Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

July 2, 2016June 23, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Pearlz Oyster and Raw Bar located in the StoneCrest at Piper Glen Shopping Center in Ballantyne, NC.

What a gigantic shopping center! Took a little while to find this gem.

Dora here. What a massive, eclectic shopping center! Restaurants, boutiques, salon, spa…even a Target and Harris Teeter. I could happily lose myself in here for days.

This restaurant offers fresh seafood in a casual dining environment with an outside patio. Now, if you follow our blog much, you know it is not too often that I can talk my wife into experiencing a seafood restaurant, but it was Father’s Day, so what could she say.

Dora here. Anything for you, honey. ❤

Clean and modern interior, but it was such a beautiful day, most everyone ate outside.

We ordered a side of Corn Fritters as an appetizer. Served with a dose of powdered sugar, these fritters were crusty (Dora here. I told him he couldn’t use the word “crispy” again today, and this is what he comes up with, lol) on the outside and soft on the inside with nuggets of fresh corn and red pepper. The fritters were great but I missed a dipping sauce to be enjoyed while eating them.

Dora here. YUM! These babies were fluffy and light, with occasional glimmers of corn and red pepper flecks. The touch of sweet from the powdered sugar made us debate whether they tasted more savory than sweet. Great start to our meal! Don’t they look delicious?

Corn fritters, sweet or savory? Not sure which won, but they were a great start to our meal!

I chose the New England Lobster Roll with a side of homemade chips and a cup of seafood gumbo. Now I know you will say that is a lot of seafood, but when you do not get it too often, you have to load up on it when you get a chance. (Dora here. Haha.) The lobster roll was creamy, tender and tasty, and served on a grilled roll capable of handling this full-bodied sandwich. Outstanding!

New England Lobster Roll – Creamy, tender and tasty. Outstanding!

The gumbo was packed with rice, sausage, beans, shrimp, and some other ingredients that I could not identify because I devoured it too fast. Hardy flavor and just the right amount of heat. Another thumbs up!

Seafood Gumbo – thumbs up!

Dora here. Take a gander at the Crab Sandwich. Yowza! What’s not to love about a buttery soft bun barely containing all that crabilicious flavor? The broccoli slaw wasn’t mayo based, so I used it as another condiment for my sandwich, which added another texture and layer of flavors. Delicious! And I’m not a fan of tomatoes, but those super tiny maters on this sandwich were so fresh and sweet, I ate every one of them! Just don’t tell my mother. lol

Crab sandwich…what’s not to love? Yum!

Has a restaurant prepared a particular item in such a way that you found yourself enjoying a food that you normally don’t like?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

June 4, 2016June 6, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 14 Comments

This edition of Exited about Eating is back in the US at Amelie’s French Bakery in the NoDa (North Davidson) Arts District of Charlotte. This bakery, that also serves a variety of sandwiches, salads and other specialties, is a go-to place to quench not only your sweet tooth, but also your savory cravings.

Amelie’s French Bakery in NoDa

Dora here. You can say that again. Wait until you catch a glimpse of their dessert counter. Yowza!

Fun, eclectic interior. Order at the counter

I ordered the Provence B.L.T with Red Potato Salad and because I had no idea what a Tartine was, a Ham & Gruyere Tartine. The B.L.T. was served on a crispy baguette with loads of bacon, lettuce, and mayo that combined for the perfect bite, crispy on the outside and loads of flavor on the inside.

BLT with Potato Salad

The Tartine is actually an open-faced sandwich. The baguette was blanketed with ham and melted Gruyere cheese.

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Dora here. Talk about gooey and cheesy delicious!! We could’ve made a meal on the tartine alone! But we didn’t. 😀

The Strawberry Candied Almond Salad called to me. Because you know I’m all for salads with fruit, right? Yum! I added chicken for protein and my mouth exploded with flavor with the almost-sweet balsamic vinaigrette and the crunchy candy almonds. Yum! My only negative about this dish would be that it was entirely spring mix (Ernie calls them “weeds”). I would’ve preferred romaine and should’ve asked for the switch.

Strawberry Candied Almond Salad with Chicken – YUM!

Still Dora, the interior is eclectic and homey, like a family dinner, with all sorts of conversations flowing and swirling around you. Can you spot my sweetheart in this pic? xo

Homey and eclectic

Still Dora. What’s up with the big guy? He petered out at the best part. lol. Of course, we couldn’t pass by that bakery case without ordering dessert–awesome marketing ploy on their part, don’t you think? The Monkey Bread (Ernie’s choice) looks sickeningly sweet, doesn’t it? But so not! So delicate, it reminded me of an apple fritter without the chunky apples. And that’s a coconut macaroon next to it. I admit to being disappointed that it wasn’t dipped in chocolate at first, but one bite of that chewy ball of coconut made up for it. Mmmmm.

Monkey Bread, Coconut Macaroon, Chai Tea Lattes (iced and hot)

Amelie’s definitely made it on our “must go back” list.

Everybody lines up in front of this extensive dessert case to order. Like you could resist, right?

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

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

May 28, 2016May 15, 2016 / Dora Hiers / 5 Comments

During our recent trip to Germany we stopped over in Cologne. We stepped out of the central railway station (Koln Hauptbahnhof), and bam! The Cathedral was right there, in all its glory.

Cologne Cathedral

And just a block or two away, we found Funkhaus Café. This recently renovated stylish café offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, and classic dishes along with cakes and pastries.

Not many people inside because the weather’s so beautiful!

Dora here. Don’t forget breakfast and coffee! Just look at this place. Not many people sitting inside because the weather’s so beautiful! Try to spot my guy in the next picture. See him? ♥

loads of outdoor seating

Back to Ernie…Since I had a large lunch, for dinner I ordered Lentil Soup with smoked duck breast. Outstanding, with the lentil being cooked just enough to have a little bite but not mushy, and the thinly sliced duck breast was tender, tasty, and the perfect accompaniment to the soup. This was just the right dish to end a very busy day.

Lentil Bean Soup with Duck Breast, outstanding!

Dora here. The Goulash Spätzle was calling my name. Rather loudly. 🙂

Goulash Spatzle – yes, get it! You won’t be sorry.

Doesn’t that look oh-so-yummy? Well, my friends, it was! My first time ever eating Spätzle, and those noodles were so buttery and soft, the meat so tender…I want to go back to Cologne just for the goulash! And to gasp at that stunning cathedral. Oh, let’s not forget about the ice cream! Check this out.

We capped off an awesome day with ice cream from Eiscafe Brede. A walk-up with loads of outside seating and they offer almost any variety of ice cream that you can imagine. (Dora here. Not sure we ever could have imagined this! And if you’re walking from the train station, just a warning, it’s a bit of a trek. Phew!) We both chose the Spaghetti Ice Cream, mine with strawberries and Dora’s with chocolate, of course. Now this was definitely a different bowl of ice cream. Just looking at it from a distance, it almost looks like real spaghetti. But as soon as you dig into this dessert, you soon realize that it is creamy delicious ice cream.

Spaghetti Ice Cream…oh yeah! Good to the last noodle.

Dora here. It only took one bite for you to realize, Ernie? Took me the whole bowl. lol. Soooo good! People might’ve stared at me for licking the bowl. \o/

Definitely five forks out of five for both the restaurant and the ice cream!

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Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers