Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

July 15, 2017July 6, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 23 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to one of our favorite pizza spots, Capone’s Pizza in Boone. Formerly located in a small hole-in-the-wall store front in historic downtown Boone, recently they moved into a larger space in New Market Centre.

: Their new spot in New Market Centre. Plenty of parking now!

Dora here. Capone’s moved from a prime location on King Street, but that prime spot costs them in terms of customers due to lack of parking. Also, maybe, they squeezed twenty booths in that cramped space. In their new New (lol) Market Centre location, diners have room to spread out in here. Much nicer than their cramped King Street location. And parking galore!

Capone's Pizza Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

You can really spread out in here. Much nicer than their cramped King St location. And parking galore!

When we visit Capone’s, we have two favorites, the Chicago Style Deep Dish and the Don Vito stuffed pizza. This time we went with the Chicago deep dish, meat supreme on my half and just pepperoni on Dora’s. This pizza is outstanding, with a thick chewy crust (which I usually do not eat because I’d rather eat an extra slice), topped with pepperoni, hamburger, crumbled bacon, diced ham and sausage. The meat items are fresh and the pie has just the right amount of sauce.

Dora here. Just a heads up. This isn’t authentic Chicago style, but it works for us. Light on the marinara, not overly cheesy, and a ginormous thick and doughy crust. YUM! Every time we come, we say we’re going to order something different because Capone’s has a robust menu loaded with non-pizza options, but it never happens. We alternate between the Don Vito Stuffed Pizza and this Chicago style deep dish. One day we’ll try their Stromboli or the Meatball Sub or…um, probably not.

Chicago Style 1/2 pepperoni, 1/2 meat Not really authentic Chicago style, but it works for us. Love the thick, chewy crust!

Our server was friendly and the pizza came out quick. If you’re a resident or just camping out in the area for a few days, Capone’s is a MUST TRY!

What about you? How do you like your pizza?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

July 1, 2017June 20, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 13 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a large mixed community in the South Park area of Charlotte, to Dogwood Southern Table & Bar. This contemporary eating establishment offers “elevated southern cuisine” using in-house creations from local and sustainable sources.

Dogwood Southern Table Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Ample free parking garages

Dora here. Because it was Father’s Day and we didn’t make reservations, our only seating options were the patio or the bar. Glorious day, beautiful patio, no brainer. 🙂

Too pretty a day to sit inside. Especially with a gorgeous patio like this

For an appetizer, we chose the Maw Maw’s Biscuits served with butter and jam. The biscuits were great, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Adding the butter and jam made for an outstanding bite. Dora here. When I lifted the linen and saw the charred tops on these biscuits, I considered asking for another basket, but hubby usually orders everything extra crispy, so he was thrilled. No worries! Even with the toasted tops, these biscuits were great. Buttery flavor, crumbly, and had to eat with a fork. Good to the last fork!

Maw Maw’s Biscuits. Buttery flavor, crumbly and good to the last fork!

For my meal, I chose the Steak and Eggs. Normally, it’s sirloin, but this day it was prime rib, green beans, potatoes, and spinach served with an easy-over egg on top. The prime rib was cooked a perfect medium rare, tender and juicy. The crispy potatoes and veggies paired well with the dish. I am not one who usually orders steak out, but I would definitely order this dish again.

Brunch Prime Rib, tender and juicy! I’d definitely order this dish again.

Dora here. Whenever a place serves only brunch on the weekend, I’m usually ready for a dilemma. Give me my cereal or an English Muffin with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast and I’m good. When I go out for lunch, I want lunch, so I opted for the Breakfast Burger today. I appreciated all the individual components: scrambled egg, cheddar, bacon jam, incredibly soft bun. But together? Not so much. And it turns out I’m not a fan of grass-fed beef. Something about the flavor just messed with my taste buds. Who’d have guessed? Hubby liked it.

Breakfast Burger

What’s your favorite brunch dish/place?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

June 24, 2017June 12, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a century old building that was once the maintenance station of Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC, and now houses Café Portofino. This casual restaurant offers a wide variety of sandwiches, pastas, and steaks.

Cafe Portofino Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Parking in front, but also a bigger lot on the side with FREE parking!

Dora here. I must confess I was a bit apprehensive about trying this place since it’s practically right across the street from Appalachian State. I expected it to be a student bar/hangout. And, since we entered the establishment from the parking lot on the side, that was precisely my first impression of the narrow, dimly-lit room. But that’s the wrong door. The front door’s on the other side. lol. The restaurant portion is actually quite spacious.

It’s actually quite spacious on the inside if you enter from the correct door. lol (Sorry for the fuzzy picture!)

But who wants to sit inside with such glorious weather? And–bonus!–the outdoor patio is dog friendly! There’s an adorable Corgi puppy hanging out under the table next to us.

Cafe Portofino Fiction Faith & Foodie Ernie & Dora Hiers

Bonus, the outdoor patio is DOG friendly!

For my lunch, I chose the Portofino Spaghetti, a meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage and garlic served over spaghetti, served with a side salad and a roll sprinkled with parmesan. Their Greek feta salad dressing was outstanding, and the spaghetti cooked flawlessly. The yeast roll was hardy, perfect for dipping up the meaty, thick, garlicky sauce, and I appreciated the spoon they brought for the pasta without me asking.

Portofino Spaghetti, meaty and thick

Dora here. The server was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable and helpful with suggestions. The Grown Up Mac & Cheese was a notch above typical pub food. Penne pasta, grilled chicken and broccoli blanketed with a cream sauce, and then sprinkled with another layer of cheese. Although I enjoyed this dish and all the components, I would’ve preferred less sauce. Overall, though, a pleasant surprise and one I would order again with a special request of less sauce.

Grown Up Mac & Cheese, a pleasant surprise. Next time, though, I will order it with less sauce.

What about you? What was the last meal/restaurant that exceeded your expectations?

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

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a century old building that was once the maintenance station of Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC, and now houses Café Portofino. This casual restaurant offers a wide variety of sandwiches, pastas, and steaks.