Bar Cocoa at the Ritz-Carlton - Charlotte

New Eclair Selection. From L to R: classic (vanilla custard) with Ritz chocolate topper, S'mores with chocolate custard, pistachio strawberry, raspberry rose and caramel.

I was very excited to be invited to a special dessert tasting featuring the delicious sweets offered at Bar Cocoa at the Ritz-Carlton in uptown Charlotte. Bar Cocoa is the only one of its kind in the world and its corner location (Trade and College) allows both hotel guests and uptown Charlotte pedestrians to partake of pastries, gelato, coffee, chocolates and other goodies. Cooking classes, catering and custom cakes are also offered and there is even a champagne and chocolate all dessert dinner option on the weekends!

The French macaron selection is truly impressive. New flavor blueberry lavender has a subtle lavender aftertaste with strong blueberry notes. Other favorites include coconut, red velvet, honey, dulce de leche, and caramel but there are at least 10 macaroon options to try on a daily basis. 

The new eclairs are incredible - my favorite item we tried. The outside of the eclair is crisp and a little crunchy, giving way to smooth fillings - nothing at all like the soggy eclairs typically found in grocery stores. My favorite flavors were the classic and the caramel but all of them were truly excellent.

Tasty Macarons.

Gelato: Peach Mango and Honey Pecan. The new peach mango gelato is terrific for summer - flavorful, creamy and refreshing all at the same time. On Friday and Saturday afternoons you can sample the gelatos in tiny cones in the Ritz's lobby - this will cause you to dash back to Bar Cocoa for a larger serving!

The Ritz-Carlton cake - dark chocolate, candied orange and Grand Marnier. This rich, chocolatey cake is available at every Ritz all over the world. But remember, no other Ritz has a Bar Cocoa!
 

Lovely table decoration made from many flavors of macaron.

Milkshakes - we tried mini versions but these are sold in standard larger sizes - from L to R - chocolate hazelnut, banana caramel and cookies and cream. My favorite = cookies and cream!

Norman Love Easter Collection selections. These are peanut butter and lemon - delicious and beautiful. See the entire Easter collection here. The chocolates are the only item that is not made in-house at Bar Cocoa.

If you have not yet tried Bar Cocoa, I recommend it for a sweet treat anytime! Since it is located in the Ritz-Carlton, it is even open until midnight on Friday and Saturday - sweet!

Disclosure: The desserts described in this review were complimentary.

Sweet Lorraine's Bakery

Sweet Lorraine's Bakery opened in Dilworth on East Boulevard last month. This is a very welcome addition to my neighborhood! I attended the Grand Opening and enjoyed tasting lots of the pastry and bread offerings. My favorites include the prosciutto bread, the pecan sticky bun and the cannoli as well as the signature Sweet Lorraine bar - a brownie and blondie stacked together - what could be better? I look forward to returning to try the cupcakes, scones and muffins as well as the cookies. Coffee is available and there are several tables so you can enjoy right there in the store. Chocolates from Courtney Paul Chocolates are also for sale, including a luscious passion fruit ganache in dark chocolate. Welcome to the neighborhood, Sweet Lorraine's!

Cupcakes!







Samples of sweets!



The Sweet Lorraine's team in the kitchen including owner Christine Guerriero (2nd from left)!



Chocolate display.



Palet Or (left): creamy dark chocolate ganache topped with gold leaf and Almond Hazelnut: creamy ganache with puffed cereal.



Passion Fruit Ganache enrobed in dark chocolate - my favorite of Courtney Paul's chocolates.

Nova's Bakery

Nova's Bakery, currently located on Central Avenue, is a wonderful family owned bakery and coffee shop that first opened in the late 1990's. I remember when it used to be in Southend, closer to my neck of the woods but now it is just a short trek to the current location. Nova's produces some of the best bread you can get in Charlotte including French and sourdough and turns out delicious cookies, cakes and pastries as well. My mom is a huge fan of the gingerbread men here, so we stopped in one afternoon after lunch. I also tried the red velvet cookie with white chocolate chips (very tasty). I look forward to trying more treats at Nova's again soon!

Cluck 'N Cup - South End

Cluck 'N Cup is a cute breakfast and lunch spot where I enjoyed a delightful lunch several weeks ago. I dined at the Southend location just off South Blvd. but there are locations uptown and in north Charlotte as well. The chicken pot pie is very good - I look forward to having this again over the winter. I also sampled the broccoli casserole - also very tasty. Cluck 'N Cup serves a full breakfast menu including breakfast sandwiches (toast, croissants and bagels available), yogurt, oatmeal, muffins and frittatas. A full coffee selection including espresso drinks is also available - yay for serving my favorite, the mocha. Lunch brings several salads, wraps, sandwiches and entrees like the pot pie, lasagna and quesadillas. Lots of chicken is on the menu - hence the "cluck". Every day there is a lunch special including a drink for around $5 - $6 - a nice deal - on Wednesday you can get the pot pie, a side and a drink for $5.99. Also, you can purchase pot pie, broccoli casserole and more to take and bake a home - a nice option. I can walk here from home so I look forward to returning to Cluck 'N Cup soon to try the mocha and more of the menu.

Famous chicken pot pie with fruit salad.



Chicken salad wrap with broccoli casserole.

Empire State South - Atlanta

Super Food with hangar steak.

For my farewell lunch in Atlanta my Atlanta office dined at Hugh Acheson's Empire State South in Midtown Atlanta. I am so glad I had the chance to try this place before we left because it was great and it was a really fun place for a group lunch. The highlights for me included the Super Food salad plate - available with the standard hangar steak, chicken or fish. The farro and radishes on the plate particularly shined but everything really worked together well. The pimento cheese with bacon marmalade was truly out of this world also - a must-try starter. Everyone enjoyed their meal and we enjoyed sharing several desserts to top it off. The brownie ice cream sandwich was a bit too sweet for me but I like how they have baked goods available in the center of the restaurant for eating in or take-out. Several in our party also tried the specialty sourced coffee, which proved to be tasty. The atmosphere here is versatile with an airy, inviting dining space suitable for business, friends or family. I hope to have the chance to have dinner here when I am back in town visiting. Breakfast is also served.

Pimento Cheese with bacon marmalade - delicious!



The bar.



Fish po-boy.



Super Food with Tilapia.



Bratwurst with chips.



Phatty cakes, strawberry cupcake and chess pie.



Ice cream sandwich on brownies!

Baci by Cafe at Pharr

Mussels of the day: today, served in a bacon cream sauce - we had to ask for more bread to sop up all the delicious sauce!

I was recently invited to check out Baci, a new restaurant by the owners of the famous Cafe at Pharr local chain. During lunch, Baci serves some of the same delicious salads and sandwiches offered at Cafe at Pharr (I'm partial to the curry and walnut chicken salad plates) but during dinner they have a totally different, delicious menu. The dinner menu is a combination of eclectic dishes that are both Mediterranean and Eastern (Asian) inspired. Since I adore all types of Asian food and really enjoy Mediterranean fare as well, this is a concept that makes me smile! The atmosphere at Baci is very inviting and once the liquor license comes through they expect to have an extensive wine list - all the better for enjoying at the bar. Service was excellent throughout our meal, which is always a good sign!

The lovely bar.



Japanese Ceviche - more like sashimi than ceviche!

We started with the delicious mussels, pictured up top, served with grilled bread. The chef's preparation, which changes regularly, included a bacon cream sauce which provided a tasty bath for the succulent, plump mussels - definitely a good choice. We saw other tables with the Mediterranean tasting plate, which looked like a good option for group sharing. The Japanese ceviche is more like sashimi with ponzu sauce and jalepeno slices. Although I enjoyed the raw salmon (I always love raw salmon) it was definitely not what we were expecting from "ceviche".

Baci burger - all Kobe beef served with homemade pickles and duck fat fries - yum!

The best entree we tried was the Chilean sea bass, served with perfect Japanese rice on the side and a bed of spinach over a Hong Kong soy broth; the flavor is light, delicate and fantastic. The burger (above) is unique in that only certified Kobe beef is used. This results in a juicy, extremely flavorful burger. Although I loved the idea of duck fat fries these did not taste much different from other fries I've enjoyed lately - I guess I expected a meatier flavor. But you don't need it when you have the Kobe beef. In order to try more from the menu, we also sampled the chef's risotto of the day: butternut squash.

Chilean sea bass with white rice (served on the side) and spinach. Favorite of the meal!



Butternut squash risotto - very tasty albeit a bit chewy.



Dessert sampler: red velvet cake, lemon fruit tart with raspberries, blueberries and kiwi and moon pie and salted caramel gelatos from Honeysuckle Gelato. All of the desserts were excellent, especially the unique gelato flavors which change on a weekly basis.



Nespresso selection and beautiful cafe latte.

Baci is a great new option in Brookhaven. I look forward to returning to try more from the menu, especially since the selections change frequently.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Salzburg

On top of Untersberg.

Salzburg was definitely a highlight of the trip. After Prague, it was a warm, welcoming small city. We bought Salzburg passes that allowed us into all the attractions for one (fairly low) price. Thus, we raced around the city, doing so many things! We went to Mozart's house, took the cable car up the Untersberg, took a boat tour, visited the fortress and more...

Cafe Tomaselli.

At this famous cafe, we had a delightful afternoon coffee and cake. I could get used to this! The people watching was also quite fun. Austria is known for its coffee obsession and many kinds are offered. I was pleased to see generous usage of whipped cream!

Coffee with milk and whipped cream... my kind of coffee!



House special cake and raspberry cake.



Fish Stew - so delicious.



Restaurant Zum Eulenspiegel.

For dinner we opted for something nice and it was very tasty. We sat outside in the lovely weather but the inside looked very cute also. The fish stew was absolutely amazing. The lamb and dumplings not bad either. I'd definitely recommend this place if you're in Salzburg.

Lamb.



Vegetarian dumplings in tomato sauce.



Horse & carriage - lots of these in Salzburg!



Stiegl Brewery - we toured, we tasted & we were almost late for our bus to the train station - yay for being in shape enough to run and make it! Loved the raspberry beer they offered and I am not a big beer fan.