inspiration

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

This week’s Excited about Eating is headed to Uptown Charlotte to visit Ri Ra Irish Pub. When we walked into this restaurant, it felt like we were walking into a pub in Ireland. Our server told us that the interior was transported from Ireland and restored into its existing condition.

Ri Ra Irish Pub
Interior

We started with the Potato Cake appetizer, pan seared potato and cheddar cakes served with savory sour cream and a balsamic reduction. The Potato Cake was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. On the downside, it was loaded with onions and only served lukewarm. Dora here, in blue. Good thing we didn’t stop there. 🙂

Potato Cake

I ordered the Shepherd’s Pie, made with minced lamb, gravy, peas, carrots, and leeks served with a mashed potato crust and a slice of brown bread. The term “shepherd’s pie” is used when the meat is lamb; the theory being that shepherd is connected to sheep and not cattle. This was an outstanding dish. The lamb and vegetables were perfectly cooked and full of favor with just the right amount of liquid, and the mashed potatoes were creamy with a nice crust. I’m always game for Shepherd’s Pie, and this was the first I’ve tasted with lamb. Thankfully, hubby shared with me or I might’ve resorted to stealing his fork. Soooo good! 

Shepherd’s Pie

My wife chose the Ri Ra Burger, topped with Ashe County cheddar, country ham, brown sugar onions and a Brioche bun. This burger was tall, juicy, and almost too big for the mouth. The caramelized brown sugar onions were sweet, and the garlic mayo added a unique taste. The “Chipper “ chips are actually thick cut fries. I snagged a few and enjoyed dipping them in the garlic mayo. This was a messy burger, but oh so yummalicious! And I probably drank a gallon of their iced tea.

Ri Ra Burger

I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. If I included the less-than-thrilling appetizer, I’d lower my rating to 4 forks.

~Ernie Hiers, Food blogger at Fiction Faith & Foodies

Ri Ra the Irish Pub on Urbanspoon

Excited about Reading ~ Her Nerdy Cowboy by Annette M. Irby

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Purchase Link ~ FREE through Lent

The Cover Story~

Whoever heard of a bookish cowboy? When Logan McDaniel’s brother-in-law dies, he steps in to help his beloved sister run her ranch. But what does a city boy know of herding cattle? Claire Langley loved her cousin. After he dies, she agrees to serve as a temporary nanny for two heartbroken children. Claire and Logan find they share a love of books, and Claire can’t resist the nerdy uncle who is great with children, and who reads to her of pirate romance. Claire’s ailing mother needs her in Seattle. Can she break away? And if she does, can there ever be a future for Logan and her?

My takeaway~
Chunky black eyeglasses and a book lover? Awesome! So Logan McDaniel isn’t your typical cowboy hero, but I admired him anyway. Not only did he put his career on hold to help his recently widowed sister with the kids, but horseback riding and ranching isn’t his thing. 

He was not up to this filling-another-man’s-shoes task, no matter what his mother said or Macy thought. He wasn’t heroic, as Claire and his sister declared. Just woefully nerdy and inadequate. But he’d try. Beginning in just a few hours at four-dark-nasty in the morning.


And what woman wouldn’t love a man who’s good with kids? Of course, that endears him to Nanny Claire. But when Claire becomes ill, and he brings dinner and reads to her…insert dreamy sigh. Yeah. Hero, right?

I can understand being reluctant to pick up a dollar download, but this petite thirty seven pages covers two years, from the cute meet to the…well, let’s just say it covers two years, so you won’t feel short-changed. Her Nerdy Cowboy is flirty and light, and is the perfect size and flavor to read during your lunch break or in the pick-up line at school. And did I mention that it’s FREE all through Lent? Don’t wait! But even if you can’t scoop it up before the sale ends, it’s only $1. 🙂 

Disclaimer: I received Her Nerdy Cowboy FREE from Pelican Book Group as part of their 40 days of Lent free e-book program.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 3 Comments
This adventure of Excited about Eating takes you through the Southern Caribbean where we visited three different restaurants for lunch during a seven-day cruise that left from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
St. Thomas: Cuzzin’s Caribbean Restaurant was off the beaten path, about a 30-minute walk from the ship. If some kind soul hadn’t taken pity on our sweaty, tomato-red faces and given us directions, we’d have missed it. 

Cuzzin’s Caribbean Restaurant

The calamari appetizer was excellent, crisp and fresh, with just the right amount of chew, and the dipping sauce was sweet with a tiny tang from the combination of pineapple, mango, tamarind and barbeque. We shared the Fried Seafood Combo which included fish filet, shrimp, and conch fritters with sides of mac and cheese and fried plantains. The seafood was cooked to perfection, flaky with a light batter that allowed the true taste of the seafood to come through.

Fried Seafood Combo

The conch fritters were not sweet or doughy like my wife prefers, but savory and very good. The mac and cheese had an unidentifiable spice and when we asked, the server would not give up the secret. Both the mac and cheese and plantains were equally good. I would rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5.

Barbados: Mustor’s Restaurant was a 20-minute walk from the ship dock, and from what I’d read, appeared to be a local favorite. We shared the large portion (read HUGE!) fried Flyin Fish entrĂ©e, Field Peas with Rice, and Macaroni Pie, and had no problem sharing this meal. Barbados is known as “the land of the flying fish” and it is the national symbol of the country. 

Flying Fish

The fish was good, not fishy tasting but also not real crispy like I prefer. The field peas and rice were juicy and full of favor, and appeared to have been cooked together. The Mac Pie was really good, a thick piece, made from noodles that resembled elbow mac straightened out. Although they don’t accept charge cards, they do accept US dollars. No atmosphere and no a/c unless you consider the open air balcony. I would rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5.
St. Maarten: We took the water taxi to Greenhouse Restaurant, which offered true Caribbean spirit with their beachy, open air environment in clear sight of the breaking waves. 

Me, inside on the left

I chose the Fish Taco Platter, consisting of two soft tacos, filled with fried basa vina served with lettuce, fresh cilantro, jack and cheddar cheese, salsa, ranch dressing and onions. The basa vina fish are not native to the Caribbean but are imported. The tacos were huge, with flavor to match their size. The fish was crispy and tender and all of the ingredients melded together. The fresh cilantro set these fish tacos above others I have had. They were served with Fried Plantains and fries, also tasty. 
My wife ordered the Fried Fish Sandwich using the same basa vina white flaky fish, but beer-battered, along with fries and cole slaw. 

Fish sandwich

The fish sandwich was crispy and not fishy tasting. The fries were cooked perfect, and the cole slaw was sweet and creamy, just the way she likes it. I would rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. Dora here. After chowing down on rich foods for a week on the cruise ship but no brewed iced tea, this is what I enjoyed most. 🙂 

Fresh brewed iced tea


lol. Seriously, folks, Greenhouse offered a perfect atmosphere paired with fantastic flavors and a breeze that kissed our cheeks. Who could ask for more from a restaurant?