Is there anything better than a cool treat on a hot day? Only issue is you gotta eat it fast so you don’t wear it! Here are a list of my favorite frozen goodies:
Half Watermelon Half Wedding Cake Snoball from Pelican’s Snoballs in Lincolnton
Crafted Southern Speakeasy is not just a place to get hand-crafted cocktails and a bite to eat. No, it is sooo much more than that. They have events there that are really thoughtful and upscale! I’ve been to tea parties, maker’s workshops where you make a seasonal craft, trivia nights, game nights and now I’ve been to a special 5-course dinner with wine pairings. This was definitely a night to remember!
We were an intimate group of only 12 and the representatives for Babylonstoren were on hand to guide us through the pairing with each dish. It was very informative and delicious!
The room was beautifully decorated. I just walked around before the dinner really began and snapped pictures because I was so charmed by all of the little touches that were brought in to enhance our dinner.
Now, let’s get down to the reason we’re here: the food. Oh wow.
Oyster with Shallot Mignonette & Orange Zest Paired along side Babylonstoren Chenin Blanc: Delicious subtle yet briny oyster perfectly matched with the tart mignonette.
Mixed Greens Salad paired along side Babylonstoren Chardonnay: This salad was lightly dressed, but packed a big punch of flavor with the shaved Parmesan on top.
Lamb Lollipop over Cauliflower Mash alongside Sherried tomatoes with Fresh Grilled veggies paired with a Babylonstoren Babel Red Blend: This was my very favorite dish of the night! I didn’t even know lamb could taste like this! Perfectly seared and seasoned. And what a revelation that cauliflower could taste this yummy! Game changer!
Osso Bucco paired with the award-winning Babylonstoren Nebuchadnezzar red blend: I could tell this was cooked well, but I was unprepared for how much I was going to have to work for just a little bit of meat! This was my first time trying oxtails, and it reminded me of pot roast with more fat and tendon. The risotto, though. That was the real deal. Speckled with sauteed mushrooms, I could live off of that stuff. The tender carrots, infused with that oxtail flavor were also winners.
Strawberry Basil Shortbread served alongside Babylonstoren Rose: This surprisingly delicate dessert was the perfect finish to the bold dishes we’d sampled. The strawberries were plump and ripe and lightly macerated with sugar and the shortbread was dense enough to hold up to the sweet juices those berries gave off. But my favorite component was this Chantilly cream that sat atop this dessert. It was like eating a sweet cloud. I still think about that cream.
So, by now everyone knows that Crafted is THE place to go for the most delicious handcrafted cocktails and snacks. But did you also know they do these marvelous events all of the time? The last one I went to was a tea party. And it was the coolest one I’ve ever been to.
We bought our tickets online and when we arrived she ushered us all into the private party room which was decorated lovingly to be transformed into a Victorian tea room. Allison brought her vast collection of delicate teacups made out of bone china for us to sip from.
Allison then gave us a demonstration about tea etiquette and history and even brought some hats that she’s helped to rescue and remake. She asked these adorable little girls to model a couple of her favorites. She then let us know that she and her daughter collaborated to blend some new tea flavors, some with a theme of Christmas and other with an Alice in Wonderland theme! We all begged for an Alice in Wonderland themed Tea Party at Crafted next, so be on the watch for that!
The food was plentiful and delish! We had every type of finger food you could imagine and then some!
A beautiful tablescape!
Bruschetta Bites
Cucumber Sandwiches
Peanut butter and jam sandwiches, Chicken salad sandwiches, Creme Brulee cookies and German Chocolate Cupcakes
What makes a good salad? For me it’s all about the dressing. It *has* to be homemade. I can spot a bottled dressing a mile away. The toppings are also important. Here are some of my favorites:
The Black and Blue Filet Salad from Fresh Chef in Mooresville, NC
Insalata del giorno from Alino’s in Mooresville, NC
I’m not a big drinker, I’ll normally have one cocktail when I go out with friends for dinner. So, if I say something’s good, you can take it to the bank.
Seafood dishes remind me of vacation. We always go somewhere near a beach and the first thing we do is hit our favorite seafood places. Here are my favorite dishes, some are even inland!
Harvest Moon Grille is a unique eatery in downtown Lincolnton that is such a breath of fresh air. Their website says “an adventure in freshly foraged foods” and it is an adventure. The menu is different each time I visit. This is because they are farmers themselves, and build the menu off of what is currently available for harvest in their own and other local farms. And they make EVERYTHING…they make their breads, their soups, their sauces, their stocks, their dressings and their desserts. They even have a shelf for locally made products to take home with you. In addition to that, they cater: at their place, on site or boxed lunches for picnics lakeside. If you’d like to learn from these tremendous chefs, they also offer Saturday classes which include lunch!
They offer breakfast and lunch, both available from open to close. You can also get dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. On the day we visited my son got breakfast and I got lunch. The dining room is smallish, but you feel cozy, not cramped. The walls are filled with art from local artists. If the weather is nice, you should opt to eat outside on the patio. They have a very comfortable patio overlooking Main Street.
We opted for a locally crafted soda made in Waynesville, NC. The Raspberry Cream was fizzy with just the right amount of sweet. It’s the best. I love how they are served with a mason jar full of ice.
This is the child’s portion (Junior) of French Toast. He said it was delicious!
I had a falafel sandwich and a cup of tomato soup. The brioche bun that the sandwich came on was made fresh in house and was out of this world delicious. The falafel was a tiny bit loose for my liking, so ended up being too messy for me. The bitter greens brought a peppery element to the dish and the cucumber sauce (tzatziki) was tangy and cool. I have to say, the smallest detail was my favorite. The house-made pickles were perfect. Just pickled enough to be tasty, but still had a fresh taste. These chefs really know their way around the kitchen.
The tomato soup (served in a little mason jar!!) was also fresh and homemade. It didn’t taste like Campbell’s, didn’t taste like it came from a bag (I’m looking at you, Fatz) it tasted like it was made from my grandmother’s canned tomatoes. The drizzle of olive oil on top gave it a richness so it didn’t need cream.
barenakedchefsaidso.com 