foodie

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers

For today’s review we headed south of Charlotte to the Elizabeth neighborhood. This neighborhood was named after Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s college founded in 1897 and is now the site of Presbyterian Hospital. Bang Bang Burgers is tucked into the back corner of the Twin Oaks Shopping Center, our second visit here. Dora here. So many cool looking restaurants in this area to tempt us along the way! 

Bang Bang Burgers

Service was speedy. The Fried Pickles appetizer appeared within minutes. The fried pickles were worth the return visit, a combination between a dill and sweet pickle served with a homemade ranch dipping sauce, cut into spears with heavy batter. They had to be one of the best fried pickles that I have ever tried. Dora here, The Best. Fried. Pickle. Ever. Sweet and sour warred on my tongue. Why don’t more places fry sweet pickles? 

Fried Pickles


My Bang Bang Burger was served with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and their famous Bangburger Sauce while the onion rings were also served with the Bangburger sauce for dipping. The burger was moist, ample size, and charred well. The onion rings were good but I preferred the Maple dipping sauce that came with my wife’s sweet potatoes fries.

Dora’s Cowboy Burger was served with sharp cheddar, bacon, and a smoky BBQ sauce while the sweet potatoes fries came with the lick-your-fingers-delicious maple dipping sauce. Dora here. Burgers are my go-to, and this burger was OK, not great. It was missing drip-down-your-chin juiciness. Presentation was beautiful, and the fries were sweet and moist. They would have been great on their own, but the maple dipping sauce rocketed them to awesome. 

Cowboy Burger

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



Dora here. If you like after lunch coffee and a sweet, walk around the corner to Sunflour Baking Company. Yum! I’m so thankful for my foodie husband!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroon
Latte


Do you have a favorite burger spot?

Bang Bang Burgers on Urbanspoon

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers

This adventure of Excited about Eating takes us to the Midwood area of Charlotte to Midwood Smokehouse. This restaurant is tucked into the edge of a building, but it’s bigger than it looks.

A Friday lunch was a 10 minute wait, but it probably took that long to snag a parking spot. Although the restaurant was jammed, service was attentive and prompt.

For starters we ordered the Fried Pickles, unique, in that they were sliced length-wise. They were coated in a spicy batter, crispy like I prefer, but I would’ve enjoyed them more with half the salt.

Fried Pickles

Since we expected to eat a hefty dinner that night, we shared the BBQ combo which included four meats: pork ribs, sausage, brisket (lean, fatty, combo), and chopped pork. We chose mac and cheese and creamed corn for the two sides.

The combo plate came with three dipping sauces: Midwood Signature (sweet, with just a hint of tang) for the ribs and brisket, Eastern NC Vinegar for the chopped pork, and South Carolina (spicy) Mustard for the sausage. The ribs had a wonderful smoky flavor and fall-off-the-bone meaty goodness, the star of the meats. Dora here, in blue. The ribs were finger-licking great, but Ernie’s home-smoked ribs are still better. 🙂

The sausage ranked second, mild with just the right amount of kick. I especially liked the dark bark in both the chopped pork and brisket. Ditto for Dora. And the corn had a firm consistency, not soft or mushy. The spiral pasta had a deep cheesy flavor, but it could’ve been a tad warmer for my liking.

I would rate this establishment 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

What’s your favorite BBQ spot around Charlotte?

Midwood Smokehouse on Urbanspoon

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