The Scone Shop - Charlotte, NC

I was lucky enough to have freshly baked cranberry orange scones delivered to my office personally by The Scone Shop's owner and founder, Fielding  Williams. The scones were still warm from the oven, buttery and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness. It was also delightful to talk with Fielding and hear her story. The idea for The Scone Shop came after Fielding made cookie dough to help her son with a fundraiser. She tried scone dough next and it was a hit. Now you can buy the frozen scone dough at several local markets in Charlotte including Healthy Home Market on Central Ave., Whole Foods, Reid's Fine Foods and you can buy a warm scone ready to eat at the Nordstrom EBar at Southpark. The scones are also available at select locations in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem and Fort Mill, SC. Custom orders are also available to be delivered.

 Fielding Williams, founder.

In addition to my in-office sample, I received a full package of the cranberry orange scones to bake at home. My family loved them - what a great treat without any of the hard work that goes into making homemade baked goods! I think these would make a great gift for Valentine's Day and would add a special touch to any breakfast or brunch menu! I look forward to trying some of the other flavors, which include: cinnamon chip, butterscotch chocolate chip, chocolate cinnachip and savory option spinach feta.

Disclosure: The product described was provided to me, but the opinions are my own.

Wewalka Prepared Dough - Tasty and Easy!

Bistro Style Pizza.

I was recently invited to try Wewalka European Pastry Dough. The Austrian company makes 2 types of pizza crusts (Family Style slightly thicker crust dough and Bistro Style thin crust dough),  croissant dough and puff pastry dough and all the doughs are now available in the United States. All four types of dough are conveniently rolled up on parchment paper for easy use and are available at Harris Teeter locations in the Charlotte market and Ingles locations in the Atlanta area. The doughs contain no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrup and no bleached flour and they are vegetarian (no meat products).

My family truly loved these doughs - especially the round pizza dough (Bistro Style - the Family Style is rectangular) and the puff pastry dough. I made all sorts of pizzas as well as rolled croissants with sausages and with chocolate (not pictured). I really like using the puff pastry for pizza as well - very elegant and tasty. The Wewalka Recipe collection helps with more ideas. Having the pizza dough on parchment paper that you leave in place while baking is SO helpful. Although other companies' big balls of dough look fun, my experience is that rolling the dough ball into what you want can be difficult, not to mention messy! Wewalka makes it very easy with the crust already rolled and clean-up is quick and painless. Look for all four types of dough in the refrigerator case near the biscuit dough. There is also a coupon on the website here.

Pigs in blankets!

Wewalka recipe - Caramelized Onion Quiche

 

Breakfast - Desayuno - at Rosa Mexicano

My favorite dish: Shredded Beef with Eggs - so flavorful and juicy!

I had the opportunity to sample the new breakfast menu at Rosa Mexicano while we were in Atlanta in mid-March. The breakfast offerings are available every weekend starting at opening time (11:30 AM) and include some delicious choices. While you cannot go wrong with any of the breakfast offerings, my favorite dish by far is the Machacado con Huevo or Shredded Beef with Eggs. This is made from short rib and includes scrambled eggs with the succulent shredded beef, jalepenos, tomatoes and onions, served hot in a cast iron skillet with tortillas on the side. This is truly one of the best breakfast dishes I have ever tasted! My second favorite main dish is the Creamy Breakfast Tamale, which is grits infused with chorizo, topped with chile-poached eggs and fried cheese - yum! I also really liked the Fried Eggs and Carnitas Hash and the Stuffed French Toast (see photos with additional details).

Special drinks are also available. A sucker for good hot chocolate, I adore the Mexican Hot Chocolate - and get the churros on the side - these are awesome! The hot chocolate itself is infused with almonds and cinnamon and served with whipped cream - delicious. I also enjoyed trying to Coconut Horchata made from pressed rice milk and the variety of Aqua Frescas or "Fresh Waters". My favorites are the honeydew melon and the hibiscus blackberry but the cucumber-tomatillo is also tasty. Although we did not sample them this visit, special adult breakfast beverages such as Mezcal Bloody Maria and Horchata Especial (Anejo tequila, coffee liqueur and horchata with espresso!) are also available and sound awesome.

 

If you have the chance to try Rosa Mexicano on the weekend, definitely check out the brown paper menu on the table, which offers this special breakfast menu!

Horchata (left) and Fresh Water selections.

 

Fried Eggs and Carnitas Hash - love the pineapple-habenero mustard jam served on the side!

Tropical Fruit Bowl - a nice lighter selection.

Soft Scrambled Eggs and Cactus Paddle served with molletes (soft roll spread with refried black beans).

Mexican hot chocolate - yum!

Stuffed French Toast - Cinnamon-Cascabel chile-crusted brioche bread filled with Mascarpone cheese, topped with caramelized plantains - has a delicious kick. One of my favorite items!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary. 

Hazelnuts Creperie - Uptown Charlotte

Mexicana Breakfast Crepe: egg fried or scrambled, bacon, black beans, tomato, red onion, avocado and swiss cheese - a great start to the morning!

I was so excited to hear that Hazelnuts Creperie opened in uptown Charlotte. Located in the lobby of 200 South Tryon Street, the casual eatery is open 7 AM until 4 PM weekdays. I met up with a friend for lunch here in August and we really enjoyed sharing the BBQ Chicken Crepe, the Florentine Crepe, which is vegetarian and the Banana Nutella crepe (below) - all so delicious.

At lunch more than 10 signature crepes, including 3 veggie, are available and you can also create your own crepe with any fillings you like. In addition to what we tried there is a Pesto Chicken crepe, a Buffalo Chicken crepe, a ham and Swiss Crepe a South West Veggie crepe and more. Dessert crepes are also available all day and locally roasted coffee is served as well. With the dessert crepes there are several signatures and you can also build your own.

When owner and chef Asi Agajan found out I was a blogger, he invited us to return to Hazelnuts to try his breakfast offerings. We loved the Mexicana (above) and the Chevere & Mozz was also very good. There are 4 signature breakfast crepes, all loaded with eggs + other toppings and, as with the lunch and dessert crepes, you can always create your own breakfast crepe as well. We also tried some sweet crepes that are suitable for breakfast or dessert - the "Not French Toast" with maple syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar, whipped cream (also available with ice cream) and walnuts was fabulous as was the less sugary Berry Delight with strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts and honey.

Hazelnuts has seating available in the cafe itself and there is seating on comfortable leather ottomans just outside the restaurant in the lobby as well. Takeout is, of course, available. Charlotte does not have many places where crepes are available so this is a real find. It is truly worth a visit to uptown Charlotte to sample these delicious offerings, perfect for breakfast, lunch, a snack or dessert and coffee! I will be back at Hazelnuts soon for sure.

Owner and Chef Asi Agajan in action making a crepe.



Chevre & Mozz: egg either fried or scrambled with olives, red onion, mushrooms, goat cheese and mozzarella.



Not French Toast with Whipped Cream - so delicious. I could eat this every day - really!



Berry Delight with Ice Cream - love that it contains goat cheese and honey!



Nutella Banana - a classic.

Disclosure: The breakfast described in this review was complimentary. The lunch was not.

Toast Cafe - Dilworth

Lobster Roll with pesto pasta salad - love this!

Toast Cafe in Dilworth is one of my new favorite spots for breakfast, lunch or brunch. I have enjoyed 4 meals here recently with tasty food and superior service. The prices aren't bad either. Toast also has a location in Davidson and a new Toast is set to open soon in Ballantyne. The menu is diverse yet simple, creative but not fussy. I really like the lobster roll - above - which is not something easy to find in the south. I also dig the omelets including the avocado (not pictured) omelet with bacon and parmesan - so delicious - and the complimentary cornbread and apple butter served during weekend brunch. I love that I can walk to Toast and that they are so busy - we recently waited about 30 minutes for brunch - hopefully this is a sign they will be around for a long time. I look forward to returning again soon to try even more items - if I can bear not to have my favorites!

Delicious quiche of the day with bacon - another favorite.



Portobello mushroom sandwich.



Tofu Fresca salad with blue cheese, apples, walnuts and cranberries.



Veggie wrap with pesto pasta salad.




Egg white omelet with hash browns.

Watermelon gazpacho - great special for a hot day.

Rise-n-Dine

Vegetarian roll-up sandwich with side salad. The roti bread used for the roll-up was delicious and flaky.

I recently met a friend for lunch at Rise-n-Dine at Emory Village. On weekends when I drive past this place it is always packed with a crowed waiting to get in. Even for this weekday lunch we waited about 10 minutes. Now I know why so many people are waiting. The food is simply good, with some innovative twists to keep it interesting. Breakfast is served all day and there is a short lunch menu as well. Everything we tried really hit the spot, especially the light, warm roti used to roll up a vegetarian sandwich and the delicious apple butter made in house and served with the restaurant's toast and biscuits. I look forward to visiting again soon to try the tasty looking pancakes and French toast as well as some of the other sandwiches.

Smoked salmon scramble with toast and homemade jam and apple butter. The apple butter is worth buying in bulk!

Cook's Warehouse Midtown Breakfast with Chef Nancy Waldeck

Luscious shrimp and grits, baked cinnamon and maple french toast and strawberries with lime glaze. A healthy take on delicious classics.

Back in June I was invited to a breakfast at the Cook's Warehouse Midtown location in Ansley Mall. I had not yet been to this location, which moved from Amsterdam Walk. The space is large, with a wonderful kitchen for cooking classes and great kitchen products as always. Chef Nancy Waldeck entertained us by cooking several of her wonderful recipes - the shrimp and grits was a favorite - and showed us how to keep the calorie count down in addition to making the dishes taste great. Tricks for this include using low fat cream cheese in the grits and using chicken stock instead of cream when sauteing the shrimp. Nancy has a wonderful website and blog as well as a book called Taste and Savor. Cook's Warehouse is a must-visit for anyone who loves to cook and also a great place to learn, since they have many classes ranging from basic to advanced and theme cooking.

Chef Nancy Waldeck gave us some great tips, like how to cut a bell pepper properly for slicing and cooked the above tasty breakfast for us before our eyes.