review

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 8 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Dos Amigos, a neighborhood restaurant in Boone, NC, serving authentic Mexican cuisine. This place always seems to be really busy so we decided to give it a try.

Dos Amigos Restaurante Mexicano Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Exterior doesn’t scream, “Come in!” But inside was quiet and comfortable, and they’re always busy.

Dora here. We’ve passed by this place a gazillion times because it’s sandwiched between our favorite pizza place (Capone’s) and our favorite coffee shop (Higher Grounds). The exterior doesn’t really scream, “Come in!” But, inside, it’s quiet, the music soft rather than blaring, and I appreciated the ample room between tables. 

Dos Amigos Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Now I always like menus with pictures of the food, so when I saw the picture of the Street Corn, I knew I had to try it for our appetizer. The corn was tender, slathered with mayonnaise and dusted with cheese, and a perfect way to start a meal. Dora here. I could eat this corn every night of the week. Sweet. Buttery. Delicious.

Corn Dos Amigos Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

For my lunch, I chose the Taco Salad. Loaded with ground beef and fresh ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream, and served in a crispy flour tortilla shell. Very good, and I would definitely order it again.

Dos Amigos Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog Ernie & Dora Hiers

Taco Salad, very good

Dora here. I always love hearing the sizzle of chicken fajitas as they’re delivered to the table. Can you see the steam rising up? Yum! Loaded with chicken, light on the veggies (which is always a plus for me!), and subtle, not overpowering, flavors. We just found our new go-to for Mexican food in Boone. 🙂

Chicken Fajitas, lunch portion

What about you? What’s your favorite Mexican dish?

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

 

Excited about Reading…Under the Mistletoe

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

Wrap your heart around a cozy little romance that starts with a red wool scarf, an angel or two, and ends with Ben Logan and Lucy Fielding under the mistletoe. An uplifting tale of romance and faith for the holidays.

Sharing my thoughts…

Oh my goodness, y’all, I have to tell you about this cute little novella! My favorite holiday read this season! It’s a shortie–89 pages, which includes a preview for The Rosetti Curse–but don’t let that stop you from scooping it up. It’s a great read to curl up with during the holiday season, with several laugh out loud moments, nothing heavy or weighty, and a sigh-worthy ending. Humorous, sometimes sarcastic, totally realistic, flirty and fun dialog kept the story moving at a fast clip.

“It is possible that I may have overdone it.”

“You think?”

Ben glared at her.

“How far did you traverse, oh skilled athlete?”

“Twenty miles.”

Lucy gasped. “Twenty miles?”

Ben nodded, which set her off again.

“This from a guy who thinks the walk from the parking lot to the elevator is strenuous exercise?” She clutched the files to her chest and began to laugh.

“It’s not that funny.”

“Sure it is.”

“Good to know I can count on you for support.”

“I have ibuprofen. Is that support enough for you?”

See what I mean? 🙂

Lucy’s a planner, an antique prowler, and an avid Yankees fan. Ben has known her practically his entire life.

Don’t you just adore friends-to-lovers stories?? :insert dreamy sigh:

Of course Ben’s reluctant to reveal his feelings to Lucy. Doing so would ruin their bestie status, but also because she’s engaged. Not that Ben really expects her to go through with the wedding. And especially not after a deceased….well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out who, makes some surprise visits, encouraging Ben to make a move…

A sweet hero who proves his faithfulness and love, a heroine who finally realizes the treasure right in front of her all along, and a friendship that expands into something much deeper. Like I said, tough to put down. Plan to read it all in one sitting. You can thank me later. I’m off in search of more Tina Radcliffe books…

What’s your favorite holiday read so far this season?

Disclaimer: I purchased Under the Mistletoe while it was free on Amazon. This review is my fair and unbiased opinion, and I was in no way compensated.

 

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Southern Craft Barbecue, a wood fired smokehouse serving BBQ, burgers, and tacos in a historic downtown warehouse in Johnson City, TN.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers
Free parking lot directly in front of the restaurant.

Dora here. Parking is free directly across from the restaurant, always a bonus in my opinion. I really liked the industrial rustic vibes and the spacious interior. That said, outside of the longer tables in the back for bigger parties, I didn’t see too many actual tables. Could just be because half walls cordoned off the restaurant into sections. We were seated at a high top next to the bar but would’ve preferred a regular table. 

Love the industrial rustic vibe!

For our appetizer, we opted for the Corn Bread Skillet. This corn bread was great if you like it with less sugar and more texture. You could never get enough of the maple butter and the caramelized onions were unnoticeable.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Corn Bread Skillet Appetizer

Dora here. Don’t call me a hater, but this wasn’t a great start for me. No bits of corn, no sugar, and not nearly enough butter. And the caramelized onions? Hmmm. Really?

For my meal, I ordered the BBQ Combo. My two meats were pork belly and burnt ends, and the two sides, fried okra and tater tots. The BBQ was great, the pork belly was fatty and meaty, just like it should be, and the burnt ends were large chunks of flavor with their original BBQ sauce. Both meats were very smoky and tender, and something that I would definitely order again.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

BBQ Combo: Pork belly, burnt ends, fried okra and tater tots

Dora here. They pack quite a bit of brisket between two hefty pieces of Texas toast. The brisket was cooked well, and not fatty or dry like some. It came with a tiny mound of slaw to top and a nice sized portion of seasoned tater tots. More than enough to fill your belly and I actually brought some home.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Brisket Sandwich. Cooked well, not fatty or dry like some.

Still Dora. If you’re in search of a restaurant to hold a conversation, this probably isn’t the spot. But if you want good BBQ and a hearty meal, go for it.

How do you like your cornbread?

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