Daryl and I made a trip to Myrtle Beach for our one year anniversary. We are no longer newlyweds. Prior to making the trip, I scoured restaurant.com for reasonable restaurants. Seafare Restaurant at Myrtle Beach had decent reviews and a viable coupon. After a long day at the beach, we ventured to a late lunch/early dinner at Seafare Restaurant.
Seafare is an all-you-can-eat buffet. They had a really decent selection of both surf and turf along with various sides, casseroles, and desserts. The food was mostly bland, very heavy, and possibly spiked with Dexatrim. Midway through our second plates, Daryl and I both felt like our stomachs were loaded down with bricks and could not eat another bite. We left with food still on our plates, no dessert, and no crab legs. By golly, our tummies were full!
When we go back to MB again, would we venture back to Seafare? Eh, probably not. There are many other seafood restaurants there. I'd love to try Thoroughbreds; however, I will need to sell a kidney or two in order to afford it. :)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Food Blog? Hmmm....sort of.
I'm going to get a bit personal here, so if you get all squirmy and nervous about personal things, feel free to move along.
Since middle school, I have been either plagued or blessed with infrequent periods. I'm sure everyone has mixed emotions about Aunt Flow and her unruly and often untimely visits. I never knew from one month to the next if Aunt Flow would come visit or how long she'd stay.
I got my very first period in 7th grade. It was awful! It was heavy and icky and nasty and stayed for 10 days. Yuck! I remember thinking how much it sucked to be a girl and immediately wished I had been born with a penis. How unfortunate to have to be stuck with this yuckiness for 10 days straight every month! However, the next couple of months came and went without a single call from Aunt Flow. I was almost happy to be neglected by her and wished she would stay away forever!
I would have my periods very infrequently; maybe every six months. In high school, I went to the gynecologist. I fondly refer to the gyno as the twat inspector and then hum the tune from "Inspector Gadget." Dun dun dun dun Inspector Gadget. Dun dun dun dun dunnn dunnnn. In high school, they put me on the pill to regulate Aunt Flow's monthly visits. The timing never matched up with the week of green pills. She still came whenever she wanted and hung around for 10 days. That bitch!
Speaking of bitch, those birth control pills made me a hormonal raging monster! I felt like I was bipolar and way too sentimental. I once cried during a radio advertisement about a particular oil company being community friendly. It was such a stupid thing to get choked up over, but my hormones were raging and out of control!
As my weight yo-yo'd up and down, it somewhat affected how often Aunt Flow visited. When I lost 100+ pounds and worked out regularly, she seemed to visit more often, but still stayed too damned long. As my weight ballooned again, she would disappear for a while and randomly reappear. I'm torn between whether I felt Aunt Flow was an unwelcome guest or very much appreciated. The jury is still out.
These days my weight is back up, but I'm struggling with dieting and exercise daily so that I can get to a healthy baby-making weight. In the meantime, Aunt Flow is now a regular visitor and has been for about 8 months. Some months she stays for 10 days, other months only 5.
So what has changed recently to make Aunt Flow a more regular visitor in my life? Two words...and you may think I'm some space cadet granola eater...Organic Milk. That is really the only major change I have made in the past 8 months. I've dieted before...similar to my current eating habits and it never had much of an effect. I've exercised before and it never had much of an effect.
I decided to give organic milk a try after reading about some of the benefits in a book I was reading. Also, I read about the astonishing living conditions of "industrial" cows. They are fed hormones and antibiotics regularly since they have bloody and pus-filled udders. Great visual, right? How do you like your pus milk with those Cheerios?!
Organic milk tastes much better than non-organic! I've had nothing but positive experiences with organic milk! Also, if you watch the sales ads and clip those coupons, you can usually get organic milk at a price lower than regular or around the same price. Both Organic Valley and Horizon regularly have coupons on their website. Harris Teeter, Kroger, and Target usually have Horizon Organic Milk on sale. Harris Teeter doubles the $0.55 coupon from Horizon, so even better!
I went on an Internet journey searching the reason for organic milk being considered healthier and I really think the most beneficial thing is the absence of growth hormones in organic milk. Those Bessies pumped up on hormones produce hormone laden milk. I really think the over abundance of cow hormones have caused my irregular visits from Aunt Flow. I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV. I usually don't buy into the granola eater psycho babble, but I have become a proponent of organic milk. I wear my milk moustache proudly!
Got Organic Milk?
Since middle school, I have been either plagued or blessed with infrequent periods. I'm sure everyone has mixed emotions about Aunt Flow and her unruly and often untimely visits. I never knew from one month to the next if Aunt Flow would come visit or how long she'd stay.
I got my very first period in 7th grade. It was awful! It was heavy and icky and nasty and stayed for 10 days. Yuck! I remember thinking how much it sucked to be a girl and immediately wished I had been born with a penis. How unfortunate to have to be stuck with this yuckiness for 10 days straight every month! However, the next couple of months came and went without a single call from Aunt Flow. I was almost happy to be neglected by her and wished she would stay away forever!
I would have my periods very infrequently; maybe every six months. In high school, I went to the gynecologist. I fondly refer to the gyno as the twat inspector and then hum the tune from "Inspector Gadget." Dun dun dun dun Inspector Gadget. Dun dun dun dun dunnn dunnnn. In high school, they put me on the pill to regulate Aunt Flow's monthly visits. The timing never matched up with the week of green pills. She still came whenever she wanted and hung around for 10 days. That bitch!
Speaking of bitch, those birth control pills made me a hormonal raging monster! I felt like I was bipolar and way too sentimental. I once cried during a radio advertisement about a particular oil company being community friendly. It was such a stupid thing to get choked up over, but my hormones were raging and out of control!
As my weight yo-yo'd up and down, it somewhat affected how often Aunt Flow visited. When I lost 100+ pounds and worked out regularly, she seemed to visit more often, but still stayed too damned long. As my weight ballooned again, she would disappear for a while and randomly reappear. I'm torn between whether I felt Aunt Flow was an unwelcome guest or very much appreciated. The jury is still out.
These days my weight is back up, but I'm struggling with dieting and exercise daily so that I can get to a healthy baby-making weight. In the meantime, Aunt Flow is now a regular visitor and has been for about 8 months. Some months she stays for 10 days, other months only 5.
So what has changed recently to make Aunt Flow a more regular visitor in my life? Two words...and you may think I'm some space cadet granola eater...Organic Milk. That is really the only major change I have made in the past 8 months. I've dieted before...similar to my current eating habits and it never had much of an effect. I've exercised before and it never had much of an effect.
I decided to give organic milk a try after reading about some of the benefits in a book I was reading. Also, I read about the astonishing living conditions of "industrial" cows. They are fed hormones and antibiotics regularly since they have bloody and pus-filled udders. Great visual, right? How do you like your pus milk with those Cheerios?!
Organic milk tastes much better than non-organic! I've had nothing but positive experiences with organic milk! Also, if you watch the sales ads and clip those coupons, you can usually get organic milk at a price lower than regular or around the same price. Both Organic Valley and Horizon regularly have coupons on their website. Harris Teeter, Kroger, and Target usually have Horizon Organic Milk on sale. Harris Teeter doubles the $0.55 coupon from Horizon, so even better!
I went on an Internet journey searching the reason for organic milk being considered healthier and I really think the most beneficial thing is the absence of growth hormones in organic milk. Those Bessies pumped up on hormones produce hormone laden milk. I really think the over abundance of cow hormones have caused my irregular visits from Aunt Flow. I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV. I usually don't buy into the granola eater psycho babble, but I have become a proponent of organic milk. I wear my milk moustache proudly!
Got Organic Milk?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Flying Biscuit
The Flying Biscuit is situated right beside the Cameron Grill in Cameron Village. I heard great things from coworkers, but never made it over that way to give it a whirl. Living Social had a special a month or so ago, so I figured "What the hell!?" I purchased three $20 gift certificates for $25. This gave Daryl and I the opportunity to sample the grub on three separate occasions. I then realized that we also had four BOGO coupons in the CitiPass coupon book. I guess I should have looked there first. D'oh!
On our first visit, Daryl and I tried The Flying Biscuit right after work one evening. This was definitely a great choice! Breakfast is served all of the time in addition to their burgers, sandwiches, and entrees. Daryl had pancakes, a side of grits, and bacon. He gobbled it all down and even had room for a second serving of their delicious biscuits! I had an omelet with goat cheese and spinach. It was delicious! I tried their infamous potatoes as well. Great flavor! I'm also a big fan of their apple cinnamon butter for the biscuits. Service was great and the food came quickly!
On our second visit, Daryl and I had a late lunch/early dinner. Daryl had the shrimp and grits (really?) with a side of pancakes. He licked both plates clean! I had the 3B Chicken Sandwich (bleu cheese, bacon, and basil on a grilled chicken breast with tamari aioli) along with a "side of love." The side of love is a black bean cake smothered in tomatillo sauce, feta cheese, red onion, and sour cream. It's gross looking when it's brought out to you on a plate, but when it hits your tongue, your mouth, esophagus, and stomach dance with pleasure! It's a great combination of flavors! Once again, the service was great and the food came quickly!
Daryl's review "Oh, I loved it!"
After perusing the menu, I can see why this place is such a big hit at Cameron Village! There are plenty of vegetarian and carnivore options. We plan to go back many times, even after the coupons run out. http://www.flyingbiscuit.com
On our first visit, Daryl and I tried The Flying Biscuit right after work one evening. This was definitely a great choice! Breakfast is served all of the time in addition to their burgers, sandwiches, and entrees. Daryl had pancakes, a side of grits, and bacon. He gobbled it all down and even had room for a second serving of their delicious biscuits! I had an omelet with goat cheese and spinach. It was delicious! I tried their infamous potatoes as well. Great flavor! I'm also a big fan of their apple cinnamon butter for the biscuits. Service was great and the food came quickly!
On our second visit, Daryl and I had a late lunch/early dinner. Daryl had the shrimp and grits (really?) with a side of pancakes. He licked both plates clean! I had the 3B Chicken Sandwich (bleu cheese, bacon, and basil on a grilled chicken breast with tamari aioli) along with a "side of love." The side of love is a black bean cake smothered in tomatillo sauce, feta cheese, red onion, and sour cream. It's gross looking when it's brought out to you on a plate, but when it hits your tongue, your mouth, esophagus, and stomach dance with pleasure! It's a great combination of flavors! Once again, the service was great and the food came quickly!
Daryl's review "Oh, I loved it!"
After perusing the menu, I can see why this place is such a big hit at Cameron Village! There are plenty of vegetarian and carnivore options. We plan to go back many times, even after the coupons run out. http://www.flyingbiscuit.com
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
NOFO at the Pig Revisited
You all know I love Nofo! It's one of my favorite lunch spots! Nofo is an eclectic little cafe across the street from Hayes Barton Baptist Church inside the belt line at Five Points. They have a shop upstairs with nifty gifties. They have the best cards too!
The reason for the name....Named for its first home on North Fourth Street in Wilmington, the restaurant was named NOFO for short. The Wilmington location was relocated to Wrightsville Beach. In 2001, the owner opened a second location at the old Piggly Wiggly Store in Five Points. It still has a lot of the elements from the Piggly Wiggly. The bar is made from Piggly Wiggly food cans. There was a third NOFO in Charlotte on Elizabeth Ave near Presbyterian Hospital. I'm not sure if it's still opened.
Daryl and I ended up going for brunch on Easter. I had never had the brunch there. You'll never guess what Daryl ordered. Shrimp and Grits! Really? They were delicious shrimp and grits! I ordered an omelette with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and asparagus. It was such a fresh omelette! The ingredients were delicious together! The omelette came with a big heaping side of fruit and two small biscuits with butter and jelly.
Would I go back to Nofo for brunch? Hell yes! Would I make a reservation? ABSOLUTELY!
The reason for the name....Named for its first home on North Fourth Street in Wilmington, the restaurant was named NOFO for short. The Wilmington location was relocated to Wrightsville Beach. In 2001, the owner opened a second location at the old Piggly Wiggly Store in Five Points. It still has a lot of the elements from the Piggly Wiggly. The bar is made from Piggly Wiggly food cans. There was a third NOFO in Charlotte on Elizabeth Ave near Presbyterian Hospital. I'm not sure if it's still opened.
Daryl and I ended up going for brunch on Easter. I had never had the brunch there. You'll never guess what Daryl ordered. Shrimp and Grits! Really? They were delicious shrimp and grits! I ordered an omelette with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and asparagus. It was such a fresh omelette! The ingredients were delicious together! The omelette came with a big heaping side of fruit and two small biscuits with butter and jelly.
Would I go back to Nofo for brunch? Hell yes! Would I make a reservation? ABSOLUTELY!
Shane's Rib Shack
Good ribs, good mac n cheese, good food! We tried this hidden gem at Triangle Town Center thanks to the Money Mailer buy one get one free coupon. That seems to be the best way to get out to dinner in this economy. Daryl and I now eagerly await the next round of Money Mailers to get our Shane's Rib Shack Coupons.
We've tried almost all of the side dishes after our numerous visits. You can't go wrong with ANY of them! I especially like the mac n cheese. Daryl's favorite is the steamed corn on the cob. They give you a ton of food with some Texas Toast on the side. The open dining area has multiple TV's, all tuned to sports. I would recommend avoiding Fridays. Friday is the night where they have the band playing around the pond and it's a zoo to get in and out of.
If you like ribs and Texas toast, go to Shane's Rib Shack. Daryl and I prefer it over the Q Shack.
We've tried almost all of the side dishes after our numerous visits. You can't go wrong with ANY of them! I especially like the mac n cheese. Daryl's favorite is the steamed corn on the cob. They give you a ton of food with some Texas Toast on the side. The open dining area has multiple TV's, all tuned to sports. I would recommend avoiding Fridays. Friday is the night where they have the band playing around the pond and it's a zoo to get in and out of.
If you like ribs and Texas toast, go to Shane's Rib Shack. Daryl and I prefer it over the Q Shack.
Thai Spices & Cuisine
I never would've found this restaurant had it not been in the City Pass Coupon Book. If you don't own one, buy one next year. You'll get the $25 back within 2 or 3 dinners out. Heck, some of the places will only take you one dinner.
Six of us ventured to Thai Spices & Cuisine in Cary off of High House and Cary Parkway last Sunday. We all ordered a variety of appetizers and meals. I highly recommend the Wonton Soup. I'm not a huge soup eater, but that was some good soup! It had very fresh ingredients, including cilantro. The house salad should be ordered with the peanut dressing. Delicious! I ended up getting the Pad Thai as my meal with chicken and shrimp. It also had tofu in it. The pad thai was pretty tasty. I've had better elsewhere, but it was definitely worth the trip to Cary.
My friends all liked their meals as well. Anthony had sweat pouring down his head, so they definitely let you order it spicy! If you are staying for dessert, the green tea ice cream and fried cheesecake plate can feed an army of 6. According to Dave, the sushi is still better at Sushi Thai in Cary, but it was better than some other restaurants in the area.
If you have the City Pass Book, DEFINITELY check this restaurant out! The decor is very shiek too!
Six of us ventured to Thai Spices & Cuisine in Cary off of High House and Cary Parkway last Sunday. We all ordered a variety of appetizers and meals. I highly recommend the Wonton Soup. I'm not a huge soup eater, but that was some good soup! It had very fresh ingredients, including cilantro. The house salad should be ordered with the peanut dressing. Delicious! I ended up getting the Pad Thai as my meal with chicken and shrimp. It also had tofu in it. The pad thai was pretty tasty. I've had better elsewhere, but it was definitely worth the trip to Cary.
My friends all liked their meals as well. Anthony had sweat pouring down his head, so they definitely let you order it spicy! If you are staying for dessert, the green tea ice cream and fried cheesecake plate can feed an army of 6. According to Dave, the sushi is still better at Sushi Thai in Cary, but it was better than some other restaurants in the area.
If you have the City Pass Book, DEFINITELY check this restaurant out! The decor is very shiek too!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Free Dinner on your Birthday - Michael Dean's
Daryl and I had planned on going to Winston's Grille on my birthday back in November; however, he had to work late, so we missed our 6:30 reservation time. It's hard to get a table there without a reservation! It was late, so we decided to try Michael Dean's instead. Michael Dean's is a seafood restaurant practically across the street from Winston's. It's also owned by Rocky Top Hospitality who provided the catering for our wedding.
I was in a steak kind of mood that evening, so I had the filet mignon with the side of shrimp scampi. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Oh, how I love asparagus! The asparagus was perfectly grilled with charred marks and served with their Bernaise sauce. Delicious! The filet mignon was cooked perfectly at medium rare and the shrimp scampi was quite tasty. The potatoes were kind of boring and bland, but again, I'm not a huge potato eater, so perhaps a potato person would be perfectly pleased. :)
Daryl ordered the shrimp and grits. Really? Shrimp and grits? Who would've guessed! He said it was delicious! But his only complaint was the smaller portion size than Zydeco in downtown Raleigh or Magnolia in Charleston, SC. Picky picky.
When the waiter approached for dessert, Daryl said "It's your birthday, you pick!" The waiter then informed us that they no longer give free desserts for birthdays. They take care of your entree. WHAT? The entree! You mean the $34 filet mignon and shrimp would be FREE? But that's not fair! Daryl should be forking out lots of cash for my birthday! Hehe!
Daryl then ordered the Creme Brulee, as usual, and I tasted a few bites of it. The temperature wasn't quite right on the inside, but the top was beautifully carmelized.
Even if it's not your birthday, you should definitely give Michael Dean's a try!
I was in a steak kind of mood that evening, so I had the filet mignon with the side of shrimp scampi. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Oh, how I love asparagus! The asparagus was perfectly grilled with charred marks and served with their Bernaise sauce. Delicious! The filet mignon was cooked perfectly at medium rare and the shrimp scampi was quite tasty. The potatoes were kind of boring and bland, but again, I'm not a huge potato eater, so perhaps a potato person would be perfectly pleased. :)
Daryl ordered the shrimp and grits. Really? Shrimp and grits? Who would've guessed! He said it was delicious! But his only complaint was the smaller portion size than Zydeco in downtown Raleigh or Magnolia in Charleston, SC. Picky picky.
When the waiter approached for dessert, Daryl said "It's your birthday, you pick!" The waiter then informed us that they no longer give free desserts for birthdays. They take care of your entree. WHAT? The entree! You mean the $34 filet mignon and shrimp would be FREE? But that's not fair! Daryl should be forking out lots of cash for my birthday! Hehe!
Daryl then ordered the Creme Brulee, as usual, and I tasted a few bites of it. The temperature wasn't quite right on the inside, but the top was beautifully carmelized.
Even if it's not your birthday, you should definitely give Michael Dean's a try!
All you can eat Sushi!
Yes, you read that right...an all you can eat sushi restaurant. I LOVE sushi! I especially love all I can eat sushi! Daryl and I had previously been to a restaurant on Falls of the Neuse called A Taste of Thai. They were pretty good; however, I recently found out they closed. To our advantage, they reopened as Japan Inn, an all you can eat sushi restaurant. Lunch is $10.95 and includes soup, salad, a variety of vegetable tempura, a selection of hand rolls and "tube" rolls, and nigiri. The lunch menu does not feature any specialty rolls nor does it feature tuna...my favorite. Dinner is slightly pricier at $17.95 per person, but it does include tuna, specialty rolls, and reduced price appetizers, such as sashimi salad and edamame in addition to all that is available on the lunch menu.
The sushi is definitely not Waraji quality; however, for the price, I would bypass Waraji and head straight to Japan Inn for a budget friendly sushi meal! I highly recommend the red snapper or mackerel nigiri. It's very fresh and quite tasty!
Our waiter was very friendly and tolerated our noisy group of six and a half. :)
Damn, now I'm craving sushi again.
The sushi is definitely not Waraji quality; however, for the price, I would bypass Waraji and head straight to Japan Inn for a budget friendly sushi meal! I highly recommend the red snapper or mackerel nigiri. It's very fresh and quite tasty!
Our waiter was very friendly and tolerated our noisy group of six and a half. :)
Damn, now I'm craving sushi again.
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