Hominy Grill + More

Continuing on with my birthday adventures in Charleston, SC it is now time to move onto the food. Don’t forget to check out my post about Ft. Sumter as well.

We stayed at the historical Ashley Inn Bed and Breakfast while in Charleston. My first time ever staying at one and it was definitely something to get use too. Lets say it was an experience. This place was from 1832… I was a bit weird out by the older fixtures like in the bathroom and the wooden floors. Oh and what was really icky was the fact that the AC kept dripping water. Not cool! But other then that, the place was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the breakfast out on the deck was awesome! They also do happy hour from 4-6 with complimentary wine and appetizers. That was the best part!

 
Hey it is 5 o’ clock!

 

 
Our cute little bed! Until the AC started dripping water..

Since we only had 1 full day in Charleston, we only ate out once for a really nice dinner which was my birthday dinner at Hominy Grill. Other then that we stopped at a bar and grill downtown and when we went out we would grab some beers and apps to enjoy. As for snacks and desserts.. my cupcakes were the star!

    

I kept going back and forth on where to have my birthday dinner. Being a huge foodie, I wanted something local and original. Charleston has a lot of fine dining restaurants and a lot of seafood. I don’t eat seafood and I wasn’t in the mood for a super fancy meal. I wanted something fun and umm low country? I’ve never had a TRUE southern meal and Hominy Grill took an original twist on southern meals. They were also featured on a show called Man vs. Food. Who else watches this show? Love it!!!

Waiting to get our table!

There was so much to offer I didn’t know where to start! I wanted to try a little bit of everything. They started us with some boiled peanuts. Have you ever had these? They remind me of mashed potatoes. LOL

We ordered 2 appetizers, She-Crab Soup and Homemade Red Pepper Jelly with Goat Cheese and Crackers. I didn’t dare touch the soup but I was all on the cheese and crackers. Their jelly was amazing, wish they sold it!

Apparently they call She-Crab Soup because of the roe added to it.

As for our meals I randomly went with their Pecan Crusted Porterhouse Pork Chop with Spiced Peach Sauce. It just sounded real good and it was. Mike ordered their fish of the day, red snapper. As for sides, I couldn’t believe how many they had to choose from. Probably about 10-12 choices. At this point I knew I wanted to have their eggplant side (it was baked with tomatoes and bacon) but I was curious if I could just get a slice of corn bread as my other side. They told me it would be extra. I already had enough food and knew I wouldn’t be able to eat the whole thing, so I just got white rice. Mike ordered the eggplant side and mashed sweet potatoes.

Overall our meals were good but not great. They wouldn’t do anything extra, like with the corn bread. Also Mike asked our waitress without me knowing if they do anything for birthdays. She said they don’t do anything special but if we order dessert they can put a candle on it. Mike came back to the table to tell me what he tried doing because he just got up out of know where! I told him I would NEVER be able to eat dessert after appetizers and our meal. So we declined but we heard their buttermilk pie is spot on. Oh well!

In the end I’m glad I went to a place different then I’m use to but it isn’t a place I’d go back to if I visit Charleston again. It was good but not great. Maybe I’m just a picky person?

Oh and I think I mentioned cupcakes in this post. Yeah they are coming up next!

Always,
Fallon
(I used my digital camera. Still scared to take the DSLR out in public.)

Athens Food Tour

While my mom was visiting me in Augusta, GA we ended up driving up to Athens,GA to embark on our very first food tour. I thought while she was here we could go and see something besides Augusta. There is only so much shopping you can do, till you are finally burnt out. I thought about heading up to Hilton Head but that would require staying overnight at least once. I decided to search for activities and found Athens Food Tour rated as the #1 thing to do while in Athens on TripAdvisor. It was less then 2 hour drive from Augusta to Athens. I was sold. I told my mom about it and she thought it sounded like a good time.

I wrote Mary Charles, she is the owner of Athens Food Tour. She was a SUPER nice lady, very helpful on advice and answered questions very quickly via email. I felt more then confident signing up for a food tour. We ended up doing the Downtown tour where the UGA campus is located. It was a 3 hour tour and $45 a person. We were able to go to 6 places and sampled anywhere from 2-3 courses at each place. We also were able to taste wine at one of them!

I’m so glad I decided to go to Athens, instead of the beach. Mary Charles was like a book and knew everything about Downtown Athens. We learned how historical the area is, how it has changed over the years and sampled some of the best local foods they had to offer. My mom and I both agreed that she felt as if she was a really close friend and it didn’t feel like you were on a tour following a “tour guide.” I really hope I am able to make it down to Athens again and try another food tour. I love learning about history where food is involved. ;)

We visited a really fun clothing store that sold local chocolates, one was a peanut butter cookie dipped in dark chocolate and the other was a peanut butter pretzel in dark chocolate. Somehow I didn’t have any photos and I can’t remember the name of the boutique at all. :( The chocolate was fabulous and the peanut butter pretzel… gave me ideas for the holidays!

La Dolce Vita

Inside the restaurant

Carpacci with shaved leaks and goat cheese

Homemade buffalo mozzarella with
roasted peppers and fresh basil

Rigatoni alla Buttera (Italian sausage,
mushrooms, tomato and cream)

Athens Bulldogs

These were throughout the Athens area but this was the only
one we saw. The painted statues became permanent because of
all the positive feedback they received.

Sorry mom ;)

Jittery Joes

We had iced coffees to cool us off BUT I forgot a picture of them!

Organic coffee.. I approve!

The coffee is roasted in these machines at around 400 degrees.
The place was exceptionally hot because of this.

Just like a nut, they toast up nice and brown. Once cooled the oils
are released.

King of Pops

The original location is in Atlanta, GA but a popsicle
stand is the highlight near The Georgia Theater.

Enjoying a Grapefruit Mint pop, perfect on that warm day!

The National

Cucumber Gazpacho (My favorite)

Mixed green salad with fresh mozzarella and fresh local
fruits in season.

Umm yeah.. their bar was pretty awesome!

Toasted crostini, with local mushrooms and greens, topped with
a sherry vinaigrette.

Teddy Bear Sunflowers, we loved these!

    
We liked The National!

Clocked

Check out their decorations!

We started with a chocolate milkshake…

                                  A unique diner with great burgers and milkshakes.

If you could guess.. she ordered us the Peanut Butter and Bacon
burger. They call it the Elvis burger. Let’s just say peanut butter
on a burger is my new favorite condiment! It wasn’t powerful of
nutty flavor but it just tasted right. Plus their beef is all local and
it was extremely moist and juicy. Great burger!

The burger came with their homemade tator tots which were
very spicy but went well with the feta ranch dipping sauce.

The tour was amazing. Each dish we tried was delicious. I probably should of mentioned some food dislikes and we had to send back some items to be remade. Now I’ll know for next time whenever I get to embark on another food tour. Thanks again to Athens Food Tour. This review was done on my own terms and I’m not being compensated for it.

Always,
Fallon

   

 

Trying something new…

Almost every night I make dinner. Sometimes it is taking leftovers, changing it up a bit and dinner is served. That is one thing that peeves me is throwing away good food, got to recycle those leftovers! Once the weekend comes around I’d appreciate just 1 night where I don’t have to mess the kitchen and we can go out for a fun dinner, like a date night ;).

Saturdays are usually our date nights and being that we are living in a new city currently and I always have a bug up you know what.. I want to go and see what good restaurants are in Augusta, GA. So far we have had seriously good luck. We tried a Thai restaurant called Mai Thai when we first arrived here and it was delicious. When we go back there I’ll make sure to blog about it!

Our most recent date night was very different and new to the both of us. INDIAN FOOD! I’ve always been curious about it, ever since I started reading Gina’s blog and how Indian Food Wednesday is a pretty big deal. I’m sorry that I didn’t exactly eat Indian food on a Wednesday but I still carried on the Indian food tradition! Let’s just say I was super excited for dinner!

We dined at one of top rated restaurants in Augusta, GA according to trip advisor on our droid phones. One of the best apps ever, FYI! We headed to The Taj of India (who knew Indian food was number 1 here) and I wanted to try the eggplant bhartha and roti. My boyfriend is a fan of lamb and went with it tandoori style. We also ordered garlic naan. I wanted to get an appetizer but I knew we’d be enjoying plenty of food *ahem carbs*. I was surprised that they had served us some thin crackers/flatbread and 2 dipping sauces. I had to ask our waiter what this was exactly, poppadums with a mint and mango chutney. It was a nice bite before our meals came out.

Poppadums. Such a fun name ;) I thought the plate was cute!

The service was great by the way too. Very friendly and made you feel welcomed. I believe it is family owned and they are definitely doing a great job at sharing their wonderful cuisine. Which helps a lot when you’ve never dined in an Indian restaurant before. Also when I had my camera out, our waitress insisted on taking a photo of the both of us and I was thrilled! But when I uploaded my photos they didn’t come out good because I left the macro settings on my digital camera and they were blurry! :(

Dinner is served! I went for the roti first. I <3 Carbs!

That they needed their own photo.

We enjoyed our meals a lot. I had plenty of leftovers of my eggplant and some extra roti, which was amazing. The rice that came with my dish was delicious. I loved the way it was seasoned. I could of eaten more but I didn’t want to overstuff myself. Which I am glad I did. The lamb was very tender and not gamey at all. Lamb isn’t something I eat but since my boyfriend enjoys it, I will usually try a bite from him. I think the only thing we could agree on was the food is a bit greasy/buttery. I believe it is ghee that they use as a cooking oil. I guess that is the whole point of Indian food and will definitely a be treat for us! Other then that the flavors, spice and aromas were great. Everything Indian food should be!

Eggplant Bhartha

My plate plus 2x eggplant/rice and 3x roti/naan!

I’m glad I was able to try something new and with someone I love. It was a great experience! I love our date nights!

My best,

Fallon

Huntington Beach Eats

Here is a lovely recap of meals and treats I had while vacationing in Huntington Beach! I know I go there often but it is only because I love the area! I go for the weather and the food is just a bonus!

Avila's El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant

Pollo Cuernavaca: Juicy grilled chicken breast served on a skillet with roasted sliced ortega chiles, grilled onion, and a tasty salsa tomatillo. Served with Frijoles Frescos, rice and warm tortillas.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory English Toffee Apple

Sandy's Beach Grill Restaurant

Great french fries, loved the way they served them. Mangiamo Gelato Caffe

Remember last year I visited Mangiamo many times? The BEST gelato!

Fresh made waffle cone with bacio and coconut!

Houston's My FAVORITE restaurant. We (parents and I) went to Santa Monica to visit my aunts and ate lunch here. Wish I had a Houston's in Las Vegas. They have great veggie dishes. Seasonal Vegetable Plate Left to right: heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil, roasted corn salad, roasted broccoli with Parmigiano- Reggiano, couscous salad with chopped veggies and nuts, and grilled bread. Oh yeah, my vegetable plate also came with a vegetable sushi roll- minus the fish! This was DELICIOUS and the ponzu dipping sauce added an extra saltiness. Alcatraz Brewing Co. Had a Weiss Guy White, similar to Blue Moon except a lemon was recommended for this brew! It went down so well. ;) Sweet Potato Fries: served with a cinnamon marshmallow dipping sauce. Pita Chicken Sandwich: zucchini, yellow squash, onion, mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella, simple salad with balsamic dressing. Mos Smokehouse BBQ Fried Pickles. First time trying fried pickles and they were really delicious. That was about the only delicious thing at Smokin Mo's unfortunately. Meat was dry and salads were weak.

While I did plenty of eating I also did plenty of exercising. I hit up the gym for body pump one morning, jogged on the beach walk, used stairs wherever I went and did plenty of walking! I gained zero weight thank you very much! I also hung out with my friend Jen! We went to an Angel's game and enjoyed a huge waffle cone with soft serve! With Love, Fallon