October 2018

Mark your calendars for the much anticipated Hendersonville Restaurant Week which starts March 15th – 24th.  North Carolina’s City of Hendersonville and Village of Flat Rock will both participate in their first restaurant week that will span ten full days.  Locals and visitors alike will have the opportunity to experience multi-course special prix fixe menus for […]

Isn’t wonderful when you find a treasure in your own backyard?  On 152 Morrisville Square  Way, sits Taste – Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant, an unassuming, yet, surprising delight.  As a start to the delectable journey, I ordered the tofu shrimp wrap rolls (Tàu Hủ Ky Cuộn). Rice paper houses a grilled shrimp patty, lettuce, mint, carrots, cucumbers and […]

The Carolina Ale House – Downtown Raleigh, located on 500 Glenwood Ave., is hosting their 2nd Annual The Spirited Pig Summer Shindig event Saturday, June 25th to benefit Stop Hunger Now. The event will showcase spirits from TOPO Distillery, Jim Beam, Effen Vodka, Marker’s 46 as well as beer from six local breweries. There will […]

I was in a baking bind Sunday morning while concocting my brown sugar cinnamon scones. Typically, I gather all of my ingredients first, but my kitchen is always fully stocked that it did not cross my mind that I might be missing ingredients.  While I set aside all my dry ingredients in a bowl and gathered my wet ingredients, I […]

When I first walked into Mother Earth Brewing, my first thought was that I was in Seattle or Brooklyn – not in Kinston.   The brewery’s bar was naturally sexy, modern and hip, without the pretension.  The bar has an eclectic display of artwork created by their staff and plenty of seating and room to roam around […]

My favorite café con leche is from Café Paris in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  Customers often affectionately referred to it as “café lechero”.  That said, it was one of the most popular items on the menu and you did not walk into Café Paris without ordering one these coffee’s. Café con leche is a staple in most Latin American countries consisting […]

I am obsessed with fashion.  If I had the chance to relive my college years, I would forgo a traditional education and would have studied fashion and had a career in that industry.   I believe you can have different passions in your lifetime and at this moment mine include travel, cooking and fashion.   I try […]

My Peanut Butter Double White Chocolate Cookies have become my most popular and most requested cookie among friends and family.  I initially created this recipe to satiate the craving of both peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie fans.  My original recipe calls for milk chocolate chips, however, I modified the recipe to please my white […]

When I met Quy Duong, it only took a couple of minutes for me to understand the love and appreciation he has for his adopted city of Raleigh.  That being said, Quy carries a fondness and passion for his natal city of Huế in Vietnam.   A graduate of NC State University and a Mechanical Engineer […]

There is no such thing as a bad restaurant in Charleston.  This is a phrase I have heard on multiple occasions from friends and strangers.  I closed out 2014 and welcomed 2015 in Charleston, one of my top five favorite foodie cities in the US.  The four days and three nights I spent in the […]

Nuts…what can I say?  They are a great ‪protein source and they pair perfectly with ‪salads, ‪desserts and ‪‎beer!  All you need for this recipe is one egg white, two tsp vanilla extract, 3 1/2 cups pecans, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, one tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch […]

Memorial Day is synonymous with BBQ’s and cookouts, but unfortunately, this City Girl does not own a grill.  Nonetheless, I did make my own All American meal using some of my favorite recipes which consisted of ‪fried chicken, Southern Living macaroni and cheese recipe, Piero’s Italian Cuisine creamed corn recipe and a pear-grape-pecan-blue cheese salad.  The salad was […]

This Sunday morning, I made my first batch of homemade granola.  It was crazy easy and after I tell you what it took to make it,  you will not want to buy it at the grocery store ever again. This is what you will need for cashew coconut granola: Ingredients: 2 cups of gluten-free oats 1/4 […]

Friday, December 5th from 5:30 pm to close, the Washington Duke Inn has a lovely event titled Bubbles : Sip into the Season. This event will feature a flight of four sparkling wines including a‪ ‎Brut, ‪Cava, ‪Rosé and a ‪Lambrusco. I embrace all fine wine, bubbles and cocktails so I was more than excited to participate in this event.   Prior […]