Local Eats: Nettie's Bakery & Tea House

If you follow the Endlessly Delicious Life facebook page - which, you should, of course - you may have noticed multiple mentions of Nettie's Bakery & Tea House. I am not in any way affiliated with or sponsored by Nettie's (a girl can dream), but I just enjoy their business so darn much.


Next week, I'm having a mother-daughter 
birthday date (it's the big 3-0, y'all!) at Nettie's and I'm so looking forward to it. In my reading and re-reading of the menu, I've reflected upon previous Tea House joy - which I have to share with you. 

Nettie's doesn't deliver; but occasionally
The Hubs will deliver their goodies to me at work.

Nettie's is just as adorable as it sounds. It's on the cutest little street in a tiny Western North Carolina town, a breath away from Waynesville. Hazelwood's Main Street is just what you'd expect in a quaint Southern block - a local soap company, a meat-and-potatoes brew pub, thrift stores, a Chip and Joanna Gaines-style home decor store, gun shop (welcome to "Home of the Plott Hound" hunting dog), locally owned pharmacy, and this adorable sweet spot. Nettie's is a small bakery with what appears to be an ample kitchen and cozy dining space. You order at the counter, indecisively lingering at the bakery case, and can have a seat at one of few antique tables. Tea house that it is, Nettie's is filled with tea sets - unique, fragile, antique, and miniature. Not unlike so many of our Southern grandmamas' parlors, it's full of "breakables," floral prints, and lace. 

Their regular menu offers a variety of cutesy sandwiches like you'd expect at a ladies auxiliary meeting - such as grape-pecan-chicken salad or homemade pimento cheese; and a rotating selection of fresh pastries. I've never gone to Nettie's for lunch, but we often pop in while visiting Robin Blu next door. Their variety of pastries is ever-changing and always delicious. The cinnamon rolls are huge, the scones are crumbly, the cookies are dappled with big chocolate chunks, and the cakes are beautiful layers upon layers. Personally, I go straight for the more nuanced desserts. Great British Baking Show watch out, because these ladies know how to wow with items like macarons, Viennese whirls, and petit fours. 

The showstopper here is the tea parties. Afternoon and High Teas are available every day (24-hour notice required) and special seasonal tea menus are available throughout the year. Last month, my mom and I attended a Mother's Day tea and I don't think I can do justice to this experience. It was so much fun, completely delicious, and a great adventure to share with my Mama. 

When I was little, I had a pink and white plastic tea set that we'd play with. I vividly remember sitting in a pillow fort, drinking sweet tea, eating the worst tuna salad ever (Peas, mom? Really?) and watching "Anne of Green Gables" together. We were pretending to be fancy, polite and delicate ladies; but Nettie's almost convinced us we were grown-up and elegant. 

The tea events have a set menu with savory and sweet items. The seasonal teas are more high-end with a few additional items. At Mother's Day we were treated to: a salad with oranges, almonds, (fresh!!) croutons and cinnamon vinaigrette; waldorf chicken salad tea sandwiches; pimento cheese and bacon puffs; berry jam scones; doodashes (an eleveated version of your Mamaw's cheese straws); chocolate ganache macarons; bonbons and Viennese whirls. 

Tea Treat Tower!

#SoFancy

It's a tremendous spread, not to mention the tea! A variety of teas are available and you can choose as many as you like. The owner must understand the unsophisticated palates of us low-brow sweet tea drinkers, so she mentioned "if you don't like the flavor, we'll pour it out and try a new one!"  We drank a whole pot of berry tea which required a little experimenting with milk and sugar. Pro tip: un-stirred sugar cubes will sink to the bottom of your cup and give you a final shockingly sweet sip...or so I'm told... 

Basically doing this giddy wiggle
until our next Tea Party

The food was spectacular, but I'm literally giddy trying to describe the experience. They make a real effort for guests to feel special and pampered. From the lace tablecloth (onto which I IMMEDIATELY spilled salad dressing) and napkins, to the real, delicate china tea set, to the silver serving utensil (from which I launched a doodash at my mother) to the tea tray the rolled to our table (IS THIS REAL LIFE?), every detail is curated to develop an authentic, luxurious treat. Downton Abbey, eat your heart out. 

My husband, y'all. #HappyWife

If you're ever in Hazelwood, it's imperative you stop in for a snack. But really, I'd recommend making a trip just for a bakery case treat. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook where they share upcoming events - like seasonal tea schedules - and exciting deals - like this fancy Valentine's Day goodie box with shortbread, chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne cupcakes and macarons. 


And folks, this place can save you the heartburn of trying to find a unique way to show someone in your life that you love and care about them. Fellas and kiddos: brush your hair, wash your hands and take your lady and/or your mama out to tea. And gals, this would be the place to get in some super sweet girl time with your friends, the expectant mama who needs to savor quiet time, or a stressed out soon-to-be bride! 

Big, obnoxious hats are optional. 

Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" Taste Test

Lay's Potato Chips, in their infinite corporate wisdom, created an exciting advertising campaign that also outsourced the work of their R&D department; the annual Do Us a Flavor contest. Folks submit their flavor ideas to Lay's, who then chooses four flavors to develop and sell for a limited time. The general public votes for their favorite flavor which will join the chip canon and earn a big cash prize for the "flavor ambassador" who submitted it.

They've done this contest for three years or so now, with some hits and some big misses. 

One of their first trios included sriracha, cheesy garlic bread and chicken & waffles. The first two weren't too shabby and pretty true to their inspiration. However, the chicken and waffles chips made me realize that sometimes imitation is not the sincerest form of flatter, but just downright weird. They were too realisitic and my brain couldn't process a thin slice of potato tasting like maple syrup, much less fried chicken. 

Last year, they upped the weird factor by introducing us to bacon mac 'n' cheese (which tasted just like gas station Hot Fries!), mango salsa (I despise mangoes), wasabi ginger, and cappuccino chips. I was underwhelmed and kinda grossed out by that group. 

While I questioned their judgement last year, I must admit the process is interesting and they are able to produce on-point flavors that accurately represent the inspirations (however misdirected). And they made an exciting update to put texture into play, too. You can submit your flavor with a "chip style" -kettle cooked, wavy or traditional - that I find to be a big influence on the success of the chip. For example, cappuccino chips shouldn't be wavy, because what on God's green Earth would you dip that in? But waves are a perfect fit for a salsa-flavored chip; the pairing with guac is obvious!

Lay's has just released their newest quartet of contenders and we bought three of the four flavors this weekend. The 2015 Do Us a Flavor nominees are wavy West Coast Truffle Fries, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, kettle cooked Greektown Gyro, and New York Reuben. We picked up the Truffle, Gyro and Reuben chips at our local Ingles Market (on sale!); they are supposed to be available nationwide within the month.

Prior to Lay's release of 2015 flavors, we found a bag of Larry the Cable Guy biscuits and gravy chips at Big Lots (artisinal grocery it's not) for less than $2. Enjoying our youthful sense of immortality, we bought a bag. They were disturbingly realistic and tasted like fresh sausage and creamy, peppery gravy... and that made me very uncomfortable. Maybe I take issue with the re-imaginging of Southern staples, but I just can't wrap my head around a porky potato. Needlesss to say, we skipped the Lay's version. Let's assume it's lovely and true to breakfast...but spare me. 

Only a hit in the midwest?
Data from 8.3.15 on www.dousaflavor.com

Here's our review of the other three flavors. Like any good girl of Irish descent, I do have a specific rubric for my potato products; so we based our judgments on the following criteria: is the flavor a good interpretation of the intended dish; is the flavor enjoyable on its own, unrelated to the original food (would you eat these again regardless of novelty); and how successful is the flavor:"chip style" pairing?

NEW YORK REUBEN (traditionally cut chips)

This was the flavor J was most excited about. After working in a deli for many years, he is a connoisseur or reubens and was very eager to try them. I'm a casual reuben-eater, if for no other reason than my palate is not rye-bread-friendly. 

Overall, the flavor is okay, but the purest notes are of rye. So, the one item that I generally substitute on my sandwich is the primary flavor of the chips. But, once I got used to that twangy taste, I could eat these fairly mindlessly and enjoy them. J was anticipating more of a mustard/sauce flavor in addition to the meat and rye, and was pretty disappointed. 

I think the flavor is approachable outside of the context of just being a reuben chip and that's helped by the super thin texture that just screams picnic or late night munchies. No frills, just like a basic reuben, but it's hard to knock the novelty kitsch. 

I've never seen a chart using corned beef-colored graphics.

GREEKTOWN GYRO (kettle cooked chips)

I wasn't anxious to try these given how poorly I handled the fake-sausage chips. But I think Lay's did a great job compiling all the diverse and complex flavors of a gyro to make a multi-faceted chip. You get a subtle beefy taste - the way barbeque chips taste more like sauce than literal smoked meat; but thankfully, you also get the tzatzki sauce with fresh cucucmber and dill; a little onion and a hint of feta. J put it best saying "these are delicious" and they are probably the best out of the three. 

I love the choice of kettle chips for this flavor, too! When I think of gyros, I immediately think of the crispness of the Greek salad stuffed in the pita with the meat. These extra crispy chips are reminiscent of the crunch of the lettuce, onions and cucumbers you find in a quality gyro. They really added authenticity of flavor and dimension by choosing the kettle chips. 

I'll be casting my vote for this flavor!

WEST COAST TRUFFLE FRIES (wavy chips)

Because we aren't independently wealthy and maybe because the tv cooking shows we watch belabor how much the oil is overrated, we don't eat many truffle-laden foods. But I anticipated these chips to taste refined, with a light truffle perfume and a subtle flavor. The picture also included melted cheese (Parmesan? Asiago?) and fresh herbs on the potato wedges, so I was looking for bright, clean flavors. These fell short. They were like a delicate version of sour cream and onion chips; maybe chives instead of "onion" and a little more garlic than your plain old sc & o chip. But certainly nothing to write home about. They tasted fine but I hardly find them innovative. 

They do work well as a wavy chip because I could see them pairing well with onion dip, or something to impart more bold flavor. 

Meh. 

The Do Us a Flavor contest is really a fun diversion for summertime snacking. We look forward to seeing what's new and trying the experimental flavors. However, I am a year-round salty snacker. J has a huge sweet tooth, but I crave salty snacks, especially chips. As enjoyable as this is, I'm probably just as happy with a bag of plain rippled chips and french onion dip. 

If you are looking for a REAL chip experience with bold, unique flavors and unparalleled quality, head to The Gourmet Chip Company in Asheville, NC. They are a handmade chip (and pressed sandwich) shop in the middle of downtown with the best flavors I've ever found. They'll fix your chips right in front of you with awesome combinations like Belgian dark chocolate and apple-smoked bacon (The Corsican) or sun-dried tomatoes, pecorino romano cheese, fresh basil, sea salt and balsamic vinegar (The Italiano) at reasonable prices. And they have a retail shop with packaged chips, too! It takes a lot of will power for us to not stop here everytime we're nearby (thanks in part to crappy city parking). 

(foreground) Pressed Cuban sandwich with The Buffalo chips and
 (background) The Pressed Parisian Melt with The Italiano chips

Fancy artisinal chip shop or not, I highly suggest venturing outside of your comfort zone with chips. The things you like and dislike, just might surprise you! 

A Moveable Feast - Dining on Carnival Sensation

As I've mentioned earlier, J and I recently took a cruise to the Bahamas with friends. We were on the Carnival Sensation for four days and had a fabulous time. This was the first cruise for all of us and we didn't know what to expect. I assumed we'd be taken care of - who would want to be trapped on a boat with 1,000 unhappy and/or hungry customers, and we'd heard all the tales of the never-ending food - my doctor told me to make sure we paced ourselves and some online reviews cautioned us to pack plenty of stretchy pants. 

Yet, I assumed the food would be fairly run-of-the-mill like any hotel continental breakfast; decent, filling, in excess and proportionate to the price of lodging, but nothing to write home about. However, I was very wrong. So wrong that I am, in fact, "writing home" to you, my readers, about the stellar fare on the ship. 

First, let me say that we spent around $450 apiece for our tickets. This included the price of our cabin (queen sized bed, bathroom, but no exterior window and all amenities therein), any activities we'd take part in or view (including game shows, pool/hot tubs/waterslides, George Lopez's comedy club, Vegas-style cabaret and more), entry into the international ports (Freeport Harbor and Nassau) and all travel costs including four days aboard the ship. I thought this price for these items alone was reasonable; especially considering that a beach-area (not even ocean-front) hotel - where you aren't likely to be murdered or get bed bugs - runs around $100/night.

However, the price is incredibly economical when you add in the value of the food available to you.

There are "levels" of tickets that include larger staterooms - with windows or balconies, and seating in the "signature" restaurants - including a steakhouse-style hotspot. These restaurants are available to those with "basic" level tickets, but include additional charges.

We purchased the base level of ticket and had the following dining options available to us at no additional charge:

• Lido Deck Buffet - An outdoor buffet on the pool deck which serves  continental breakfast and made-to-order omelettes (7:00 a.m. - noon); lunch and dinner (noon - approximately midnight) with "grill" area hamburgers/hotdogs, rotisserie station and Mongolian wok
• 24-hour dining room - which featured several round-the-clock stations including a daily international buffet (American, Carribbean, Mexican and French were served during our cruise), hand-tossed made-to-order pizza bar, deli, salad bar, sweet station with no less than six dessert options, soft serve ice cream/frozen yogurt machines
• All-you-can-drink water, juice, milk, lemonade, iced tea, hot teas, coffee and hot chocolate at either location, available all day. 
• Continental breakfast delivered a la carte to your room per order ticket hung on your door knob. 
• 24-hour room service from a wide menu of fruits, sandwiches, salads and desserts.
• And our favorite place, the Fantasy Dining Room, which served high-class, gourmet breakfasts (2+ courses) and dinners (3+ courses) in an upscale atmosphere. At each meal, we were offered a menu with 2-3 categories we could pick from - and if you wanted two desserts, three starters or one of EVERYTHING (yes, everything) they would bring it to you. Water, juice, milk, teas and hot drinks were available free-of-charge here during meals, too.

Being an almost-millennial with the FMO (Fear of Missing Out) and an old-school cheapskate, I wanted to get my foodie's money's worth and we certainly did. 

We got up early each morning to pack in as much food, er.. um.. adventure into each day and ate breakfast around 7 in the Fantasy Dining Room, had lunch with bits from both the Lido and 24-hour buffets around noon, a snack (usually a sweet) mid-afternoon before our naps, dinner at 7 in Fantasy and late night snacks (sometimes Hobbit-style second dinners) around 11.

But, I suppose, the best way to portray the quality, quantity and value of Carnival's spread, is to show you! 

We took pictures of a variety of the dishes we ate in the Fantasy Dining Room, that you'll see below. I was so impressed with not just the flavors, but the impressive plating. Each plate was well thought-out, they did  dramatic tableside presentations of all the chilled soups and used spot-on techniques/knife cuts for each element. In addition to showing you the beautiful plates, I am giving you a glimpse at how impressive of a deal this experience was - if you were to eat this quality of food (as often as we did) on vacation on-land, you'd be shelling out a pretty penny! You'll see in italicized parenthetical the cost of a comparable dish at a national franchise or supermarket. 

Here's a glimpse of what I ate last week: 

• The breakfast I ate every day (and once at lunch) - smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, capers and red onion. (At our favorite grocery store, Ingles Markets, 3 oz. of smoked salmon is $8 - so figure at least $24 dollars only on the protein)

• Starter: seared duck breast salad with oranges; Main: grilled chicken breast with roasted vegetables; Dessert: warm chocolate melting cake (Molten lava cakes run $6.29 apiece at Chili's Bar & Grill franchises; J and I ate at least $30 worth of those things).

• Starter: Indian spiced pumpkin soup; Main: broiled lobster tail with grilled shrimp; Desserts: Grand Marnier souffle and banana creme cake (An oven roasted lobster tail plus one vegetable side at Red Lobster runs $30.99)

• Starter: fresh vegetable spring roll; Main: flat iron steak with vegetables; Desserts: tiramisu and banana creme cake. (Olive Garden's tiramisu is $6.29 per serving; and that's only one of my desserts...)

• (Sea Day Brunch) Starter: tropical fruit plate with cottage cheese; Main: bacon macaroni and cheese -- Alas, no pictures. We left our phones in the room; which is really disappointing because the plating for the fruit was top-notch!

• Starters: A "study in sushi" and chilled asparagus vichyssoise; Main: veal parmigana; Dessert: baked Alaska. (A comparative veal dish at Romano's Macaroni Grill clocks in at $23).

And here's a look at J's meals:

• J ordered eggs benedict every morning except our first, when he had a waffle with a stewed banana in a dulce de leche caramel. 

• Starter: hot spinach artichoke dip; Main: flat iron steak with vegetables; Dessert: warm chocolate melting cake. (Applebee's spinach artichoke dip appetizer is $7.99 and TGI Friday's flat iron steak runs close to $15.00)

• Starter: alligator fritters; Main: broiled lobster tail with grilled shrimp; Dessert: warm chocolate melting cake

• Starter: shrimp cocktail; Main: "gourmet burger" with fries; Dessert: cappuccino ice cream cake (Olive Garden's chocolate ice box cake is around $6.50).

• Starters: A "study in sushi" and crab cake' Main: veal parmigana; Dessert: warm chocolate melting cake. (A crab cake sandwich with one cake at Joe's Crab Shack is $10.79).

Not be forgotten as a contributor to the value, is the amazing service we received in the Fantasy Dining Room. Carnival prides itself on "getting to know" everyone cruising - our room steward, Richard, addressed us by name and Alvin, a waiter in the various bars sought us out by name - and they do the same in the dining room. They would ask "Amanda, how is your meal?" or "Robert, would you like more coffee?" The dinners took longer because of the ceremony of ordering each course individually and receiving drinks and breads, but it was worth it because we were so well taken care of. And each evening we were a part of "Showtime" with the Maitre'd where the waiters and servers would dance and sing for the dining room.

I mentioned another perk earlier: the free  room service available 24/7 (minus soda and alcohol orders). Neither of us have ever had the privilege of ordering from a room service menu, and now after knowing how "the other half lives," I can see the allure. The ship provides complimentary terry cloth robes for each room and I must say there's nothing quite like drying off from the pool, throwing on an over-sized, fluffy robe and eating from a covered dish in bed. We ordered on two different occasions - once we each got sandwiches from the deli, and the other we got salads and sweets. The food was nothing short of delicious; it was of the same quality as any of the dining rooms including great plating (see that snazzy cheesecake with piped whipped cream and strawberry puree?) and attention to detail (like my Caesar salad which was tossed to order, not with bottled dressing but the real deal eggs and anchovies stuff). 

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and was utterly spoiled (and maybe fattened) by the terrific food on our cruise. Honestly, I have struggled the past few days with not eating every two hours and having to shop for, cook, plate and clean up after our meals. This shock of coming back to reality has further confirmed that cruising is the way to travel. Everything is done for you - you just have to get up and walk to eat or a see a show (which after eating and being lulled to sleep can be hard) - and there isn't any of the "where do you want to eat/I don't know where do you want to eat" arguing. If you're looking for a vacation, seriously consider cruising, especially with Carnival; we're already thinking about our next trip (to the buffet). 

Breakfast at the Bell

March 27, Taco Bell unveiled their first breakfast menu and new morning hours. They now offer food all day, for all meals - they did create "Fourth Meal." Last week, Taco Bell rolled out this unique menu with possibly one of the wittiest commercials, featuring Ronald McDonald.

Since the debut, I've been begging J to go out for a breakfast Taste Test date. And for a week straight, he grimaced and whined and put me off. But this morning, I won the battle! I guess since we had miserable chores planned - taking an old mattress to the dump, painting and other spring cleaning - he thought that he could start his day out with an equally miserable meal that might make him so ill he could get out of chores.

Boy, was he wrong!

Because we're hella classy, we took the Bell breakfast experience up a notch by going through the drive thru and eating in the Lowe's parking lot.

I hope to try the menu in its entirety (minus the breakfast burrito, J makes the best, why bother?) but we chose to try three stand-out items to start with. Jordan ordered a sausage AM Crunchwrap combo which included two Cinnabon delights, and I ordered a sausage waffle taco.

The crunchwrap - available in bacon, sausage or steak - was the most visually appealing dish and was the best simulation of a tasty daytime menu item. It's filled with scrambled eggs, a sausage patty, hashbrowns, cheese and what J called "a zesty sauce." The traditional crunchwrap is a riff on a deconstructed double taco with hard corn tortillas and taco fillings wrapped in a flour tortilla and grilled. This a.m. version gives a great crunch with a hashbrown "filet" that is only further complimented by the crispness of the grilled flour tortilla. And it's a substantial amount of protein all slammed into one package - a good sized meal that would keep you full. The flavor is great and it's very easy to eat without a mess; for on-the-go breakfast eaters this will give biscuits a run for their money.

In addition to being hilarious-looking, the waffle taco - available in bacon or sausage, was pretty good too. 

Only a few weeks ago, we had wistfully talked about how when we were kids sometimes we'd get to go to McDonalds for pancake platters in the big styrofoam clamshells. We realized that since they got rid of the local PlayPlace and we started driving, going out to eat pancakes fell to the wayside. But this could be a good solution. The waffle itself already has a maple flavor that adds a beautifully matched sweetness to the eggs, sausage and cheese. Sausage and sweet things are made for each other. The sage notes in the sausage patty pair beautifully with sweet points - which is why Southerners love grape jelly on sausage biscuits. I elevated the dramatic dash-side presentation by pouring on a small drizzle of syrup (included) and it was great. Syrup does complicate the simultaneous driving and eating experience, but with a steady hand this is doable, unlike pancakes.  However, this dish isn't nearly as substantial as the crunchwrap and probably wouldn't be filling without a side. 

And speaking of "sides," the Cinnabon delights are mindblowing. Our combo came with two of the warm, sweet puffs; but you can order a dozen on their own - and next time, I will. The premise is a cinnamon roll-flavored beignet, rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with Cinnabon's cream cheese icing. Wow. They're served warm, so the icing is gooey and thick, the dough is fluffy and the delicious sugar gets everywhere. I'm a churro nut (and Taco Bell makes the best commercial franchise churro) so these are a perfect way for me to get my churro on before noon. I would order the dozen-in-a-cup anytime (do they do that?!). 

Overall, we were both pleasantly surprised - J especially. He even said that despite his skepticism he was very pleased with all of the food. I made sure to take my heartburn medicine and had emergency Tagamet close at hand but my fears were pointless. I enjoyed the flavor of my meal and appreciated the good value. There are only so many ways to eat a biscuit sandwich, so I was pleased with the whimsy and uniqueness of the Taco Bell menu! 

For the price and convenience, I would recommend anyone give the new menu a go! 

Middle Earth Munchies at Denny's

"Hobbits eat at least seven meals known as breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

In addition to being foodies, we are nerds. We love cult classics and pop culture references, we read constantly and have innumerable books in our house, play board games weekly and get fan-boy excited about upcoming blockbusters, including this year's installment of The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug. 

To incorporate our geek enthusiasm and hunger, we decided to venture to Denny's to try out their Hobbit-inspired menu for our "supper." (They also did a menu for the first of the three Hobbit films, which debuted last year; we didn't sample that one).

I thought they'd only have a few items, but was happily surprised to see a wide variety of options to suit any Middle Earth mealtime.

The menu features several "luncheon", "dinner" or "supper" options including a hellaciouly spicy burger inspiring by the dragon Smaug and a dwarves feast of turkey, dressing and gravy. They have a wide menu for the sweet-toothed hobbit (especially one seeking a tasty treat to share at "afternoon tea," like woodland elf pies, Radagast's red velvet pancake puppies (like a fritter), and two pumpkin-themed drinks for Bard the Bowman. 

I think if a restaurant has a specialty that they're known for, that's your best bet for quality and value; so being at Denny's, we went for breakfast foods. Jordan "built his own Hobbit slam" with eggs, hashbrowns and Hobbit-special menu items sweet potato pancakes and breakfast sausage. 

I ordered the "Hobbit Hole." Go ahead, laugh, I think it's a horrible name too; but bear in mind that Hobbit holes are the doors to their hillside homes in the Shire and it's fashioned after a toad-in-a-hole (often called an eggie-in-a-basket) with two eggs inside cheddar buns, hasbrowns and I opted for make the 50 cent upgrade to breakfast sausage, too. 

Like many grand slam combinations, Jordan's order was HUGE. I think eggs and hashbrowns are standard fare, so they were your normal diner sides. However, the pancakes and sausage were terrific. It's rare that I diss any pancakes because despite our culinary skills, we cannot make good pancakes in this house; it's impossible. But these pancakes were better than average, and surpassed good. Most diners' pecan pancakes have a few chopped up pieces in them, but these had large chunks of candied cinnamon pecans. This was an incredibly sweet adjustment to already saccharine pancakes, but was wonderful. There was a cinnamon drizzle included in the presentation (with syrup on the side) and I don't know that it added much to the fluffy, flavorful and autumnal-tasting pancakes. 

The sausage was also delicious. This was a large sausage (like traditional English bangers) and was very flavorful. It tasted like a blend between a hot bulk sausage and an Italian sausage. The casing had a wonderful crispness and held inside it a juicy sausage that tasted of pepper, sage and onion. I'm a bacon purist the end, but I know we made the right choice for our meal's meat component. 

I was only slightly less pleased with my meal. My favorite breakfast my mom used to make me was her toad-in-a-hole. She'd butter the bread, cut it out with a cute cookie cutter and cook my eggs in that just right way that you can never explain to a waiter. My waiter didn't ask how I'd like my eggs cooked so, silly me, I just assumed they'd be cooked how momma makes hers - I suppose you'd call it over easy. However, I think they sliced a hard boiled egg into it's bun-case. The idea was wonderful but the application was kinda sloppy. Had the egg had a runniness to it that would've been sopped up in the fluffy, cheesy bun, it would have been perfect; this version fell just short. But you can't fail with hashbrowns and that wonderful "hearty breakfast sausage." The biggest joy for me was that my fear of having heartburn that surpassed the desolation of Smaug was never realized!

We both ended up being so satisfied and utterly full that we had to skip Hobbit "dinner!" 

If you've got a Denny's franchise nearby, this is certainly worth a stop, if for nothing more than being a fun novelty to bring Middle Earth to your dining table. It would certainly be a good precursor or follow up to a screening of The Hobbit,  out December 13 (in US theaters). 

And according to this sci fi bloke, eating like a Hobbit is a great way to diet. No really, he kinda make sense. 

Hidden Local Gem: Mindy's Cuban Restaurant

Jackson County, NC doesn't strike me, a native, as a culinary wonder and I do struggle to think of "great finds" to share with friends who visit. However, a recent addition - or expansion, really - is quite the gem.

Around a year ago, a bakery opened in one of the most poorly designed shopping centers known to man (this strip of shops is tucked behind the Zaxby's drive-thru with limited parking and visibility from the main road). Mindy's Bakery was owned by a Cuban family who made wonderful desserts from scratch. They offered giant slices of a variety of cheesecakes, puff pastries like eclairs and cream horns, custom cakes and a variety of sweets. I'd been there a few times but it was so out-of-the-way I often forgot about it, and then, like too many shops that have been sucked into the strip, it disappeared. 

But, this weekend, we found them again! They have moved and expanded to be not just a bakery, but a Cuban restaurant serving six+ entrees, a variety of Latin sides and their wonderful desserts. And this is exciting for several reasons: 

1. The desserts at Mindy's Bakery were great - who doesn't love scratch-made flan?
2. Jordan works at a deli whose signature sandwich is a Cuban (traditionally includes roasted pork, ham, mustard, pickles, crusty bread - all hot pressed) and we love to try other versions, especially authentic ones
3. The owners are a husband and wife team whose children run the front-of-house and one of the youngest (of their12 children), Andres, was recently a contestant on "The Next Food Network Star" which we watched religiously. We've spotted Andres around before, but never had a chance to talk to him, much less try his/his family's food.

For the locals, Mindy's is now located in East Sylva Shopping Center (why there are directional districts in a town of less than 30,000 I'll never know) beside Jack the Dipper and Robbie's Charburger. It's a discreet location but they have brought Caribbean brightness to the area. The door is painted a vibrant turquoise and there's vintage patio furniture and colorful benches outside. The interior of the restaurant features just as much Cuban flair with bright colors, vintage furnishing and fun retro styling with sheet metal. 

They focus on simplicity and authenticity at Mindy's. As I said before, their menu is small with three "meat entrees" and three sandwiches, along with sides like tostones, sweet plantains and beans and rice. We both ordered traditional Cubans with beans and rice that were made to order by the husband and wife. While we waited, we had a great talk with whichever chef wasn't manning the cook top at the time. Jordan and the owners discussed the finer points of Cuban sandwiches and I told them how I was already planning to come back to order tostones. 

Our $7.50 sandwiches arrived and were delicious and huge. In the traditional three compartment clamshell, they filled the large section to the brim with fresh black beans and rice, while the gigantic sandwich covered the other two compartments. And after hearing about my love of tostones (which are plantains that are fried, smushed flat and then fried again) they gave us a free order of the biggest, most flavorful tostones I've ever had. So my first suggestion for your trip to Mindy's: bring your appetite or a friend to share your meal with. 

They explained to us that they make their Cuban pork each day and marinate it in a homemade sauce, which they gave us a side of for taste-testing and tostone-dipping (ask for it!). The sauce is a tangy, garlic and citrusy blend that we think gets its body from tomatillos (since they were already talking shop with us, we didn't get too nosy about secret family recipes). While the flavoring is different, their pork reminded me so much of pork my family would can at home. It fell apart with the slightest touch and tasted like it had been cooked slowly with care.

Their bakery case is still impeccable; I can't wait to try the "flan-cake" that looks like a tres leches/flan hybrid! And they still do custom cakes and will be making some great dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas (one will be a pecan caramel cheesecake pie!). And they're fine tuning their offerings and menu and will hopefully be adding some other traditional treats like Cuban coffee. 

Mindy's is only open Wednesday- Saturday (11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) because the owners are full-time students, so get your Cuban fix while you can. We arrived right after opening on Saturday and mostly had the dining room to ourselves which gave us a lot of time to talk to the owners about their restaurant, their family and their food. And my second tip, straight from the owner: don't let their serious expressions fool you, they love to talk and are super friendly. As we were finishing up, more people started filtering in and placing huge orders and they had a sincere talk with everyone. 

I'm a full supporter of small businesses and want to see this family and their love-filled restaurant succeed. If you're a local or live or are traveling through Western North Carolina in general (I doubt there are five Cuban shops in all of WNC) pop into Mindy's. They are cooking their culture with their children and sharing inexpensive, huge, flavorful meals with their community. 

Emerging Cullowhee Restaurant Scene

This summer and fall has seen a rejuvenation of the Cullowhee restaurant scene with at least four new eating establishments opening in recent months.

This new life has been injected into the area largely due to the passage of liquor-by-the-drink legislation which allows for beer and wine to be sold  and for alcoholic drinks (including mixed liquor drinks) to be sold in restaurants and bars in a formerly dry part of the county. Being a college town, this is a boon for local business owners who can now expand their offerings to include alcohol and for restaurants to rake in the cash of college students (and probably their harried professors) with drink menus.

I had intended to make this post a positive triple review of three new local eateries: Sazon, Tuck's Tap & Grille and Cullowings. However, after trying all three (two of which I tried on multiple occasions), only one stands out as being a great deal, a beautiful restaurant, a unique find and offering numerous delicious dishes - Sazon.

Cullowings, as you can infer, is a sports bar-style wing joint. They offer burgers and sandwiches, but their premature claim to fame is their wide selection of beers and wing varieties. I've tried four of the wing flavors and they were all decent. Of the four I tried, I'd highly recommend their Polynesian flavor which offers a subtle pineapple-y sweetness with the smokiness of teriyaki sauce. However, this restaurant isn't particularly cheap (I go for wing nights that boast a less-than-50-cent wing) or fast (after 15 minutes of waiting, several of my wings were still pink) and I have no desire to ogle a foot-long beer menu or spend time with raucous frat boys watching a series of sporting events. But in a pinch, it's pretty good take out so I can drink my own cheap beer at home with only one boy and one tv.

Tuck's Tap & Grille has the same bar-feel as C-wings but with what I'm sure they consider to be more "elevated" dinner options. Like many casual dining restaurants, I would argue that Tuck's needs to find it's niche. A menu boasting salads, cold and hot sandwiches, pizzas, calzones, Stromboli and comfort food specials like meatloaf and lasagna desperately needs pared down - there are few Renaissance restaurants, more often they're Jacks of all trades and masters of none. Since our spectacular splurge at Ruth's Chris, I've been wanting chunks of bleu cheese all the time. I debated over Tuck's variety of sandwiches but couldn't resist their bacon and bleu burger that's "made from black angus beef." I will say the brioche bun was great with it's signature buttery sweetness, but apparently I ordered gray angus (that can't be what they mean by aged...can it?).  The group I went with said they were satisfied with their food, but I won't be the one suggesting we ever return.

Sazon is located in "old Cullowhee" which is highly contested as in dire need of renovation, improvement and new life. Many businesses have moved out, buildings have fallen into disrepair  and there are other easier and faster ways into campus. The space Sazon occupies has been a Mexican restaurant since...well, forever. In the '80s El Gato's was my pregnant mother's restaurant of choice. Throughout the past 25+ years, it's undergone many changes in name and ownership but has remained triumphantly a source of Mexican cuisine. I can't remember going to any of these restaurants and always thought that strip (with The HairPort, Red Skull Tattoos and now a package store) looked like a dive. However, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I entered Sazon.

It is brightly painted with beautiful Khalo-esque paintings with a Mexican folk art flair (including the most beautiful traditional calaverta and the picture below). The chairs are beautifully upholstered and the spacious tables leave lots of room for the ample portions of traditional Mexican fare. Being the mooch that I am and the people I dine with who allow me to eat off of their plates, I've been able to try a variety of dishes including vegetarian burritos, chile rellenos, salsa verde taquitos and more. All of the food is undeniably fresh - from the salsa with a pinch verdant chopped cilantro (normally my least favorite herb) to the creamy pinto beans - everything has the taste effort, precision and flair. And they pass my true test of quality Mexican restaurants - they have perfectly balanced, refreshing horchata. Horchata is a traditional drink in Latin America (and Spain) made of rice milk, vanilla and cinnamon; its one of the many aguas frescas you may see at Latin markets or restaurants in large glass vats. There are horrible powdered mixes and pre-packaged attempts at horchata but it's best made fresh (think fresh-squeezed orange juice vs. Sunny Delight). The horchata at Sazon is what I remember from trips to tiendas with my best friend in college. I have considered ordering horchata to-go from here for the nights we make Latin food on our own.

I highly recommend visiting this restaurant that offers refined plates of the semi-familiar but is much less Westernized than some other local restaurants or national chains. For $10 you can get a filling and flavorful meal that is presented beautifully in an equally elegant space.

But even beyond these three options, if you're in the area, explore our local restaurant scene - food service within campus buildings notwithstanding, there is only one chain restaurant in Cullowhee, everything else is locally owned and operated. So take a trip up to campus to visit the library or Mountain Heritage Museum or hit up the Cullowhee farmer's market on Wednesday evenings (5 p.m. behind The Mad Batter) to work up an appetite before trying the best eats around.

Restaurant Week: Part Two

We've just returned from our fancy-schmancy date night courtesy of Biltmore Village Restaurant Week.

Thanks to their wonderful deals, we were able to enjoy a three-course meal at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for a fraction of the normal cost. As, I'd mentioned in my earlier post, we were hard-pressed to pick between the six great choices in BV but chose Ruth's because we found it to normally be way out of our price range and this affordable option allowed us some high class exploring.

I'd anticipated being served delicious food, but in very small portions and assumed we'd be stopping at good ol' Krispy Kreme on the way home. I was pleasantly surprised!

Here's the delicious menu we were treated to.

We both had the lettuce wedge salad, opted to add $10 for the filet mignon, shared our garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms and thoroughly enjoyed our individual cheesecakes.

One of the changes I've noticed in my taste preferences is that I actually like bleu cheese now. As a child, I was terrified of the molded fromage, but found the (gargantuan) crumbles along with matching bleu cheese dressing to be the perfect tang to compliment the bacon and generally flavorless iceberg lettuce.  

Neither of us are big red meat eaters, and rarely eat steak at home, but since this was a renowned steakhouse (where the filet ALONE costs $43 on a regular night) we decided to try it out. The filet which looked tiny was actually rather huge (11 oz.) and full of flavor. The meat was incredibly tender and cooked perfectly. Despite being initially apprehensive, I really appreciated that there weren't steak sauces available other than the juices and butter the steaks were cooked in. Undoubtedly, this was the best steak I've ever eaten.

The sides were wonderful compliments to the steak as well. The mashed potatoes were of a great consistency without lumps, but not too "wet" from either milk or butter and were incredibly flavorful. I love mushrooms in almost any preparation and these were no exception. Five rather large button mushroom caps had been sautéed in and served with herb butter. The level to which they were cooked gave them a satisfying meatiness that subtly mimicked the steak.

And of course, the cheesecake. I can honestly say, I have rarely had a bad cheesecake anyway, but this one was exceptional - very creamy, with almost a whipped cream cheese layer on top and the graham cracker crust wasn't too heavy or too light. I was very surprised to find I loved the dark chocolate bark with pecans and walnuts (I don't like "healthy" chocolate; I want mine milky!). But it was rather soft - it actually melted when you touched it - and brought an earthiness to the very sweet cheesecake and berries.

Though this day had had many snafus beforehand and an old man farting beside our table as he left, the meal at Ruth's Chris was wonderful. They seem to pride themselves on giving their patrons a spectacular experience with great ambience and terrific service - including a complimentary valet (poor dears had to run several blocks down the highway to fetch the cars!), vigilant waiters and back servers and they even "de-crumb" your tablecloth between courses.

Any time we spend together is a blessing, but this date night and meal were spot on. I highly recommend visiting a Ruth's Chris location, as long as you have some good company.



Foodie Holiday: Restaurant Week!

While we were watching The Food Network this weekend, they kept airing commercials for the Crystal Coast's Restaurant Week and I was totally jealous. And then I found out this morning that it is Biltmore Village Restaurant Week!

For those non-locals, Biltmore Village is the posh area of Asheville that houses the Biltmore Estate (America's largest privately owned home), some area landmarks from Biltmore patriarch George Vanderbilt's expansion, frou frou shops (think Williams-Sonoma and Talbots) and wonderful dining opportunities.

However, like the Le Crueset dishes at W-S, these restaurants are often incredibly expensive. But, again like Le Crueset, you're paying for quality - many restaurants feature locally sourced produce and proteins, creative flavors and fanciful preparation.

Which makes Restaurant Week all the more exciting. The food which is often out of our financial reach is suddenly affordable. For seven days, restaurants in Biltmore Village will be featuring three courses for $30 deals.

This year, RW is featuring six restaurants featuring cuisine varying from traditional Mexican to classic French to Mediterranean fare. We were hard pressed to find a restaurant we didn't want to try, but decided that this weekend we will be visiting Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Yes, Ruth's Chris is a chain restaurant, however, it is what us online reviewers would label a "$$$" restaurant. Meaning, there is no way we would normally be able to afford it...ever. The others ranged from $ to $$; which is either commonly doable or a manageable splurge. I hope to someday try the remaining five restaurants and seeing as Asheville Restaurant Week is during our mini-moon (our short local honeymoon) I'm confident this goal is within reach.

We will certainly give an update of the wonders of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - as mentioned in this gem.

For more information on Biltmore Village Restaurant Week visit their website here.