interesting that he ordered fajitas, don't you? What's up with that? :) ) and the server's recommendation, I opted for the Bistec Encebollado, grilled steak with onions along with rice and refried beans. And tortilla shells, of course.

Bistec Encebollado

In my opinion, this tasted much like steak fajitas and I would've enjoyed it with a bit more zest as well. Other than that, the tortillas, both flour and corn, tasted like they were made on site and the beans and rice were good. Overall, the meal was pleasant.

I would rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo? 

Do you have a favorite Mexican restaurant?