That one weekend where I ate way too much cake.

And then wrote a blog post with a much too long title.

Oh well.

This past weekend, Graham took a few days off and we headed back to Charlotte. He didn't get to go with me two weeks ago, and Friday was his birthday, so we went home to celebrate.

I baked some banana split cupcakes a few weeks ago, but I didn't love the way they turned out. So, I tweaked the recipe, & used the guests at his party as my guinea pigs. These were a HUGE success. 

He requested a strawberry cake for his birthday, so I made that as well. He teased me about the four layers, and the homemade jam filling. I know he would have been happy with a cake baked in a 9x13 pan and iced... but, I had to get creative somehow! 

As if that wasn't enough cake, my friend Kelly & I attended the Sweet Tooth Festival on Sunday. 

Thanks to the power of social media, I found out about this AWESOME event. Tickets were $30, the proceeds went to RAIN (an organization that provides support services to HIV+ individuals in the Charlotte area), and you got sample all kinds of delicious stuff from local bakeries and sweet shops. We left with a bakery box full of all kinds of delicious items.

Most of what we sampled was absolutely wonderful. I had only heard of two of the vendors that were participating; Cupcrazed (a winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars) & Got What it Cakes, my new favorite Charlotte bakery, so I was excited to try some new places. Here my favorites of everything I got to sample. 

This little bit of deliciousness was called "Gone Wild" from Sweet Elations. It had peanut butter and coconut (which reminds me of my beloved Earth Balance peanut butter) and was so good! 

These brownie bliss bites from My Sweet Celebration were so good. This one had toffee and caramel, and I would have loved about five more. 

Royal Oats Granola was there with something a little healthier. Their blueberry lemon granola was the best granola I've ever had. 

 My favorite treat of the day was this lemon bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (and how cute is that name!). The cake was so moist, had tons of flavor, and the perfect amount of lemon. 

I'm not a 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure this amazing chocolate mousse cake (with a rum soaked cherry =)) was from Neet's Sweets (if it wasn't, please correct me). The cake was delicious, but what's even better is what the shop does for women who are victims of sexual trafficking and exploitation. 

The Secret Chocolatier was giving out amazing truffles and chocolates. I had a chocolate sea salt butter toffee and a violet truffle. Both were amazing, but the toffee absolutely knocked my socks off. 

I'm honestly not a huge peanut butter fan, but this slice of chocolate cake with a PB filling from Got What It Cakes was wonderful. And they were definitely the most generous with their serving size =)

The Sweet Tooth Festival is an annual event, so if you're in the Charlotte area you should check it out. The money raised goes to a great cause, it's a great way to learn about awesome local businesses, and you leave with a box full of cake. =)

Our Epic Road Trip: A wonderful day in Charlotte.

It's hard to believe that it was almost three weeks ago that we were getting ready for our epic road trip up the east coast. Before we could get started on our vacation, we needed to leave our animals in capable hands with family in Charlotte. I know it seems crazy, driving six hours south before heading up north, but the cost to board our animals was ridiculous.

Home Sweet Home. The first of the 13 states we'd cross into during our trip.

I got an email a few weeks earlier reminding me of the Komen Race for The Cure. We did it the year before, and I loved it, so I signed us up again. I love the positivity that comes along with it. Not to mention it's such a pretty city and we love exploring it. 

 

 

 

 

 

The food in Charlotte was as epic as always. 

This pomegranate margarita popsicle was AMAZING. 

And even more amazing: the Breaking Batter hot dog from JJ's Red Hots. OMG, so good!

I love eating hot dogs, but that night we headed uptown for a fabulous dinner with some friends.

(And took a few photos in the parking deck...)

We ate at Kings Kitchen for the first time since our first wedding, about 2.5 years ago. Their menu had obviously changed, but the meal was fantastic and did not disappoint. 

We started withe the pimento cheese dip. It was phenomenal. Nothing like the chunky stuff that us southerners spread on sandwiches. This was a queso consistency and I just wanted to eat it with a spoon. 

We also ordered biscuits & cornbread for the table to share. The biscuits were the best I've ever had. The cornbread was disappointing, but I think that was just a personal issue since I prefer sweet cornbread. 

Graham & Megan both ordered the shrimp & grits. This was amazing. The sauce was just right, the shrimp was excellent and the grits were perfect. I've decided from here on out, I only want to eat stone ground grits. 

(Stone Fisheries shrimp, Anson mills grits, spicy tomato sauce)

My friend Heather and I couldn't decide between two dishes, so we each ordered one and shared. The scallops were slightly overcooked but they had delicious flavor and were still really tender. The succotash was fantastic as well. 

(Stone Fisheries seared scallops, low country succotash, fine herbs)

The other dish we were torn between was the chicken and dumplings. This was (in my opinion) the best meal at the table. Everything was perfect. Vegetables are easy so of course the were good. But the sauce & the chicken? Oh my. The sauce was perfect. The chicken was perfect. The meat was super moist and had amazing flavor, and the skin was crispy and delicious. The dumplings were good, but the chicken & the sauce were completely amazing.

(Seared Airline chicken breast, house dumplings, fresh vegetables and pan jus)

We headed home after dinner, since we had to get up super early to start on our road trip. But it was a fabulous day in Charlotte and I'm already ready to be home again for Thanksgiving!

Restaurant Review: JJ's Red Hots

I love hot dogs. There, I said it. I always used to feel like less of a foodie whenever I have one, but I don't care. I decided that there is a fine line between being a foodie and a food snob. I try never to be a food snob. I like pizza. I like burgers. And hot dogs, FTW.

The hot dogs at JJ's are hot dogs unlike any I've ever had. The dog itself is whatever. It's a hot dog. But the toppings, and more importantly the combination of toppings is what takes these to the next level. 

Graham was traditional and boring with his dog. He had the Char-heel, which was a combination of slaw, chili, raw onions and mustard. I loathe all of those toppings, so I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. But in his words it was "effing delicious". 

I had the dog of the week (the big cheesy), and oh baby... It was topped with bacon, jalapeno pimento cheese & pickled jalapeno  One word to describe it: epic. The pimento cheese was so good. It's not a combination I would have ever put together on my own, but it definitely worked! 

We both had our dogs with chili cheese fries (which were fantastic) and best of all, it was SO CHEAP! $15 for everything, including two sodas.


On our way out of Charlotte a few days later, we decided to stop by again. Graham had the same hot dog. I ordered something different, but it didn't matter what I ordered, because they gave me the wrong one. I ordered the Sonoran, and the one I received was the Joliet Jake. Once I scraped the raw onions off, that one was pretty amazing as well. 

So if you're in Charlotte and craving a good hot dog, stop by JJ's. You won't be disappointed! And if you're as lucky as we were the second visit, maybe the guys from King of Pop's will have their popsicle cart in the parking lot. Try the blackberry lime ginger and thank me later ;)

Savor Cafe on Morehead

It's been a very long time since I was as pleasantly surprised with a dinner as I was with Savor. When we left Arkansas for Virginia, we stopped in Charlotte for a few days to visit with our families. One night while we were home, my in-laws took us out to dinner. They suggested Savor. I had never heard of it, but a quick glance at their menu online had my interest piqued.

The restaurant is small, and it didn't help that half of the dining area was occupied with a rehearsal dinner. Luckily there was one table available. Once we were seated, our adorable waiter took drink orders. He was seriously adorable. Pretty eyes, pretty smile, nice arms in his tight black shirt...

*ahem*

Anyways... They had a nice selection of local beers, which is apparently the hot thing these days. I'm not a beer drinker, so I ordered a cocktail, the 'Southern Special-Tea'. It was a concoction of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, Southern Comfort, iced tea and freshly squeezed lemonade. It was absolutely delicious and the southern girl in me appreciates anything served out of a mason jar.

Their menu was small, but impressive. It was difficult to choose a dish. Graham and his mom both ordered the meatloaf. My father in-law ordered one of their specials (a rib-eye) and I finally decided on the Cowboy Pork Chop over Country Ham & Succotash Risotto.

Oh. My. God. This was absolutely phenomenal. The pork chop was tender and had amazing flavor, and the risotto was probably the best risotto I have ever, ever had. The flavor was phenomenal and I wanted about ten more plates of it to take home with me. The risotto is DEFINITELY something I'm going to have to recreate at home!

The meatloaf that Graham and his mom ordered was just as fantastic. The portions were huge! The meatloaf was grilled and served with a tangy pepper relish and served with horseradish mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. Everything on that plate was delicious. The potatoes just had the hint of horseradish, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. They still had a bite to them, and were well seasoned. But the meatloaf... oh man. Probably the best meatloaf I've ever had. It was so moist and flavorful.

We were stuffed after finishing our meals, but having stared at their dessert menu all night made ordering something sweet a definite. Graham and I decided to split an order of the butterscotch bread pudding.

I've never been a huge fan of bread pudding, but this was epic. The portion for this, like the rest of our food, was huge but I'm not embarrassed to say that we finished it all. The texture of this was amazing, and the flavors all worked so well together. We were generous and let the rest of our party have a bite, and they were equally impressed.

This was a fantastic dinner, at a great, hidden spot in Charlotte. The West Side has never really been known for fine dining, but I'm happy to see that's starting to change. Our experience at Savor was wonderful. The food was amazing, the service was fantastic, and the portion sizes for the amount of money we spent was just awesome. I mean, that massive plate of meatloaf and sides that Graham ordered was $11.50! Crazytown!

Restaurant Review: Miguel's

I love sushi and beautiful, upscale gourmet restaurants, exotic foods and trendy decor. That being said, one of my absolutely favorite restaurants of all time is a dingy, hole in the wall on the west side of Charlotte: Miguel's.

I remember the first time I ate here. It was near my best friend's home, and a huge group of us went one day. I wasn't an adventurous eater then, so I ordered something that looked pretty tame. I had the nacho cheese burritos, with chicken. That was in 2001 and for the past 12 years I have ordered the same thing every time I visit.

There is a short list of "must visit" places every time we go home, and Miguel's is #1 on that list. When you pull into their gravel parking lot, look past the outside of the building and it's location. When you get inside, look past the decor & the cracked, red vinyl booths. Take a seat (there is no host/hostess, just sit where you want), dive in to the chips and salsa (I could eat their salsa with a spoon!) and get ready to enjoy a truly delicious meal.

This visit Graham & I both began our meal with a margarita. We were heading to a movie after dinner, so I got a small one. If you're not going to sit through a three hour, really depressing musical (Les Miserables... really good, though) order a pitcher. They had them on special that night and it the pitcher was cheaper than what we spent on the drinks we ordered. Graham thought his was weak, and ordered an extra shot of tequila, I thought mine was perfect.

We devoured two baskets of chips and salsa while waiting for our meal. Finally, it arrived. We were starving, and of course this was the one time that the service was slow. But our food came out and it was worth the wait. I know these burritos don't look like much... but oh baby.

Nacho Cheese Burritos; $7.75

The cheese sauce is absolutely delicious, and the inside of the burrito is stuffed with huge chunks of chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes & onions. Every single bite is delicious. I was craving some black beans too, so I ordered a dish on the side. Black beans are usually pretty bland at most restaurants, and these were too. But a spoonful of the delicious salsa and some salt worked wonders.

Graham is a little more diverse in his meal selections than I am. I find something I like, and I tend to stick with it. He typically gets something different each time. This time he ordered the Enchiladas De Chorizo. This was excellent. The chorizo was perfectly cooked and really flavorful.


Three enchiladas filled with Mexican sausage, covered with shredded cheddar cheese & green sauce. Served with rice, lettuce & pico de gallo.

Enchiladas De Chorizo; $9.95

Miguel's is truly on my list of my favorite restaurants of all time. The food is delicious, the service is quick and the staff is always pleasant. The same people have worked there forever, and back when I still lived in Charlotte and ate there every week, my server would bring me a sweet tea without even asking. And the price absolutely can not be beat. Dinner, margaritas & tip cost us about $42.

Restaurant Review: The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Once upon a time, there was an amazing burger place right outside of SouthPark Mall: The Counter. This place was amazing, and when it closed I was devastated. Once it was replaced with The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar, my grief quickly went away. The Cowfish is absolutely amazing. It's owned by the same people who own eeZ in Birkdale, and having dined there, I knew the food would be delicious & inventive, and I was absolutely right. But then again, I'm always right =)

The Cowfish has the traditional style rolls (Philly, rainbow, etc) and a huge list of wildly inventive & exotic rolls to choose from as well. When Graham & I visited the day after Christmas, I wanted to try something different than I had ordered on previous visits. We decided on three (although I wanted about ten...), one from each section: the rainbow (a traditional roll), the blackened tuna (a more unique/fusion style roll) & the Doug's Filet Roll (burgushi).

I'll start with the burgushi, because it's what makes The Cowfish stand out above other sushi restaurants (and Charlotte has a TON of them!). Burgushi is taking the elements of a burger and making it into a sushi roll, or taking the elements of a sushi roll and making it into a burger/sandwich.

This was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I could even look past the blob of cream cheese (which I HATE in sushi). The roll was enormous, but everything about it was perfect, I really loved the spicy sauce and the very mild flavor of the filet. This is definitely my favorite item on the "burgushi" part of the menu, so far.

The Rainbow Roll was, of course, my favorite. The fish was fresh & firm, the sauce was nice & didn't overpower the roll. I absolutely hate it when there is so much sauce you can't really taste anything else. I would have been more than happy to eat this all day.

The last roll we had was the blackened tuna:

While this roll was good, it didn't compare to the other two. The roll tasted dry & the slice of jalapeno was completely overpowering. However, the guacamole was a nice touch and absolutely delicious. I removed the jalapeno and added a different kind of heat with a little srirachia. It was a better flavor combination, in my opinion and I enjoyed the remaining pieces a lot more with this change.

Not only was the food excellent during our lunch time visit, but the service was excellent as well. Our server took the time to go over every single aspect of the menu, and gave us a recommendation out of each category. The Filet Roll was one of her suggestions, and I'm so glad we went with that.

My ONLY complaint here is that they are always busy, and they only take reservations from 11:00-6:00, which makes zero sense to me. Especially since most of the shops in the area (excluding the mall), close at 6:00 or 7:00. Lunch patrons can browse & shop while waiting for a table. Dinner patrons can not. I had wanted to eat here for our anniversary, but knew we would have to either wait forever or eat at the bar, so we changed our plans. We still had to wait, but 15 minutes isn't too bad in the grand scheme of things. Last time I went was on a Thursday night, and the wait was much, much longer so we ended up dining at the bar. Fine for a dinner with a friend, not as okay for an anniversary dinner with your husband. However, this place is worth the wait and I can not wait to go back on my next trip home.