Charlotte

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 11 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a local Charlotte eatery that cooks their meats on the Big Green Egg using hickory wood and lump charcoal. Welcome to Urban Cookhouse. This “Farm to Fire to Table” restaurant offers a variety of salads, wraps, sandwiches and entrees to meet the taste buds of anyone in your family.

Urban Cookhouse Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers
Sorry for the light streak!

Dora here. With a beautiful shady patio, we debated sitting inside or out, but opted for inside. Spacious and roomy, and we had the place practically to ourselves since everybody else chose outside. lol. This is an order-from-the-counter restaurant, but they bring your food to the table and refill your drinks.

Urban Cookhouse Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers
Spacious and roomy, order from the counter and they bring the food out to your table. 

For my lunch, I chose the Wood-Fired Shrimp Kebab. Instead of the rice that comes with the kebab, I opted for roasted veggies. The perfectly grilled shrimp had a strong smoky flavor and a touch of spicy heat which also transferred to the veg’s on the kebab. The housemade ranch dressing raised a standard salad to great.

Urban Cookhouse Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Wood-Fired Shrimp Kebab with grilled veggies instead of rice pilaf. Perfectly grilled shrimp with a strong smoky flavor and a touch of heat!

Dora here. Doesn’t this Chicken Salad and Fruit Plate look like a perfect summer dish? Believe me, it was exactly what I was looking for on this blazing hot afternoon. Wowza, that’s a ton of fresh fruit, and miracle of miracles, not a single honeydew. Yay! And there’s a good-sized mound of lettuce under the chicken salad, which was good and creamy, too smooth for me if not for the added texture of all the fruit. The citrus vinaigrette paired well with this dish, so light and fresh and not overly citrusy. I wanted to bottle it up and bring it home. But the star on this plate was definitely the warm orange roll. Oh. My. Word! Firmer than what I expected, with a hint of citrus, and not overly sweet. Happy sigh…Next time here I might have to convince Ernie to buy a bag of these goodies to bring home. And with so many appealing menu options, we’ll definitely be back!

Urban Cookhouse Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers
Chicken Salad and Fruit Plate. Wowza, look at all that fresh fruit! And there’s lettuce down there somewhere. Happy sigh…

 

What about you? What dish jazzed up your taste buds this week?

We rate this order-from-the-counter restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a place that appeared on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, to Pinky’s Westside Grill in Charlotte.

Pinky's Westside Grill Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Not much parking in front, but ample spaces in a private lot a few steps away.

Dora here. Don’t be alarmed not to find a spot directly in front of the diner. Just at the end of the strip, you’ll find ample parking, a plus for any business near downtown.

Pinky's Westside Grill Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Ample parking a very short walk away

The inside was jammed for a Sunday lunch.

Pinky's Westside Grill Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Jammed for a Sunday lunch

For my lunch, I ordered the White Trash Burger, which includes provolone, fried pickles, and onion rings with a spicy ranch sauce and a side of onion rings (straws). For some reason, the burger that arrived had raw pickles and onions with mayonnaise. The burger was OK, a little over cooked for my taste, but served on a soft bun. Maybe if it would have been served as advertised on the menu, I would have been more impressed. The onion rings were good, but a little greasy.

Pinky's Westside Grill Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

White Trash Burger didn’t come out like the menu described.

Dora here. Check out the popcorn chicken, little nuggets of breaded and fried white meat, served atop waffle fries with a side of slaw. I’m a huge fan of chicken, fried or grilled, so when I saw this on the menu, I couldn’t convince myself to go with something more adventuresome. Like Pimp’n Fries (waffle fries topped with chili and melted pimento) or the Asian-inspired Ding Dong Chicken Sandwich, marinated chicken slathered with peanut butter, hot sauce and slaw. I probably should’ve worked up the courage because the chicken could’ve used less time in the fryer; the outside was a bit dry and brittle. Awesome waffle fries, though, light on the seasoning and not too-potatoey as some tend to be.

Pinky's Westside Grill Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Popcorn Chicken a bit dry and brittle, but the waffle fries were lightly seasoned and not too potatoey.

Dora here. Pinky’s tag-team friendly servers ensure that your cup never runs dry. And if the crowd hanging around outside on a Sunday afternoon and the awesome reviews are any indication, we might’ve caught them on an off day. 

We rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving good food.

Pinky's Westside Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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