Author: Dora Hiers
Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers
This edition of Exited about Eating is back in the US at Amelie’s French Bakery in the NoDa (North Davidson) Arts District of Charlotte. This bakery, that also serves a variety of sandwiches, salads and other specialties, is a go-to place to quench not only your sweet tooth, but also your savory cravings.
Amelie’s French Bakery in NoDa
Dora here. You can say that again. Wait until you catch a glimpse of their dessert counter. Yowza!
Fun, eclectic interior. Order at the counter
I ordered the Provence B.L.T with Red Potato Salad and because I had no idea what a Tartine was, a Ham & Gruyere Tartine. The B.L.T. was served on a crispy baguette with loads of bacon, lettuce, and mayo that combined for the perfect bite, crispy on the outside and loads of flavor on the inside.
BLT with Potato Salad
The Tartine is actually an open-faced sandwich. The baguette was blanketed with ham and melted Gruyere cheese.
Dora here. Talk about gooey and cheesy delicious!! We could’ve made a meal on the tartine alone! But we didn’t. 😀
The Strawberry Candied Almond Salad called to me. Because you know I’m all for salads with fruit, right? Yum! I added chicken for protein and my mouth exploded with flavor with the almost-sweet balsamic vinaigrette and the crunchy candy almonds. Yum! My only negative about this dish would be that it was entirely spring mix (Ernie calls them “weeds”). I would’ve preferred romaine and should’ve asked for the switch.
Strawberry Candied Almond Salad with Chicken – YUM!
Still Dora, the interior is eclectic and homey, like a family dinner, with all sorts of conversations flowing and swirling around you. Can you spot my sweetheart in this pic? xo
Homey and eclectic
Still Dora. What’s up with the big guy? He petered out at the best part. lol. Of course, we couldn’t pass by that bakery case without ordering dessert–awesome marketing ploy on their part, don’t you think? The Monkey Bread (Ernie’s choice) looks sickeningly sweet, doesn’t it? But so not! So delicate, it reminded me of an apple fritter without the chunky apples. And that’s a coconut macaroon next to it. I admit to being disappointed that it wasn’t dipped in chocolate at first, but one bite of that chewy ball of coconut made up for it. Mmmmm.
Monkey Bread, Coconut Macaroon, Chai Tea Lattes (iced and hot)
Amelie’s definitely made it on our “must go back” list.
Everybody lines up in front of this extensive dessert case to order. Like you could resist, right?
We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.
He’s a good, good daddy…
“Dad, stop! Stop! Scott fell out!” Brown eyes huge with panic, a healthy dose of fear paralyzed our eight-year-old son midway in the motor home.
Hubby was driving a new-to-us, thirty-foot camper. Confused, he glanced in the rearview mirror, all the way to the back where I had been entertaining our two kids. Our eighteen-month old had bounced off the bed and landed where our eldest son couldn’t see him.
“It’s all right. Scott didn’t fall out,” I assured both my husband and son. “But you might want to pull over.” Digging a wiggling toddler, who hadn’t yet realized his predicament, from the side of the mattress and the carpeted wall, might require more strength than I could muster. Plus our oldest needed reassurance that his younger brother was actually safe inside the camper, not left behind on the pavement. He needed to know that he wasn’t alone with his fear and that we were there for him…
Weaving a Legacy of Grace 