Hidden Gems In Peoria: Dog Haus

 Hi yall, 

I typically try to support local restaurants and not chains but I had a friend recommend this one to me and that I should go grab a bite at the Dog Haus on University St. This place is a chain that started in Pasadena, California in 2010 but I had never heard of it. Don't be fooled by the name though, they have other menu options other than hot dogs. They offer burritos, sausages, and burgers served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls. What really struck me is the fact this place is open from 8 am til 2 am every day which I feel like as an employee would just be a nightmare! This place has outdoor seating and a beer garden as well. Overall it felt like a clean spacious environment 

Unfortunately, I decided to not go with one of the hot dog options that looked delicious. Instead, I went with one of their Haus Burgers, the Holy Aoli, and tater tots. It had white American cheese, smoked bacon, caramelized onions & garlic aioli atop a smash burger made with hormone- and antibiotic-free Creekstone Farms' premium Angus beef; on grilled king's Hawaiian rolls. This was so much different compared to other burgers I had in the past because of it being on four different roles. I decided to break teacher one into a mini slider but I really could have had it eaten it as a whole. The burger meat was similar to what you would find at Smashburger which is what I really like. After one bit, I was blown away. This is such a great burger because of all the different flavors from the toppings I mentioned above. It was like each bite surpassed the previous one because it was that good. I really wanna try to make something at home now that I've tried this. I would highly HIGHLY recommend Dog Haus if you're looking for some good bar food in Peoria!

Rating: 10/10

Hidden Gems in Charlotte: King's Kitchen

 Hi yall, 

I wasn't able to get to a restaurant in Peoria this week so I decided to post about another great place I went to in Charlotte, the King's Kitchen. This restaurant was located in uptown which is Charlotte's downtown area. I really enjoyed the concept of this place. They offered locally grown foods and ingredients from around the Carolinas and the profits and proceeds go toward feeding the poor and operating the training and life-skills development program offered to interns through the Charlotte Mecklenburg Dream Center. One thing I noticed is that all the staff members are volunteers.

I really liked the mission of this restaurant.
Upon looking at the menu they had pretty standard southern food such as fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and collard greens. Any meal you got could be turned into a "Southern classic" for just $11 which allowed you to have 3 extra sides to your meal. I decided to go with Aunt Beaut's Fried Chicken along with collards, mac and cheese, and Carolina gold rice & field peas. It looked really good once it came out to our table.

The fried chicken itself was decent. Every time I have fried chicken it's usually hit or miss for me because of how greasy it is. This time it wasn't too bad. The chicken was tender and delicious. The mac and cheese I had was very good because it was baked. The collard greens I felt were really salty and I didn't really like the bacon that went along with it. Overall, I thought it was a decent meal but nothing terribly special. I'm glad  I was able to support the cause of the restaurant and the staff working there all were really friendly. 

Rating: 6.5:10

Hidden Gems in Charlotte: Haberdish

Hi yall,

Since it's spring break, I decided to change it up a bit and do a Charlotte restaurant review since that is where I went for the break.
There are a lot of fantastic places to eat in Charlotte especially when it comes to southern cuisine. Haberdish is a local favorite in the Noda neighborhood just north of Uptown. They are a Southern kitchen and craft cocktail bar that serves Southern-inspired food. On the menu, the fried chicken sandwich caught my eye. It was advertised as being "the best chicken sandwich in town" so I felt like I needed to try it. I decided to get it Nashville hot style since that is what the waitress recommended.

However, she was telling me that it's more sweet and spicy rather than just spicy hot. The chicken was a brined & boneless fried chicken thigh with red cabbage slaw, bread & butter pickles, honey butter, and mayo on a potato roll along with potato wedges. It was one of the best chicken sandwiches I ever had and I'm so glad I got it Nashville hot because it was just the right amount of spice to make it pleasant to eat. The potato wedges were huge and salted just right. Overall, I would highly recommend Haberdish for a quick bite to eat if you're ever in Charlotte North Carolina!

Rating: 10/10

Hidden Gems In Peoria: Po Boys On Frostwood

 Hi yall,

Outside

I was craving seafood this week and I haven't had a po boy in a while. There used to be this place I would go to back home that had delicious shrimp po-boy sandwiches but it recently closed. I found this cool place called Po Boys On Frostwood located farther up north in Peoria across from the Willow Knolls Shopping Center.
It was more of a tavern-type establishment that had a New Orleans theme twist to it. The place was decorated with Mardi Gras streamers and colors. It also had lots of paintings related to blues and jazz music. It was a really nice environment. The menu had a lot of different options especially a good amount of cajun cuisine that you would find in New Orleans. Some of the offerings included gumbo, jambalaya, creole chicken salad, and shrimp and grits. I was craving a shrimp po boy so I decided to get that.

Shrimp Po Boy

It consisted of fried shrimp (cajun style), lettuce, and tomato, with special sauce on a lightly toasted sandwich bun along with a side of fries. It was just as good as expected it to be.  The pieces of shrimp were crunchy and spicy with enough flavor wanting me to have more. It was surprisingly filling with good enough portion sizes to leave me full. Overall it was a nice quick meal and I would definitely go back for more. I would recommend this place if you're a fan of Po Boys or enjoy cajun food. It will not disappoint!

Rating: 9.5/10