Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

December 3, 2016November 27, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a restaurant located in the heart of downtown Boone, just one block off King Street. Proper, a restaurant serving “homestyle southern cooking with a modern, seasonal slant” offers ingredients sourced locally from the community.

Dora here. The exterior looks like you’re walking up to somebody’s house. Good thing their sign is big. lol.

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers, Proper

Outside…looks like you’re walking up to somebody’s house, lol

Inside was jammed shortly after they opened on Sunday, but we found a nice, quiet spot on the heated porch. Even on the porch, we could still hear the faint strains of the guitar from the live music. Subtle and soft, not in your face like some restaurants, and invited you to sit and linger over your meal.

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Heated porch

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Inside was jammed shortly after they opened for Sunday Brunch.

We shared a Brunch Biscuit Baby, like a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon, with strawberries and figs topped with a lemon glaze. Not being a fig type of guy, I was not sure how I was going to like this, but it was outstanding, with just the right amount of sweet and the figs were great. Dora here. OH MY! What a fabulous start, but it almost could’ve been an ending. Sweet, almost dessert-ish, but not so much that we had trouble eating our meal. Of course not, lol.

Brunch Biscuit Baby…Biscuit dough rolled up, strawberries, figs and lemon glaze. Oh yeah!

Since we visited on Sunday at lunch, we were offered the Brunch menu. I chose the Chicken and Waffles. The chicken was crispy (just the way I like it), juicy and very flavorable. The waffle was light and fluffy and complemented the fried chicken well. Outstanding choice!

Chicken & Waffle, outstanding choice!

Dora here. The Breakfast Tacos came heaping with delicious, tender brisket, sour cream and salsa. Not sure why they were called Breakfast Tacos other than they were on the Brunch Menu. The selection of fresh fruit (pears, apples and grapes) was right up my foodie alley. This meal, this place, definitely warrants a repeat several times over. 🙂

Breakfast Tacos with a side of fresh fruit. The brisket was so tender and DELISH!

Just an FYI. Close parking is virtually non-existent. Any spots right next to the building were all taken. Parking on Water St is prohibited and the nearby lots are private, so you might have to hike from King St, just a block away. Trust us, it’s worth it. 🙂

Does music play a role in how long you hang out after a meal?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

November 26, 2016November 20, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 10 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating differs from our regular review of restaurants to a cafe making outstanding doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches in Harrisburg, Faith Coffee & Sweets.

The outside gives you no clue as to the goodness waiting for you inside 🙂

This neighborhood gathering spot was packed on our Saturday morning visit with the kiddos all standing at the doughnut case picking out their favorites.

Jammed on a Saturday morning!

Dora here. Hmmm. Looks to be plenty of adults, too, Ernie. lol. Check out this sugar heaven!

Sugar Heaven!

I started with a Ham, Egg & Cheese sandwich on a toasted English Muffin. The sandwich was huge, tasty, and too much to eat with six doughnuts sitting on the table.

Egg Sandwiches on a toasted English Muffin – huge and delicious!

Dora here. Six doughnuts. Ohhhh….but, before you think we’re crazy–or gluttons, lol– we only planned to taste one bite from each and save the rest for the next day.

We selected a pumpkin spice, maple bacon, Reese’s, and chocolate mocha, all yeast doughnuts, and a coconut and cinnamon sugar cake doughnut. All were great. My favorite was the maple bacon (everything is better with bacon) and the sugar cake doughnut which is always a “go to” doughnut for me.

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Dora here. We each picked three and do I have to tell you how difficult that was? And all those exotic choices and he picks cinnamon sugar. Really, Ernie? I’d been craving a pumpkin doughnut since Halloween and I finally got one. That was my favorite. Melt-in-your-mouth, similar to a Krispy Kreme fresh from the oven. The coconut was soooo good, with a hint of…citrus? Yum! Good thing this place is a few miles away or we’d be hanging out with all the other regulars on Saturday mornings. lol.

What about you? What’s your favorite doughnut?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

November 19, 2016November 16, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

This edition of Exciting about Eating takes us across the big pond to Cork, Ireland, and to Holy Smoke BBQ. After being on a cruise ship for 14 days, I needed my BBQ fix, so naturally we visited a BBQ joint the first night off the ship. This gem of a restaurant with a modern, industrial feel is tucked away from the main street and offers a variety of meat like you would find in the US.

Modern, industrial vibe

For our dinner, we chose to share the BBQ Blow Out, a tray of Brisket Burnt Ends, Baby Back Ribs, Smoked Chicken, Pulled Pork and sides of cornbread, cob wheels (corn on the corn), slaw, beans, and fries. As a Kansas City BBQ judge, I have had the opportunity to taste all kinds of BBQ cooked many different ways, and this restaurant didn’t disappoint. The star of this feast was the brisket. Cooked perfectly, smoky, tender, and some of the best brisket I have ever had. The rest of the meats were great, too. Moist chicken, “fall off the bone” ribs, and flavorable pork. The sides were equally good with the cob wheels being my favorite.

BBQ Blow Out Tray, more than enough food for two!

Dora here. What a treat to try BBQ in a different country! We were amazed to find this place just up the street from our hotel, tucked midway along a narrow alley.

Located on a narrow alley

The Blow Out tray provided more than enough food for both of us with some left over. The chicken won me over, and the pork came in a close second. What surprised me was the amount of sauce on the meats. I liked the sweet, not-so-vinegary sauce, but would’ve preferred to dip my meat, rather than swimming in it. I ate every bite of that tangy apple slaw, and, thankfully, Ernie didn’t ask me to share. 🙂

How do you like your sauce? Vinegary, Mustardy, or Sweet? Heavy or light or none?

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

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Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers