Meridian Restaurant

  My very thoughtful husband made dinner reservations at Meridian located in beautiful downtown Winston Salem  Sunday and it was scrumptious to say the least! The view of the city was amazing and the atmosphere was warm and inviting! We started off the evening with drinks, Nate got a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I got a Stinky Filthy Martini.My first Martini and it was AWESOME! Stinky, because it was served with blue cheese stuffed olives, which were hand stuffed with a very creamy,very pungent Roquefort blue cheese (YES, I asked for extra olives once I tasted them)! I love Roquefort blue cheese and I love olives, I know you they are sold in stores, but when you buy them from a store, the cheese in the middle soaks up the olive juice and it loses its flavor! Filthy, because they put olive juice in it since the salt from the juice knocks the edge off of the strong vodka taste; I asked for extra filth and it was perfect!


  We started our dining experience with a couple of appetizers that immediately caught our eye! The first was Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled candy onion, brandied pear, balsamic reduction & Verjus gastrique. For those who don't know, Foie Gras is  goose or duck liver. The name actually means “fatty liver” in French.  This is something we've wanted to try for awhile but have not had the opportunity because we've never seen it on the menu, so opportunity knocked and we answered!

Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled candy onion, brandied pear, balsamic reduction & Verjus gastrique   

  I was impressed with the deliciousness of the candied onion and the brandied pear was cooked perfectly retaining it's moisture and flavor, the foie gras on the other hand, was not impressive at all. The foie gras had very little flavor and wasn't at all what I expected, especially after hearing all the hype about it on the food channels; we were a little let down, but at least we can say we tried it!
  The second appetizer was absolutely amazing! We chose the Fried NC Oysters with creamed spinach, applewood bacon & lemon hollandaise!

Fried NC Oysters with creamed spinach, applewood bacon & lemon hollandaise

  We are both huge oyster fans so of course we had to try this unique preparation of them! The oysters were fresh out of the shell, lightly breaded and fried to perfection.The bacon had a nice smokey flavor and the spinach tasted as though it was freshly picked that afternoon, the lemon hollandaise tied it all together adding a creaminess and acidity that you need when eating oysters.With all those ingredients packed into one bite..how could it be any less than perfect? 

  We never get the same thing when we dine out because we love to try a bit of this and a bit of that, so we picked our two favorite entrees and it was a delightful choice! Nate got the Seared Sea Scallop Risotto with Chanterelle mushrooms, spinach, local cherry tomatoes & Parmigiano and I got the Grilled 14 oz. Ribeye with sweet potato hash, Prosciutto wrapped asparagus & Gorgonzola butter. 

Seared Sea Scallop Risotto with Chanterelle mushrooms, spinach, local cherry tomatoes & Parmigiano

  This dish was much tastier than I expected!! The rissoto was nice and creamy, the Chanterelle mushrooms were crisp on the outside but hearty and earthy on the inside adding a bit of crisp to each bite of the creamy rissoto. Just before serving this yummy dish, they threw raw cherry tomatoes into the mix adding a bit more freshness and texture. The scallops that topped this rissoto were the absolute BEST I've ever experienced! They were so large you had to cut them in two, sometimes three and tasted like they were plucked right out of the ocean, seared to perfection and placed  right on our plate! 

Grilled 14 oz. Ribeye with sweet potato hash, Prosciutto wrapped asparagus & Gorgonzola butter 

  My dish was amazing too. My first bite was of the spinach and boy, not to sound redundant, but it was the best cooked spinach I've ever had! It tasted like it was fresh out of the garden and infused with garlic. The sweet potato hash and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus were cooked to just the right consistency and since the steak, with its creamy Gorgonzola butter topping, was strategically placed atop the sides, the juices flowed into them adding even more wonderful flavors! My steak was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, I loved the Gorgonzola butter, I suggest asking for a bit extra just to get the taste in every bite!

We will be heading back to this corner of the city again soon since its a mere ten minutes away!

                                       


XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Ruths Chris

I must say, when it comes to steak, Ruth's Chris served up the absolute BEST steak I've ever eaten! All of their steaks are served on a 500 degree plate in  sizzling butter and they serve only the the top 2 percent of all beef in America! They were a bit pricey, but a must try FOR SURE!  Take a look at the deliciousness! 


                   

                       Nate got the Cowboy Ribeye with Au Poivre (a pepper corn and brandy sauce)

                     

                             I got the Petite Filet topped with a Gorgonzola crust and shrimp!

      We chose to share sides, and I'm glad we did because they were pretty large sides and well, we barely touched them due to the awesomeness of our steaks! We got the Sweet potato Casserole, and the creamed corn, they were delicious sides, but the steak is all I can think of! 

                         The sweet potato casserole was very sweet and scrumptious with its pecan topping!

                 This corn was fresh and crisp with a creamy buttery flavor that was to die for!


If you like a good steak, I suggest you give this a try! I like the "a la carte" style; I get to choose my favorite sides with my favorite steak instead of bland rice or a baked potato that someone else paired up! 








XoXo ~Lisa Marie

A Delicious find in Greensboro!

      For Valentines Day we chose to dine at the Green Valley Grill In Greensboro, North Carolina! We viewed several different menus and Green Valley Grill had a fabulous Valentines day special, pricey but definitely worth it. They offered a four course meal and we went with that, each choosing a different dish for each course so we could sample more of what this restaurant had to offer! 

We started off with these wonderful truffle fries that drew our attention right away when we first saw the menu., it wasn't included in the special but we could NOT resist, and I'm super glad we didn't. Delicious. You really tasted the Truffles. It tasted as though they were fried in truffle oil and sprinkled with truffles. They had a great earthy flavor, and were amazingly delicious!

               

The meals consisted of:                              First Course               Oysters Romesco: wood fire baked oysters topped with bacon, spinach and romesco sauce *These were incredibly fresh oysters and the sauce was great too!                                                                      ~And~              Mediterranean Filo Cigars: filled with rotisserie chicken, roasted red pepper, Fontina cheese and a charmoula aïoli dipping sauce  *Good. combo of ingredients, VERY flavorful!                                Second Course               Arugula salad with blood orange segments and feta cheese tossed with a citrus balsamic vinaigrette *:I LOVED it. Goat cheese and Arugula are incredible together. You've got the peppery tasting greens, the tang of the cheese, the sweetness of the blood orange and the sourness of vinaigrette! Ahh..so yummy when all are combined!                          Third Course                         Garlic Sautéed Maine Lobster over shrimp ravioli and wilted spinach with a lobster‐lime cream sauce *I am a New England girl who orders a lobster in North Carolina and to this day, 14 years later, I've yet to find one that is as tasty as one FRESH out of the water! Omgoodness. So, the lobster was as always, a disappointment. The ravioli was packed with shrimp and lobster in a nice sauce though, and it was delish!                                                                                                                                     ~And~           Wood‐Fire Rotisserie Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin topped with chive hollandaise sauce over a crispy truffle risotto cake and wilted spinach * I loved EVERYTHING about this dish. The spinach tasted as though the cut it out of the garden today, the risotto cake was very good, and I'm not a big risotto fan to begin with. and the tenderloin tasted AMAZING. My belly growls just thinking about that flavorful slice o deliciousness!                 Fourth Course         Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Crumble<-----Incredibley chocolaty!  Check out my slide, try not to get too hungry!   I would definitely recommend this place to others! :) We really enjoyed our whole dining experience!