Dinner at e2 Emeril's Eatery in Charlotte

Crawfish at the Crawfish Boil! Each Friday in May e2 offered a traditional crawfish boil for $5 per person. They served 400 pounds of crawfish the night we were there - let's hope they bring this back soon!

I was recently invited back to e2, this time for dinner with my husband and with fellow blogger Malika Bowling from Atlanta Restaurant Blog. Malika and her husband, Glen, came up from Atlanta to check out some restaurants while they stayed with us for the weekend in Charlotte. Friday night started off with a "Bam" - truly - as we dined in style at e2 with fabulous food and service. 

My favorites included the oyster shooter (not pictured but I blogged about the oyster shooter here previously when I had lunch at e2), the gumbo, the gulf coast drum stew, the special fish dish with stuffed kale and the blue corn brioche bread pudding. We also really enjoyed the cocktails, particularly the famous Grasshopper and the wonderful wine selection. e2 is a really good choice for lunch or dinner. Brunch is also offered with specials for Father's Day, coming up this Sunday.

 

Special of crispy Duck Wings - different and tasty.

Housemade Boudin + Andouille Sausage.

 

Special gumbo of the day - delicious!

  

Emeril's signature BBQ shrimp with rosemary biscuit.

  

We enjoyed some delicious cocktails and wine!

 

The famous Grasshopper - everyone really liked this special cocktail.

 

Special seafood dish with fish and mussel-stuffed kale and fried oysters. The stuffed kale was awesome!

 

Gulf Coast Drum Portuguese stew - this was really tasty, love the broth and all the seafood.

 

Trout "Meuniere" - trout is sometimes used in place of the usual founder.

 

Giant and delicious double cut pork chop - it was after this pork chop that I officially made up the Pork Chop Song / Dance for my son, who at age 7 months, ate some of the leftover pork chop! If you ask me I might sing it for you sometime :D

 

Desserts: from top left, clockwise, blue corn brioche bread pudding with coconut-pineapple ice cream, banana cream pie, apple crepes with bacon and ice cream, sweet potato cheesecake. The bread pudding was different from any other bread pudding I have ever tried - and SO good! 

 
 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Dinner at Glen-Ella Springs in North Georgia

Rack of New Zealand Lamb.

Our family has dined at Glen-Ella Springs several times over the years since we have a relative who lives nearby. There are few choices for a high end meal in this area of Georgia and Glen-Ella's location gives it a special charm. Located in Clarkesville, Georgia in the north Georgia hills, Glen-Ella is a bed & breakfast in addition to offering dinner to the public. The historic property boasts more than 12 acres, a swimming pool, a fire pit, an herb/flower garden and wonderful views. I have never stayed at Glen-Ella but from what I have observed it would make for a very refreshing weekend, with the option of hiking nearby or relaxing and playing games on site.

Lump Crab Cakes.

Most recently I dined at Glen-Ella for dinner in April 2012. Unfortunately, the food seemed to have taken a downward turn as compared to my previous visits - we heard that they have gone through several chefs in recent years which might explain the drop-off.

First the highlights - the crab cakes and spinach salad were both good. If I find myself dining here again I might ask to have the crab cakes on the spinach salad or order one as appetizer and one as main dish. The trout, previously a favorite of my grandmother's was practically inedible. Poor grandma pushed it around on her plate but was not able to enjoy it. The lamb chops and ribeye were passable but really nothing special and the vegetarian wellington tasted quite odd - kind of a mess of cheese and doughy pastry, not at all what I expected. The ravioli special was also fine but nothing memorable. Service was mostly good but seemed a bit amateurish for the level of restaurant it appears the owners are going for; still, anyone who can handle a large group (we had 6) should be commended for getting mostly everything right.

I was really excited about going to Glen-Ella this last time but unfortunately it did not live up to years past for me. Still, with such a beautiful view and location, it is a worthy destination especially if you can stay overnight. Perhaps they will change chefs again in the near future - hopefully this time it will be for the better and we can return for a nostalgic dinner that lives up to our earlier visits.

Sorbet intermezzo.

Spinach salad.

Mushroom ravioli special.

Rainbow Trout.

Grilled ribeye.

Vegetarian Wellington.

Molten Chocolate Cake - a sweet end to the meal - who can resist warm chocolate cake?

Seafood Galore - a Cooking Class

Amy with Virginia Willis

Yesterday I took a cooking class at Cook's Warehouse in Decatur, Georgia. The instructor was Virginia Willis, who has recently published a cookbook called "Bon Apetit, Y'all." She is also soon to star in two episodes of Martha Stewart's TV cooking show. It was really fun watching Virginia cook and I hope to take another cooking class soon!

Mussels with Herbed Garlic Toasts

Trout, Scallop and Salmon

Woodfire Thrills!

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The lovely table at my firm's holiday dinner at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, GA

After the trip to the mountains we drove down to Atlanta to attend my new law firm's holiday dinner. The dinner was held at Woodfire Grill, a restaurant specializing in grilled organic meats and local produce. We had a wonderful meal with great food, great company and great wine! Below are some of the dishes we savored throughout the evening.

We also had this delicious butternut squash soup


This whole trout was excellent - even with the eyes staring me down!


The three dessert choices - I recommend the caramel apple shortcake