restaurant

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 11 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the base of Sugar Mountain and to the Painted Fish Café & Beer Bar in Banner Elk, NC. This casual local restaurant serves salads, sandwiches, and a variety of entrees to satisfy everybody. Dora here. I’m bummed that it was too chilly to sit outside. Can’t beat those views!

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Can’t beat those views!

You know how some restaurants try to cram in as many people by squishing the tables close together? Not here. We appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.

For my lunch, I started with the soup of the day, a crab chowder. This chowder was great, loaded with potatoes and crabmeat in a creamy sauce. Dora here. We knew that soup was coming before it ever reached the table! lol. Strong scent of crab, but I liked it, even though I’m not a huge seafood fan. Hey, don’t hate! 🙂

Painted Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Soup of the Day: Crab Chowder. Loaded with potatoes and plenty of crab.

I followed that up with the special of the day, a fried catfish sandwich served with cole slaw and tartar sauce on a soft bun and house-made chips. This huge sandwich was outstanding! Crispy and lightly breaded, tender and juicy on the inside, and the slaw added just the right crunch to the sandwich. And those chips, they were like waffle chips but were crunchy and had great flavor.

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Fried Catfish Sandwich (special), outstanding! Crispy, tender, huge!

Dora here. A couple of the salads sounded interesting, but the protein up-charge pushed them to almost $20. Too pricey for me! So I opted for the turkey brie sandwich. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Two slices of whole grain bread packed with turkey, cranberries, melted cheese and spinach. Yum! Great flavor, texture and, like Ernie’s sandwich, huge! I’d definitely order this again, but the fried catfish won me over, too. This place might make me into a seafood lover. 🙂

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Turkey Brie Sandwich, packed with turkey, cranberry, and spinach. Great flavor, texture, and huge!

What about you? What food doesn’t make your “favorite” list? And has a restaurant ever turned you into a fan of that food?

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

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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 & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 12 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the mountains of Tennessee and to The Old Mill Pottery House Café & Grille located in Pigeon Forge. This charming local favorite eating spot features Southern cooking with fresh breads from their bakery and gorgeous homemade desserts.

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille directly across from the Old Mill

Dora here. We get over to this area a few times a year, and The Old Mill has always been a favorite. But any more, even sharing, I just can’t shovel down ALL. THAT. FOOD. So when we stumbled on Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille, directly across the street, this became my new favorite restaurant in the whole Sevierville area. Hands. Down. Oh, and my dad would tell you that it’s just about the only restaurant that’ll make him a rare burger. 🙂

Always a crowd!
Front and center, love this rustic fireplace!

Don’t bother waiting for a parking spot out front. There’s ample parking in the back and then you can decide if it’s warm enough to enjoy the gorgeous patio. Unfortunately, during this visit, it was too cold and rainy.

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Ample parking in the back. Then, you can decide if it’s warm enough to enjoy this stunning patio.

For my lunch, I chose the Grilled Rib-eye Steak Sandwich, served on a fresh baked hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion, melted provolone, peppers, and caramelized onions with a baked potato on the side. This sandwich was outstanding, tender so that you could easily bite through, covered by melted cheese and a combo of peppers and caramelized onions that just kept me going back for more. The baked potato was cooked just the way I like them, with a harder skin and soft inside.

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Grilled Rib-eye Steak Sandwich, outstanding!

Dora here. It’s always a tough choice because I love their burgers and so many other items on the menu call out to me. But not as loudly as the Quiche / Salad combo. lol. They always offer a daily quiche that sounds intriguing, but inevitably I order the Chicken and Almond. The almonds add a nice texture along with a buttery firm crust, and, honey, is this thing loaded with chicken! Insert happy sigh. The Strawberry Spinach Salad with raspberry vinaigrette is fresh and light, and pairs nicely with the quiche and cinnamon raisin bread.

Old Mill Pottery House Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Chicken Almond Quiche with Strawberry Spinach Salad ALWAYS calls my name!

Still Dora. My only beef (pun intended, lol) with Pottery House is the back dining room. They have this beautiful rustic front room with stone floor and fireplace and a stunner of a garden to enjoy through ginormous windows on both sides, but then…the back room where they sit most of their larger parties. It’s almost as if you walked into a different restaurant. One day maybe they’ll add those little touches that make the front half of the restaurant so rustic and charming. In the meantime, we usually just ask for a table in the front. 🙂

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. (4.5 for Dora, 5 for Ernie)

The Old Mill Pottery House Café & Grille Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato