Charlotte Eats: Siano Mozzarella Demo at Zia Pia Imports!

 {image via The Charlotte Agenda}

If you are local to Charlotte and if you love good food (fresh mozzarella, anyone!?), you are going to want to check out this event tomorrow night, July 20, at one of my favorite local spots! Zia Pia Imports, located in the 7th Street Public Market uptown, is featuring a fresh mozzarella demo that is sure to be as entertaining as it is delicious.

"Watch as Siano Mozzarella demonstrates how they make their delicious, locally made mozzarella di bufala, burrata and stracciatella! For those of you who don't know stracciatella, your life is about to change. Nada's Italy will present this impressive region whose sites include Mt. Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, ancient Greek temples and one of the most breathtakingly picturesque coastlines in the world, with towering cliffs. Check out this amazing Nada's Italy tour to Campania. Rosa, Alfonso's mother, will perform a cooking demo with their freshly made stracciatella!"

{image via Siano Mozzarella}

Thursday, July 20, 5pm

Free to attend :: $25 to eat

Three courses include:

Antipasto featuring Siano's fresh mozzarella di bufala 

Pasta from Gragnano with Stracciatella, cherry tomato and fresh basil

Dessert of Burrata freshly made on site as you watch!

Check out each of these local Italian companies and make sure you like them on Facebook!

Zia Pia Imports

Nada's Italy

Siano Mozzarella

Charlotte Eats: YAFO Kitchen

I have found my new favorite fast casual restaurant and we can practically walk there from our house! I LOVE all of Frank Scibelli's restaurants, so it was no surprise that I fell in love with YAFO as soon as I had my first bite. The food is so fresh and I cannot get over the all of the flavor! There's truly something for everyone on the menu- seriously, I could eat here every day! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I'm obsessed with this place! 

Mark and I both enjoyed grain bowls during our first visit and they were amazing. We had half cous cous, half rice and loaded on the veggies with our chicken and lamb. The bowls come with this amazing jalapeno cilantro sauce on the side and I could have eaten it with a spoon! The meat was so juicy and full of flavor. If you're not sure if you like lamb, this would be a great place to try it as the spices mask the strong-ish flavor that lamb tends to have. We opted for Hummus Bowls on our most recent visit and these were even better! 

The mezze plates are another great way to try several items on the menu. These items switch up daily and include things like tabbouleh, baba gannoush, falafel, roasted chick peas, and hummus. This is a great option for kids if you don't want to go the kids menu route. Will had some hummus, roasted potatoes, laffa bread and shared a few bites of my chicken. The hummus is so smooth and one of the best I've had at a restaurant out. 

The portions are huge and really could be shared if you don't want to take the other half home for lunch the next day. SO MUCH FOOD.

We are loving this new South Park spot and can't wait to go back!

Queen City Coffee Tour: Not Just Coffee

I have found the holy grail of Charlotte coffee. I fell head over heels in love with my iced latte yesterday and it's all I've ben able to think about since. 

After spending the morning at Imaginon, we ventured to the 7th Street Public Market for lunch where I enjoyed a delicious lunch from the Daily Loaf, followed by the best iced latte I've ever had in my life. The Vanilla Sugar Latte from Not Just Coffee blew me away and I'm already thinking about how I can recreate this heavenly concoction at home. The espresso to milk ratio is perfect and the latte is only slightly sweet, without being super sugary or syrupy like you often get from other coffee shops. I typically stick with coffee and cream or plain iced coffee but this latte was totally worth the splurge. 

Not Just Coffee has locations in both The 7th Street Public Market and Atherton Mill. 

Queen City Coffee Tour: The Daily Press

I love, love, love a good cup of coffee. I start every day with a giant mug of our favorite brew. I like my coffee with a quick pour of regular half and half. In the warmer months, I enjoy a cup over ice with a splash of almond milk as a mid afternoon treat to sip on during Will's naptime. A trip to a coffee shop is always a fun outing and my sister and I are making it a point to try new (and new to us) coffee shops around our city. Our first stop? The Daily Press in Noda.

This tiny establishment is located inside The Evening Muse on North Davidson Street. It's quiet and eclectic and the coffee is INSANE. I had a cold brew coffee with blueberry, thyme and lemon. It was unlike anything I've ever had before and I wanted to go back for seconds. And thirds. Andi took a bold move and tried the Barista's Bloody Mary (also a cold brew) and it was beyond delicious. Both of our drinks came from their seasonal menu. We loved our trop to The Daily Press and Will was a fan, too! The sweet baristas made him a blueberry infused seltzer water and he drank every last drop. 

The Daily Press is located 3227 N. Davidson Street. 

Beer Tasting with Noda Brewing Company

Last night, we had the pleasure of attending a beer tasting hosted by our best family friends and one of my favorite local breweries, Noda Brewing Company. These beers are some of the best to order when we go out to our favorite local spots. Most recently, Noda's pumpkin beer, Gordgeous, stole my heart. I had it served with a cinnamon and brown sugared rim and can't get enough.

Last night's tasting featured six of Noda's beers, all paired with different cheeses and chocolates. I've done plenty of wine tastings but never a beer tasting. This was so much fun and I learned so much about the different beers that we tried as well as beer in general. My favorite? A chocolate coconut porter called Coco Loco. Over the past couple of years, I have grown to love darker beers so I am not surprised that this was my favorite! The actual Coco Loco that we tasted had just been canned two days prior!

If you're local, check out Noda Brewing at local restaurants, retail spots like Whole Foods or Fresh Market and take a trip to the brewery! Skip the shopping on Black Friday and drink beer instead! Noda's Christmas brew, Santa Baby, debuts at noon.

Charlotte Eats: Va da Vie Gelato

After a rooftop (all-American) lunch at JJ's Red Hots on the Fourth of July, Mark had the genius idea to stop for a sweet treat on the way home. Va da Vie opened about 8 weeks ago and we have been anxious to treat ourselves.  I am not a gelato professional, and am definitely not an expert, but this stuff is the real deal. During my family's 2007 trip to Italy, gelato was a daily indulgence and the gelato I enjoyed at Va da Vie was as fresh and authentic as any I had while in the Motherland. 

I had a scoop of Lemon Ricotta and Mark doubled up with Stracitella and Bacio, all of which were incredibly delicious. Will was a huge fan as well. What a good little Italian baby!

Va da Vie is locally owned, and the gelato is made from scratch daily. Best of all, the owners source local ingredients. This gem of a gelato shop is located in the Park Road Shopping Center in a small building on the edge of the large parking lot.

Charlotte Eats: The Cowfish

One of the best parts about being back in my hometown is being able to feast on all of the Charlotte gems that I missed while living in Illinois. I have hit a few of my favorite spots in the past couple of weeks and last night, I went on a new Charlotte food adventure.

{via}

I met Kristin at The Cowfish in Charlotte's South Park area and we had the best time! Kristin and I connected through blogging and it was so much fun to finally meet in person. I have heard incredible things about The Cowfish and I couldn't wait to experience it for myself. It's a little bit sushi, a little bit burger and a whole lot of insanely creative culinary delights in one place. Where else can you find sushi rolls AND a mini burger paired together on a plate? Check out my Bento Box! Asian cucumber salad, sweet potato fries, edamame, 4 sushi rolls and a slider! I instantly fell in love.

The atmosphere is full of fun energy and I would say that an hour plus wait on a Wednesday night makes this place a winner on all levels. I was secretly hoping for an Emily Maynard sighting, but running into another dear friend was one hundred times better than that. What a fun Wednesday night! 

If you live in Charlotte and haven't experienced The Cowfish yet, I highly recommend it. Delicious food, delightful service and a fantastic atmosphere.