Next on the food stops...

We tried "The Real Deal II" on Asheville Hwy in the 'Burg last night and it is so good. They make authentic phillies and the owners and cooks are from Philly and it really is the REAL DEAL...so much food and cooked perfectly. Mike decided he would have a foot long and after I filled up after my half, he ate my other half! He seriously needs to go on Man VS Food! I mean 1.5 feet of Philly Cheesesteak with BACON is a LOT of food.

The next time we get to go on a trip we definitely want to go visit a Primanti Brothers. They are
all over Florida and up around Pennsylvania. This is the sandwich below and why it's so awesome...all of the sides you'd normally get at lunch are ON the sandwich....my mouth waters everytime....
Another place we want to try is one we saw on Man VS Food is D'Arcys Pint in Springfield, Illinois. If you love fries, this is the place for you. They make these dishes named "horseshoes" and all are a little bit different but mostly consist of fries, a hamburger patty, house made nacho cheese and other various toppings...yum! Here is a picture!and another...

This one is a buffalo chicken horseshoe, which may not appeal to all but it sure makes me want to jump in the car!

And last but not least, a place in Puerto Rico, named Restaurante Raices...if we ever get the chance..this place has an enormous deep fried pork chop surrounded by chicharrones (Raices’ Chuleta Kan-Kan)...hello cholesterol! But hey, you only live once right?!

Back to the blog!

Sorry for the little break in posting, but I was more of a blog follower than a blogger for the past month or so...anyway, I did manage to cook during this time!

This was a recipe called Pancetta Wrapped Pork Loin, and it is SO good! I have made this several times, it's so simple but tastes like you have been cooking all day! The recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Cookbook, which I recommend for anyone who wants to brush up on their cooking skills...it's quite the workout.

This is an easy roasted chicken stuffed with lemons, thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper. It is so juicy and tastes great..no recipe for this one, I just always use whatever herbs I have around at the time. The challenging part is tying the chicken just right so the breasts and thighs cook evenly. That right wing isn't supposed to stick out, it was being rebellious and I gave up.

CABO!

Chips and salsa, complimentary when you visit!...It had corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro and I'm not sure on the rest! It had a kick to it and tasted amazingly fresh..like everything else!


These were the Lemon Marinated Tuna tacos...SO AMAZING...cooked perfectly, with cabbage-slaw, guacamole, cilantro white sauce, shredded cheese, tomatoes and black beans and rice on the side! all for around nine bucks (not too bad!)...

This restaurant was in the cutest part of Charlotte I have ever been to. We really loved it! It was like a mini Converse Heights and so many cute shops..it was in the Art District aka NoDa (North of Davidson) outside of downtown Charlotte...the restaurant also had a really relaxed atmosphere...it had outside seating along the sidewalk and a couple of adjoining rooms with a bunch of tables and booths. The bar area was really chill and we totally could see ourselves hanging out there often..if only we lived closer. The staff was really nice and even gave us suggestions for dessert, and of course we went! It was Amelie's bakery..open 24 hours and was the cutest, kitch parisian bakery, and the food was really good...I had a chocolate mousse cup with a chocolate dipped strawberry on top (yum) and Mike had an espresso trifle thing and a vanilla napolean. The place was a little hard to find, because we had no GPS and we weren't paying attention to our waitress when she suggested it : ) But it is located at a little strip mall called NoDa...GO!

This was all after a trip to Carowinds, and by the way, the Intimidator is AWESOME...but I'm sad to say, my youth has left me, I cannot ride rollercoasters like I used to..tear...

I have to say, we fit quite a few things in for one day!!

Charlotte's Got A Lot!

...A lot of great restaurants, that is. I always come across great places to try on Food Network or online and boy do I have a lot to check out. I have 3 places to go, just off the top of my head. So it looks like I'm gonna have to make a weekend just to eat, how sad....NOT!
First Stop: BBQ King on Wilkinson Blvd. - This place had fried chicken that looked amazing...and to top it off, they dunked it, that's right, dunked it in spicy buffalo sauce...YES PLEASE! There weren't any pictures online so I can't tickle your taste buds....
Second Stop: Landmark Restaurant Diner on Central Avenue - Sounds like amazing breakfasts and melt in your mouth grilled sandwiches. This place has its roots in Greek food and that's all I need to know! They also have awesome turkey and dressing (my favorite meal of all time)..and they boil the turkeys...new concept to me.
Third Stop, and surely not the last: Cabo Fish Taco

Next stop: Cabo Fish Taco in Charlotte

I love to watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives....so naturally if a restaurant is near me I am going there. This place makes EVERYTHING from scratch and have their own garden that the herbs come from. All of their sauces that go on the tacos, like the Cilantro White Sauce, are also made in house. Their fish is cooked to order and looks so amazing and fresh. Can't wait to visit!

The "Colossal Reuben"

Chick and Ruth's

This was a deli Mike and I visited when we went up to Maryland for his sister's wedding...Man vs. Food had an episode there for this sandwich challenge, which of course, Mike demolished haha.