Month: March 2015

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

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

Ri Ra the Irish Pub on Urbanspoon

Excited about Reading ~ Her Nerdy Cowboy by Annette M. Irby

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Purchase Link ~ FREE through Lent

The Cover Story~

Whoever heard of a bookish cowboy? When Logan McDaniel’s brother-in-law dies, he steps in to help his beloved sister run her ranch. But what does a city boy know of herding cattle? Claire Langley loved her cousin. After he dies, she agrees to serve as a temporary nanny for two heartbroken children. Claire and Logan find they share a love of books, and Claire can’t resist the nerdy uncle who is great with children, and who reads to her of pirate romance. Claire’s ailing mother needs her in Seattle. Can she break away? And if she does, can there ever be a future for Logan and her?

My takeaway~
Chunky black eyeglasses and a book lover? Awesome! So Logan McDaniel isn’t your typical cowboy hero, but I admired him anyway. Not only did he put his career on hold to help his recently widowed sister with the kids, but horseback riding and ranching isn’t his thing. 

He was not up to this filling-another-man’s-shoes task, no matter what his mother said or Macy thought. He wasn’t heroic, as Claire and his sister declared. Just woefully nerdy and inadequate. But he’d try. Beginning in just a few hours at four-dark-nasty in the morning.


And what woman wouldn’t love a man who’s good with kids? Of course, that endears him to Nanny Claire. But when Claire becomes ill, and he brings dinner and reads to her…insert dreamy sigh. Yeah. Hero, right?

I can understand being reluctant to pick up a dollar download, but this petite thirty seven pages covers two years, from the cute meet to the…well, let’s just say it covers two years, so you won’t feel short-changed. Her Nerdy Cowboy is flirty and light, and is the perfect size and flavor to read during your lunch break or in the pick-up line at school. And did I mention that it’s FREE all through Lent? Don’t wait! But even if you can’t scoop it up before the sale ends, it’s only $1. 🙂 

Disclaimer: I received Her Nerdy Cowboy FREE from Pelican Book Group as part of their 40 days of Lent free e-book program.