Fire and Sticks

Fire and Sticks is a Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Restaurant in High Point, North Carolina. When you first walk in to Fire and Sticks, a friendly hostess greets you by asking how many people are in your party. To the left of the hostess stand is a waiting area and restrooms. On the right side is a bar with a wide variety of alcohol and TVs to watch. Once you enter the restaurant area, you are seated at a hibachi table with a full grill and ten seats. Your waitress greets you by asking for a drink order, a salad dressing flavor, and asking whether you would like the traditional soup or not. After you are given a generous amount of time to look over the menu, your order is taken and a hibachi chef shows up to cook your meal right in front of you. Unlike normal restaurants, you are able to watch your chef cook everything and perform tricks on the grill. The chef serves everyone a shrimp appetizer after he builds a fake volcano tower out of onions. He also shapes the fried rice into a heart and pretends to make the heart beat giving you enough time to snap a picture. After he serves you the vegetables and rice, he cooks up your entrée to your liking. The entrées range from shrimp to chicken to filet mignon. As you sit and watch the chef prepare your meal, the waitresses continue to check on you and make sure that your drinks are always refreshed and your meal is satisfying. The chefs are very engaging and enjoy making conversation with the people at their table. The atmosphere is very exciting and entertaining. It has many different hibachi grill tables that all have different groups of people sitting together. The chefs work hard to entertain their audience and create a show while cooking gourmet dinners. The servers are very attentive, the food is incredible, and the prices are very reasonable for the meal that you are getting. Overall, Fire and Sticks is a great restaurant in High Point and should be valued for their cleanliness, food, and service. 

Blue Zucchini

The other day I decided to go out of my comfort zone of Liberty and adventure to Blue Zucchini. It is a little, robins egg blue restaurant in the middle of main street High Point. I have actually mentioned this restaurant in my earlier post about its sister establishment, Blue Rock Pizza. Blue "Zucc"as the High Point Students like to call it, is far from original. 

The Atmosphere: As I just mentioned, although the restaurant is a tiny bright blue building it is hard to miss, which can really draw in the attention of customers.  When you walk through the entrance you immediately are greeted by the kitchen and the cash register, which I don't necessarily agree with design wise, but thats just me. Take a right and your in the dining area, consisting of about 15 tables, did I mention this place is TINY?!? They offer the option of having a booth or a table, which is not common in small establishments like this. Overall, I wish the place was bigger, first because they would make more money, and second because its just a little cramped for that type of business. 

The Service: I don't have much to say about the service other than how accommodating and nice they are. Every time I get seated I am greeted by a server that I have had a class with or know in passing at High Point. I think by staffing this restaurant with college kids it will defiantly encourage more students to stop by and eat. 

The Food: As for the food, it is AMAZING. I usually either get a bunch of appetizers to split with some friends or I get one of their infamous sandwiches. For example, just last week my friend Riley and I ordered their spinach and artichoke dip, egg roles, and mac n' cheese . Remember when I said this restaurant is far from being original? Well the menu selection is a prime example of why! I have never had a bad meal at this restaurant and that is hard to find no a days! 

In conclusion, Blue Zucchini is definitely worth the drive! Comment below if you have ever been before and what items are your favorite on the menu! I am always looking for new things to order! 

Apple Pie to Die for

It is that time of year again, Apple Pie season! I thought what better way to celebrate than the best apple pie recipe that I have come across in my 21 years on this earth. My mom always uses this recipe and she warned me never to share it, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her! The ingredients are as follows... 

- 6 cups of peeled and thinly sliced apples (I like granny smith or macintosh) 
- 2 (9 inch) refrigerated pie crusts
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (makes it taste better!)
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons of all purpose flower 
- A little cup of milk 

Now its time to put all of these yummy ingredients into a mouth watering pie ... 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees 
2. (Start building that thing!) Place on of the pie crusts in the bottom of the 9 inch pie plate (ungreased), making sure to press the crust against all sides of the pan. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, fold together the sliced granny smith or macintosh apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. 
4. Spoon the delicious mixture into the pie pan.
5. Take your butter and randomly place little slivers on top of the mixture. 
6. Lay the second pie crust on the top of the pie pan. Press all of the edges together so there is no gaps, my mom always makes a cool design on the top of it with leaves and woven patterns, but thats impossible for someone like me so do what you please! 
7. Cover the edges of the crust with either aluminum OR you can use my moms secret to the perfect crust, take one of those kitchen paint brushes and brush over a thin layer of milk so the edges do not burn! 
8. Bake the pie for 15-20 minutes and then remove the foil strip (if you decided to use it). Then continue to bake it for another 20-25 minutes until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown.
9. Make sure to not dive in head first when you remove the pie from the oven, you must let it cool before serving to your guests, that way it won't fall apart! 
10. Enjoy!! 

Hope you found this recipe easy and yummy! Let me know if you try it out!   

Lady Liberty

The next restaurant I want to share with you is one we all know and love, Liberty Steakhouse and Brew Pub. I know every student, and even faculty, know and have been to Liberty. It is such a big part of the community of this school. Seniors take pride in the fact that we go there an absurd amount of times each week, and freshman aspire to have that ability when they get to be our age. As a senior I feel that it is my duty to all of my readers to share the "Liberty Secrets" my friends are I have discovered over our years. 

First item on my to-do's is where to sit. Liberty has two different sections of seating, the dining room and the bar area. If your going to have a dinner with your family, please bring them to the dining room because if you don't, you will run into the seniors and or juniors (like myself) that are up to no good in the bar area. Remember, we go there to socialize, you don't want to bring your family around that - trust me haha! As for juniors and seniors, GO TO THE BAR! Not only is it seat yourself, but 99.99% of the time your going to run into someone that you know there, could be a good and bad thing. Another benefit of sitting in the bar is having the ability to seat up to 14 friends at one table. Trust me its important especially when your in a sorority or fraternity and trying to go out with an absurd amount of people. The waiters and waitresses are incredible, they just grin and bare it when it comes to serving large groups and even splitting the check! That is hard to find at restaurants now a days so I know that was something that we find especially important when picking a communal "watering hole".

When it comes to beer, Liberty is what some call a pro. The beer that they sell on draft is all their own. Whens sitting in the bar you can see the room in which they brew this beer, and that makes it all the more exciting. Don't be afraid to ask for as many samples of the beers as you want because they are "FO FREE!" (please excuse that outburst). My recommendation is a "Liberty Secret", called a half and half, which is a mix between Deep River and Blackberry Wheat. Sounds odd, tastes amazing! 

ps- They also have drink specials every day of the week! So even if you aren't a beer drinker you have another outlet! 

The food at Liberty resembles something that the gods themselves created. They have incredible appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and various entree plates. Now lets get on the topic what to order. If you are with your family, I suggest getting an actual meal, such as the Mug Club sandwich or, if your like a select few of my friends, the rack of ribs. Now if your with a bunch of your friends, get the appetizers! Although they don't split the cost of the apps, i'm such you and your friends can figure it out, because its worth it! The appetizers to get are the Bonfire Shrimp, Texas Cheese Fries, Soft Pretzels, and THE CHILI! All of which are amazing, so get them all if possible! 

In conclusion, GO TO LIBERTY, its amazing and definitely worth your time!!

Blue Rock Pizza

Blue Rock Pizza 

What do you get when you mix Fergie and Jesus, you thought right, Blue Rock Pizza! I know that someone requested that I review this restaurant and I jumped at the chance. I have been going to this amazing establishment ever since my freshman year here at High Point University. I would like to go through my thoughts the same way I did in my last review on Southern Roots (yum). Here we go...

Ambiance: First thought is that this restaurant is so different from not only any other restaurant I've been to in North Carolina, but also ever. It is straight rock and roll themed on the inside, with records and guitars hanging all over the place, there is always something to look at. The restaurant is separated into three different sections, the dining area, the bar, and outdoor seating. Obviously I love the outdoor seating because it gives me an opportunity to bring our house puppy, Luna! 

Service: I don't have much to say about their service at Blue Rock other than they do not let you reserve outdoor seating, again we run into this problem! I don't understand why this is a thing down south! Other than that the waiters/waitresses are incredibly accommodating and always coming back to check on how your doing, which I really appreciate coming from the hustle and bustle of Boston, MA.

Food: The food at Blue Rock is by far some of the most amazing pizza I have ever had, and I studied abroad in Florence Italy! First off, they give you the whole pizza to yourself which is the most incredible situation I can think of. Their selection of pizza is so vast that if you went every day for three weeks you could try each pizza. Ok, i'm over exaggerating but still! My favorite pie from their selection has to be the "Ring of Fire". It has buffalo sauce as the base, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and chicken! It is right up my ally with the spicy food. While were on the topic of spicy food, I must also recommend their "Great Balls of Fire", which are their ridiculous meatballs. They are definitely worth the try if you like that type of thing! For the anti spicy fellas I would suggest any other pizza on their menu because they are all uncontrollably good.

Also side note, Blue Rock is owned by the same person as Blue Zucchini which is right across the street! So definitely try that one out as well! I hope that you go and check out both of these restaurants and let me know what dishes you find to be your favorite! Happy munching!!

Southern Roots Adventures

So, I wanted to share with all of you my new obsession, Southern Roots. I recently went with a bunch of my girlfriends for dinner. I would like to share with you some initial thoughts about this restaurant. First, I have to say I was thrown off with the fact that they didn't accept reservations. I believe that all restaurants should allow reservations, one because I hate waiting and two because it keeps everything organized! If anyone knows why "no reservations" is a thing please comment below because I just don't understand. 

On a happy note, I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. It was so rustic, with light grey and wicker accents. These touches really made this crowded restaurant into a peaceful and trendy area to eat. Not to mention, their outdoor seating is incredible as well. When walking through they sometimes have live bands playing as well which also really adds to my love for the place! 

As for the food, I was beyond amazed by the quality and taste coming from such a small town in North Carolina. Not one of the 10 of my friends had a bad meal! If you know what its like dining with 10 girls, you know that is nearly impossible for every single person to be happy. I personally had the "Billy Bob" sandwich. If you don't get this sandwich when you go you may be diagnosed (by me) as insane. This magnificent sandwich is described as a "grilled gouda pimento cheese, applewood smoked bacon, fried green tomatoes on sourdough". I am telling you it is beyond your wildest dreams! Another crowd pleaser was the quesadilla appetizer and rosemary bread. Both of which I also highly recommend for you! 

The food, atmosphere, and over all experience of Southern Roots is out of bounds incredible and I for one can't wait to go back! 

http://www.southernrootsfoods.com/images/dinnermenu.pdf << Link to their menu - Check it out! 

Heavenly Buffalo Chicken Dip

For those of you who don't know me, I am obsessed with spicy food. Ever since I was a little kid I have put hot sauce on almost everything I eat. So for my first post, I wanted to share my absolute favorite Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe. It is an easy and perfect appetizer for not only football season but parties of all kinds. This dip gives you the perfect mix between the buffalo wing taste and the cheesy indulgence that I know we all love. This dip is usually gone within the first few minutes when my friends and I make it, so my advice to you is to save a little extra for yourself! You can also double the recipe for larger groups of buffalo lovers! The ingredients you are going to need for this heavenly dip are...

What you will need...
~ Two 8oz. packages of creme cheese, room temperature (Philadelphia tastes best!)
~ 16oz. precooked chicken pieces or you can make your own!
~ 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce (I'm partial to Franks Red Hot wing sauce)
~ 1 cup of ranch dressing
~ 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
~ Tortilla Chips (Preferably "Scoops" they work they best for scooping up the dip!)

Once you have all of these ingredients you can start making this mouthwatering concoction.

1. The first step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. You then grab a 9x13" pan (or what ever size you have readily available) and spread the creme cheese on the bottom of the pan.
3. Then you mix the Franks Red Hot wing sauce, shredded chicken, ranch dressing and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese in the pan.
4. Then you spread the rest of the creme cheese over the top of this mixture.
5. After that you can spread 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese on the top of the pan.
6. Now you can bake the dip in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until you can see that the cheddar is melted and bubbling.
7. Take the dip out of the oven, be careful it is going to be hot!
8. Serve with those tortilla chips - or celery (if your one of those health nuts - haha!) and enjoy!


I hope you enjoy one of my favorite recipes! Please comment below if you happen to try it and let me know what you think!