Super Excited!

I got my first article published on Yahoo Voices and I’m extremely excited!

Check out my link if you get a chance:

http://voices.yahoo.com/knoxville-burger-joint-offers-class-fresh-food-12488236.html?cat=8

 

Thank you to all my fellow foodies.

Flying Biscuit Cafe: Soars in my book (4.5/5 stars)

I’ve been to Atlanta three times now and each time I’ve never found a place that left me wanting to go back. If you’ve been reading my blog it’s very apparent that when I travel I ALWAYS focus my attention on the food. Atlanta wasn’t any different, but my researching always failed and even asking locals hadn’t helped. However, fate was smiling upon me this weekend when our taxi passed by the flying biscuit cafe. I remember the restaurant being on food network many moons ago. My friends and I decided to try it on Sunday for brunch. The wait was pretty long about 30 minutes. It was seriously worth it though. I got the salmon scramble and a half order of the French toast. To quench my thirst I ordered the chai latte. It was one of the best chai latte’s I’ve ever drank. Hot, creamy, with hints of cinnamon. It was more than satisfying. My salmon scramble was slightly more fishy than I would’ve liked, but not too overpowering. The grits had to be my favorite. Combined with the salmon scramble and the creamy saltiness of the grits. It was a win-win bite each time. Their claim to fame biscuits didn’t disappoint either. The French toast was more like toast with sweet dipping sauces. It wasn’t the best, but the Creme anglaise sauce was definitely a redeeming factor to the dish itself. Overall, this is the go-to brunch spot in Hotlanta. There is always a wait, but the meal is always satisfying.

Dallas, TX: Fun attractions with decent food options

When vacation time comes, families are constantly trying to find destinations that the kids will enjoy with a little something for the adults too. Even though I haven’t been to that many other vacation destinations I think that Dallas has a lot to offer. I think that when a location can incorporate entertainment with good food then, they’ve achieved what every tourist destination should aspire to. I won’t spend a lot of time on the attractions we’ve visited, but I want whoever is reading this to consider Dallas when planning your families next vacation trip. It’s better than following everyone and their mother to the sandy beaches of Florida.

Rainforest Cafe: [pot roast dish pictured above] The atmosphere of the rainforest cafe is one filled with excitement and adults trying to get their drink on. The excitement is mostly from the children who are anticipating the next time the rainforest animals around them will come alive. It was my first time going and even at the age of 19, I was smiling at the gorilla pounding its chest. The pot roast that I ordered was slightly less amusing. It was better than mediocre, but less than spectacular. The meat was tender and seasoned deliciously, but the vegetables were raw, tasteless, and basically inedible.  However, it’s still worth giving the restaurant a try if not for experience then for the creative alcoholic frozen drinks. Your children won’t care if their chicken fingers aren’t the best they’ve ever had.

Great Wolf Lodge Critter Cafe: [sandwich pictured above] Great Wolf Lodge is a resort that has restaurants, a spa, indoor/outdoor water-park, and different activities for kids of all ages. I really enjoyed going there because of the variety of things they had for varied ages. While I was relaxing at the spa my family could enjoy the water-parks. Now, places like these can get pricey when it comes to food and again it was all about the experience and less about the cuisine. We did eat at the critter cafe one day for lunch and my sandwich was actually pretty good. It was a BBQ pork sandwich on a toasted kaiser bun topped with onion strings. The pork was tender and lightly flavored with tangy sweet BBQ sauce. The sweetness of the kaiser bun really helped bind all the flavors of the sandwich. The best part was the crunch that the onion strings gave to the sandwich with each bite. Overall really good especially for a little cafe in the middle of a resort. If you ever want to add a creative flare to a barbeque sandwich or even a hamburger the onion strings really do add a great variety to something ordinary. That’s what’s so great about tasting different foods from everywhere, it adds variety to the food you serve in your own kitchen 🙂

Happy Eating! ❤

 

Prejean’s: Not worth the hype [2.5 out of 5 stars]

When we were bringing a close to our New Orleans trip, I really wanted to end it with a really high note with concern to what restaurant we would choose for dinner. None of the restaurants in New Orleans look too promising so, we decided to eat dinner in Lafayette on our way back to Shreveport. Prejean’s was right off the interstate and seemed to be the homeland of Louisiana cajun cuisine. You see when you are making a decision such as this one to try and find a place that was conveniently located, but also was proclaimed to have authentic cajun food you find yourself in what I would like to think of as a “tourist trap.” These are places that are looked at highly as tourist attractions, but have the least promising food. I ordered the crab lover’s plate because the waiter recommended it and because I really do love crab. My friend got the gumbo which was supposed to be a specialty of theirs. The sauce which covered the crabcake and my pasta was less than satisfying. It seemed to clump all the flavor that was supposed to be in the crabcake into the sauce. In simpler words, everything tasted the same. It was bland, muddy, and mediocre tasting. Definitely not worth the $25 price the dish held. Interestingly enough the least distasteful thing on the plate was the fried green tomato slice hidden underneath all of the slopped sauce. The gumbo was slightly better. Although, the crawfish in it was not the best I’d ever eaten. After getting the bill I was left hungry, depressed, and disappointed. I went in expecting the best and I left after eating the worst. The best part of the experience was the free rolls at the beginning. If you are looking for good cajun food eat in Lake Charles. Save yourself from cajun food heartbreak.

Cafe Du Monde: All the hype was accurate [5 out of 5 stars]

  When planning my trip to New Orleans it was obvious I HAD to have beignets and coffee for breakfast at Cafe Du Monde. We headed to the cafe from our hotel on foot and by the time we found ourselves standing in the long line eagerly awaiting our breakfast we were drenched in sweat. That’s the first time I ever wanted to drink hot coffee when it was over 100 degrees outside. I’m sure my friend thought I was nuts (she opted for the ice coffee). Personally, I chose it because I wanted to experience the authenticity of the coffee, but also I wanted the souvenir mug. What can I say? I’m a sucker for souvenir cups. Either way I wasn’t disappointed. The coffee was strong and as you can see I had to add a lot of sugar. After all that it was an amazing cup of Joe. Seriously, the perfect partner to the crisp fluffy doughnut pillows that were their famous beignets. It really was a glorified doughnut and coffee breakfast. The kind that only a trip to New Orleans could provide. So, the hype was true. The heat is worth it, in New Orleans you NEED to go get you some beignets and coffee. You’ll be glad you did. ❤

Buttercups in Shreveport, LA: My Guilty Pleasure

Salted Caramel Cupcake & Blackberry Izze ❤

Today wasn’t the best of days and my aunt took me out shopping to get my mind off of things. We were shopping right near this cupcake place and my little cousin Emma said, “I really want a cupcake.” I’ve eaten at this cupcakery before and I just think it’s the best pick me up when you’re having a bad day. I got one of their newest creations, the salted caramel cupcake. It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty with a moist cake that makes the cupcake worth $3. While at times the icing can be a lot I find that an Izze drink makes the perfect partner for something so sweet. It helps balance it out with a little tart sensation on your tongue. Overall buttercups is the bomb. The place is gorgeous and the staff (usually only one person) is as sweet as the cupcakes themselves. This stop made my day a little more bearable and made me thankful for the abs workout I did earlier. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Lemon Grass in Bossier City, LA 3 out of 5 stars

Chicken Pad Thai

 

Not exactly Cajun food, but the Shreveport/Bossier City area has a good variety of food places. Now being Asian I would say that I’m quite picky when it comes to Asian food. I enjoy Thai food for the spicy fragrant flavors that come from their most popular dishes. I decided to go traditional and I ordered the chicken Pad Thai (it didn’t hurt that it was also on lunch special $6.95). The sweet tea there was excellent, definitely better than regular sweet tea. When my noodles arrived, they looked delicious and piping hot. However, when I started to dig in I realized the temperature was the only thing hot about them. Personally, I would like more spice to be in my Pad Thai considering that’s the culture that the dish represents. All this being said, the flavor of the dish in its entirety wasn’t displeasing it just left me wanting a little bit more flavor. I give it a B+. Overall, this restaurant has a nice atmosphere, friendly staff, and pleasing dishes. If you are just looking for an inexpensive lunch spot, Lemongrass is the place for you.