Author: JennJohnson

I am a born and raised Southern CA girl living in Raleigh with a passion for family, friends, good food and great drinks! I worked in the restaurant industry for about ten years (a long time ago), which is likely where I started to develop and harness my love for food and good service!

Easy and Delicious Huevos Rancheros!!!

So, I LOVE me some Huevos Rancheros like no other, but I am also pretty picky about them as well (I am realizing this is quite the theme for me).  I was having a friend over for breakfast on Sunday and was looking through my fridge to see what fresh ingredients I had and realized I had some fresh jalapenos and cilantro, which is what sparked the ideas for this meal.  I am sharing this because I just made it up as I went along and it was AMAZING!!!  It was also incredibly easy and fast to do with very little preparation needed.  Of course, I also served it with some fantastic Bloody Mary’s with some accompaniments with them I highly recommend.  First, here is how the dish turned out looking even though I was missing the avocado and sour cream (and maybe chopped chives) I wanted.

Huevos Rancheros

This picture is not a great one, so I apologize for that!  However, I think you get the gist.  So, here is what I did:  1) De-seed the jalapenos and dice them up as small as you prefer them, 2) cut up some fresh cilantro (I like a lot), 3) shred some cheese (or be lazy like me and buy the shredded kind), 4) get some Cholula hot sauce (trust me on this), 5) some good salsa (if you cannot do fresh, I really like Matteo’s for pre-made….I get it from Costco in a huge glass jar as we go through salsa at my house like we are from Tijuana) and 6) make your preferred eggs of choice (I have done and highly recommend the over easy, but I also know some people have an issue with the ooze….weirdos).

So, all I did was put some chips down on my plate to my liking (pic below of the kind I love and buy it from Whole Foods, but they have that brand I am sure at plenty of other places).  Then I cracked two eggs in a pan and once I turned them over, I immediately topped it with black beans and shredded cheese and let it all sit there and sizzle a bit (especially if you can get the cheese to ooze out and burn a little…..wow….I am all tingly inside thinking about it).  Then, simply slide all of this out on top of your chips.  I would recommend then topping with Cholula hot sauce, salsa, diced avocados, cilantro and diced fresh jalapenos.  If I was really going for it, I would include some fresh chopped chives and sour cream.  Boom….you are done and it tastes amazing and people will be impressed…..I promise!!

Here are chips I like (clearly you don’t have to buy a 24 pack, but the in case you plan to serve a shitload of Huevos Rancheros….you are freaking all set):

Blue Chips

Okay, I don’t want to skip over the very critical Bloody Mary accompaniments that I would recommend.  I take whatever my favorite Bloody Mary mix is (if I am too lazy to make it myself) and prefer to add in a little extra Worchester sauce, Tabasco, fresh ground pepper and horseradish if I have it).  I am also quite heavy handed with my vodka (anyone who has any ANY of my mixed drinks will already be quite aware of this).  Then I put a pickled okra on a toothpick across the glass and a spicy pickled green bean (pictured below).  If I am also not being lazy, I would prep the rim of the glass with some salt and Cajun seasonings or something like it.

Pickled OkraSpicy pickled green beans

That was my Sunday Funday: a fantastically easy brunch and yummy Blood Mary!!  Okay, fine….I had TWO!  🙂  Just had to share with you all and do let me know how yours turns out when you try it!!!

 

#raleighfoodwhore #huevos rancheros recipe #noiamnotfrommexico

 

Excited for this to open – Wicked Taco in Raleigh

I just learned that Wicked Taco is going to open up a place in Raleigh off Western Blvd. sometime this spring.  Their menu looks delicious with some really thoughtful combinations.  Coming to Raleigh from San Diego, I am always searching for good Mexican food.  I have yet to find what I am looking for in an enchilada and chile relleno anywhere near here.  I know I was spoiled and it is silly for me to think that someday the kind of Mexican food I got to enjoy in San Diego will arrive in Raleigh, but you can’t blame a girl for hoping!  Just like I still continue to hope that In-N-Out will change their minds and open a place in Raleigh.  I even wrote them when I first moved here and said I would work there (I do have a ton of restaurant experience), and they did write me back, but it was not good news.  They do not intend to move any further west than they are right now.  Sorry for the rant, and back to this new taco joint opening up, you can check out the menu and site out here:  http://www.wickedtaco.com/food/

Wicked Taco Site

I am excited to try all of them, but I definitely want the Lemon Trees on Mercy taco, the Roasted Hatch Queso Fundido Dip and it looks like they will be serving craft beers to wash it all down with!!

You had me at Guasaca!!

I really hope that this post of Guasaca is not the first time you are hearing about this place as that would be quite sad.  Last night, I just could not freaking stomach The Oak’s food another time, so opted to get Guasaca (it is in the same center off Lake Boone Trail in Raleigh) for dinner, sit outside and grab a beer next door from Bottle Revolution, so I will tell you about both places and experiences.  I had been to Bottle Revolution before, but it was the first time for the hubby.  I popped in, tasted the beer recommendation based upon what I told them I liked and then ordered one up.  Went to give him my card and he said….are you only having one?  I said…..no…because that would obviously be silly.  So, I said I would just start a tab and get this…..he says…we operate on an honor system!!!  Just saying…..that would NEVER happen in San Diego!!!  I felt like an instant part of the family…like CHEERS where everyone knows your name.  Very cool vibe there both inside and out and the staff is not only very knowledgeable but they also are not snobby or pretentious whatsoever!

So, I get my beer and join my son outside to enjoy the amazing weather and it is buzzing out there with lots of different folks eating food from either Guasaca or Which Which or just drinking beer (families, professionals, runners, etc.).  Dylan has never had Guasaca, so I was explaining the options to him (you either get a bowl, salad or have it on the arepa, which is essentially a corn based flatbread of sorts).  You can create your own ingredients or they have some signature items  you can order directly.

Guasaca menu

We both opted for the bowl (I have had the arepa before and it is fantastic, so wanted to try something different) and decided to make our own as he is a high maintenance foodie like his mom.  🙂  Dylan got the brown rice, grilled chicken, avocado salsa, caramelized onions, pico de gallo and cheese with the honey mustard sauce on the side.  He absolutely loved it and I tried his honey mustard sauce they make there and it was quite good.  None of us (hubby tried both bowls) were big fans of the onions, but that is really just a preference thing as they were a bit too sweet for our liking (we wanted them to be savory).

Dylan Guasaca bowl

Oh, I will say that I was surprised that the grilled chicken is pulled (as shown above) as I guess I expected it to be chopped up grilled chicken, but no complaints here as it was delicious!  I opted for the same chicken, brown rice, black beans, guacamole salsa, cheese and both their cilantro sauce and signature spicy sauce.

Jenn Guasace bowl

We all agreed mine was AMAZING!!!!!  I got really full (thanks to all of the wonderful beers I was drinking), so Dylan had to step in and finish my bowl.  Speaking of beer, let me get back to that for a second.  Hubby came (I guess I should call him by his name, which is Matt) and I explained he should just go in and get whatever beer and told him about this whole honor system thing and he was also surprised and curious.  He came out with a canned beer, which had not even occurred to me to get something other than the draft.  Well, none of their draft beers were exactly what I wanted, so I opted for a bottled beer next (Bad Penny by Big Boss) and it was delightful.  I stood outside in their cool little area covered area outside (oh, we got rained on big time, so had to dart for safety) there were even places to hang my giant purse!  Next beer for me was a can of Fat Tire (one of my favorites).

We accomplished all of that in just about an hour – aren’t we productive!!  🙂  I foresee many future Thursdays repeating this particular evening over again!!

 

#Guasaca #Bottle Revolution #happytummy

Rise in Durham – YES

I wish this place was in Raleigh so it was much closer to my house, but my fat ass is thanking them for not actually being nearby.  The first introduction I had to Rise was at a meeting where someone offered me one of their donuts.  I was like…eh…no thanks.  Then I was told they are special donuts and was shown the box.  I opted for the crème brulee donut with low expectations of it tasting anything like that.  This rarely happens, but it did this time….I was WRONG!  It was so good and actually tasted just like crème brulee and even had the brulee coating on the top of the donut.  I first cut myself 1/4 of the donut….due to the fat ass I am hauling around, but of course ended up eating the entire damn thing!

Rise Logo

So, here I am last Friday with the day off with the kids and decided to take them out there to Rise.  The very sad outcome was that by the time we got there (it was after lunch time), they had sold out of the crème brulee donut as well as a number of others I was hoping to try.  We ended up getting a dozen of various ones they had left (glazed, glazed topped with chocolate, apple fritter and the maple bacon).

Maple bacon donut

As you will see, the maple bacon literally has an entire slab of bacon on it and is coated with a maple flavored topping.  I would say it is an acquired taste, but as far as I am concerned….this Jew says you can put bacon on anything!  I enjoyed the plain glazed and surprisingly the chocolate one too (it is almost like a ganache on top).  However, the real shock was the apple fritter, which I have to give Dylan credit for as that was his choice.  Holy hell that was fucking amazing!!!  I wish I had bought more than one as we all fought over eating it and it was gone in less than two minutes.  🙁  It just had a subtle taste of apple, the texture was fantastic, not messy to eat and was just absolutely tasty.  Here is a picture of their donut menu that day (again they were already sold out of a lot of them).  They organize them by old school, new school and our school (clever of them).  If I could, I would have of course had the crème brulee, but the other standouts that I have to try are the cinnamon twist, salted caramel (they had me at salt) and the pineapple basil for shits and giggles even though it does not sound overly appealing.  Check out their menu daily though as it changes and they have some other combinations that sound mind blowing.

Rise donut menu

Sadly, I did not have a chance try any of their biscuits as we had already eaten lunch, but will absolutely being going back for that as they smelled amazing and looked great.  Below is that menu and clearly I need to try one with both jalapenos and the pimiento cheese (giddy inside thinking about that).  I am impressed to see that they actually have their own handmade sausage patties, the fried eggplant bacon is a curious one too.  Lots of neat options, so a definite must do and I will be going back for sure!!!

Rise_Biscuit menu

I will note that they have a pre-order option, which I would highly consider doing.  The only thing that this place is missing for me on the menu is a rocking bloody mary!!!

The Oak – I continue to hope for more

First and foremost, the only reason I continue to frequent this place is because it is next door to Ella’s (my 8 1/2 year old) dance studio where she has a 45 minute tap class, which is just enough time for 1-2 drinks or glasses of wine and some snacks.  So, it would be really helpful if this place had great food!  I will say that their bar area is has a nice vibe and the bartenders are extremely nice and remember you over time.  It is a bourbon bar too, so clearly they have a great variety of bourbons (flights are offered as well).  Hubby enjoys this, but I don’t drink bourbon.

The owners of The Oak also own Taste, which is conveniently located to my house, so I really wish these two restaurants rocked.  My gripe with both of them are that the food (especially for the price) is eh…..not great and portions are small.  I don’t mind paying a decent amount for small portions if the food is amazing, but this is sadly not the case.  Therefore, I have resorted to ordering wine or a my standard Tito’s and soda water and a side of fries.  Their fries are quite good and the aioli dipping sauce it comes with makes me tingle inside.  🙂

The first time I went I ordered a salad that was missing at least 3-4 of the ingredients listed on the menu and when I mentioned it to the server, his response was that they must be out of some of them.  WTF!  Therefore, the salad ended up being very plain and the salmon I ordered on it was quite expensive for the very small portion that was provided and was just okay.  The service in general can be somewhat spotty if you are not at the bar (perhaps the stations for each server have too many tables), or they just are not well trained before being put out on the floor.

My son Dylan often comes with us on these mini-dates and all three of us love mussels.  The Oak serves bacon bourbon mussels, which again, are okay, but not great.  Fairly small portion, not enough sauce or flavor, but does come with some grilled bread that is a nice touch.  If you want good mussels, go to Vivace or Coquette (both in North Hills and both owned by Urban Food Group).  I am getting hungry thinking about them!  You will see below the portion and presentation.

mussels from Oak

They also have these three cheese nachos on the menu – holy shit do I love some good nachos.  Here is the description: slow cooked black-eyed peas, red peppers, cilantro and red cabbage. Served with chipotle sour cream and tomatillo salsa.  Again these are not bad, but not amazing and a very small portion for what it is.  They are literally the chips I buy from Costco or other supermarkets covered in black eyed peas (the texture of refried beans) and I guess they were out of tomatillo salsa because these did not come with it.  I will eat them if they are there as they are decent, but not holy crap amazing and nor would I ever crave them.  This is literally the full portion below for $8.

Oak nachos

We went this last week and they had a new menu item of lamb sliders (slow roasted lamb, fennel slaw with a cabernet aioli) for $9.  You will see below this included two small sliders.  I was pretty excited as I am a big fan of lamb and was hopeful there would be an item I really liked here besides fries.  I refuse to order the entrée items because none of them sound that appealing and I know that I will disappointed in the quality and portion size with the price.  Look, I was raised Jewish and I am a CPA by training, but I assure you I am not cheap (I feel like this is sort of reading that way).  Those that know me know that I am willing to spend some big bucks for good food if it is worth it and there are plenty of places in Raleigh and nearby to do that….this is not one of them.  Back to the sliders – the lamb was dry and unless you ate a piece completely separately from the bun and other ingredients, you would not even know it was lamb.  When you eat it separately the flavor is lacking and like I said, it is quite dry (served pulled pork style).

Lamb sliders

I think this picture makes the sliders look large, but they are indeed small sliders like you would expect.  I guess I should take pictures of other things that people would like to appear larger with this camera.  🙂  Yes, I have a very dirty mind.

So, I continue to go to this place on Thursdays and hope to be able to eat before going and just stop in for drinks as it is a nice place to do that both inside and outside (great outside seating).  I wish the owner would get this place and Taste to a new level….perhaps it is time for a change in talent in the kitchen?  Do go and get some drinks, some bourbon flights or wine, but do eat beforehand if you do not want to end up disappointed.  Guasaca (an arepa and salsa grill is in the same center and is delicious, so grab a quick bite there beforehand.

 

Zinburger lunch if I must

So, there is this new place I kept hearing about called Zinburger Burger and Wine Bar at Southpoint mall that has a cool concept  – great burgers, great beer, great mixed drinks, great wine selection, a variety of fries and a lovely list of milkshakes!!!

I went today for lunch with co-workers and also went once before with the hubbbie and Ella, so I will talk about both experiences.

1. Burger – first time I got a regular burger (cooked med rare…..love it when I can pick the temperature) and it was quite good.  Bread is nice, pickles are delicious and options for toppings are decent as well.  Ella got the turkey burger, so I opted for that at lunch today and it was quite good (came with cheese, sprouts, lettuce, pickles and avocado).  Unfortunately, since I am new at this I did not think to take a picture of my lunch today until the end of the meal, so you will see below what little was left of my turkey burger.   However, it is a good snapshot as it really shows how thick the turkey burger was!  How they did that without it falling apart or being dry is something I will have to uncover.  Oh, and I would like to share that I wore a white dress to lunch and spilled ketchup and avocado all down my left breast and was forced to explain myself for the remainder of the day.

Zinburger turkey burger

Now to the French fries….oh….why do I have to love them so much!?  Is it because they speak French?  Is it because I have not been to France?  Or is it perhaps because they are fried and salty…..yep….that is the likely culprit.  I would like to consider myself a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to fries.  They have multiple options on the menu, including sweet potatoes, hand-cut, and triple truffle parmesan.  Of course – I had to try them all.  🙂  I wish I could say they were all amazing…..trust me….I wanted them to be.  But they were just….okay. Not bad, not great.  In fact, the truffle fries at the Yardhouse are far better than these.  Last time, hubbie and I tried their spicy green chili fries and I have to admit I was giddy waiting for them to arrive at the table.  The description said it would come with their green chili cheese sauce, roasted jalapeño, chipotle sauce and Cotija cheese.  These were oh so disappointing, so thank goodness I had my wine to cry into!  Where do I start with these?  So, the cheese sauce is thick and I am not sure where the green chilis were located within the cheese as they were few and far between and the same goes for the roasted jalapeños and chipotle sauce!  Normally I have some great ideas on how to improve or fix a dish, but this ones needs quite a bit of revisiting from the consistency of the cheese sauce, to increasing the # of green chilies and flavor associated with it and a wider usage of the other accompaniments or having them on the side if you are scared to dump them on (I can get that).   One other thought I had that could also make them a bit more epic…..top them with fresh cilantro!!!  Boom!!  Below is a pic of the basket of fries (shockingly they were not finished by anyone at the table as we were all crying in our waters and iced teas wishing they were satisfying our craving for amazing salty goodness.

Zinburger truffle fries

Please do go see for yourself.  I will say, they have some great outside seating that is worth a visit alone to sit outside with a nice drink and people watch (mall people are freaking weird)!  I will go again and will promise to try a shake of theirs and come back with a review on that, but I will have to skip the fries.  I am not sure all of you understand the sadness of that statement actually.  My hubbie knows that I have several food weakness….okay….too many to name, but he also knows I never turn down good fries or nachos and that I will purposely seek out and visit restaurants that have these when my cravings insist on being satisfied.  That leads to be a thought on a future subject for this blog…..where do you go to get the best fries and nachos?  More to come on that….might be a mission where I can collect pictures and proper “fresh” reviews on all of my options.  And eating all of these nacho varieties isn’t for me…..it is for you all….that is just how generous I am.

 

Here I Go!!!

Wow, now that I have finally done this…..where do I start!!??  Okay, some of you know that I have been wanting to start a blog for quite some time and I cannot explain why it has taken me so long, but here I finally am.  I have not fully defined what this will look like, but essentially I plan to post here about my meals, life changing food experiences, amazing recipes that I have tried, things you find at stores that are a must buy, etc, etc.  As my site name says, I am a food whore and if I am not eating….I am thinking about what I might eat next!!!!  So, expect information on all things food in the triangle, at my home, from stores and anywhere else I happen to come upon tasty treats!!!

I will continue to work to organize the site as I get new posts up.  My goal is to provide a place where you can find Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill restaurant reviews (really anywhere in the Triangle).  I will share with you the best recipes that I either develop or come across for your browsing and use.  I will also provide recommendations on any store bought items that you may not know about and absolutely should.  I hope you enjoy reading regularly and I promise to let you know when new posts are available!!

 

Jenn Johnson