On my first trip to Indian Trail, NC I was taken by a friend to a Latin restaurant that she had been raving about for ages! We visited on a Saturday afternoon and already the place was getting busy. Owned by a family, this restaurant is a local legend for authentic Mexican and Latin cuisine.
As soon as we sat down we were given the customary chips and salsa, but not just one kind of salsa but four! There was a mild one that had a wonderful flavor of cilantro as well as an avocado with jalapenos and two other hotter types.
My friend insisted that I try the freshly squeezed lime juice that is mixed with lemonade and served over ice. This is one of the most refreshing drinks I have ever tasted and need to do some research online in order to make my own. My friend had a milkshake looking drink that she insisted was made from a type of oatmeal, though tasted more of vanilla to me and was delicious.
To eat, my friend ordered her favorite, a skirt steak with rice and beans. The waitress recommended to me a burrito with chopped pork, cilantro, tomato, sour cream, cheese and other flavors. The burrito was huge, enough for us to share and had the best pork I have tasted in a Latin style restaurant. It was obvious this meat had been cooked really slowly as it was so tender and just fell apart.
My friend's steak was amazing!! She was nice enough to let me taste it and I am telling you the marinade on this was divine. The meat was so tender and flavorful. The beans were freshly made, certainly not from a can!
If you ever find yourself in Indian Trail, NC stop by La Unica. I hear that if you go at night, particularly on the weekend, you are going to have to wait so be prepared, but it is worth it!!
This restaurant receives 5 out of 5 stars.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Longitude 81 - Fort Mill, SC
Longitude 81 is a Caribbean style restaurant just off I-77. Walking inside, it is like being in a resort with an open air design and bright colors on the wall. The restaurant has a large patio and live entertainment on a Thursday but due to the heat we chose to sit inside.
Upon arrival we were told that because of some large parties, we would not be able to order any food for 30 minutes. I found that a bit strange that we were not even be able to place an order, I don't mind waiting that long for an order (as long as I have advanced warning) but to stop taking orders I found a bit strange. We actually ended up waiting longer than that, and inquired with our waitress if we could at least order some appetizers. She had to go and ask Greg, the chef if that was OK. Very bizarre I thought but Greg did allow an appetizer order!
The food itself was absolutely divine. We were a party of 6 so ordered 2 appetizers to share of Calypso Seafood Dip and Tomato Basil Flat bread Pizza. The dip had a very distinctive fish taste, which I found to be fine but my husband found it a little off putting. The pizza was a fair size - ideal for sharing. It was great and crispy with excellent flavor.
For my entree I ordered the Shrimp and Grits. The grits were perfectly seasoned, with a cheesy texture without the overwhelming flavor. The shrimp were cooked just right, not overdone and the sauce really made a great accompaniment.
As stated earlier, the food here is amazing, and I would highly recommend it. However, the service issues were not impressive and brought down my score.
I give this restaurant 3 out of 5 stars.
Upon arrival we were told that because of some large parties, we would not be able to order any food for 30 minutes. I found that a bit strange that we were not even be able to place an order, I don't mind waiting that long for an order (as long as I have advanced warning) but to stop taking orders I found a bit strange. We actually ended up waiting longer than that, and inquired with our waitress if we could at least order some appetizers. She had to go and ask Greg, the chef if that was OK. Very bizarre I thought but Greg did allow an appetizer order!
The food itself was absolutely divine. We were a party of 6 so ordered 2 appetizers to share of Calypso Seafood Dip and Tomato Basil Flat bread Pizza. The dip had a very distinctive fish taste, which I found to be fine but my husband found it a little off putting. The pizza was a fair size - ideal for sharing. It was great and crispy with excellent flavor.
For my entree I ordered the Shrimp and Grits. The grits were perfectly seasoned, with a cheesy texture without the overwhelming flavor. The shrimp were cooked just right, not overdone and the sauce really made a great accompaniment.
As stated earlier, the food here is amazing, and I would highly recommend it. However, the service issues were not impressive and brought down my score.
I give this restaurant 3 out of 5 stars.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Liu Liu's, Baxter Village, Fort Mill, SC
Liu Liu's is what I would describe as an upmarket Chinese restaurant located in Baxter Village just off I-77 in Fort Mill. It is worth visiting just for the interior which is beautifully decorated and the restaurant also features a large patio area overlooking the tree lined streets.
I visited Liu Liu's for lunch on a Sunday and was surprised to find that it was not as busy I would have expected. There were a total of 3 tables occupied while I was there, much less then I would have expected from the Sunday lunch rush.
My guest and I split the summer rolls as an appetizer which arrived promptly and were served with two sauces, one a peanut style, the other a slightly spicy vinaigrette. The summer rolls were delicious and were different from other ones I had tried as they featured both shrimp and crab. In fact, the shrimp were layered between the rice paper and the lettuce.
I ordered the peppered steak and tomatoes as my entree which came with 7 variety rice and a spring roll. The meal consisted of very tender beef with just cooked tomatoes with onions, mushrooms and peppers in a dark sauce. The beef was excellent and the tomatoes were not too cooked, with a great consistency.
The spring roll was a little disappointing, not very crunchy and quite small.
I give 4 out of 5 stars.
I visited Liu Liu's for lunch on a Sunday and was surprised to find that it was not as busy I would have expected. There were a total of 3 tables occupied while I was there, much less then I would have expected from the Sunday lunch rush.
My guest and I split the summer rolls as an appetizer which arrived promptly and were served with two sauces, one a peanut style, the other a slightly spicy vinaigrette. The summer rolls were delicious and were different from other ones I had tried as they featured both shrimp and crab. In fact, the shrimp were layered between the rice paper and the lettuce.
I ordered the peppered steak and tomatoes as my entree which came with 7 variety rice and a spring roll. The meal consisted of very tender beef with just cooked tomatoes with onions, mushrooms and peppers in a dark sauce. The beef was excellent and the tomatoes were not too cooked, with a great consistency.
The spring roll was a little disappointing, not very crunchy and quite small.
I give 4 out of 5 stars.
The White Horse, Rock Hill, SC
Th White Horse is located opposite Winthrop University on Cherry Road and has been a Rock Hill staple for many years. A large restaurant, with a large outside patio area, The White Horse has always been busy whenever I have visited which is a great sign of a local eatery popular with the locals.
What I liked about The White Horse was the menu selection which offered a variety of burgers, sandwiches and casserole items as well as a variety of ingredients from the grill.
I had the mushroom and Swiss burger with onion rings. The burger was huge, I couldn't possibly have finished it all! The onion rings were perfect, hot and fresh and they didn't fall apart when I bit into them.
One of my fellow diners ordered the lasagna, which was beautifully presented. However, the lasagna seemed to have been sprinkled with raw onion and cheese before being baked. This left a large number of raw onions on the top of the dish which unfortunately affected the taste.
Another person I was dining with chose the potato salad as a side. This was excellent, not at all like the supermarket kind, but a homemade, flavorful variety. I would definitely recommend this as a side.
The White Horse gets 4 out of a 5 stars.
What I liked about The White Horse was the menu selection which offered a variety of burgers, sandwiches and casserole items as well as a variety of ingredients from the grill.
I had the mushroom and Swiss burger with onion rings. The burger was huge, I couldn't possibly have finished it all! The onion rings were perfect, hot and fresh and they didn't fall apart when I bit into them.
One of my fellow diners ordered the lasagna, which was beautifully presented. However, the lasagna seemed to have been sprinkled with raw onion and cheese before being baked. This left a large number of raw onions on the top of the dish which unfortunately affected the taste.
Another person I was dining with chose the potato salad as a side. This was excellent, not at all like the supermarket kind, but a homemade, flavorful variety. I would definitely recommend this as a side.
The White Horse gets 4 out of a 5 stars.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Red Bowl, Rock Hill, SC
Red Bowl is an asian restaurant serving a mixture of Chinese and Japanese dishes including sushi. It has a sister restaurant in Tega Cay, SC which is very successful, this one in Rock Hill is recently opened.
We stopped by on a Tuesday for lunch around 2pm. It was pretty quiet with only a handful of tables occupied. Our waitress was friendly and polite and we sat in one of the booths against the wall. The restaurant is very tastefully decorated with attention to detail, particularly the wooden ceiling.
We ordered edamame which arrived quickly and was very fresh. I ordered from the create your own stir fry section opting for shrimp with a peanut sauce and all of the available vegetables. I had the choice of either rice, Chinese noodles or brown rice, I chose the noodles.
The entrees took for ages to arrive, close on 20 minutes which I normally wouldn't mind but by this time we were the only people left in the restaurant. When the food arrived it was delicious. The portion sizes were huge, way to much to eat in one sitting but enough to take home for lunch the next day.
The noodles were a little salty for my taste and the peanut sauce a bit too nutty but the shrimp were perfectly cooked and fresh.
Red Bowl gets 3.5 stars out of 5 because although the food was pretty good, the service could have been better.
We stopped by on a Tuesday for lunch around 2pm. It was pretty quiet with only a handful of tables occupied. Our waitress was friendly and polite and we sat in one of the booths against the wall. The restaurant is very tastefully decorated with attention to detail, particularly the wooden ceiling.
We ordered edamame which arrived quickly and was very fresh. I ordered from the create your own stir fry section opting for shrimp with a peanut sauce and all of the available vegetables. I had the choice of either rice, Chinese noodles or brown rice, I chose the noodles.
The entrees took for ages to arrive, close on 20 minutes which I normally wouldn't mind but by this time we were the only people left in the restaurant. When the food arrived it was delicious. The portion sizes were huge, way to much to eat in one sitting but enough to take home for lunch the next day.
The noodles were a little salty for my taste and the peanut sauce a bit too nutty but the shrimp were perfectly cooked and fresh.
Red Bowl gets 3.5 stars out of 5 because although the food was pretty good, the service could have been better.
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