Weekend in the ATL (part #2)

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

Last weekend the BF and made like the birds and headed South(west) to Atlanta! You can check out part 1 of our mini vaca here.

Soooo where did I leave off? Oh yes, one of many two-hour naps Smile

When we finally awoke, it was time for DINNER. We were both in the mood for some Mexican treats and after some research we agreed on Tin Lizzy’s. They have a HUMONGOUS menu and you can order things a la carte, which always makes me happy. What’s there not to love about sampling LOTS of mini niblets?

I was also happy to see that Tin Lizzy’s supports National Breast Cancer Awareness month AND that the restaurants sports a good sense of humor

After perusing the menu, the Man Candy and I developed a game plan.

Course #1: A “Top of the House Margarita” for the lady, A “Fall Off the House Margarita” for the man, and Queso Fundido with chorizo, grilled onions, and peppers:

This dip was delicious—though I would have preferred larger hunks of sausage… The bigger the better in my book Winking smile

Come to think of it, the margaritas may have been a contributing factor to my love for this dip. What I remember most vividly is how deliciously creamy it was. The chips had some sort of seasoning — paprika and cayenne perhaps? The spice of the chips paired with the creaminess of the cheese made for a really good combination.

Course #2: A second round of marg’s plus one Santa Fe Steak Taco and one Fiesta Chicken taco. For each of us, naturally.

Good god these tacos were delicious. The Santa Fe steak taco came with grilled steak, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and was smothered with spicy ranch and cheesy queso blanco. Despite being listed as a “healthy option,” the fiesta chicken taco packed a tasty punch. It came on a whole wheat tortilla topped with grilled chicken, corn, black beans, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. SO GOOD!

Course #3: Margarita #3 for the man…. Big glass o’ water for the lady… AND a Grilled Chicken Tin Skillet:

Right when the food arrived, Jarrod looked concerned….

“Did I seriously just order that?!”

Even though we were both ridiculously full by this point, we managed to do some damage on this skillet. The hot skillet was full of veggie rice, grilled red peppers and onions, jalapenos, some crispy tortilla strips, queso blanco, and salsa fresca….. Heaven.

After eating all this delicious food, we had to do some googlin’ and see if there are other Tin Lizzy’s locations closer to home… Sadly, the only locations are in Atlanta, but this restaurant alone is worth the drive to ATL. I promise you.

And as if that weren’t enough…..

Course #4: Dessert from Joes on Juniper! Sooo…. Joe’s turned out to be a gay bar (oopsie…. Smile )…. Jarrod and I felt a little bit like outsiders… But who cares check out the dessert tray!

Enter my perpetual indecisiveness! Gahhh! After much debate and a few suggestions from the bartender, I nabbed the chocolate cake with white icing and took it back to the hotel with me. After we ate ourselves into oblivion there was nothing left to do but SLEEP.

Good thing we had a big dinner, because we didn’t eat breakfast until NOON on Sunday. Torture, I tell ya. Torture. I’m surprised my body didn’t experience a complete meltdown.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who thought the Thumbs Up Diner would be a good stop for Sunday brunch, because we waited for nearly an hour for a table!

This gave us ample time to figure out what we wanted to order. Jarrod went with the build-your-own omelet… of course. What is it with guys and their obsession for build-your-own menus???

I got my usual eggs & turkey sausage plus a whole wheat homemade biscuit, and about 3 lbs of potatoes:

I was really excited about the homemade whole wheat biscuit — but once I sunk my teeth into it I was not a fan. It was way too moist–kind undercooked in my opinion. In my mind a biscuit should be flaky and buttery with a bit of a crunch to it. This guy was DENSE. And moisssttttttt.

Oh… and there may have been a belgian waffle Smile

After breakfast, we headed to the Centennial Olympic Park to walk around a bit.

We got there just in time for the water fountain show.

By then it was nearly football time! Jarrod did some research and found a bar with the Sunday Ticket—so we were hopeful that they’d have the Browns game on.

When we pulled up outside of Black Bear Tavern I was ECSTATIC to see a decked out Browns van parked on the street!!!

Once inside I was stunned to see a bar FULL of Browns fans! Unbeknownst to me, Jarrod had secretly scouted out a Browns bar in ATL. It’s official. My boyfriend rocks Smile

After watching half the game and realizing the Browns were definitely not in it to win it, Jarrod decided to take me to lunch at a cool place he’d found last time he was in Atlanta.

Alon’s Bakery & Market

This place was AWESOME. It reminded me of a smaller Earth Fare with less groceries and more soul.

They also had a fully stocked bakery section:

PLUS a large selection of fresh breads, pre-made grub, and made-to-order sandwiches and paninis:

They even had a fresh-served ice cream section and a mini coffee bar in the middle complete with stools for sitting!

LOVE THIS PLACE!

We grabbed a couple of salads to share:

And a few turkey sandwiches:

This was the Peppered Turkey sandwich: naturally smoked peppered whole turkey with alfalfa sprouts, avocado, red onion, and sliced tomato served on whole wheat bread with grainy mustard and mayonnaise (AKA my sandwich soul mate).

And since the whole weekend was a major bust, we decided to try and turn things around by sitting on the patio with some dessert and some coffee.

Ok… maybe the weekend wasn’t a complete bust. ;)

P.S…. HAPPY 300TH POST TO ME!!!!

Weekend in the ATL (part #1)

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

This weekend the BF and I set sail to Atlanta! Check out our digs at the Renaissance-Midtown hotel:

We got our room for $100 a night on Priceline. Not too shabby for a 4* hotel!

Prior to arriving, Jarrod made me agree that I wouldn’t check my email unless I was peeing or pooping. Yes. Those were the actual terms of the agreement.

Soooo needless to say, not much work got done at this lovely desk:

43 seconds after arriving, we decided it was time to get some grub and took a stroll over to a local bar called Charlie G’s 11th St Pub:

This was a total locals bar—well local transplants I should say because this bar is home to the Bears Upstairs (a HUGE group of Chicago Bears fans). Both of us really enjoyed our grub. I ordered their special chicken fajita wrap and Jare Bear got the chicken philly… And then we each swapped each other for half:

I LOVE sharing Smile … though, my wrap was the better of the two (of course).

Post-lunch it was time to get our walk on and burn off some of the grub.

We walked around the Midtown area for a couple hours before heading back to the hotel. I was dumb and wore shoes that cut into my heels, so the backs of my heels were completely raw Sick smile youch!

We took a 2 hour nap before we headed out to dinner at Baraonda. This was my pick for two key reasons. 1: I was craving Italian. 2: It was half price bottle-o-wine night Smile

Baraonda was pretty cool inside—especially the large pizza oven:

We split the bruschetta appetizer and the lasagna for our entre:

Both were just OK… The bruschetta had cold tomatoes which I am NOT a big fan of. Maybe that’s weird, but I am a hardcore hot tomato gal. The lasagna was pretty tasty though a bit overdone on the cheese (is that possible??!!) and not really all that filling once we split it between us.

Hmmmm what to do what to do… We consumed a bottle of wine and not nearly enough food…

So we headed on over to the Gordon Biersch Brewery for a post-dinner appetizer and dessert, of course Winking smile

The Southwest Egg Rolls appetizer was INSANELY delicious. We devoured the rolls in about 2 minutes flat. The egg rolls had chicken and black beans all wrapped up in a crunchy shell with roasted red peppers and pepper jack cheese. So amazing. I cannot wait to try and make something like this for a football Sunday!

Then came the dessert:

This Triple Chocolate Brownie was ta-die-for…. It was almost like they’d warmed up brownie batter and plopped it down on the plate – no chew or bite to the brownie at all. Just melt in your mouth deliciousness topped with a dollop of melting ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauce:

After dinner, we sauntered back to the hotel. Jarrod decided it was time for a post-dinner workout so we hit up the gym for a few chest exercises.

Work itttttt:

Hehehe love this one Smile

After ALL THAT we hit the hay so we could wake up bright an early for breakfast at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill:

I picked this restaurant because it had a lot of healthy options on the menu. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the place, but I CERTAINLY did not envision anything like this:

This was quite possibly the most random, cluttered, overall odd restaurant I’ve ever been to. For a brief moment, I considered grabbing breakfast elsewhere but when the server brought me coffee as soon as we were seated we decided to stick it out.

Jarrod got the Sausage Queen omelet (Veggie sausage, cheddar, red peppers and onions, rosemary potatoes and shiitake gravy) and garlic green beans:

Green beans for breakfast? Ok…… If you say so.

I got two eggs, toasts, and taters AKA the Break Eggs Special:

The potatoes were super tasty and I LOVED the 9 grain bread.

After breakfast we took a walk outside the restaurant to check out their crazy bird collection:

Ughhh…. I hate birds. So freaking creepy!!!! Shortly after this photo, the bird started going crazy and hanging upside down swaying side to side in a violent way. I hightailed it outta there.

Breakfast: Check.

Time to get our walk on!

After breakfast we walked about 2 miles through midtown and checked out the sites – like this cool art museum. Though the outside of the art museum is about as much art as either of us care to handle Smile

When both of us realized we had to use the potty, we snuck into the W Hotel. The parking lot was full of fancy pants cars. Even a Rolls Royce! The hotel was SWANKKYYYYY and full of young blinged-out people. Jarrod is a huge hip hop fan, so he immediately assumed some big shot rapper must be in town. We took a squat on the couch and tried to figure out what famous person might be staying at the hotel.. but no such luck.

After our potty break, we walked through Piedmont Park and played on the jungle gym for a bit until we both managed to hurt our shoulders… Man we are old. So we popped a squat on the field and watched some people play football for a bit.

Check out this ref in the tight zebra print pants:

That is hot.

We stumbled on a little farmers market a little ways over from the field, so we checked out a few of the vendors.

Then we stopped over at Caribou for some coffee where Jarrod re-discovered his college obsession with turtle mochas and I discovered that Caribou’s pumpkin latte is nowhere near as delicious as Starbucks.

After another 2 mile jaunt, we arrived at our lunch destination: Grindhouse Killer burgers:

This place was pretty funky inside. The robots behind the bar were especially cool to look at.

Jarrod said this one reminded him of what I look like when I go more than two hours without eating:

That turd.

I went with a single burger and Jarrod nabbed a double-turkey-burger-lettuce wrap:

In all honesty, neither of these were very good. The bun on my burger overwhelmed the meat–at times I forgot I was even eating a hamburger. Jarrod’s turkey burger had a really odd consistency–like really moist meatloaf. Not exactly what I look for in a burger. BUT we did split a chocolate peanut butter shake and it was so AMAZING. The shake was so thick that I actually split the straw in half trying to drink it! I’d go back for the shake fo sho but pass on the burgers.

MORE walking brought us back to Midtown, where Jarrod spotted a guy who looked a whole lot like one of his favorite rappers: Lil’ Wayne:

Jarrod figured Lil’ Wayne musta been the rapper staying at the W Hotel, so we stalked this guy for about a mile before he ducked into some building and we lost him. Dang!

Since our lunch was meh, we stopped by Marlow’s Tavern for a few appetizers. I really liked the vibe inside Marlows. It was sporty but still swanky, posh but comfy at the same time.

We ordered the Chicken Queso Soup and the BBQ chicken flatbread:

The soup was good, but I wasn’t a fan of the flatbread pizza. Hey Mary—you don’t like BBQ sauce. Remember?! Why did you think it’d be a good idea to order a BBQ pizza? Duh.

After Marlow’s we went back to the hotel for our 2-hr pre-dinner nap

To be continued!

On the brink…

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

What IS UP guys???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the excessive exclamatories, but today is my Friday

You know that feeling you get when you’re on the brink of heading out on vacation? The excitement, and butterflies, and that never-freaking-ending list of things to do? That’s where I’m at right now! Granted, I’m only heading to Atlanta for the weekend–a mere 3 hour drive—but I’m still oober pumped to hit the road for a little rest and relaxation and some quality eat-my-face-off time Smile

In all honesty, ever since moving to Charlotte it has kind of felt like I’m on a 24/7 vacation… well with the exception of those mandatory hours dedicated to work, of course. Pretty much everything in this city is new to me, so every day provides the opportunity to get out and experience something different!

A couple weekends back, the BF and I decided to take a walk and do some exploring in The Queen City. As we strolled uptown we stumbled upon Charlotte’s LGBT Pride Festival. I swear there is some sort of festival every weekend here. Barbeque, blues, nascar, gay pride and everything in between. You name it, we’ve got it. After elbowing our way through the crowd, we decided to head over to the EpiCentre for lunch at Mortimers courtesy of a Living Social Deal I snagged.

Baller.

The first time I went to Mortimers, I wasn’t super impressed. But Jarrod had been there a time or two after that encounter and had raving reviews so I figured the Living Social deal was a good excuse to give it another go. Let’s be honest. I’m up for any excuse to use a coupon.

The weather was perfect in Charlotte—mid 80s and gloriously sunny–so we plopped down at one of the tables outside.

Mortimers has a pretty extensive menu. In’t it funny how that can be a very good thing (lot’s of options!) or a very bad thing (I can be slightly indecisive… can I take one of everything?!)? Mortimers had SO MANY things on the menu that looked good. Paninis, wraps, salads, burgers, quesadillas, chili cheese fries (*DROOL*). Needless to say, I had a hard time deciding.

We decided on the Parthenon Pizza for our appetizer. The menu touted this dish as pie cut grilled pita served with hummus, roasted red pepper tapenade & avocado spread. Even with this description, I still envisioned a “PIZZZA” and was a little sad when the app arrived:

This does not say “PIZZA,” and none of the three dips were all that great. The pita bread however was warm from the oven and super soft in my mouth… Mmmmm I am such a sucker for all things bread. I think I downed half the plate.

Last time Jarrod went to Mortimers he had the Roast Beef Sliders ap and he couldn’t stop raving about them. So next time we’ll go with the tried and true rather than venturing into the unknown.

Jarrod went with Landen’s Chicken Gyro and Coleslaw:

The Gyro was had grilled chicken, tomato, onion, some cucumber and lettuce, and a bit of tzatziki sauce:

By now Jarrod knows it’s mandatory to offer me a bite of his dish, so when he offered up a bite of the gyro I acted surprised by his sweet gesture then happily obliged

The gyro was good, but my sandwich was GREAT. Mwah hah haaaaaaaa. I win the who-will-order-the-better-meal game again!

I got the Big Easy Wrap, complete with salsalito spiced turkey, bacon, pepper jack cheese, roasted red peppers, avocado, mixed lettuces, and Cajun-style mayo. The wrap didn’t really remind me of any food I had when we were in New Orleans, BUT it did make my belly quite happy.

What DID remind me of New Orleans was the inside of Mortimers. It was dim inside with dark wood covering every inch of the place. The lights hung low from a decorative tray-tiled ceiling and made me feel like I’d stepped right into NOLA!

Overall Mortimers moved up a few notches from my last visit, and I’ll definitely head back again.

Now there’s just a few hours of work, one eyebrow wax, a trip to the dry cleaners, and a car wash between me and my mini vaca

More expensive don’t mean more tasty.

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

A couple weekends ago, the BF was feeling fancy coupled with an apparent hole burning away in his pocket so he offered to take me to ANY restaurant I wanted. Usually when I’m trying to pick a restaurant price is one of my top considerations (whether or not I’m paying). I admit to being a major cheapo, but besides that charming trait I just don’t think it’s necessary to pay an arm and a leg for a good meal! Plus, the more I’m paying, the higher my expectations and I DO NOT like to be disappointed when it comes to my food.

Since Jarrod was adamant that he wanted something over the top, we decided to go to Firebirds in South Park. Firebirds seemed like a safe bet because it’s one of the most frequent restaurant recommendations I get when I ask people their top picks in Charlotte. Even with all the positive reviews, I hadn’t ventured over to Firebirds due to their prices which average about $20 a plate for dinner.

It was a beautiful night, so we decided to take advantage of their patio seating. Walking through the restaurant and onto the patio, I started to fall in love with the place. I loved the wood-fired smell that poured out from the open kitchen, and I loved the posh yet modern decor.

Outside they had about 10 tables on the patio and a cute little sitting area complete with a large fireplace.

After perusing the menu, the BF decided on the Cilantro Grilled Chicken Breast (i.e., the only pasta-less chicken dish on the menu):

I went with the Chile Rubbed Delmonico steak:

It was nearly 10pm by the time we got our food, and I always get a little bummed when it’s too dark for good pics

Sensing my frustration, Jarrod realized our table was in a prime location right next to a spotlight. In an act of pure chivalry, he shielded me from view while I snagged a few shots:

See now? Chicken!

Steak and potatoes!

Talk about teamwork

The BF really liked his chicken dish, but my steak was bleghhhhhhhh. So fatty, and unflavorful. It was like they nixed the “chile” and swapped in gristly bits of meat. I ate about a third of it. A THIRD.

Unheard of.

Luckily, the southwest au gratin potatoes were quite yummy. So cheesy with a slight bite to them. But were they worth the $20 price tag of the dish?

I think not.

Whenever I have a subpar meal at a restaurant, there’s a little part of me that wants to complain to the waiter or manager. I don’t think I’ve ever actually followed through on this desire… well except for those few times a hair has made its way into my food. THAT is just not ok. Instant appetite squelcher… yuck just the thought of it makes me queasy!

What about you? Do you let your waiter know if your meal is crappy?

Just Fresh!

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

There are handful of things I’d consider myself pretty amazing at. For example, parallel parking, closing drawers three-quarters of the way, and crunching numbers in excel… I am a self-proclaimed excel visionary, after all. I am also pretty darn good at finding an excuse to treat myself to a tasty lunch every Saturday… ok… and every Sunday too. Last Sunday, after my insane 8 mile run I had a totally valid no-justification-needed excuse for wanting to grab a bite out. I was craving something light and fresh but oober tasty. Working with just those three criteria I knew exactly where to head. Just Fresh in Dilworth.

Just Fresh is one of the restaurants I visit most in Charlotte, yet I’ve never mentioned it on the blog. I guess that’s life for ya. We tend to focus on what’s shiny and new in our lives and often overlook those tried and true good ole standbys.

What first drew me to Just Fresh, besides the fact that it’s a bakery and a cafe mashed into one, was their mission of providing convenient, fresh, nutritionally balanced options for people on the go.

Soul mates, perhaps?!

One of the things that’s really cool about Just Fresh is the big variety of options on the menu. They’ve got what you’d expect from a cafe–sandwiches, soups, salads, and an absurd amount of baked goodies–but they’ve also got a ton of heartier options like chicken and beef quesadillas, fajitas, and turkey burgers!

Just Fresh has five locations in Charlotte, but the Dilworth location is my favorite due to the ample patio seating.

DSCF7428

Every time I’m at Just Fresh I opt for the 1/2 sandwich 1/2 salad combo. It’s less than $7 and you get a good sized salad, large half of a sandwich, PLUS a side of your choice. And you aren’t stuck with a giant piece of bread or boring potato chips or a red apple either. Who even eats red apples, anyway? Granny Smith, all the way baby. All the way. At Just Fresh you’ve got a big list of sides to choose from ranging from fresh fruit salad to cucumber dill pasta salad and coleslaw.

Another thing I adore about Just Fresh is that they post their nutritional data on their website. For only having 5 locations, that’s pretty awesome. Usually, when I go out to eat I don’t obsess about finding something healthy to eat. To be honest, it’s just too dang hard. And if I’m shelling out a pretty penny to dine at a restaurant the food on my plate had better be pretty darn delicious. Despite this, it’s really nice to have a go-to restaurant with healthy options for those times when I’m on the run or just feeling too lazy to cook.

My two favorite sandwiches at Just Fresh are the turkey franita and the oven roasted turkey breast. I’m a turkey gal, what can I say?

Seriously, tell me you wouldn’t love to have this for lunch today:

DSCF7424

If you’re wondering what the heck a franita is, trust me you are not alone. I was skeptical at first thinking it might have something to do with eggs given that “Franita” sounds like she’d be Frittata’s prude older sister. Just me??

On my fourth visit to Just Fresh I decided to give Franita a shot, and thank I thank the heavens I did. The turkey franita comes with turkey, a creamy artichoke parmesan spread, tomato, and cucumber on a toasty french roll. This sandwich is ALL ABOUT the artichoke spread. It’s slightly tangy, oh so creamy, and full of flavor.

The WHOLE franita sandwich is only 370 calories, which scores it extra brownie points. Now I recommend you change those brownie points in for one of the delicious looking brownies in the dessert case. Stat.

The sandwich/salad combo comes with your choice of a half ceaser salad or half garden salad. I always opt for the garden salad with balsamic dressing:

For those days when I’m feeling CRAZY and craving something totally off the wall, I get the EXACT same combo but sub in the oven roasted turkey breast sandwich instead:

I’m a creature of habit. What else can I say?

This sandwich is served cold and has the most delicious creamy dill spread slathered on the honey wheat bread:

As an aspiring bread connoisseur, this wheat bread holds a very special place in my heart. It has a hint of sweetness and is incredibly fluffy and soft but still has a slight chew to it. So good! I’m always surprised at how big this half sandwich is. What’s even more surprising is that a whole one of these guys only comes in at 410 calories.

Since I kicked major booty on my Sunday run, I decided it was time to finally try out one of the MANY goodies Just Fresh has in the dessert case.

A little toffee and chocolate chip cookie for the lady please

And by little, I mean ginormous, of course. The nutritionals for their baked goods are not provided on the website…. I’m guessing they aren’t as nutritionally well rounded as the rest of their menu.

But let’s not think about that right now….. Let’s think about the ooey bits of melty toffee and delicious hunks of milk chocolateeeeeeee…..

So simple, so tasty.

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

For as much as I like to go out to eat, and boy do I like to go out to eat, I too enjoy having a simple tasty meal at home. Tonight’s dinner was just that. So simple, so tasty. Since I talked myself out of running this morning (I guess I learned nothing from yesterday’s post), I wanted a quick and light dinner so that I could spend some quality time with my tenner shoes this evening.

After a quick fridge inventory, I decided a turkey wrap was the feature entre of the evening. 1 whole wheat Flat-out wrap, 4 ounces of Boars Head Turkey Breast, 2 tbsp Trader Joes creamy original hummus (MY FAV!!!!), some tomatoes, onions, and cucumber:

P.S. cucumbers are my new favorite vehicles for loading up with hummus. So friggin good… why did I not discover this combo sooner?!

I also had some lazy-gal’s cucumber salad on the side:

Since I go out to eat quite a bit on the weekends, during the week I shoot to eat as healthy as I can. The key for me is that “healthy” still has to equal tasty. If it ain’t tasty, I ain’t eatin!

It’s a wrap: 324 calories, 30g carbs, 9g fat, 39g protein, 13g fiber

As I sat on my balcony devouring this delicious dinner, I started thinking about how varied my meals are throughout any given week. Tonight I was feasting on a simple wrap—and Saturday night I feasted on French cuisine. Is it just me, or is it kind of crazy how much food there is to taste and experience in the world? It just kind of astounds me! I have problems. I know.

Speaking of that French Cuisine, Saturday night after Jamie, Vanessa, and I saw Harry Potter, we took a stroll over to Café Monte to get our grub on. I wonder how you say “grub” in French…? Grubeaux?

We had a bit of time to spare before our reservation, so we used a bit of it to oogle over the dessert case.

And then their expansive breakfast menu (must come back for breakfast soon).

Then headed to the bar for some cocktails because that’s what any self respecting lady does on Ladies Night Out.

Hello orange dress Smile

The restaurant was really cute inside and reminded me of some of the places I visited during the week I spent in Paris in college.

Speaking of that week, the one main thing I remember about Paris was how rude the people were and how much I hated the food. The only French word I’d learned was “poulet” (translates to chicken). So at every restaurant I visited I‘d scan the menu for poulet, then use the point and repeat technique to order my meals. Poulet. Poooooolettttttttt (insert rapid menu tapping here). No wonder the people hated me Winking smile

Luckily, the folks at Café Monte were very hospitable and also very knowledgeable about the menu items. Plus the menu was in English, so I didn’t have to search too hard to find the chicken dishes

Since I had a Living Social deal for the restaurant (Boo.Ya.), we decided to get crazy and order the cheese fondue for our appetizer:

Give me a loaf of bread, and I’m a very happy lady. Give me a loaf of bread AND a tub full of melty cheese and I may kiss you and beg to be your sugar mama. Do not be alarmed.

For our dinners, I went with the Chicken (poulet! pouuuletttttttt!) and Wild Mushroom crepes, Vanessa got some crazy looking fish dish (the Trout Amandine), and Jamie got the Lobster and Crab risotto:

I think we were all pretty happy with our meals. My crepes were really tasty, and I especially enjoyed the juiciness of the pulled chicken breast against the creamy madeira sauce. If the dish would of included sundried tomatoes it would have been a show stopper. That’s probably not very “french” though, huh?

After dinner, we decided it would only be proper to cap our night off with coffee and dessert. After nixing the desserts each of us weren’t feeling, we were left with the winner.

Carrot cake:

I’m not sure what carrot cake has to do with French Cuisine, but it was pretty darn delicious. Especially with the coffee!

On a side note, I really enjoyed the Harry Potter movie! There were some parts that were a bit cheesy and child like–but I had to keep reminding myself that these were SUPPOSED to be kids. Even though Harry had a 5 o’clock shadow and six pack abs and Ron and Hermione we making out every time they had five seconds to get a quick grope in these were the KIDS I’d been following for the past 10+ years… they’d just grown up a bit. *Sigh* … haven’t we all?

Don’t eat poop. Eat a Bagel.

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

At some point in the last few weeks, I unofficially declared a new weekend goal: to try AT LEAST one new (to me) lunch spots in the city each week. It’s good to have goals in life, guys. You need to give yourself realistically obtainable milestones to strive for. Goals give your life purpose and destination, and, in my case, a full belly.

About 30 minutes into what should have been a 5 minute drive to Owen’s Bagels including FOUR (potentially) illegal u-turns, I finally (wo)manned up and called Owen’s to find out where the heck they were located.

With their direction, I quickly made it Owen’s, which is smashed at the end of the Pavilion Plaza on South Boulevard:

If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might drive by it (four times) blissfully (or not so blissfully, as the case may be) unaware.

Now normally I’d question the pedigree of a restaurant whose letters are peeling off the awning, but I haven’t had a good bagel in god knows how long and I swear if I see another bagel thin flaunting itself as a delicious bagel alternative I may go batshit.

So I made an exception. I do have goals to keep in mind after all.

Owen’s is locally owned and operated and they are all about fresh steamed bagels, which they purchase straight from an NYC bagel shop. The bagel sandwiches are made to order and come piping hot off the steamer. If you’ve never sunk your teeth into the chewy bliss that is a hot steamed bagel, I beg you to get your butt to Owen’s. Stat.

There was a whole lot going on inside of Owen’s. I spotted a couple dozen people laughing and happily enjoying lunch against a backdrop of crazy signs and oddball décor.

The quirkiness of Charlotte never ceases to surprise me. You just never know what you’re going to get, unless you take the time to look inside. I think that’s what this city is really about. Slowing down, and taking the time. Stopping to smell the bagels, if you will.

At the front of the store, you’ll see the ordering section complete with construction paper visual aids depicting their menu items.

I giggled over a few of them including the Muenster Mash, Tonya Harding Club, Ned’s Gandy Dancer, and the Booty Bagel.

After ordering, I popped a squat in a back corner and admired the writing on the wall (no pun intended).

It was EVERYWHERE. Kinda made me wonder why they don’t just stick a ladder out front and let some customer put a good sharpie to work on their awning lettering. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for a couple free steamed bagels Winking smile

After a short wait, my grub was ready!

I went with the Jake Delihome Bagel, which was loaded up with turkey, colby cheese, AVOCADO, onion, and tomato on a Bialy bagel:

I’m not sure what a Bialy Bagel is exactly, but the sandwich was awesome. The turkey and cheese and veggies were tasty, but it coulda been bologna sandwiched between that steamy bagel and I think I still would have been in heaven.

I was so so so happy to see that they had Cheddar & Sour Cream Baked Ruffles!! Cheddar & Sour Cream chips are pure nostalgia for me. They were the chip of my youth, whereas funyuns were the chip of my teenage years… mmmmmm funyunnssss…. Oh how I miss those stanky snacks.

And with this, I bid you ado:

The (not so) Common Market

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

During my blissful day of unplanned meandering, I wandered over to The Common Market in South End for lunch:

How adorable is that little sandwich guy? The Common Market is one of those places you’d probably just drive by if you hadn’t heard through the twitter grapevine that they had delicious sandwiches. It looks, at least from the outside, like a standard convenience store, and it wasn’t until I walked along the side of the building that I realized they have this great secluded courtyard to sit in and enjoy your lunch!

Once inside the Market you can spot newbies <aka ME> who are unsure where to go to order… where to pay… and frankly what the heck is going on inside this quirky store. There’s STUFF everywhere in the store. Not just stuff to fill space, but stuff that is interesting and unique and fun to look at and drool over.

If your heart is set on getting a sandwich (as it should be), you can head straight to the back of the store where the deli counter is located. You order your grub there and then pay at the register at the front of the store.

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While waiting for my sandwich, I snooped around the store a bit and noted that you can even dine-in at one of the handful of tables perched right in the middle of the store.

You can crab a bottle of wine (or five) from their extensive wine selection to enjoy with your grub. Or if beer is your thing, they’ve got quite the selection of high-end bottled beers as well.

The sandwiches don’t come with chips or drinks or any sides, but that is A-O-Kay because the market is chock full of yummies. The shelves are packed with snacks and chips and TONS of homemade baked goods:

I somehow exercised superb self control and did not snag any of the baked goodies. Though they had these brownie logs that looked to die for, and that I’ve been dreaming about since!

The Market also has a random hodgepodge of fun gadgets and gizmos and cards and signs for sale and some random gluten-free products on the shelves. I’ll have to bring my friend Tracy here when she comes to visit!

$6.25 for a sandwich ain’t bad in Charlotte. Especially when it comes with a compliment stamp:

I went with the Turkey Capri sandwich, which had sundried tomato spread, a slathering of goat cheese, a big handful of baby spinach, and red onion between two hearty slices of 9 grain bread:

The sandwich was FABULOUS. I think i could eat one of these every day and not get tired of them. Though they also had a pepperjack turkey panini on the menu that looked quite tasty…

The the funkyness of the market carried out to the courtyard area which was full of random odds and ends, crazy signs, and patrons enjoying the nice weather and even nicer food.

The South End location does wine tastings on Wednesday nights and beer tastings on Thursday nights. They also have live music on the patio on the weekends.

Sadly, my sandwich came to an end. Too soon. But isn’t that always the case with a tasty lunch?

Ohhh! Lest we not forget the scratch off giveaway winner!

Yay Nicole! Email your mailing address to: ferventfoodie@gmail.com.

A day of unplanned meandering.

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

I woke up this morning with no specific agenda. I had a list of things to do, but no specific order or priorities or timeframe to complete them in. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time this has happened to me. How did I get to this point of continuous overscheduling, overplanning, and overbooking? I am SO over it. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I envisioned every day being like today: a day full of unplanned meandering about the city. Days filled with simple things like walking around and trying restaurants. Meeting people. Talking food.

I realize wanting EVERY day to be this way is unrealistic. But how about EVERY weekend day? Is that too much to hope for?

I laid in bed for a while thinking about all the possibilities of the day, before heading out on my Sunday run. The Charlotte area had some crazy flash flooding on Friday, and the park behind my condo was literally under five feet of water! Thankfully the water has resided, but the whole area is basically a giant cow chip now. So, I decided to hit the city streets and explore some neighborhoods I don’t usually get to by foot.

After my run, shower, breakfast, and lazy time, I headed out to take some exterior photos of restaurants I’m planning to write reviews of this week. I played restaurant stalker for a while, got a few disapproving looks from various restaurant patrons (ahhh the life of a food writer *sigh*), then headed to Central Coffee Co. to try out their goods and take advantage of their free wifi.

Can I just say, I love coffee shops.

There are always interesting people around at coffee shops. People chatting and people who don’t want to chat at all <me>. People seeking inspiration <me> and people who just exude creativity.

I also love coffee shops for the fresh brewed coffee (obv.) and endless supply of tasty treats to sample (double obv.).

When I arrived at Central Coffee Co, I found a random seeming building that sure didn’t look like much from the outside. It sits at the corner of Central Avenue and Louise and has a tiny awkward parking lot. I wasn’t getting a good vibe as I walked up to the door, and I was almost hesitant to go inside.

Right when I opened the doors, that comforting smell a freshly ground coffee beans washed over me and I realized that the inside of this unassuming coffee shop told a completely different story. The shop was very long and narrow inside, with one wall of exposed brick running the entire length.

The walls were lined with a handful of small tables, mismatched chairs, and a swanky sitting area complete with white leather chairs near the fireplace.

I eyeballed their large selection of bakery treats, not sure which to go with. When I asked the barista how the zucchini bread was, he got a big smile on his face and said it was “awesome.” When the employees get excited about the food, that’s when you KNOW it’s good.

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I went with my standard small black French Roast coffee (I’m hardcore like that) and a slice of that vegan zucchini bread, then grabbed one of the tables along the brick wall. Not only did they have free wi-fi, but they also had ample plugs for laptop charging = very happy blogger.

I sat back in my chair took a long sip of my coffee, and soaked in every ounce of this place that I could. Every sight, smell, and sound. The music was playing at the perfect decibel, and the barista stood at the counter, head bobbing to the rhythm, waiting for patrons in need of service. Strangers were sitting by the fireplace trading their top restaurant picks and their desires to try newly opened spots. The lights were dim and unabrasive, one of which was perfectly placed over my table. Occasionally, I would hear the coffee grinder buzz in the distance and that familiar smell would waft back over towards my table. I sat typing away on my computer and snapping random photos for a while before sitting back and savoring the zucchini bread. Every bite of the bread exuded intense cinnamon flavor. It was moist and slightly sticky, which made the crumbs hug my fork begging to be eaten. And I obliged.

As I relished my coffee, I realized this whole place was speaking to me. From the chalkboard menus on the walls, to the exposed beam ceilings and warehouse style air ducts. And of course, there was the giant biscotti perched in a glass jar on the counter. There was just something about this place.

Something right.

I think I found my new spot. Smile

A day in Clover, SC

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Fervent Foodie

This past weekend my mom and sister made the long haul down from Ohio to visit me in North Carolina. 7 hours in the car, and they still had smiles on their faces when they arrived Open-mouthed smile

I’ve been so excited for them to come down since I relocated to Charlotte in April. When you’ve spent your whole life in one area, it’s really bizarre to pick up, move, and plop down in an entirely new city without physically sharing it with your friends and family.

One of our excursions over the weekend led us to Clover, South Carolina to visit my mom’s friend Lucy. My mom and Lucy met on the internet. Apparently, that string of crazy runs in the family Smile .

Clover is a very rural town about 45 minutes away from Charlotte and about 30 minutes from Rock Hill, SC.

By rural, I mean there was a whole lot of this going on:

I don’t know what it is about this photo, but I absolutely love it. Maybe it’s because I don’t often get the opportunity to photograph animals in such close proximity, or maybe it’s just the look in this guy’s eye. Doesn’t he look like he’s posing for the photo??

Lucy lives on a beautiful property dotted with wildlife and rustic buildings.

It’s crazy that such a short drive out of the city brings you to this peaceful, seemingly simple, town.

If it weren’t for the sweltering heat (holy triple digits!) I could have walked around taking photos for hours. Every nook and cranny bubbled over with picturesque country charm.

Are you ready to hightail it to the countryside yet?

By the time we finished touring Lucy’s house, we were starving (when am I not?) and headed to Lell’s Café in Rock Hill for lunch:

Lell is a friend of Lucy’s, and her café is about “real food and quality products.” They specifically focus on using fresh local ingredients with an emphasis on keeping the menu as organic and natural as possible. They don’t even serve pop (soda for your southerners), given the artificial ingredients and chemicals it contains.

How awesome is that?

I eyeballed the menu and the specials and spent some time drooling over these fabulous looking scones:

But decided to go with Lucy’s advice and get the French Connection sandwich for my meal:

The French Connection had sliced ham, a generous portion of deliciously melty brie (welcome to heaven), and fruit spread:

I’m not usually big on mixing sweet and savory, but I am so happy I stepped outside the box and got this sandwich because the combination was simply fabulous.

Yow.za.

Jenny tried the veggie wrap which featured the hummus of the day. Unfortunately, the hummus of the day happened to be olive hummus and Jenny happens to hate olives (even more than I do!). She took most of the wrap home with us, and Mom, who adores olives (she must be adopted) had the leftovers for a midnight snack and said it was fabulous.

I tried to be sneaky and snap a photo of mom on my way back from the bathroom. Of course the light shining in the window washed out what could have become THE ONLY photo in existence with her actually smiling.

Apparently the gods are on her side and intervened on the photo op, thus destroying my hopes of getting a natural photo of her.

One of the many great things about Lell’s is their serious coffee selection:

I went with the mocha latte:

So friggin delicious. One of these days I am going to get a job as a barista so I can learn to make delicious coffee concoctions for myself. A girl can dream, right?

Lell’s carries their local focus from the table to the walls and displays artwork of several local artists. Lucy was one of the artists featured. How cool!

After lunch we drove around Rock Hill, scouted out downtown Clover, then hit up the Goodwill where I found a new pair of running shorts (tags still attached!) and a gap skirt for $3 a pop.

Can I get a Boo.Ya.?

Dinner was courtesy of Lucy’s husband Tommy, the Red-Neck-Chef.

Hello Moroccan Chicken!

As soon as I saw the olives, I had to giggle. Poor Jenny Smile

Even with the olives, this meal was deserving of a golf clap for the chef! I adore anything with cumin, so this dish was right up my alley. Ok… yes, I picked out the olives. Maybe the Red-Neck-Chef will post this recipe to his blog so we can all enjoy it again Smile

We ended our visit in Clover on a sweet note courtesy of a large slice of Lucy’s homemade peach pie:

Only in the south Smile

I may not have gotten any photos of the people in this post, but every person mentioned has a website so feel free to get your stalk on Winking smile