Bodegas of Tenerife-Part 3

Our last bodega was really just a local vineyard that produces wine for the restaurant they operate on the grounds.  Las Gangarras is in the town of Arona about a 15 minute drive from the beaches of the south of the island. The restaurant consists of 5 Canarian farmhouses dating back to 1850. The 4 acre site allows for the owners to organically grow their own vegetables right there around the restaurant and they also have a small winery.  Due to time constraints, we were only there long enough to sample a few of their wines...didn't get to see the winery but did see the old press.  I must say all of the bodegas we visited were beautiful and the wines were absolutely delicious.  We ended up with 5 free bottles of wine to bring home...unfortunately only 3 bottles made it back!!!  Nothing more disappointing than to open a bag and see 2 crushed bottles of white, fruity wine!!!!!!!!!!!

There's A New Place...

In Salisbury!  Yep, a new Japanese restaurant that you might miss if you don't know where it is!!  We met some friends last week to try Yoshi in Salisbury.  Now Harley Man and I both love Japanese food and sushi is right up our alley.  So eating at Yoshi was a no-brainer for us!

Yoshi is located in the Innes Street Market...right up from Tinseltown.  It is really has an unassuming exterior but the interior is just beautiful.  The food is delicious and reasonably priced!!  So if you are in the area...check it out!!  I think it would make the perfect "Dinner and a Movie" date night!

Fun, Food, Fellowship!

The H.O.G. group got together this past weekend and we ventured to Florence, SC to finally try a restaurant we've planned going to for several months!!  This time the sky was cloudy with a sprinkle of rain but we were determined not to cancel the ride again.  So with 13 motorcycles in staggered formation, we rode Highway 52 to Florence.  The rain never came, the sun pushed away the clouds and we enjoyed beautiful riding weather.

Our destination was Redbone Alley in Florence.  The restaurant is amazing...two floors designed inside an old JC Penney building to capture the feel of Charleston.  Our resting place was in the bar area....plenty of room for 18 motorcyclists to enjoy a delicious lunch.  The menu was varied and not a single person complained about the food!!!

Interested in the restaurant?  Just click this link http://www.redbonealley.com/ and you can read all about Redbone Alley's beginnings, view the menu and more photos of the restaurant.  We had a great trip and as always loved not only the food but the fun and the fellowship!!

Keep My Kitchen Clean!!

Yeah, I know.....I vowed I'd be updating my cooking skills since January and I have been doing just that...really I have been!  However, I do like to eat out...there's just something about someone else cooking, serving and cleaning up that appeals to me!  Lol!

My friend, Pattie, invited me to meet her for lunch this week.  We decided to meet at Tricia's, a local restaurant here in Lexington.  I've known Tricia for years and she first started out with a catering business.  In 2008, Tricia and John (her hubby) opened Tricia's Restaurant.  She serves lunch each day from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  Tricia's offers a regular menu of choices but also Daily Specials!  The food was delicious and I enjoyed every morsel!!!  If you haven't been there...you should go!!  Here's a link to her site:  http://www.triciascatering.com/.

News article about the restaurant: http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20080618/NEWS/806180308

If you are in Greensboro and you enjoy Thai food, then check out Rearn Thai Restaurant (5120 W Market St. Greensboro, NC)  Yep, I ate there this week with the family for our weekly "dinner time" outing.  With both my girls now living on their own, we try to find an opportunity for family "dinner time" since that was our favorite time together when the girls were growing up.  Now, I am not a Thai food expert at all but I am up to trying new foods whenever possible.  My youngest, BMan, heard about Rearn so we decided to make that this week's "dinner time" spot.

I do love curry...especially Indian dishes made with curry so I was up for Thai curry this week.  The taste is much sweeter in Thai curry dishes but delicious!  That was my choice.  The rest of the family...their choice was Pad Thai (medium spicy)!!  Let's just say a lot of tea was consumed with their Pad Thai!!  Lol!

(My Thai Curry)



Help keep my kitchen clean....tell me some other places I should visit!! :) 

Post-It Note Tuesday...Full Of Questions??



A Passenger For The Day!!

What a beautiful weekend it was!!!  Saturday was a perfect day to get out and about with our Harley friends and ride to Cornelius, NC.  We met up with about 25 friends in Salisbury this past Saturday to venture out on a Spring ride (even if it was one day shy of the beginning of Spring)!!!  I chose to ride on the back of hubby's bike so I could enjoy the scenery and fresh air.  Yep, I was lazy and chose to be a passenger for the day...I do that sometimes when I just want to soak in the sights and sounds!!!

So...where did we end up??  Our destination was Mac's Speedshop in Cornelius, NC:  http://www.macspeedshop.com/index.html. One thing we love to do as a Harley riding group is eat...so everyone is always on the lookout for new places to try!  This is a great restaurant for anyone to visit; lots of choices and great atmosphere.  Oh, by the way...right across the street is Michael Waltrip Racing !!!  So if you love NASCAR, you could stop by to eat at Mac's then take a walk over to Michael's place for a photo shoot and perhaps a visit inside. http://www.raceshops.com/raceshops.php?view=32. 

Needless to say, it's was a beautiful ride!!  Here's to Spring and the beginning of a new riding season with our Harley friends!!!  More adventures to come! :)

Did You Know???

I was reading some articles the other day and one captured my attention.  The article was about Guilford Technical Community College.  They have a Culinary Technology Program!!  According to the description:

"The Culinary Technology curriculum provides specific training required to prepare students to assume positions as trained culinary professionals in a variety of food service settings including full service restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract food service and health care facilities.
 Course offerings emphasize practical application, a strong theoretical knowledge base, and professionalism and provides critical competencies to successfully meet industry demands. Courses also include sanitation, food/beverage service and control, baking, garde manager, American/international cuisines, food production, and hospitality supervision.
 Graduates should qualify for entry-level positions such as line cook, station chef and assistant pastry chef. American Culinary Federation certification assistance is available to graduates. With experience, graduates may advance to positions such as sous-chef, executive chef or food service manager."

Now I am not considering the program but I did learn the public is invited to dine at the Guilford Technical Community College culinary program dining room.  Lunch ($7.00) is served on Wednesdays and Thursdays; dinner ($9.00) is served on Thursdays.  Since there are new students each semester they are open 9-10 times during each fall and spring semester for lunch and dinner.  I think this is a great idea and I had no idea they offered this opportunity to the public!!  Of course, reservations are required.  So, I've put this on my "to experience list" for the future.

If you're interested in reading about this, I've included a link with more information:

http://culinary.gtcc.edu/Default.aspx



Oh, The Places I'll Go- Polar Bear Ride

Each year on January 1st, our Salisbury Harley Owners Group plans a Polar Bear Ride to a destination for a traditional New Year's Day meal.  I've participated in these rides for the past 6 years, sometimes riding my motorcycle and other times riding in my car.  The Polar Bear Ride takes place regardless of the weather conditions!!  So over the years I've ridden my motorcycle in 20-50 degree weather, rain, sunny conditions, you name it.  However; this year I rode in my car due to the foggy conditions on New Year's Day.

Usually we have at least 40 or more people participate in this ride.  We meet in Salisbury, prior to lunchtime, on New Year's Day and then head out to our destination.  We've ridden several years to Mooresville, NC to have our traditional meal at Fat Boy's (mainly because they serve all the New Year's Day traditions plus have room for all of us)!! 

The past three years we've ridden to Denton, NC to partake in the New Year's Day traditions at " The Classic Restaurant".  It's buffet style and they also have plenty of room for our large group.  There's nothing fancy about this restaurant; it's just a nice place with plenty of good Southern food!!  We have a great time eating and socializing for a couple of hours.  If you love fried chicken...this is the place to go!!

So next time you're in Denton, NC, you might want to try "The Classic Restaurant".