Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

July 1, 2017June 20, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 13 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a large mixed community in the South Park area of Charlotte, to Dogwood Southern Table & Bar. This contemporary eating establishment offers “elevated southern cuisine” using in-house creations from local and sustainable sources.

Dogwood Southern Table Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Ample free parking garages

Dora here. Because it was Father’s Day and we didn’t make reservations, our only seating options were the patio or the bar. Glorious day, beautiful patio, no brainer. 🙂

Too pretty a day to sit inside. Especially with a gorgeous patio like this

For an appetizer, we chose the Maw Maw’s Biscuits served with butter and jam. The biscuits were great, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Adding the butter and jam made for an outstanding bite. Dora here. When I lifted the linen and saw the charred tops on these biscuits, I considered asking for another basket, but hubby usually orders everything extra crispy, so he was thrilled. No worries! Even with the toasted tops, these biscuits were great. Buttery flavor, crumbly, and had to eat with a fork. Good to the last fork!

Maw Maw’s Biscuits. Buttery flavor, crumbly and good to the last fork!

For my meal, I chose the Steak and Eggs. Normally, it’s sirloin, but this day it was prime rib, green beans, potatoes, and spinach served with an easy-over egg on top. The prime rib was cooked a perfect medium rare, tender and juicy. The crispy potatoes and veggies paired well with the dish. I am not one who usually orders steak out, but I would definitely order this dish again.

Brunch Prime Rib, tender and juicy! I’d definitely order this dish again.

Dora here. Whenever a place serves only brunch on the weekend, I’m usually ready for a dilemma. Give me my cereal or an English Muffin with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast and I’m good. When I go out for lunch, I want lunch, so I opted for the Breakfast Burger today. I appreciated all the individual components: scrambled egg, cheddar, bacon jam, incredibly soft bun. But together? Not so much. And it turns out I’m not a fan of grass-fed beef. Something about the flavor just messed with my taste buds. Who’d have guessed? Hubby liked it.

Breakfast Burger

What’s your favorite brunch dish/place?

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

JOY…the Remnant of Sorrow

June 28, 2017May 3, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

Joy Sorrow Fiction Faith & Foodies Dora Hiers

“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” ― Jalaluddin Rumi

To Ponder: Have you ever gone through a period when grief actually made you sick, when sorrow threatened to undo you? When you reached the other side, did “far better things” replace what you lost?

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

June 24, 2017June 12, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a century old building that was once the maintenance station of Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC, and now houses Café Portofino. This casual restaurant offers a wide variety of sandwiches, pastas, and steaks.

Cafe Portofino Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Parking in front, but also a bigger lot on the side with FREE parking!

Dora here. I must confess I was a bit apprehensive about trying this place since it’s practically right across the street from Appalachian State. I expected it to be a student bar/hangout. And, since we entered the establishment from the parking lot on the side, that was precisely my first impression of the narrow, dimly-lit room. But that’s the wrong door. The front door’s on the other side. lol. The restaurant portion is actually quite spacious.

It’s actually quite spacious on the inside if you enter from the correct door. lol (Sorry for the fuzzy picture!)

But who wants to sit inside with such glorious weather? And–bonus!–the outdoor patio is dog friendly! There’s an adorable Corgi puppy hanging out under the table next to us.

Cafe Portofino Fiction Faith & Foodie Ernie & Dora Hiers

Bonus, the outdoor patio is DOG friendly!

For my lunch, I chose the Portofino Spaghetti, a meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage and garlic served over spaghetti, served with a side salad and a roll sprinkled with parmesan. Their Greek feta salad dressing was outstanding, and the spaghetti cooked flawlessly. The yeast roll was hardy, perfect for dipping up the meaty, thick, garlicky sauce, and I appreciated the spoon they brought for the pasta without me asking.

Portofino Spaghetti, meaty and thick

Dora here. The server was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable and helpful with suggestions. The Grown Up Mac & Cheese was a notch above typical pub food. Penne pasta, grilled chicken and broccoli blanketed with a cream sauce, and then sprinkled with another layer of cheese. Although I enjoyed this dish and all the components, I would’ve preferred less sauce. Overall, though, a pleasant surprise and one I would order again with a special request of less sauce.

Grown Up Mac & Cheese, a pleasant surprise. Next time, though, I will order it with less sauce.

What about you? What was the last meal/restaurant that exceeded your expectations?

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

Weaving a Legacy of Grace

Finding joy in the everyday with inspirational nuggets and great books!

Author: Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

JOY…the Remnant of Sorrow

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a century old building that was once the maintenance station of Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC, and now houses Café Portofino. This casual restaurant offers a wide variety of sandwiches, pastas, and steaks.