charlotte food blogger

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 14 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Dilworth area of Charlotte and to Babalu Tapas & Tacos, a neighborhood restaurant serving upscale Latin-inspired cuisine. From the minute you walk into the dining room you immediately discover that each eating area is uniquely designed.

Babalu Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

New and freshly painted. Wonder how long it’ll stay that way. lol

Dora here. I agree. The spacious interior had a little something to make everyone comfortable with various textures like a wood ceiling, open ducts, concrete communal bars, and private tables.

Babalu Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

For my lunch, I chose two tacos: the Carne de Cerdo, smoked pork belly, a chipotle-citrus BBQ sauce, peanut slaw, cotija cheese; and the Camarones, grilled shrimp and cilantro slaw, both on blue tortillas. I added a side of grilled broccolini sprinkled with goat cheese.

Babalu's Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Carne de Cerdo and Camarones, both great!

The tacos were both great, but the pork belly was my favorite. The crunch of the slaw and the creamy favor of the cheese made this one tasty taco. But the superstar was the grilled broccolini, with its roasted smoky favor and crumbly cheese, this side was cooked to just the right crunch.

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Broccolini-superstar of my meal

Dora here. Ernie can keep his broccolini. lol. The Chicken Satay was melt in your mouth delicious! Four mini skewers of teriyaki glazed chicken, yellow rice, black beans and salsa. With a light hint of citrus, this dish packed a little heat but no burn. Absolutely one of my new favorite meals. And, even though this is considered a small plate, this meal satisfied.

Chicken Satay Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Chicken Satay – Melt in your mouth delicious!

Dora here. From their early reviews we understood there might’ve been a bit of a service issue. Apparently, that’s been corrected because service was attentive and the food came out quick. If you’re worried about parking, they have a few spots up front, but their complimentary valet made parking a breeze.

What’s your favorite veggie?

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

Babalu Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 7 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Leroy Fox in the Cotswold neighborhood of Charlotte. Cotswold is named after Cotswold Village Shops, a large shopping center at the intersection of Randolph and Sharon Amity Roads. This southern style neighborhood restaurant specializes in golden fried chicken but serves a full line of southern favorites.

Leroy Fox Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Wait until you see what’s on the other side of that wall

Dora here. What an inconspicuous exterior. Wait until you see what’s on the other side of that wall. 

Leroy Fox Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Stunning outdoor patio

Dora here. I confess when hubby preferred to sit inside, I copped a wee attitude. How could we pass up this gorgeous patio? But, then, it was 95 degrees outside, so maybe he had a point…just don’t tell him, okay? lol. Instead, we ate inside where it was cool, jammed and loud.

Leroy Fox Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Jammed and loud for a Sunday lunch

For our appetizer, we chose the Hot Pretzels, bite size nuggets served with Leroy’s honey mustard and ranch dipping sauces. The pretzels were great, especially when dipped in the honey mustard sauce. We ate every last one.

Pretzel Bites Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Go for the honey mustard dip!

Dora here. Well, I did, anyway. Ernie exercised a bit more restraint. lol. Yum, the honey mustard was the big seller, with just a hint of sweet trailing as the pretzel disappeared down the hatch. 

For my meal, I chose the ¼ North (breast/wing) Leroy’s World Famous Foxing Fried Chicken with a side of mac n’ cheese. This fried chicken was great, juicy and tender on the inside and crispy skin on the outside. The mac n’ cheese was good but not to the level of their chicken.

1/4 North Foxing Fried Chicken

Dora here. Y’all know that a salad with fruit has my name on it, right? The Berry Almond Chicken Salad won my vote over a couple other entrees by a notch. The chicken was grilled with a nice char, the almonds added texture, and the strawberries popped with color, red and fresh. I would’ve preferred the poppy seed dressing on the side, but forgot to ask for it that way. The mozzarella clumped with the warm chicken, and while all the elements tasted good individually, I wasn’t impressed with the combination.

Berry Almond Chicken Salad Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Berry Almond Chicken Salad

Do you prefer to sit inside or out?

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 (Ernie 4, Dora 3.5), for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 12 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Charlotte and to a BBQ joint whose team has competed and won on the BBQ trail. Mac’s Speed Shop offers a wide range of food including wings, salads, mexicue, and, of course, BBQ.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers Mac's Speed Shop

Dora here. Anyone else curious as to how they came up with that name? Just wondering. lol. We were among the few to brave high 90 degree temps to enjoy their spacious outdoor patio, which really was quite nice. Most everyone opted for a/c and chose to eat inside. 🙂 Even so, service was fast and efficient, and the server helpful with suggestions.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers Mac's Speed Shop

We were among the few to brave high 90 temperatures, but even so, the patio was quite nice.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers Mac's Speed Shop

Spacious interior

The Onion Rings Basket appetizer came with a spicy horseradish dipping sauce. These rings were great–dredged in what appeared to be corn meal?– crunchy on the outside and tender enough to bite through. The dipping sauce complimented nicely, although a bit spicy. Dora here. A bit spicy? That cayenne and horseradish kicked big time, but soooo good! Yowza! Make sure you ask for extra napkins to wipe your forehead. Fair warning.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers Mac's Speed Shop

Onion Rings…that dipping sauce kicks big time! But soooo good!

For our meal, we chose to share the Little Bit of Stuff, a combo platter which included our choice of St. Louis ribs, Texas beef sausage, beef brisket, and smoked turkey with sides of mac n cheese and cream corn.

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers Mac's Speed Shop

Little Bit of Stuff…really? Even sharing, we still brought home leftovers. YUM!

The ribs were great, competition grade, smoky, and cooked perfectly, moist and not fatty. The sausage was equally good, not spicy at all, but with a hardy beef flavor.

Dora here. Wow, I’m glad we ordered the little platter. Even sharing, we still brought home leftovers. For some reason, I expected the turkey to be sliced, so I was surprised when it came out pulled. A tad dry for my liking, probably because I can’t help but compare it to my favorite holiday meal, fried turkey. Still, it was tender and will make awesome sandwiches later. The brisket was chewy with just a hint of sweet at the end. Yum! This was some of my favorite BBQ besides hubby’s. They score big points for great sides, too. The mac n cheese was firm, not moist like some cheesy pastas, just the way I like it, and those kernels of corn snapped with freshness. Mac’s Speed Shop definitely gets added to our “must go back” list. Maybe then we’ll find out how they got their name. lol. 

What’s the most unusual name for one of your favorite restaurants?

We would rate the restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family-friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.
Mac's Speed Shop BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato