Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa hosted the 33rd Annual Festival of Food & Wine from Jan. 20-22 under the theme "A Taste Of It All: A Culinary Celebration of Food & Wine Festivals Past."

This festival is always intriguing to me because they bill it as this sort of weekend getaway, but for locals, all the main events happen mostly on Saturday. I reached out to the organizers to see if I could cover it and to get more information about the schedule of events. They invited me to join them.

One cool part of the festival is that they have all sorts of vendors set up along the main exhibit hallway - candies, cookware, jewelry, dog treats - all sorts of things in the Artisan Marketplace!

Another big part of the weekend is the workshops and seminars - like "The Art of Tea Tasting," "The Art of Dessert," "The Art of Craft Beers," and "On The Farm."

Eating, of course, is also a big part - like the "Nuevo Mexican Lunch Buffet" and the 7th Annual Iron Chef Competition, which featured returning champion Chef Donnie Orr vs. Chef Jason "JJ" McFarland.

An incredible lineup of chefs were featured: Chef Jessie Teasdale from Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa, Chef Brandon Devoe from Hilton Charlotte University Place (Charlotte, North Carolina), Chef Donnie Orr from Bourbon Prime Steakhouse, Chef Joshua Brickey from Bourbon Prime Steakhouse, Chef Marion Ohlinger from Hill & Hollow, Chef Ahmed Azizy from Edgewater Bar & Grille (Charlotte, North Carolina), Chef Jason "JJ" McFarland from O Cocina & Flights (Tampa, Florida), Chef Mark Tasker of Table 9 and Lisa Biafore from The Tea Shoppe at Seneca Center.

I didn't get a chance to stay for the whole day, but I did swing by the "Nuevo Mexican Lunch Buffet," which featured tortilla soup, ensalada de la casa, salmon a la parrilla with grilled oyster mushrooms and charred tomato vinaigrette, spice rubbed pork chops with pipian red mole and smoked paprika vinaigrette, Mexican-style street corn, arroz verde and spiced rum bread pudding.

It's really a nice way to spend a lovely Saturday - whether that's if you want to stay overnight and get away or come for the day's festivities. Just give them a call beforehand to get an idea of the schedule so you can plan your day accordingly.

Who went this year? What was your favorite part?

No trip is complete without at least one brunch, right? Cochon Dingue made that happen for us before heading out of Quebec City.



It was a very busy restaurant, but very cute and like a mix between rustic but with clean edges. If that makes sense. We were seated quickly, and I immediately placed a coffee order. Well, I placed a hot chocolate order - which is an option if you don't want coffee. Win.


The menu has your typical eggs, bacon, oatmeals, waffles ... but something I don't always see is "egg casseroles." The smoked salmon, asparagus and fleurmier cheese one caught my eye.

The egg casserole came with a side of seasoned hash browns and onions, toast with homemade jam and a "little treat," which was essentially a smoothie.

This meal was likely the best meal with eggs I've ever eaten. I just don't get excited about eggs, but you know what fixes that? Literally putting an entire hunk of melty cheese on top, layered with smoked salmon and a few fresh spears of asparagus for a little extra somethin-somethin.

SO much food, and it was all really, really good. And, I may be converted to an egg lover after this casserole.

Grade: A

At this very chic, very intimate restaurant in Le Priori hotel, mod light fixtures are set against stone-and-brick walls, and a secret garden terrace removes all street noise out back, making it perfect for a relaxing night with friends. Enjoy chef Christian Lemelin's elaborate take on lobster risotto, a scrumptious pork cassoulet, or fried duck with adobo spice and squash gnocchi (Fodors).

The interior is beautiful with modern decor, dim lighting and deep red colors weaved throughout. I started my meal with an adult beverage - because New Year's. I ordered the "Rhubarbtini," which had vodka, triple sec, eau de rhubarbe and zest.

Yes, I really liked this; but I also really like rhubarb. These martini glasses were like stainless steel. That was a new one for me. Our server helped recommend some drinks and was very accommodating with our broken French.

First up was some bread and oil. Not bad. Little salt, little parmesan, lots of oil - you can't go wrong.

For appetizers, we ordered: Québec farm raised bison tartar with «duxelles», figatelli from «cochons tout ronds» and whipped foie gras $ 24 (Created in 2012) - Celeriac and black garlic pudding, hollandaise with Aliksir black pepper, cipollini confit. It's such a small serving for $24, but man was it good. The tartar is so fresh, the whipped foie gras is light, and these flavors all together were just fantastic.

We also got the Foie gras «torchon» from Canard Goulu farm, golden poultry jus glaze $ 28 * (Created in 2012) Mushroom marinated in Xérès vinegar, confit gizzards, Québec plums & hazelnut, homemade brioche. We knew we needed to try this foie gras, and I was not disappointed. I was never a fan when I've tried it before, but it's also never been this creamy, this flavorful or this absolutely delicious. Paired with some pickled mushrooms, sweet plums and homemade bread - it only got better.

 Just live for the moment and forget about the time at Toast!, the restaurant at the charming Old Port hotel Le Priori (17 rue Sault-au-Matelot). Warm and trendy décor. Our cuisine is inspired by flavours from around the globe. The chef/owner, Chistian Lemelin, develops the daily menu based on what he finds at the market. Help support local agrifood producers! The atmosphere in the main dining room differs from that in the private lounge. Large indoor garden with a covered terrace that is heated in season (Quebec Tourism).

So, next up was the main entrees.

So, I ordered the surf and turf of BBQ octopus and seared veal sweetbreads $ 38 (Created in 2014) Sautéed spatzel and grilled pepper, oyster mushroom, corn, cream, parmesan cheese, blacklong pepper sauce, soubise flavored with saltworth, celeriac salad, coppa.

Wow. Both BBQ octopus and sweetbreads were new to me, but I fell in love with both. I love the slight chew of the octopus - just a little. And the flavors were beyond. The sweetbreads were much softer but with a delicious sear and umami-laden sauce. Lighter touches with the celeriac and the spaetzel salad topped it off. I was really blown away by this meal. I was beyond happy with how delicious and different it was.

After how amazing the meal so far had been, I couldn't NOT get dessert. We went with the Goat Cheesecake, caramelized fig with honey & cardamom with ginger butter cookie, butternut sherbet and buckwheat nougatine.

I love that this dessert wasn't overly sweet, but it certainly felt indulgent. Caramel-y, but salty and creamy. Definitely the perfect way to end the evening.

Do yourself a favor - if there's one restaurant to stop at in Quebec City, it's this one

Grade: A

Charleston Restaurant Week is one of my favorite times of year! A bunch of restaurants in Charleston have a $30 fixed price point menu that is three courses (usually an appetizer, entree and dessert). It's a great way to try new restaurants, revisit old favorites and get a good deal on some of the pricier spots in town. 

The event, which began in 2014, was held this year from Jan. 23-28 - always held during the slow time for the restaurant business to help bring folks in. The week is sponsored by Buzz, with a lot of other folks helping contribute. And, it has a huge impact on the community - with an estimated 10,000 meals sold and half-million-dollar economic impact on the city in 2016. This year's celebration is estimated to be the biggest yet - but since it just wrapped up, it might be too early to tell.

The menus are available on the website, and reservations book up quickly. So, I always study what I want and make my calls accordingly. I managed to hit up two places this past year: Adventures Bar & Grill (which will be its own post since it's a new restaurant) and Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill. And while $30 may seem like a lot at the bbq restaurant, it's all about variety here and it's SO good, it's worth it to me.

Lots of other great restaurants participated: Adelphia Sports Bar & Grille, Adventures Bar & Grill, B&D Gastropub, Bluegrass Kitchen, Bricks & Barrels, Bridge Road Bistro, Celsius, Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill, Ichiban Pan-Asian Restaurant, Laury's, Leonoro's Spaghetti House, Mi Cocina De Amor, Paterno's at the Park, Quarrier Diner, Soho's at the Capitol Market, South Hills Market & Cafe, Su-Tei, The Block, The Chop House, Tidewater Grill.

There were really no bad options. I heard great things about South Hills Market & Cafe and Laury's and Paterno's -- man I wish I had the time to try Paterno's!

So, Dem 2 Brothers was good. So much food - but all absolutely delicious. I tend to forget about them because they're on the West Side; this is a perfect reminder to get there more.

So, where did you go for Restaurant Week? And, which were your standouts?

There were a few lovely places we stopped at during our trip to Quebec City, but maybe not long enough to warrant a full blog post. Instead, I wanted to jot down my memories, so this is my catch-all.

One of my favorite place was Fou du Bio, which was a cute little shop that had sausages, pate, charcuterie, honey, bread, maple products and more.

I so wanted to snag some of the various kinds of pate or cool shaped pasta, but we didn't have the means to keep it.

And, I love that there is maple everywhere! A nice little seating area kept us warm before heading to our next adventure.

La Fudgerie was another favorite. It was a super quick stop - but free samples! I had a little taste of a peanut butter fudge, which just so tasty!

And finally, Cafe Artefact is funny because it is actually the bar component for another restaurant we went to - Panache. It was New Year's Eve, and we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations, so we went to seven ... SEVEN different bars to try to get a drink, and we ended up right back at the place we previously had dinner.

Cafe Artefact was nice, though. They fit us in back in a more lounge area, and the drink I had was absolutely delicious.

Kir Panache: Chambord liquor, maple syrup, sparkling wine. It was sweet, bubbly and absolutely tasty. It may have been all that much better because it took 7 no's to finally get an adult beverage. And, we needed one after that :)

AND, how could I forget Inox? This is where we spent our New Year's ... that is, before heading out into the freezing temperatures to sing along to songs we didn't know and dance about.