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 to Krazy Fish in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. We arrived a little before noon on Good Friday and waited a few minutes to be greeted and seated. The first thing we noticed was the eclectic interior combined with junk art throughout the restaurant, and the musty smell was a turn off.

Interior

At the waiter’s suggestion, we shared the Neptune Platter which included fried fish, shrimp, calamari, scallops, and vegetables and also served with Krazy slaw, Mac n Cheese (our choice) and cornbread. Nuoc Cham (at least, that's what we think it was?) and wasabi tartar dipping sauces were provided.

Neptune Platter

I don't believe there is any way one person could have eaten this entire meal. It was huge. The fish was tender, the calamari crispy, and the fried vegetables were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of bite, the highlight of the dish. The two negatives of this dish were the Krazy slaw and the cornbread. The slaw had an unidentifiable spice and a "pickled" flavor which made it almost uneatable and the cornbread was very dry. Dora here. I'm not a huge fan of seafood in general, so it takes a lot to win me over. For me, the fish was a bit too fishy, and nothing on the plate really stood out or invited me to come back. Maybe I might've liked the grilled platter more.

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

For today's review we headed south of Charlotte to the Elizabeth neighborhood. This neighborhood was named after Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s college founded in 1897 and is now the site of Presbyterian Hospital. Bang Bang Burgers is tucked into the back corner of the Twin Oaks Shopping Center, our second visit here. Dora here. So many cool looking restaurants in this area to tempt us along the way! 

Bang Bang Burgers

Service was speedy. The Fried Pickles appetizer appeared within minutes. The fried pickles were worth the return visit, a combination between a dill and sweet pickle served with a homemade ranch dipping sauce, cut into spears with heavy batter. They had to be one of the best fried pickles that I have ever tried. Dora here, The Best. Fried. Pickle. Ever. Sweet and sour warred on my tongue. Why don't more places fry sweet pickles? 

Fried Pickles

My Bang Bang Burger was served with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and their famous Bangburger Sauce while the onion rings were also served with the Bangburger sauce for dipping. The burger was moist, ample size, and charred well. The onion rings were good but I preferred the Maple dipping sauce that came with my wife’s sweet potatoes fries.

Dora’s Cowboy Burger was served with sharp cheddar, bacon, and a smoky BBQ sauce while the sweet potatoes fries came with the lick-your-fingers-delicious maple dipping sauce. Dora here. Burgers are my go-to, and this burger was OK, not great. It was missing drip-down-your-chin juiciness. Presentation was beautiful, and the fries were sweet and moist. They would have been great on their own, but the maple dipping sauce rocketed them to awesome. 

Cowboy Burger

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

Dora here. If you like after lunch coffee and a sweet, walk around the corner to Sunflour Baking Company. Yum! I'm so thankful for my foodie husband!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroon

Latte

Do you have a favorite burger spot?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This week's Excited about Eating is headed to Uptown Charlotte to visit Ri Ra Irish Pub. When we walked into this restaurant, it felt like we were walking into a pub in Ireland. Our server told us that the interior was transported from Ireland and restored into its existing condition.

Ri Ra Irish Pub

Interior

We started with the Potato Cake appetizer, pan seared potato and cheddar cakes served with savory sour cream and a balsamic reduction. The Potato Cake was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. On the downside, it was loaded with onions and only served lukewarm. Dora here, in blue. Good thing we didn't stop there. :)

Potato Cake

I ordered the Shepherd’s Pie, made with minced lamb, gravy, peas, carrots, and leeks served with a mashed potato crust and a slice of brown bread. The term “shepherd’s pie” is used when the meat is lamb; the theory being that shepherd is connected to sheep and not cattle. This was an outstanding dish. The lamb and vegetables were perfectly cooked and full of favor with just the right amount of liquid, and the mashed potatoes were creamy with a nice crust. I'm always game for Shepherd's Pie, and this was the first I've tasted with lamb. Thankfully, hubby shared with me or I might've resorted to stealing his fork. Soooo good! 

Shepherd's Pie

My wife chose the Ri Ra Burger, topped with Ashe County cheddar, country ham, brown sugar onions and a Brioche bun. This burger was tall, juicy, and almost too big for the mouth. The caramelized brown sugar onions were sweet, and the garlic mayo added a unique taste. The “Chipper “ chips are actually thick cut fries. I snagged a few and enjoyed dipping them in the garlic mayo. This was a messy burger, but oh so yummalicious! And I probably drank a gallon of their iced tea.

Ri Ra Burger

I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. If I included the less-than-thrilling appetizer, I'd lower my rating to 4 forks.

~Ernie Hiers, Food blogger at Fiction Faith & Foodies