Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Port City Club in Cornelius, North Carolina. 

This lakefront restaurant is located on Lake Norman, where you can drive, walk or boat to your meal. 

Inside

Dora here. How have we not discovered this gem sooner? What a glorious day for sitting outside! Everybody else agreed with us. Port City Club offers generous seating inside and three different levels outside, including one covered. What a gorgeous, relaxing setting for any meal.

Covered patio

For my meal, I chose the Lobster and Shrimp Roll. Maine lobster, poached shrimp, scallion, basil, and mayo served on a New England style split roll. Huge and meaty with just the right amount of mayo, this sandwich was outstanding and matched any meal that I enjoyed during our visit to Maine. 

Dora here. I opted for the Port City Club, grilled chicken, bacon and smoked Gouda on a brioche roll. Delish! Tender, moist, and jazzed with a garlic aioli, I'd definitely go back for a repeat. 

Can't see the chicken? Here's a better view:

The service was attentive, friendly and flawless. Not once did our tea or water glass drain, and every time a server walked by, used items were scooped from the table with a smile. It's the perfect location for brokering business deals, families with active children, and couples looking for a romantic setting. 

We 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 the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington DC and to Old Engine 12 Firehouse Restaurant. 

Constructed in 1895 as a firehouse, this beautiful structure housed firefighters for over a century until transformed in 2013 as a restaurant. "From the brass fireman’s pole to the Captain’s Loft we have preserved the legacy and character of the original firehouse that once served here."

Dora here. Sorry for the blurry photo. A rescue unit was parked across the street, and the red lights reflected from both directions. Fitting for a converted firehouse, right? :) Oh, and their website indicates this restaurant is located in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, but it's also only a couple blocks from Shaw.

The Grilled Brussel Sprouts appetizer with balsamic molasses syrup and sea salt was outstanding. With just the right amount of char and sweetness, these sprouts were delicious.

Grilled Brussel Sprouts Appetizer

The Classic Lasagna, made with short rib Bolognese, ricotta and arugula, was huge, definitely large enough to share. The pasta was homemade and thin and mixed great with the sauce and massive amounts of ricotta. The star of this dish was the brisket short rib; tender, juicy, and something you would not expect in lasagna. The only negative was the layer of arugula. More than I expected and a bit overwhelming. 

Classic Lasagna

Dora here. Beautiful dish, though, right? It's a stunner presentation, but I agree. One bite, and the pungent arugula took over for me. I'm glad I ordered the Firehouse Burger. lol. Meaty, thick and juicy, the special sauce jazzed up the flavor even more. Delish!

Firehouse Burger

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food. Dora here. This restaurant deserves five forks for ambiance. As a converted fire station, how could it not? lol. We enjoyed the outside patio. Cool and breezy and quiet, easy for conversation. A perfect spot for dinner! 

Outdoor patio

They score 5 forks for presentation and the burger, but the excessive arugula brings it down to 4 overall.

What's the most unusual ingredient you've tasted in lasagna? Did you enjoy the twist or do you prefer traditional?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, to Café Agora, a Turkish restaurant that serves Turkic, Arabic, Persian, and Greek food. Agora means “gathering place” or “assembly” and was the center of life in a city.

Since we're headed to Istanbul this fall, we decided to give Turkish food a try. We discovered dishes that we enjoyed, and others, not so much.

The Agora Mixed Grill consisted of several kabobs: chicken, lamb, adana (minced lamb), Kofta (ground beef), and beef/lamb gyros. All the meats were tender and juicy, and very tasty. My favorite was the lamb kabob. My least favorites were the gyro meats.

Agora Mixed Grill

The salad was fresh and light. Every single forkful zinged with flavor.

Agora Mixed Grill ~ under the bread

Dora here. I'd read great things about their Maza Platter appetizer. Hummus, Ezme (tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion, and walnuts), Eggplant Salad, Babaganush (another eggplant concoction), Piyaz (red beans, tomatoes, onion), Potato Salad, Fried Eggplant, Haydari (yogurt, walnuts, dill), Tabuli (parsley, tomato, cucumber), and Carrot Salad (made with yogurt). Phew! Is that it? :)

Maza Platter appetizer - small

Can you believe that's a small plate?? It's a whole meal! My faves were Ezme, Hummus, Haydari, Potato Salad, and Carrot Salad. They could've left off the three eggplant dishes, but that's just my personal preference. And they didn't blink when we asked for a second basket of that awesome bread. Delish! If you're looking for a sample of flavors, this is the dish to order.

It's always nice when a complimentary treat comes out with the bill.

Complimentary Rice Pudding

We 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 spotlights a couple restaurants in Michigan, where we visited for a NASCAR race.

We discovered a gem, the Breakfast Club in Farmington Hills, a home town family restaurant serving up breakfast and lunch to the locals.

I chose the Meat Lovers Bowl. Sausage, bacon, ham, and eggs topped with cheese and served over diced potatoes with a side of sausage gravy and fresh fruit. This breakfast was great! Crispy potatoes, perfectly cooked poached eggs, and a hearty heaping of meat and cheese. I used the sausage gravy for dipping the crispy potatoes.

Meat Lovers Bowl

Dora here. I ordered The Greasy Spoon. Hash browns, melted cheese, caramelized onions, topped with two eggs and served with toast and fresh fruit. Let me say I’m not a huge breakfast fan. I’m usually quite happy with a bowl of cereal. And this was so much food! Everything was tasty and filling, but I could’ve made a meal on the walnut cherry toast. Yowza! Crispy yet chewy, and buttery with bits of fruit and nuts. Delicious! 

Service was quick and friendly, and hubby’s late special order of a poached egg rather than scrambled didn’t upset. Actually, the waitress responded that they take care of their customers. And that was obvious with the chocolate covered strawberries that come complimentary with the checks. YUM! What a sweet way to start the day. And we can certainly understand why this restaurant is a local favorite.

Complimentary chocolate covered strawberries

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

The next day we scouted out a local pizza place. Buddy’s Pizza in Livonia, with their deep dish offerings, sounded right up our foodie alley.

Be warned, though. Don’t wait until 7 PM on a Friday night and expect to get right in. This place was jammed!

Their pizzas come in squares of 4 or 8. We opted for 2x4’s, a Meat Deluxe with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, bacon, and seasoned ground beef, and a Pepperoni. Both pizzas were outstanding, not greasy, and full of flavor.

4 sq pepperoni

4 sq Meat Deluxe

Dora here. I confess that I tend to be somewhat of a pizza snob. I don’t like pizzas smothered in sauce or cheese, and my fave is thick and doughy. These pies were not doughy, but crispy and not too cheesy or saucy. Surprisingly awesome, and I can definitely understand why they were packed! Slice out a wedge of time, though, because the pies took forevah!

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

Excited about Eating ~ BONUS Edition by Ernie Hiers

This bonus edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Cheddar’s Restaurant in the University area of Charlotte. This casual family restaurant, founded in Arlington, Texas boasts that they want to “be a great restaurant that serves quality food fresh from the kitchen in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere at a fair price.” I believe they accomplish this.

Cheddars - interior

For lunch I chose the Homemade Chicken Pot Pie served with a fresh Caesar salad. The Pot Pie was full of chunky chicken, potatoes and vegies, and a tasty cream sauce. The crust was flaky, golden brown, and just the right thickness.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Dora here. Candy pecans, honey lime dressing and a finger-licking-buttery croissant jazzed up an ordinary salad to over-the-top for me, and I could drink a gallon of their unsweet tea.

Grilled Chicken Pecan Salad

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Terrace Cafe

This edition of “Excited about Eating” takes us to the Terrace Café located in the Piedmont Town Center in the heart of SouthPark. This multi-use Town Center features shops, restaurants, offices, and residential properties arranged in a walkable community.

We arrived at 12:10 on a Saturday to a 75 minute wait. Honestly, we debated leaving but decided to wait and that was a great decision because it turned into a manageable 40 minutes. We had a great view of the industrial style loft area and the charm that comes with this type of structure. 

Terrace Café offers a wide variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While waiting, we noticed that most of the dishes coming out of the kitchen were breakfast. Although they looked appetizing, we opted for lunch.

We started with an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes served with a warm pimento cheese dip. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Fried Green Tomatoes arrived quickly and were crispy outside and tender inside with a slight vinegary taste. They were great. Even my wife, who really doesn’t like tomatoes, enjoyed them. I think they could serve the cheese dip on anything and it would be great.

I ordered the Nashville Fried Chicken tossed in hot sauce and served over braised collard greens and mashed potatoes.

Nashville Fried Chicken

The chicken was outstanding, crispy and tender, but the mashed potatoes took the prize as the best component of this dish. They were light and creamy with just enough lumps to let you know they were freshly made. The collard greens were a combination of sweet and vinegary, and tasted great. The portions were huge, and definitely not for someone who doesn’t like heat as the Nashville hot sauce lived up to its name. Dora here. Definitely a "forehead slicker." lol.

My wife ordered the Chicken Salad Croissant, a Hawaiian version of chicken salad on a fresh croissant served with lettuce and tomato and sweet potato waffle fries. 

Chicken Salad Croissant

The chicken salad, made with cream cheese instead of the normal mayo, included grapes, pineapple, pecans, and mandarin oranges. The sweet potatoes waffle fries were a first for us, but something we'd definitely order again.

I finished off my meal with a Peanut Butter Cup Latte and my wife chose the Tiramisu Latte. Both were excellent and a great way to cap off our meal. Dora here. Lip-smacking yummy!

Tiramisu Latte

Overall I would highly recommend this restaurant for someone looking for a unique restaurant offering exceptional food. I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.