restaurant review

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 9 Comments
This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Valhalla Pub & Eatery located on historical Brevard Court in Uptown Charlotte. Just a few blocks from Bank of America stadium and Time Warner Cable Arena, this cobblestone courtyard boasts pubs, restaurants, and retail stores in an open-air atmosphere.

Intimate rustic interior
Dora here. The eclectic menu, including a few Scandinavian dishes like meatballs, lured us to this intimate corner pub. That, and it was just a few blocks to walk from the Charlotte Convention Center, where we were around lunchtime. Once we got here, choosing a single menu item was tough. And check out this view from inside! 🙂
View looking out from the pub

The Odin’s Pretzel Bites were topped with melted cheese and garlic, and served with ranch dipping sauce. A variation from typical pretzels, these bites were great and reminded me of garlic knots that you would get at a pizza joint. 

Odin’s Pretzel Bites
Dora here. Not me. I took the first bite, and…hmmm. But they grew on me. I would’ve preferred a jazzy mustard dipping sauce over the ranch. To me, the ranch really didn’t add flavor, so I stopped dipping.

I chose the Freya’s Fish ‘n Chips, Guinness-battered haddock fillets served with my favorite, Tater Tots. The fish was crispy on the outside, light and tender on the inside, and full of flavor. The meal included two large fillets that I could not finish by myself. 
Freya’s Fish & Tater Tots, huge portions!


Dora here. Some of the best fish I’ve ever tasted! And yes, I was more than happy to help Ernie finish. 🙂


I’m a sucker for sandwiches with fruit, any entree actually, especially Granny Smith apples. Add cheddar cheese, bacon, lingonberry aioli, and a heaping portion of turkey, and I was all over The Laghertha’s Turkey Sandwich. Huge, so Ernie had to help me with mine. Fair’s fair, right? 
The Laghertha’s Turkey Sandwich
About the only downer for me was the lack of Sweet n Low. So, if you crave a particular brand of sweetener for your tea, bring your own. 🙂

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

What about you? What draws you in to try new restaurants?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 7 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes a road trip to Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, located on The Island in Pigeon Forge, TN. 


This second story family restaurant has tiered seating so that everyone can take advantage of the floor to ceiling windows overlooking The Island.

Dora here. And conveniently situated over the Paula Deen retail store on the first floor. 🙂 Normally, there’s a long wait (with call ahead option), but we visited during Storm Jonas. Not many people ventured out.

This restaurant serves their meals family style with a twist. Instead of having the menu decided by the restaurant and every table gets the same dishes, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen gives each table three main dishes from a choice of seven and four side dishes from a choice of twelve, all you can eat.

Dora here. All you can eat of your choices. And no doggie bags. Bruiser was disappointed. 🙂

To start, they serve cheddar cheese biscuits and hoe cakes to start the meal, family style. The biscuits were good, soft, and tender. The hoe cakes were served with a sweet potato butter, also great. I could really taste the corn meal ingredient.

Cheddar cheese biscuits, Hoe Cakes, and Sweet Potato Butter. Yum!

Dora here. Oh my yum! Loved, loved, LOVED the biscuits with the sweet potato butter, a fresh twist on apple butter. Not so much the hoecakes. Maybe because they look like pancakes that it’s impossible not to compare them. 

For main dishes we chose Best Ever Southern Fried Chicken, Spare Ribs, and Cheesy Meatloaf. For the sides, Creamed Corn, Squash Casserole, Mac and Cheese, and Poppyseed Tossed Salad.

Spare Ribs and Squash Casserole

Of the main dishes, the southern fried chicken was perfectly fried, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and full of favor. 

Dora here. Full of flavor because they’d been dredged in hot sauce? Whatever, they were worthy of a second round.

The ribs were tender and covered in a sweet and spicy barbeque sauce that had a unique taste that we later learned was chili power. The cheesy meatloaf was covered in a thick cheese sauce, cut thick and outstanding.

Best Ever Southern Fried Chicken and Cheesy Meatloaf

Dora here. I wasn’t a fan of the ribs because of the sauce. But that meatloaf? I could actually enjoy meatloaf prepared this way.

The creamed corn was sweet, and my favorite followed by the squash casserole, which included both summer squash and zucchini with a crumb cracker topping.

From Left: Poppyseed Tossed Salad, Mac and Cheese, and Creamed Corn

Dora here. Totally unusual, but I vote the same for the sides. Of the meats, the fried chicken was my fave.

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

Do you enjoy eating “family style” or do you prefer individual choices? What’s your favorite “family style” restaurant?


Paula Deen's Family Kitchen 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 Queen City Q in downtown Charlotte, a short walk from the Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the Charlotte Hornets. 

Across-the-street view
Dora here. My first Hornets game ever! Too bad they lost that night. 🙂 
Time Warner Cable Arena

This BBQ joint/sports bar serves all of our BBQ favorites, burgers, tacos and more. During our visit, most visitors were sporting their Hornets gear while filling up before the game. 

We opted to try a few menu items and share: Brunswick stew, hush puppies and honey butter, and Carolina Classic Nachos.

Hush Puppies and Honey Butter Appetizer

I never pass up Brunswick stew when it’s on the menu, and I am glad I did not pass on this one. This stew was outstanding, with just the right mix of meat and vegetables and a flavor that kept me going back for more. I think next time we visit I could make my whole meal on this Brunswick stew. 

Brunswick Stew

Dora here. Hmm. I hear you, but I’m quite sure on our next visit, you won’t be able to resist the lure of the Que. 🙂

The Carolina Classic Nachos was loaded with three types of meat (pulled pork, smoked chicken and brisket), lettuce, tomato and chips. 

Carolina Classic Nachos

I have nachos at many places, but these nachos have to rank in the top two or three. What separated these nachos from the others had to be the white queso, with just the right amount of kick and mixed well with the different meat combination. In addition, the serving portion is huge. Both of us ate on it, and still weren’t able to finish. 

Dora here. Huge and delish! I love chili nachos, but the chili version tends to be heavy, so I appreciated the lighter variation. The chips didn’t taste overly salty while I ate them, but I could’ve downed a gallon of iced tea after dinner. 

Service was quick and friendly, even jammed with people. 

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

Any Hornets fans out there? Make some noise!


Queen City Q Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato