Sorry, friends, but this was a crazy week. Besides Ernie not feeling well and battling a vicious cough, we kept Little Man all weekend. Not sure you’d be too interested in hearing about chicken nuggets and happy meals…lol.
Lord willing, we’ll be back with another feature next week. Meanwhile, happy eating!
This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the base of Sugar Mountain and to the Painted Fish Café & Beer Bar in Banner Elk, NC. This casual local restaurant serves salads, sandwiches, and a variety of entrees to satisfy everybody. Dora here. I’m bummed that it was too chilly to sit outside. Can’t beat those views!
Can’t beat those views!
You know how some restaurants try to cram in as many people by squishing the tables close together? Not here. We appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.
Appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.
For my lunch, I started with the soup of the day, a crab chowder. This chowder was great, loaded with potatoes and crabmeat in a creamy sauce. Dora here. We knew that soup was coming before it ever reached the table! lol. Strong scent of crab, but I liked it, even though I’m not a huge seafood fan. Hey, don’t hate! 🙂
Soup of the Day: Crab Chowder. Loaded with potatoes and plenty of crab.
I followed that up with the special of the day, a fried catfish sandwich served with cole slaw and tartar sauce on a soft bun and house-made chips. This huge sandwich was outstanding! Crispy and lightly breaded, tender and juicy on the inside, and the slaw added just the right crunch to the sandwich. And those chips, they were like waffle chips but were crunchy and had great flavor.
Fried Catfish Sandwich (special), outstanding! Crispy, tender, huge!
Dora here. A couple of the salads sounded interesting, but the protein up-charge pushed them to almost $20. Too pricey for me! So I opted for the turkey brie sandwich. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Two slices of whole grain bread packed with turkey, cranberries, melted cheese and spinach. Yum! Great flavor, texture and, like Ernie’s sandwich, huge! I’d definitely order this again, but the fried catfish won me over, too. This place might make me into a seafood lover. 🙂
Turkey Brie Sandwich, packed with turkey, cranberry, and spinach. Great flavor, texture, and huge!
What about you? What food doesn’t make your “favorite” list? And has a restaurant ever turned you into a fan of that food?
We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.
This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a place that appeared on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, to Pinky’s Westside Grill in Charlotte.
Not much parking in front, but ample spaces in a private lot a few steps away.
Dora here. Don’t be alarmed not to find a spot directly in front of the diner. Just at the end of the strip, you’ll find ample parking, a plus for any business near downtown.
Ample parking a very short walk away
The inside was jammed for a Sunday lunch.
Jammed for a Sunday lunch
For my lunch, I ordered the White Trash Burger, which includes provolone, fried pickles, and onion rings with a spicy ranch sauce and a side of onion rings (straws). For some reason, the burger that arrived had raw pickles and onions with mayonnaise. The burger was OK, a little over cooked for my taste, but served on a soft bun. Maybe if it would have been served as advertised on the menu, I would have been more impressed. The onion rings were good, but a little greasy.
White Trash Burger didn’t come out like the menu described.
Dora here. Check out the popcorn chicken, little nuggets of breaded and fried white meat, served atop waffle fries with a side of slaw. I’m a huge fan of chicken, fried or grilled, so when I saw this on the menu, I couldn’t convince myself to go with something more adventuresome. Like Pimp’n Fries (waffle fries topped with chili and melted pimento) or the Asian-inspired Ding Dong Chicken Sandwich, marinated chicken slathered with peanut butter, hot sauce and slaw. I probably should’ve worked up the courage because the chicken could’ve used less time in the fryer; the outside was a bit dry and brittle. Awesome waffle fries, though, light on the seasoning and not too-potatoey as some tend to be.
Popcorn Chicken a bit dry and brittle, but the waffle fries were lightly seasoned and not too potatoey.
Dora here. Pinky’s tag-team friendly servers ensure that your cup never runs dry. And if the crowd hanging around outside on a Sunday afternoon and the awesome reviews are any indication, we might’ve caught them on an off day.
We rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving good food.
Weaving a Legacy of Grace 