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The Traveling Four

A Lifestyle Blog

Miami Fusion Café

March 28, 2021 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Sign displaying Miami Fusion Café

Background

A family owned and operated business that brings a slice of Miami and Puerto Rico to Birmingham, Alabama. The Puerto Rican born and South Florida bred chef whips up a menu that brings Caribbean flavors to the South. You’ll find dishes of Jamaican, Cuban and Puerto Rican styles on this menu. All flavors merry well and give you an authentic feel of restaurants you would find in Miami. Luckily if you’re in the Birmingham area you won’t have to travel further south to experience such delight. With two locations Birmingham, 2015 5th Avenue North and 5511 Hwy 280 you won’t have to go too far to sample the plethora of dishes available on menu at Miami Fusion Café.

Our Experience

We visited the Miami Fusion Café located on Hwy 280. Once seated we got our drink orders (mojito, iced tea and water) and ordered our main dishes. Our orders consisted of the Lechon Asado, Pan Con Lechon, and Caribbean Jerk Chicken Plate (see menu below for more details). The roasted pork in the Lechon Asado was seasoned amazingly. The flavors really came through and paired well with the black beans and rice that was equally yummy. The Pan Con Lechon was tasty but I’ve had better dishes. The Cuban bread reminded me of a Panini, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pulled pork inside was well seasoned but I felt like it could use some type of sauce. In the sandwich was also lettuce and tomato and it was accompanied by fries sprinkled with seasoning salt.

Lunch Menu for Miami Fusion Café

The Caribbean Jerk Chicken was also seasoned amazingly, the flavors really burst in your mouth. Being Caribbean though and having eaten jerk chicken at many different places including home made I would have to say that this is not what I would label as such. It’s more like baked chicken with jerk seasoning but not as spicy. This would be a great choice for those who love the flavor of jerk but can’t really stand the heat of traditional jerk chicken. And paired with the red beans and rice this dish packed a flavor punch.

Left to Right: Lechon Asado, Caribbean Jerk Chicken Plate, Pan Can Lechon

The mojito was top notch and the bar where it was made definitely gave me Miami vibes. All the color and vibrancy that came from the corner where the bar was just drew your eyes there. Even if you don’t drink you would want to at least sit at it. Miami Fusion Café also serves coffee, desserts and has a kids menu. All in all for the price, with the reasonable amount of food and the tastiness this restaurant was a great choice for a lunch spot.

Miami Fusion Café mojito
Mojito
Miami Fusion Café kids, drink and desert menu

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; rating: ⭐ – ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐  

Cost: $ – $$ 

Food: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Service: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Atmosphere:⭐ ⭐ ⭐  

Overall Rating:⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Miami Fusion Café also offers a dinner menu and can be booked for events. Check out this information and more one their website.

Bread and Butter Bakery – Covington, GA.

January 12, 2021 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Bread and Butter Bakery is a super cute and quaint bakery in Downtown Covington, Georgia. There you can get a variety of drinks, from smoothies to coffee, and foods, including breakfast/lunch items and all types of desserts. It is located in the town’s square and conveniently located by several other shops you can walk to and visit. There is ample seating within the bakery, but they also have a few tables on the outside. It was a little misty outside on the day that I visited, so outdoor sitting was out of the question for me, but, some people still sat out there.

My sister and I decided to spend the afternoon of New Year’s Eve drinking lattes with a little dessert, so my sister recommended Bread and Butter Bakery. This was my first time visiting, but it will definitely not be my last. Upon entering the bakery, you immediately see the dessert window. In it, you see all of the cakes, cupcakes, macaroons, cheesecakes, etc., displayed. There were so many good items that it was hard to figure out what we wanted. Although it was a hard decision, the cashier working the counter helped us by giving us her top recommendations. She also gave us descriptions of the drinks and gave us recommendations for some of their popular drinks. Once we placed our order and paid we got to look around while our order was being prepared.

In the bakery, there is an area with gifts and other merchandise. And a refrigerated area where you can purchase items too. There is a room off to the corner with books, tables, and chairs in the back of the bakery. It is a cute little intimate space where I could see a book club holding a meeting or just a place to go to just for a little peace. There is also a wine area that you can go and buy bottles of wine. My sister purchased two bottles, and they put them in cute little reusable ice bags.

We ended up getting lattes, and my sister had cheesecake, and I had chocolate cake. The cake was super huge but also super yummy and moist. I couldn’t eat it all, but so I took the rest home for my boys to finish. Overall, we enjoyed our time at Bread and Butter Bakery, and I am looking forward to my next visit. If you are in Downtown Covington, stop in and grab a drink and some dessert. I think you will like it too.

Author:

The Spot Coffee Shop

May 31, 2020 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

OMG…This Place is Delicious!

Outside view of The Spot

Every time The Traveling Four gets ready to travel on the road we always stop and get coffee. Consequently, it has become a slight tradition whether we realized it or not. Most of the time we go into a Starbucks to talk and unwind a little before we hit the road. I think the extra sugar gives us an added sugar rush to catapult us to our destination without thinking about the long drive itself.

While traveling through Alabama to get to Unclaimed Baggage, I stopped by this amazing Coffee Shop called The Spot. This establishment was really huge for a coffee shop, which made social distancing very easy. The mismatched furniture paired well with the lofty design and architecture of the building. I can envision going here for a business meeting or just to enjoy an ice cream cone with the kids.

Eclectic seating inside The Spot

Looking at the menu, I was amazed at how low the prices were compared to other coffeehouses. We ordered a brownie and 3 large drinks: one a caramel macchiato, a strawberry-banana smoothie, and a strawberry-banana, peach smoothie all for only $14. I’ve been to many coffeehouses and have spent $8 easy on one coffee beverage. Prior to visiting I hadn’t had a coffee beverage in at least two weeks…yeah, a shocker. So clearly, when that first sip of coffee hit my tongue I was in total and complete bliss. So deliciously crafted that I forgot to snap a pic of it beforehand. The strawberry-banana, peach smoothie that i stole a sip of was the absolute best smoothie flavor combination that I have ever tried, and I do mean ever.

Great spot to relax and spend a little time if you’re traveling or residing. In this instance, I found this spot while passing through, but you don’t have to take my word for it just look at their reviews.

The Spot is located at 101 Gault Avenue N, Fort Payne, Alabama 35967

This article was written by:

Breakers Korean Grill and Barbecue

March 9, 2020 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Background

Breakers are a chain of restaurants that serve Korean style barbecue. Locations can be found in the U.S. in the states of Georgia, Texas, and Virginia. In Georgia you can find the restaurant in the city of Duluth and in Dunwoody. In Texas the cities of Frisco, Carrollton and Sugar Land are home to this fine establishment. Virginia only has one location in the city of Fairfax. The restaurants boast the use of the highest quality meats, outstanding hospitality and a luxurious atmosphere. The restaurants are open seven days a week with varying hours (usually mid-day to 11:00 pm) with later hours on the weekends. Visit the website for more details at https://breakersbbq.com/  

Our Experience

We visited the Duluth location which had a very modern design and a welcoming atmosphere. This location was very clean and not smoke filled at all, which is what I usually expect when going to hibachi style restaurants. We got there between 1-2 pm on a Sunday afternoon and were seated right away. Not too long after arriving the waitress came over and took our beverage order and then soon after an array of sides were automatically brought out. This was our first time having Korean BBQ so we were a bit confused by this as we hadn’t placed any orders yet.

The waitress was kind enough to fill us in on the entire process. She stated that those six sides (house salad with soy sauce balsamic vinaigrette dressing, glass noodles, pickled asian pears, pickled cucumbers aka cucumber kimchi, kimchi, and house baked potato) come standard and that you choose which meat or combination of meat that you would like to go with it. The sides are refillable at no extra charge and any leftover can be boxed up along with any leftover meat. Each person is supplied with two sauces (a spicy sauce and a soybean paste) and some pink himalayan salt that you can use to enhance the flavor of your meal.   

From the suggestion of the waitress we decided to go with the Breakers Combo C which includes servings of Ribeye, Beef Brisket, Fresh Prime Short Rib, Pork Belly, Teriyaki Chicken, and Jumbo Prawns at a cost of $99.95. The waitress came to the table with the variety of meats that came with the combo we ordered and also gave each person at the table a bowl of sticky rice. She started off cooking the Beef Brisket on the prewarmed Hibachi grill at the center of our table. Once cooked she serves each person a portion of the Brisket that you can enjoy with any or all of the sides that were supplied. She will continue to cook the meats starting with the plain ones- like the Brisket-and then finishing up with the sticky ones (like the teriyaki chicken).  

Breakers also offers appetizers such as fried dumplings and deep-fried calamari, adiitional sides such as kimchi stew and steamed eggs, and desserts such as cake and ice cream. Some other meat choices on the menu are Beef Bulgogi (thinly cut steak with a soy sauce, brown sugar, pear juice and sesame seed oil sauce), Pork Bulgogi, Marinated Short Ribs, and Scallops. They have two all you can eat combos that offer such choices as Gangnam style pork (fried pork cutlets), spicy squid, miso soup, and stir-fried potato noodles just to name a few. The all you can eat choices run from $28.95 per person to $35.95 per person. If you’ve got a pretty large appetite this is a pretty good choice because you get a little of everything and will definitely leave satisfied. 

Of the sides provided we definitely loved the house salad, the glass noodles and the cucmber kimchi. The spicy sauce paired well with everything, so much so that we kept requesting extra (LOL). The sauce isn’t too spicy but does have a little kick to it that is a great contrast to its sweet flavor. The soy sauce vinaigrette dressing on the house salad was amazing and we got quite a few servings of that as well. The quality of the meat was definitely top notch.  There’s no denying that they get the best cuts of the highest quality meats.  We loved the Brisket, the Short Ribs, and the Teriyaki chicken but all the choices were great. All in all, this is definitely a must try for restaurants in Georgia. 

House Salad, Glass Noodles
House Salad, Glass Noodles (top to bottom)
Cucumber Kimchi, Pickled Asian Pears, Kimchi, House Baked Potato
Cucumber Kimchi, Pickled Asian Pears, Kimchi, House Baked Potato
(bottom to top)
  • Sides and sauces
  • Brisket
  • Prime Rib
  • Pork Belly
Duluth, GA hours of operation

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; ⭐–⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- fair to excellent 

Cost: $$ – $$$ 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Desta Ethiopian Kitchen

February 24, 2020 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Front view of outside of the restaurant (Desta Ethiopian Kitchen).

Background

Desta is an Ethiopian restaurant with two locations in the Atlanta, GA area- Briarcliff and Emory Pointe. The restaurant was founded by a couple of Ethiopian descent who met here in Atlanta, GA. The restaurant focuses on authentic Ethiopian Flavors, natural ingredients and impeccable service. Desta’s Emory Pointe location is open 6 days a week (Mon-Sat) while the Briarcliff location is open 7-each with varying hours (see the website for more details). Their food is made to order (no pre-made dishes except for some deserts) for pick up or dine in, they also cater and host events. It says on their website that you can also order online and they offer gift cards so if someone really loves their food or you think they will you can hook them up with some meals on you.

Desta serves breakfast all day, they have an array of tasty appetizers as well as many entrees and they also offer vegan options. There are several delicious deserts to choose from such as cheesecakes and baklava, as well as an impressive drink menu. On the drink menu you can find everything from freshly made juices, to iced tea and lattes, in house ground coffee, Ethiopian spiced tea, and many alcoholic beverages (beer, wine and spirits) just to name a few. You’d be hard pressed not to find something that tantalizes your taste buds here. 

Our experience

We visited the Briarcliff location which has a small downstairs area inside (where we were seated), a larger upstairs area which I believe is where they host events and a patio area. On entering the restaurant, the aroma that floods your nose is beyond delightful. If you aren’t that hungry when you walk in it won’t be long before the incredible smells coming from the kitchen wake up your senses and cause your mouth to water. There were quite a number of people within the establishment which is always a good sign. The small downstairs area was a bit of a close quarter’s situation which was the only thing that I didn’t like so much but once the food came out, I forgot all about it.

I had eaten Ethiopian food before from some college classmates of mine and knew it was delicious but the food at Desta just solidified that fact for me. I loved injera (sourdough flatbread with a porous, spongy texture) when I had it at school so I knew I was going to order that. Three of us ordered the TIBS, which is their version of a pick three (meat, starch and side). Ordering the TIBS is a great way to sample various Ethiopian specialties. Some of the meat choices were lamb, filet mignon, shrimp and mushroom (if you don’t eat meat), while starch choices included injera, rice, pita bread, and a few others. Some of the sides that they offer for this sampler are gomen (Ethiopian collard greens), potato stew (this is a bit spicy), cabbage, and miser (spiced red lentils).

Along the side of their menus has an explanation for all the Ethiopian terms for a quick reference. The staff there is also very knowledgeable about the items on the menu so if it’s your first time eating Ethiopian food don’t hesitate to ask questions. Other orders from our group were the vegan platter (one of their most popular dishes) and their pick two pasta choice (meat and then type of pasta).

The word “Desta” means happiness and that’s what their delicious dishes brought to our tummies. We definitely recommend their house ground coffee, the pick three (w/ filet mignon, lamb or ribeye), the vegan platter and their freshly made mango juice. The cheesecake is also a must have if you are going to get desert. To check out their menu, find hours of operation or obtain any other information not discussed in this article check out their website: https://destaethiopiankitchen.com/

Caffe Latte
Cafe Latte
Vegan Platter
Vegan Platter
Pasta, garden salad and pita bread
Pasta, garden salad, pita bread
Pick three platter with additional side: filet mignon, potato stew, gomen, injera
Pick three (w/additional side): Filet Mignon, Potato Stew, Gomen, Injera

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; ⭐–⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- fair to excellent 

Cost: $$ 

Food Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Food Portions: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Author:

Rumi’s Kitchen

September 22, 2019 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Background

Rumi’s Kitchen is a Persian restaurant with two locations in Georgia- one in Sandy Springs and one in Alpharetta. The restaurant is named after Jelaluddin Rumi who was a 13th century Persian Poet. You can click on the highlighted name of the restaurant in the beginning of this paragraph to be taken to the website to learn more about why they chose this name and just more about this establishment. The restaurant is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and they also offer private dining and catering. I visited the Sandy Springs location earlier this year for my step sister’s graduation. Being that we had a reservation we didn’t have to wait long to be seated, which is always great. The atmosphere is very authentic to the Persian culture and the food was delicious. 

I ordered the Rumi’s wings that are grilled in spicy, lemon saffron and the fire roasted vegetable kabobs (that also had some pineapple chunks). The fruits and the vegetables were fresh and the wings seasoned well. The lemon saffron sauce had just enough tang and was a nice balance to the sweet and salty kabobs. I highly recommend trying either of these dishes if you visit this establishment. Rumi’s also serves other types of kabobs such as shish kabobs (filet mignon), lamb kabobs, soltani kabobs (beef), shrimp kabobs and many more. Rumi’s also serves lots of other authentic Persian dishes such as falafels, badenjoon (eggplant stew), and ghormeh sabzi (herb stew).

If your vegan or vegetarian you can find some great options at this restaurant as well. I have to mention their Persian flatbread (I want to say it was Nan-e barbari) that they make in-house and that you get before your meal just like in most restaurants. That bread is so delicious, it’s thin and crispy and delectable. I love bread and I wish I would have gotten some to take home. The staff there is also very knowledgeable about the items on the menu so if it’s your first time eating Persian food don’t hesitate to ask questions. 

  • Rumi’s wings
  • Vegetable Kabob
  • Shrimp Kabob w/rice
  • Lamb Rack w/rice and lentils
Veggie Kabob w/ Bhasmati +Saffron Rice

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; ⭐–⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- fair to excellent 

Cost: $$ 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Been here before? Please share your thoughts on this restaurant in the comments below.

Author

Bigg Daddy’s

September 22, 2019 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Background

Bigg Daddy’s is a bar and grill with two locations- one in Helen, GA and one in Cornelia, GA. They serve American style cuisine, have live entertainment on the weekends and have sports showing on the TVs throughout the week. This restaurant usually has some really great specials running as well, such as Taco Tuesdays (I/2 priced gourmet tacos) and 50 cents wings on Wednesdays. Check out their website for more of their special deals by clicking on the highlighted name of the restaurant at the beginning of this paragraph.

Krystal and I visited the Helen, GA location during our adventure and sightseeing trip to Helen that we previously wrote an article on (see related post tab at the bottom of the page to read more about Helen, GA). We took this trip during the summer when school is out and most people are vacationing so the restaurant was packed, not to mention that it was also a Saturday. After putting our names on the waiting list, we sat on their front patio area which had quite a bit of space and was covered to shield us from the hot sun that was beaming down that day. The restaurant has both indoor seating and another outdoor patio area that you can occupy to enjoy your meal. Because the restaurant was so busy it took quite a while for our names to be called but that gave our other travel companion (Jason) time to walk around the town and take photos as we waited.  

Once our names were called we got seated on the other outdoor patio area because it was fairly cold indoors and the weather was nice out so we wanted to enjoy it. I ordered the half rack of hickory smoked baby back ribs with a loaded baked potato and a side of broccoli. I could tell that the meat was of a very high quality and the barbecue sauce on it was sweet and tangy-very delicious. The only thing that could have been improved was that they didn’t seem to have seasoned the meat before cooking it, which being Caribbean and used to food that is well seasoned I would have preferred. Aside from that the food was great, especially the broccoli which had lots of garlic and was just tender enough, YUM! Krystal ordered the Carolina Bleu burger that was served with waffle fries (you can get it with cole slaw instead if you prefer or upgrade to onion rings for two more dollars).  Jason had the Half-Baked Pasta (he chose fettuccine pasta with a pesto sauce) which is served with a side salad. They both enjoyed their meals and we were all full and happy and ready to take on the rest of our adventure in this beautiful German inspired town. 

  • Side Salad
  • Half-Baked Pasta
  • Carolina Bleu Burger
  • Baby Back Ribs + Baked Potato

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; ⭐–⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- fair to excellent 

Cost: $$ 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Been here before? Share with us your experience on this bar and grill in the comments below.

Author

Longhorn Steakhouse

September 22, 2019 by The Traveling Four Leave a Comment

Background

Longhorn Steakhouse is a nationwide American casual dining restaurant infamous for its steaks, ribs, and chops. If you’re a sports fan you will love to dine here and catch the game or you can also just sit at the bar, grab a drink and enjoy watching your favorite team play as well. There are several locations all around Georgia including Snellville, Lawrenceville, Tucker, Atlanta, and Conyers just to name a few. My family and I took my step-father to the Conyers location per his request for Father’s Day. We have been to this location many times and it’s one of his favorite places to eat out.

(click on the highlighted name of the restaurant at the beginning of the article’s background to be taken to its website) 

The parking lot was packed and we were lucky that someone just so happened to be pulling out as we were pulling up or we probably wouldn’t have gotten a spot to park in the restaurants parking lot. People were parked all across the street in the grass and on the grass near the sidewalk- I guess Longhorn is a favorite for most dads. So, obviously they had a long waiting list and we initially thought to just go somewhere else but decided to wait for a while and see how it goes. Surprisingly we didn’t have to wait exceptionally long, probably because our party was quite a bit smaller than most of those there.

Once seated we got to ordering right away since like I said before we’ve been here several times and know the menu pretty well. I ordered the firecracker chicken wraps (spicy chicken and cheese wraps served with an avocado dipping sauce-yum!) with a loaded, baked potato. Other orders at our table were steak and potatoes, rack of baby back ribs with fries and the steakhouse bacon cheeseburger. Like I stated before Long horn is well known for their meat because of its high quality and amazing flavor. They serve prime rib, New York strip, fire grilled T-Bone, grilled bone in porkchops, and parmesan crusted chicken just to name a few. And let’s not forget seafood; they have everything from shrimp and lobster chowder to grilled salmon and grilled lobster tail. They also offer a wide range of desserts that will satisfy that sweet tooth immensely. All in all, I think just about anyone can find something on their menu that will hit the spot. 

  • Loaded Baked Potato
  • Firecracker Chicken Wraps
  • Steakhouse Bacon Cheeseburger
  • Baby Back Ribs + Fries
  • Steak and Potatoes

My Rating                                                                

Scale: $-low cost, $$- medium cost, $$$-high cost; ⭐–⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- fair to excellent 

Cost: $$ 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Been here before? Share your thoughts on this eatery in the comments below.

Author

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Hello, Fellow Travelers! The Traveling Four is a lifestyle blog, curated by a group of best friends. Together we discuss a wide range of topics including fashion, home, health & wellness - with a primary focus in what we love to do best, travel! Our hope is that you find something within our site that you can connect with...Let's Travel together!
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