Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

May 26, 2018May 16, 2018 / Dora Hiers / 3 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Havana Café, serving authentic Cuban cuisine in West Jefferson, NC.

Havana Cafe, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Ernie & Dora Hiers, restaurant review

Located directly across from the Farmer’s Market

Located directly across from the Farmers Market, Havana Café serves most of the Cuban favors, including Picadillo, Arroz Con Pollo, and Ropa Vieja. Dora here. Perfect location, wouldn’t you say? After lunch, just walk on over and browse all the goodies. 🙂

Located directly across from the Farmer’s Market

Dora here. We’ve been meaning to get over to West Jefferson and try this place. (Seems to be a recurring theme, lol) This tiny restaurant was jammed for a Saturday lunch.

Tiny place was jammed for a Saturday lunch

For my lunch, I chose my favorite Cuban dish, Fried Pork chunks with Mojo sauce (a blend of oil and citrus, usually a bitter orange) and Moros (black beans and white rice cooked together). The pork chunks were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The Moros had just the right consistency, not too dry, not too moist. Brought me back to my days in Tampa. Definitely a repeat dish!

Pork Chunks with Moros and Plantains. Definitely a repeat!

Dora here. The Piccadillo (or Picadillo, I’ve seen it spelled both ways) was comfort food for this Florida transplant. Piccadillo is generally a tasty stew of ground beef, tomato sauce, a variety of spices and seasonings, olives and whatever else the chef wants to throw in the pot. Sometimes raisins are added for a touch of sweetness. This dish included potatoes and only a few olives, which I appreciated. Not over the top on the heat level by any means, just the right amount. The black beans were the only downfall for this dish. They definitely needed a boost of flavor.

This Piccadillo was comfort food for this Florida transplant.

What was your favorite meal this week?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

April 8, 2017March 21, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Boone, NC and to The Red Onion Café located practically in the shadow of Appalachian State University. This local eating establishment boasts that “An evening at Red Onion Café promises to be an experience to remember!” and they were correct, even though we visited at lunch.

Red Onion Cafe Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

I can’t wait until the temperature warms up so we can enjoy this awesome patio!

Dora here. It’s winter and the planter boxes are empty, but picture this patio with the lights on and colorful flowers lining the ledge. Wouldn’t that just whisper, “Come sit down. Relax. Eat. Enjoy.” I can’t wait until the temperature warms up so we can do just that. During a Sunday lunch, the inside was jammed with regular patrons, and I can see why. With their extensive menu, everyone can surely find something.

For my lunch, I chose the Baja Fish Tacos, two soft shell tacos with blackened Tilapia, grilled pineapple, spicy cilantro slaw and topped with a creamy sriracha sauce. So with a restaurant named Red Onion, you know I have to try their fried onion rings. Dipped lightly in a homemade batter and fried to a perfect golden brown, they were outstanding! I like onion rings that, when you bite into them, you don’t end up with the entire sloppy onion ring in your mouth while holding the batter in your hand. The tacos were equally great with just a little heat from the slaw and sauce. Excellent choice!

Baja Fish Tacos, excellent choice!

Dora here. The Chicken Fajita Wrap was ginormous and loaded with chicken, lettuce and tomato. Cheesy good, but it was missing some heat. I would’ve liked a kick of flavor to give it more depth. 🙂

Chicken Fajita Wrap: Ginormous and loaded with chicken, lettuce and tomato. Cheesy good, but I would’ve liked a kick of heat. 🙂

Onion rings: Thick batter or thin? And where’s your favorite place to get them?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

February 11, 2017January 27, 2017 / Dora Hiers / 12 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Carolina Ale House, a sports bar and grill that boasts over 50 TV’s located in the busy Concord Mills Mall area. This family friendly place has an extensive menu featuring wings, burgers, tacos, pizza and much more.

Dora here. When we first moved to this area, we were disappointed at the lack of sports pubs. That changed when Carolina Ale House came on scene, and we especially like that they offer tables and booths separate from the bar area, which makes it great for families.

Carolina Ale House Excited about Eating Ernie & Dora Hiers

We like that this restaurant has tables and booths separate from the bar area

For our appetizer, we chose the Beer-battered Cheese Curds served with a red pepper jalapeno jam dipping sauce. These curds were great with a soft smooth center and a light batter on the outside and when combined with the slightly sweet dipping sauce, just kept me coming back for more. Next time I would ask them to be a little crispier, the way I really like them. Dora here. The curds could’ve used an extra minute both in the fryer and the drying basket, since they were just a tad greasy. But that didn’t stop us from eating every last one of these little nuggets. Yum! And the sauce was a great dipper, tangy with a tinge of sweet.

Cheese Curds could’ve used an extra minute in the fryer and the drying basket, but that didn’t stop us from eating every last nugget!

For my meal, I chose the Crispy Ribs with onion strings. These ribs were slow-cooked, dropped into the fryer to crisp up the outside, and then tossed in a BBQ sauce. The ribs were great, fall off the bone tender and the crispiness added a completely different texture. Just a warning, that Thai chili dipping sauce was HOT, so try a little before dipping the entire rib into it.

Carolina Ale House Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Crispy Ribs, great! Fall-off-the-bone tender and the crispiness added a completely different texture. But the sauce is HOT!

Dora here. Hot? I think I heard Ernie’s taste buds sizzling. haha. The Chicken Dunkers are a promo that I hope end up on the regular menu. Coated in a beer batter, these plump little cluckers were crispy and golden and delicious! The pepper ranch dipping sauce soothed after the kick from the mango habanero, so I appreciated both. A bite of heat, a bite of cool. lol.

Chicken Dunkers. Crispy and golden and delicious!

Quite a generous sized portion for less than $8, don’t you think? So, maybe fried chicken and fried cheese wasn’t the healthiest of lunches, but I did gnaw on those carrots, too. I’d order this same combo again.

Chicken Dunkers filled this entire plate! I’d definitely order this again.

What about you? What unhealthy choices do you splurge on?

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

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Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers