Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

November 4, 2017October 26, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Frita Batidos, a Cuban inspired street food restaurant, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Growing up in Tampa, Florida, I have been to many Cuban restaurants, but I can say, I have never been to one like this, with such a modern take on Cuban food.

Frita Batidos Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Don’t come with expectations. This place is different from any Cuban restaurant we’ve visited, but it’s all good.

Dora here. Don’t come to Frita Batidos expecting entrees that you’d find in your favorite Cuban restaurant. No Palomilla Steak here. But their fritas (Cuban burgers) and batidos (milkshakes made with sweetened milk, ice, and fresh fruit) enticed us to give them a try. Get here early. Our son has visited a few times when the line to order ran all the way to the back of the restaurant and then back out the door. The relatively small interior is set up with long picnic tables.

Get here early. Our son tells us that the line runs all the way to the restroom and then back out the door.

For an appetizer, we chose the Twice Fried Ripe Plantains, fried but still soft and creamy on the inside. They were topped with a garlic mojo and it was hard to stop eating them.

Twice Fried Ripe Plantains Appetizer

For lunch, I chose the Inspired Cuban Combo, which included half of the ‘Inspired Cuban’ plus the ‘Best Snack Ever’ (layered coconut-ginger rice, black beans, melted Muenster, & cilantro-lime salsa). This sandwich was made with pork and ham and served on Cuban bread, but without all the condiments like the sandwiches I remember, still great. All of the ingredients of the Best Snack Ever mixed well to create a thick combination of rice, beans and cheese.

Inspired Cuban Combo

Dora here. I ordered a Chicken Frita with a side of tropical slaw, but they loaded it all on the bun, which was fine. The bun was soft and light. The chorizo in the chicken patty gave it a little zing. The sandwich was flavorful and filling, and I would definitely order it again.

Chicken Frita with side of Tropical Slaw. Flavorful and filling!

Still Dora. If coconut’s on the menu, I’m more than likely going to try it. And a Coconut Cream Batido? I’m all over it! Check it out! Thick, creamy, and coconut-ty! Delicious!

Coconut Cream Batido

A bit pricey, I think, but considering we left with full and happy bellies, it’s all good. Frita Batidos definitely made it on our “must go back” list.

What’s your favorite milkshake flavor?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

September 23, 2017September 20, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 8 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to a neighborhood sport’s bar in the University area of Charlotte, Picasso’s Sports Café. This wings and pizza sports bar also features sandwiches, salads, and a list of starters.

Picasso's Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

There’s an outdoor eating area behind those columns. lol.

Dora here. Tucked into the bottom floor of a ginormous shopping center, we almost missed this place. So glad we didn’t because it reminded me of a modern “Cheers.”

Great place to watch the Panthers play

We appreciated that it wasn’t dark and stale like some sports bars and offered plenty of tables near the windows. With televisions of all sizes, this cafe would be a great place to catch a game, especially if you get there early like us. lol.

As our starter, we chose the Breadstix with homemade dough, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, garlic butter and served with a side of marinara. This appetizer was great, kind of like a cheese pizza with outstanding dough.

Breadstix appetizer. YUM!

Dora here. Yum. Who can complain about a buttery crust and two kinds of cheese? Not me!

For my lunch, I ordered the Wing & Fry Basket, which included 6 garlic parmesan wings and tater tots. The buffalo sauce mixed in with the garlic and parmesan gave the wings quite the kick, really good flavor. The tater tots were crispy, just how I like them.

Wings & Fry (tater tots, extra crispy just how I like them!) Basket.

Dora here. The pepperoni roll was a good balance if you’re craving something pizza-ish, not overly doughy or cheesy. But, unless you’re really hungry, you might want to share this jumbo roll. Especially if you order the Breadstix appetizer…carb overload. Don’t judge! lol.

Pepperoni roll was a good balance if you’re craving something pizza-ish. Not overly cheesy or doughy.

Dora here. We surely missed you!

Wow, it’s so hard to believe that Ernie and I started the “foodies” aspect of the blog over three years ago! He wanted me to try new places and venture outside my “foodie” box. It worked. 🙂

But now we’re spending most of our available weekends in our mountain home and we’re limited by driving distance during the week. That restricts our opportunities to try new places. Plus we never get the opportunity to go back to some of these places we’ve raved about. So, we’ll be scaling back from our weekly posts. Hope you’ll stick with us!

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

August 12, 2017August 8, 2017 / 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.

: 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.

: 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!

: 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.

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Excited about Eating

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers