inspiration

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Nantucket Grill, located at the corner of Hwy 54 & Farrington Rd in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 


With its friendly casual environment, Nantucket Grill caters to couples, families and UNC fans with a wide variety of menu options. 

We visited on Saturday night for their much anticipated free cake night,  a free slice of mile high goodness with each entree over $13. 

Dora here. Confession time. We come up with excuses to make the two hour drive here on a Saturday just for the cake. Feast your eyes on this dessert case. Wouldn’t you?

Cake case. Bam! Right as you enter.

Since I judged BBQ that day, my wife and I shared the full portion of the Grilled Scallop Kabobs (2 skewers), served over herb rice and mixed vegetables and drizzled with lobster cream sauce. 

We were surprised when the meal came out already divided on two plates. 

Grilled Scallop Kabobs (full portion divided in half)

Dora here. Yeah, this plate is only half the meal! Yowza!

Generous scallops perfectly cooked, golden on the outside, tender and meaty on the inside. The rice, peppers and onions complemented the dish, but the main star was the lobster cream sauce. Creamy, with only a hint of seafood, a sauce that would raise any seafood to the next level. Outstanding!

Dora here. Oh. My! Smooth. Luxurious. Every bite leads to one more. I practically licked my plate clean!

And then…the Chocolate Peanut Butter cake. Six layers of chocolate cake separated by peanut butter filling and topped with chocolate butter cream icing, a Reese cup and peanut butter drizzle. Normally, I am not a big chocolate cake lover, but this cake was great with the peanut butter taking a back seat to the chocolate. So rich, it was difficult to eat the entire slice in one seating.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Dora here. Speak for yourself, Ernie. I had no problem eating mine! 


Every time we visit, I scan the case for something different, but I always opt for my usual, Coconut Cake. Moist and rich, but not so rich I can’t eat every bite! A tip, though, get it to go and enjoy it later when you’re not so stuffed. You can thank me later. 🙂

Coconut Cake

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


Ernie & Dora Hiers
Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog

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Excited about Reading: Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Amazon Purchase Link

The Cover Story~ 
Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.

Sharing my take~
Meet the major players. Tracy Campbell, part time accountant and full time cranberry farmer. Michael Hunter, guilt-ridden, grieving businessman from Chicago who came to Hope Harbor to honor a wish of his late wife. Anna Williams, recluse, taking in wounded animals to make up for the two-decades-long rift with her estranged son. Charley, artist and taco maker (and angel?). And Floyd, a lonely seagull.

“In the beginning he brought his wife, but he’s been coming by himself for the past four months. I guess something happened to her.”
A husband and wife seagull pair.
Tickled by that fanciful notion, Michael dug out a few stray pieces of taco filling and tossed them to Floyd, who scarfed down the treat. “Maybe he’ll get married again.”
“He might, down the road…but gulls mate for life, and this one’s still in mourning.” 

Lonely and wounded by love…kind of sums up all of the characters in Hope Harbor except Charley, who seemed to be the orchestrater of healing. I enjoyed the story and how the characters grew during the course of the book, and I appreciated the parallel of their relationship with that of the seagulls. That said, the romantic chemistry was stiff and a bit lacking for me.

Ever read a book where you almost felt as if you were there? This is one of those books. The “charming Oregon seaside village” came to life. At times I felt like I was walking along the dikes of the cranberry farm flicking away bees or sitting on the picnic table outside Charley’s food trailer, the sea breeze kissing my cheeks.

But what really ramped this book up for me was its theme of forgiveness and restoration.

“Are you condoning her behavior?”
“No. But I guess I’ve gotten more tolerant of mistakes as I’ve grown older and made plenty of my own. It seems to me it’s better to treat people in the midst of a crisis with compassion than censure or criticism.”

Hope Harbor isn’t a fluffy book to wile away a lazy afternoon. It’s deep and packs a powerful message. Don’t pick up this book for the romance. Pick it up because of the story.

Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Revell for the privilege of reading and reviewing Hope Harbor. 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

This edition of “Excited about Eating” takes us back to the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte, to a restaurant recently featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive ins and Dives,” Intermezzo Pizzeria and Café. This European style restaurant serves hand-tossed pizza and traditional Serbian dishes. It reminded me of some of the cafes we visited on our past trips to Europe. 


Dora here. Yeah, especially the cozy interior with brick exposed walls and only a smattering of tables and booths surrounding a hearth-like bar. But they don’t need many interior tables with this generous outdoor patio!

Exterior

After DDD’s feature, I was all set to order the cabbage rolls (Sarma), but they were out. So, at the waiter’s helpful recommendation, I ordered Karadjordjeva, a ham and cheese schnitzel breaded and pan fried, served with skillet potatoes and tartar sauce, although not the typical American tartar sauce, with a definite hint of dill. Similar to Cordon Bleu, but elevated a few notches, especially with the drizzle of lemon on the top. 

Karadjordjeva

Dora here. I ordered the Burek, ground beef and onions baked in Fillo dough. An unusual combination, right? But isn’t it beautiful? Nothing spicy or too complex. After a few bites what came to mind was comfort food, much like Mac ‘n Cheese is to Americans. Between Ernie and I, we finished off the whole thing. Didn’t touch the salad, but that cucumber mixture made for a nice dipping sauce.

Burek

I’d definitely order the Karadjordjeva again, but I’d also like to try the Sarma or the Piroska. And the pizza… 

Dora here. Guess that means we’ll be going back. lol

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

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