Author: Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 17 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating features…
Dora here. So, it’s Superbowl Sunday and hubby decides he wants to go to Mert’s. Mert’s, right in the heart of downtown Charlotte! Granted, the Superbowl wasn’t being played in Charlotte, but the downtown area was a hub of activity with local restaurants/bars offering special activities/prices for the event. Good thing I had a backup planned. After circling a few times and not finding a parking spot, we diverted to…

Bakersfield Tacos on East Blvd in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte. 

Dora here. Where we still ran into a parking dilemma. No private lot, not a street parking space for blocks, and plenty of signage nearby stating “NO BAKERSFIELD.” But, thankfully, only on Sundays, Berrybrook Farm allows Bakersfield patrons to park free in their lot. The server told us they have valet parking at night.

On Sundays, park in the Berrybrook Farm lot across the street


A local place serving up their own version of Mexican cuisine, Bakersfield offers both full size plates and petite tacos. 

For our appetizer, we chose the Chips and Queso and added Chorizo. This queso was great, thick, gooey and with a little smoky flavor, but the star of this dish was the fried chorizo. Combined with the queso, it was the perfect match for the salty but hardy chips.

Chips & Queso with Chorizo

Dora here. The first thing that hit me about this was the smell. Amaaaazing! Cheesy, deep flavor, delicious! I could’ve made this a whole meal. I couldn’t scoop this up fast enough! 🙂

Chips & Queso with Chorizo. Soooo good!

For my lunch, I chose four different tacos: Fish, Pork Belly Pastor, Bistec, and Short Rib all served on in-house handmade tortillas. 

Bottom Left: Pork Belly Pastor, Upper Left: Bistec, Upper Right: Short Rib, Bottom Right: Fish


The fish taco featured Mahi, lime sauce, citrus slaw, and cilantro. A great tasting taco with crispy fish and a crunch from the citrus slaw. 

The pork belly pastor included chili marinated pork, pineapple, onion and cilantro. A sweet tasting taco that I just couldn’t get enough of. 

The short rib was my favorite. Tender braised short rib, queso fresco, crema (like sour cream), onion, radish, and cilantro combined for a perfect taco. 

The Bistec, marinated short rib with a spicy chipotle slaw, had me reaching for my drink after every bite.

Dora here. I sampled a bite of all the tacos. Yowza! What an explosion of flavors! Since I’m not typically a huge fan of fish or pork, I was surprised at my top two faves: Pork Belly Pastor and Fish. By the time I made it to my Milanesa Torta, my mouth was on fire! In a good way. 🙂

Milanesa Torta


Check out that tender white chicken breast! Mmmm. And I loved the fresh bread, a Telera Roll, “similar to a French roll with a scored and flour-dusted crust.” 

Milanesa Torta. Check out that tender white chicken breast!


Intense flavors as well, with a bold blend of black beans, salsa verde, avocado and lemon mayo, but I would’ve preferred half the pesto.

Eventually, we’ll make it to Mert’s. 🙂

What about you? How do you like your tacos?

Dora rated this restaurant a 4, but I rate it a 5. Since that equates to 4 1/2, we’ll give them 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

Bakersfield Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Excited about Reading: The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor by Anna J. Stewart

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

The Cover Story~
Can people truly change?

Two things keep Holly Campbell grounded: her precocious son and preserving her forty-year-old family diner in the face of expansion and change. She doesn’t need a blast from the past like Luke Saxon, who’s back in Butterfly Harbor after more than a decade away. The hard-luck kid who nearly destroyed her family, leaving her to pick up the pieces, is taking over as sheriff. She can’t trust him, even if Luke’s ideas for the town’s upcoming anniversary seem to show he’s trying to give back to their community. Has Butterfly Harbor found its unlikely savior? And has the widowed single mother finally found a man she can believe in, rely on…and love?

Sharing my takeaway~
Let’s start with what I didn’t like about this book. Hmmm. 

Well, that was quick. lol. 

The cover hooked me, but I confess the title scared me a little. Since I’d not read anything by Anna J. Stewart before, I worried that this book might contain graphic scenes. But it’s a Heartwarming, so I decided to take a chance. I’m glad I did. Heartwarming is definitely an apt description. 

Luke bumped Holly’s father out of his job as sheriff, and Holly blamed him for her family’s breakup. They had more than a few bumps on the road to romance.

“Owning up to our mistakes, to our misgivings about people, is what makes us better people.”


Luke blamed himself too. A son of an alcoholic father, Luke was abused, physically and emotionally. Stepping foot in his childhood house again releases ugly memories.

“Eight years in the ground and his father could still chip away at Luke’s self-worth. Luke had been a soldier and a cop, but in his mind, he’d always hear his father beating him down, telling him he’d never amount to anything. That he would always be unworthy of respect, let alone affection.”


Holly’s father never stopped believing in Luke and was the driving force behind the new Luke. While this isn’t a Christian romance, I pictured our spiritual father. Always believing in us, always encouraging, never giving up on us. That starts a “pay it forward” theme for Luke as he comes back to help Butterfly Harbor regain its footing, a different man than the one who left. An unlikely companion and a kid following a similar path as Luke’s help Luke find peace with his past. But Holly and her precocious son Simon offer hope for the future. 

Secondary characters play a big role in this story, and I hope we’ll read about their stories in future books. More than focusing on romance, though, The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor is about hope and overcoming obstacles, about forgiveness and relationships, about forging a different path for the future than the sorry one left behind. Thankfully, the worry about explicit scenes was unfounded. I’m glad I took a chance on The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor, and I’ll be looking for more by Anna J. Stewart. If you’re looking for something light and flirty, this isn’t the book. But, if you’d like to dig into something a bit meatier and heavy on the heartstrings, definitely check this one out. 🙂

Disclaimer: I purchased my own copy of this book. I was in no way compensated and this is my fair and unbiased review.
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