Author: Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 3 Comments
The first segment of Excited about Eating takes us to downtown Baltimore and to Nando’s PERi-PERi. I have never eaten Portuguese food but I was more than excited to give it a try.  Dora here. Hmmm…as I recall, I was the one excited to try it. You were a bit skeptical because of the chicken-heavy menu, and I dragged you along for the walk. 🙂

Exterior

I chose their famous ¼ chicken – breast/wing with flame-grilled corn on the cob and butternut squash medley. You can order their chicken spiced a multitude of different ways so I chose medium. The chicken was outstanding, juicy and grilled perfectly. The corn was charred from the flame grilling, giving it a deep smoky taste and the butternut squash medley packed in red onion, dried cranberries, cilantro and chili. Just a warning, this side is spicy!

1/4 Chicken Breast/Wing with Corn & Butternut Squash Medley
Dora here. Haha. Wasn’t everything spicy? A forehead slicker for sure! You kept calling for wipes. Lol. I chose the chicken breast sandwich on Portuguese bread with some lime-heated sauce. Yowza! The white meat was juicy and tender, and the whole sandwich was delish with eye-popping flavor! 

Chicken Breast Sandwich

When you enter the restaurant, you’re given a numbered rooster which corresponds to a table. You order at the counter, grab your condiments and drinks, and then sit at your assigned table. I loved the eclectic, exposed brick interior. Get here early because seating fills up fast and folks were huddled around the counter waiting to order. But not to worry if you can’t. The meals were delivered quickly and service was friendly and efficient. I’d definitely eat at another Nando’s!

Eclectic interior

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

Nando's Peri-Peri on Urbanspoon

Next, we moved on to the Chinatown area of Washington, DC, to Daikaya, serving Sapporo-style ramen. Ramen restaurants seem to be the rage lately. Dora here. Don’t conceptualize the packaged noodles you’d buy in a grocery store. Not even close. 

Daikaya – exterior


As an appetizer, we chose the gyoza dumplings, pan fried, full of flavor and something that you just want more of.

Gyoza Dumplings


Since we were told the serving sizes were huge, we shared the Shoyu Ramen, a hearty sized bowl with roasted pork, noodles, and veggies in a dark rich soy sauce. Now I have never tasted ramen before but this dish has made me into a believer. Deep flavors and full of noodles and vegetables, this dish was outstanding.  Also, they were right. Neither of us left the restaurant hungry. Dora here. Great experience, and I’d go here again, but I don’t think I’d like a weekly diet of Ramen unless it was twenty degrees outside. 🙂 

Shoyu Ramen


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

Daikaya on Urbanspoon

After several visits to DC and just as many attempts to get a table at Founding Farmers, a farm-to-table restaurant three blocks west of the White House, we finally made it! Reservations are the best way to sample this restaurant unless you have a couple hours to kill waiting. 

Exterior


Our waiter explained that Founding Farmers typically purchases from local merchants and farmers’ markets. When they can’t find fresh ingredients locally, they buy carbon offsets to ensure that regardless of distance, Founding Farmers is walking its talk that the planet matters. 

We started our meal with the Skillet Corn Bread served with sea salt and honey butter. This corn bread was great, sweet even without the honey, and packed with fresh corn. Unfortunately, we dug in so fast, we forgot to snap a picture. Sorry!

I chose the Signature Chicken Pot Pie, and the waiter practically dared me to finish it. Chicken pot pie is one of my favorites, so I have experienced this dish at many restaurants, but this one was excellent. Bursting with chicken and fresh vegetables and a broth that kept my fork coming back for more, I still couldn’t clean my plate. 

Signature Chicken Pot Pie


Dora here. I ordered the Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli. Soft ravioli puffs, smooth and tasty, but loaded with flavor in a delicate, refined way. Delish! 

Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli


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

 Founding Farmers on Urbanspoon

What heat level do you prefer? Light your mouth on fire? Sizzling? Warm? Or no heat?

Excited about Reading: A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

/ Dora Hiers
Amazon Buy Link

The Cover Story~

Stone Hammond is the best tracker in Texas. He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.

Charlotte Atherton, former headmistress of Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the orphaned girl entrusted to her care. Charlotte promised Lily’s mother she’d keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.

When Miss Atherton produces documentation that shows her to be Lily’s legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything he’s been led to believe. Is she villain or victim?

Then a new danger forces Charlotte to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone vows to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he’s ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte’s heart.


Sharing my takeaway~
Sitting down to read a Karen Witemeyer book is like settling back on the couch and chatting with a friend or loved one who I haven’t seen in awhile over a cup of coffee. Exciting, comfortable, and over way too soon!

What a great cast of characters! Charlotte, aka Miss Lottie, former headmistress who creates her own family of abandoned students. Lily, an orphan entrusted to her care by Lily’s mother, Lottie’s best friend. Stephen, left behind by parents who travel extensively in Europe, and John, an orphan with musical gifts. Stone calls himself a “retriever,” hired by Lily’s grandfather to bring her back. And the gnome gave me laughing fits!

The plot moves along at a fast clip. Romancing man-shy Charlotte takes a little longer, but the sigh-worthy hero vows not to give up. A gentle faith thread addresses topics like discerning God’s path for our lives and choosing joy over our circumstances, and music lovers will appreciate the musical theme. A Worthy Pursuit is definitely worthy of a few hours of your time. 🙂

Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for the privilege of reading and reviewing A Worthy Pursuit. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. I was in no way compensated for my review.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 1 Comment
This edition of Exited about Eating features a bonus since we visited two restaurants on a holiday weekend. Our first visit was to the South End of Charlotte to Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop. 
Now when I hear Soda Shop, it brings back memories of diners that were located in drug stores forty years ago and this place meets the billing. We visited on a Sunday and they were serving their Brunch buffet which I was eager to try. Service was attentive and friendly, and brunch provided a wide variety of both breakfast and lunch selections and also quite of few sweet options.
For breakfast, the standout item for me was the biscuits with sausage gravy. The biscuits were light and fluffy and the gravy creamy with just the right amount of sausage. For lunch, the broccoli casserole stood out, tender, rich, and packed with broccoli. Also the scones and key lime pie were outstanding choices. 
Biscuits and sausage gravy
Brunch buffet

Dora here. Lots of carb heavy dishes, but not enough proteins for me. Some of my faves: blueberry french toast, coffee cake, and carrot cake. See what I mean? 🙂 Flavor was great, but a tad lukewarm for my taste. I’m the gal who orders my coffee extra hot. 

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

Pike's Old Fashioned Soda Shop and Fine Diner on Urbanspoon

On Monday of the holiday weekend, we visited Whiskey Warehouse in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte. This rustic looking pub has an industrial feel built into a sports bar with many TV’s and a large rooftop patio. 

We started with the Brussel sprouts appetizer, cooked in a white wine, garlic and parmesan reduction topped with bacon jelly. We are really not sprouts fans, but we gave them a try and were not disappointed. They were roasted, smoky and the bacon jelly could easily get addictive. Dora here. Still not a sprouts fan, but this appetizer is a great way to entice kids, er…adults to eat their veggies. That bacon’s like candy!

Brussel Sprouts Appetizer

Since May was National Burger Month, we ordered burgers. I selected the Elvis Burger, topped with peanut butter, bacon and cheese. Now I am a peanut butter lover but have never thought about adding it to a burger but will in the future. This burger was large, juicy, and tasted great. You could taste the peanut butter, but it was not overwhelming and blended together perfectly.

Elvis Burger
Dora here. Based on our friendly server’s recommendation, I ordered the Bistro Burger, topped with caramelized onions, Brie cheese, bacon and a horseradish dijon aioli. Oh my stars! This juicy burger wowed me with robust flavor, the sweetness from the Brie and onions calling out for more bites until all I had left was an empty plate. The hand-cut fries were a perfect accompaniment, and finally, a restaurant that passed my iced tea test with an A+! Adding Whiskey Warehouse to our “must return” list.
Bistro Burger

I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.
Whiskey Warehouse on Urbanspoon

What’s the most surprising topping you’ve ever tried on a burger? Did you like it?