My Experience at the Robert Burns Scottish Dinner

Hey Foodies! It's been a while. I've missed you! I had a few really cool experiences recently and I couldn't help but to start writing about it. I was recently assigned to cover the Robert Burns Dinner at the Country Squire Restaurant and Winery.

I was given 2 tickets to the event, so I took my bestie Bryan with me. We had a good time and got to sit with a group of Scottish people from Wilmington.

This is us...before the wine! HAHA!

Keep in mind, this wasn't my first time covering it, but this time was different. I think in the past, I have been so focused on working and getting a good story that I didn't get the chance to really take everything in. As I am in my 6th year of being a newspaper reporter, I am a lot more comfortable and confident in myself and find myself enjoying the events I cover a lot more. 

Shot of the room from the night of the event

You're probably wondering, "What the heck is a Robert Burns dinner?" Before you can understand what it is, you must first understand who he is. Robert Burns, often called Rabbie Burns, was a poet and lyricist who lived during the 1700s and is to this day widely known as Scotland's national poet and a pioneer of the romantic era. 

Picture of Robert Burns

His professional life wasn't the only thing he was known for. Ol' dude was a serious lover boy. He was known to write his poems about women either directly or indirectly. Here's a prime example. His 1st child was with his mother's servant and this happened while he in a relationship and chasing after another woman (or 3). Haha! During the event, the Scots who read about his life jokingly talked about how much he loved women. I mean, the man literally helped create a group called The Tarbolton Bachelors' Club. One of the rules of the club was, and I quote,

"Every man proper for a member of this Society must have a frank, honest, open heart; above anything dirty or mean; and must be a professed lover of one or more of the email sex."

Like wow dude! This sounds like something you'd find in Vegas. Haha!

Now, this is a food blog, so I know you are wondering about the Scottish food! Right before dinner, the presentation of the haggis took place. 

Haggis is the national dish in Scotland and is made up of minced sheep or calf offal, oatmeal, spices, and suet. It is traditionally boiled in a sheep's stomach. I know it doesn't sound very good but it was! It just looks like a ground beef mixture but softer. The flavor was very savory.

The haggis presentation is a traditional ceremony that takes place at the Burns Night celebrations each year. During the ceremony, a piper leads the haggis into the room on a platter carried by the chef. Once they reach the front of the room, the haggis Is placed for all to see, and a poem called “Address to a Haggis” is read. The person who recites the poem then makes a toast alongside the chef, piper, and the crowd. The attendees can then enjoy the haggis together.

Here are some photos from the presentation of the haggis

So the complete meal was Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. The neeps and tatties are basically rutabagas and mashed potatoes, which were also delicious. I enjoyed the sides a little more but everything paired really well together. 

Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties

That was the appetizer. For the actual meal, you could choose between a broiled flounder, 8 oz ribeye steak, spinach stuffed chicken with cream sauce, or a traditional Scottish steak pie. 

 Spinach stuffed chicken and cream cheese

 Scottish steak pie, potatoes, and peas

I had such a good time that night, and having someone with me made it even better! I love learning about other cultures. I truly believe if people took the time to talk to more people that are not like them and take the time to learn about other cultures, there wouldn't be as much hate in the world! I challenge you today to take the time this week to talk to someone that is different than you!

Outlaw's - The Neighborhood Grill

The front of Outlaw's Grill still looks the same from my childhood!

I’m from Scott’s Store. A small neighborhood in the outskirts that is often not categorized as Duplin or Wayne County. We have Mount Olive addresses which are in Wayne County, but are mostly associated with Duplin County. I went to Duplin County Schools, and most of the people I know are in Duplin County. BUT we are still in a town that is in Wayne County. It’s very interesting to say the least. We have a very small population and only 1 flashing light. So as you can imagine there is nothing to do and not many places to eat. Growing up we only had my family’s restaurant Branch’s BBQ, Johnny’s Seafood, a Friendly Mart gas station and Summerlin’s Crossroads store to get a hotdog or hamburger, and Outlaw’s Grill. That’s it, and 3 out of the 4 of them are all on the same road LOL! And don’t try to get something to eat late at night…just go home and cook because that’s your only option.

I recently jumped in my car and took a trip to Outlaw’s Grill. When I first moved back to Scott’s Store, I had honestly forgotten about it, but I was so happy one night when I passed by it. I was so excited to wake up to go get a burger. I remember growing up and loving their burgers! Since then I have visited a few times for both breakfast and lunch.

Outlaw’s opened in 1959, and was opened by Lonnie Outlaw. It was then passed down to his daughter Ernestine who took over in 2000. After that, her daughter Donna took over, and now her daughter Nicole Forbes runs it after taking over in 2017. It’s amazing to me that it was passed down for four generations! Nicole has two children Kimberlyn and Braidyn, when I asked Nicole if she thought her daughter would take over she laughed and said,

“My daughter said, ‘NO WAY,’ but I said the same thing too. When I went off to college I said I would never be back here. But now I love it. I get to see all of my community, and they are so good to me,” Nicole explained.

You can visit Outlaw’s for Breakfast or lunch, and lunch isn’t just hotdogs and hamburgers. They serve full southern meals like fried pork chops, fried chicken, and hamburger steak. You can pair them with several sides like: fries, onion rings, salad, string beans, mashed potatoes corn, black eye peas, butter beans, and several others. Some of their popular items are usually the specials of the day like the big burger on a seeded bun that they hand make themselves, hot dogs, and spaghetti and garlic bread seems to be the most popular items according to Nicole.

“Our spaghetti, believe it or not, on Tuesday’s is ridiculous. They want the old sauce because they say it’s like eating grandma’s spaghetti. It’s crazy on Tuesday’s how many people want spaghetti. Our hotdogs are a big seller, but everybody tells me, ‘Nicole, it’s good but it’s not your grandma’s,’” she said jokingly.

Although she loves keeping the family tradition alive, she does not have any plans on expanding at this time. She enjoys the small knit community that comes in because she feels that everyone is like family.

“We are trying to keep the doors open for the community. It has been tough the past few years with the rise in the cost of food, but we are trying to keep it going. I do not want the headache of another one that’s for sure, but it’s a place where people can come and talk and get together. We have so many different little families that come in, and love seeing everybody,” she explained.

I enjoy visiting Outlaw’s Grill. I almost always see someone I know and get to catch up with them whether we went to school together or played sports together. It’s nice seeing an old face. I love going into a store or restaurant and feeling like family. I give Outlaw’s an A!

This blog was also featured in the Duplin Times Newspaper edition of the "Duplin Eats" column.

Up Next - RELATED NEWS: - The Rock-Bottom Fallacy

A Random Stop by Indulge Nutrition

Indulge Nutrition employee

              I love going to events, and luckily enough for me, my profession requires me to attend and host events all the time. So I went to the 1^st annual Blossom festival in Wallace to cover it for the newspaper and found out while I was there that it was being hosted by Indulge Nutrition and Redefined Home Décor Gifts and More. They are two local businesses inside the Wallace Crossing Shopping Center where the Walmart used to be. The shopping center has been empty for years, and now that there are businesses there the two business owners thought it would be a good idea to host an event there to bring awareness to the shops there.

              It was a neat event to be the first time. They had about 30 vendors there including food trucks. What I really liked about it was that they had Johnson Nursey there doing potting classes. I am a homeowner now and I want to learn how to do gardening, so that free class was right on town. Of course being the foodie that I am, I decided to check out Indulge Nutrition since they were the host.

              While I was there, I met the owner Megan Barror. She was a young energetic woman. While talking to her I noticed that she was really loved her business and how she got to help people on their health journey. Even though I am a complete foodie, I am very health conscious and I love learning about the things I am putting into my body so I was really interested to hear about all the cool flavored products she was making with her Herbal Life products. She sells shakes, flavored teas, and even some snack items she makes with the products. I was sold. Flavorful AND healthy! Sign me up for a taste!

              She first started working with the products when her sister opened a shop in another town. She fell in love and then opened her business a couple years ago in another location just up the street in Wallace. She didn’t really like the location and was excited to move to the Wallace Crossing location.

Indulge Nutrition Storefront Inside the Wallace Crossing Shopping Center

              So what did I try? I wasn’t in the mood for a shake that day. It was hot out and I was already thirsty. So I decided to try a tea. I got the dragonfly tea. The original drink comes with herbal life powder, watermelon, pink lemonade, coconut, and collagen. I’m not a fan of coconut so I substituted it with blue razz, and I also got protein. It was delicious! So fruity but no added sugar at all. I hadn’t eaten yet because I knew I was going to a festival and was going to check out the food trucks, but between the nutrients and the protein, I was so full! I didn’t even eat anything which saved me money AND calories. Sounds like a win to me! I couldn’t even finish it and was able to skip eating breakfast the next day too. So I basically got two meals for one. I also tried a fat burner shot. I got the blue laffy taffy prolessa shot. It was a little chalky but it did have a really good taste and helped me burn calories the whole day.

              I have heard of herbal life before, and I knew people used it for health purposes and to lose weight but I never really looked into it. After trying that, I am definitely considering adding it to my regimen. Especially because of all of the health benefits. It boosts metabolism, has aloe which helps with your digestive system, has several vitamins like vitamin A, B, C, and D, has whey protein, is a soy based protein, and is sugar free. Sound like a great product to me.

              If you are an Herbal Life user or are really into taking care of your body, I highly suggest checking out Indulge Nutrition. When it comes to choosing a healthy yet tasty place to shop, I give it an A!

This blog was also featured in the Duplin Times Newspaper edition of the "Duplin Eats" column

Puerto Escondido Brings Fun, Authentic Mexican Food to Kenansville

One thing you are always hearing people say (and yes I am guilty of it too), is that there is nothing fun to do in Duplin County. Well brothers-in-law Armando Gabriel and Felix Garcia, are changing that narrative.

They opened the restaurant Puerto Escondido at 306 N. Main St. in Kenansville almost a year ago and will be celebrating its 1st anniversary on May 5th on Cinco de Mayo. Head owner Armando has been in the restaurant industry for 15-plus years, and you may recognize him from his many years working at Mariachi and Mi Cabana in Jacksonville.

Armando and some of his staff

The restaurant industry is definitely a family business for the two owners. They wanted to bring fun and good, authentic food to Kenansville because a lot of places are more Tex-Mex, according to Armando. Every dish at the restaurant is homemade — down to the tortillas.

The owners also like to be engaged in the community and often work with the chamber of commerce, police department, schools, and first responders.

One truth about my friends is that we will find a way to have a good time even when there is no venue or event to attend. As a matter of fact, my mom likes to joke with me that we have parties for everything! But when you live in a county that hardly has any clubs, bars, or entertainment venues, you just have to do what you have to do.

Last Thursday my friends and I were talking in a group chat and realized that we all wanted Mexican food. Some of them couldn’t meet up, but my friends Bryan and William Davis and I decided we were going for it. We all live in different towns so we chose to go to check out Puerto Escondido because it was a midway point for all of us.

We got there and to our surprise, it was a packed house. It was so full that I’m surprised we were able to get a table so fast. We quickly realized the crowd was there because it was karaoke night. We couldn’t believe it — karaoke on a weekday in Duplin County! I don’t know about anyone else in the room, but I was too excited. I love, love, love karaoke!

Karaoke is on the 3rd Thursday of the Month

Even with a packed house, everyone was feeling good because of the $1.99 margaritas, and the madness of karaoke. The servers were great, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere was perfect. Just a bunch of Duplin County’ans having a good time! And yes, I just made that up. Don’t judge me.

They offer $1.99 margaritas

Now, what did I eat? I normally go for enchiladas or tacos when I eat out, but decided I would try something new. I had the Pollo ala Crema and baby...it was amazing. I obviously got extra sauce but I probably wouldn’t even have needed it. The portion was very large. So much that I thought I would probably be eating on it all weekend. The sauce was super creamy, and tasty, but not overbearing in taste. It also had crema corn mixed in, which is my favorite vegetable. It was like eating a Mexican version of Fettuccine alfredo — without the pasta — which is perfect for me because I love a good lower-carb dish. Pasta fills me up and gets me bloated so easily.

My meal was paired with rice and salad, and that rice was full of flavor. I could have literally eaten just a bowl of rice by itself without gravy or sauce — and for a sauce lover like me, that says a lot. It was absolutely mouthwatering!

Pollo a la Crema

It also came with a pickled jalapeño which luckily didn’t have the pickle taste because I don’t like pickles like that (don’t tell anybody). And it was stuffed with cheese. I usually don’t do spicy stuff, so I asked for it to be on the side, but to my surprise, it wasn’t very spicy and was very tasty. I kept trying to force myself to stop taking more bites so I wouldn’t get too full and not be able to finish my margarita, but let’s just say I failed many times. Ha, ha!

I had a great conversation with the owners after my meal. They were very nice and funny. I think they were having more fun at karaoke than I was. Not only was their food good, but it’s an exciting place to dine out. They host mariachi nights during the last week of the month, bring in DJs occasionally, have karaoke on the third Thursday of the month, and are in the process of hosting country music nights as well. Their second floor can be rented out for parties and seats around 50 people.

Overall, I must say that I think that Puerto Escondido is about to be a new hangout spot for my friends and I from now on. Good people, good food, good fun!

Puerto Escondido is definitely getting an A+ from me!

This blog was also featured in the Duplin Times edition of Duplin Eats that is published the 3rd Thursday of each month. 

Up Next - RELATED NEWS: - UK to Replace 'Non-Dom' Regime With Residency-Based System

Enjoy a Celebration at the Kitchen Table

Peggy's Kitchen is located on Kenansville Hyw in Warsaw, NC

Every year in January there are celebrations throughout the month from people all over the country. No, I’m not talking about the New Year or even MLK Day. Many Divine Nine sororities and fraternities have what they call Founders’ Day in January. The Divine Nine consists of the nine recognized Black Greek-letter organizations, that are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Founder’s Day is a very special occasion that represents the day their particular organization was founded. It’s a day to not only pay homage to the founders but also to celebrate all the great works they did. Divine Nine organizations were at the forefront of the civil rights movement.

Members celebrate by getting together, hosting events, posting on social media and so much more. I am a member of the Duplin County Chapter Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., which celebrates its Founders’ Day on Jan.16. To celebrate, I went out to eat with one of my chapter sisters, Christy Jeffers. I let her choose the location and we ended up at Peggy’s Kitchen Table.

My soror Christy Jeffers and I at our Founder's Day celebration dinner

I had passed by it a couple times but have never stopped to try anything, so I was excited to check out a spot in Duplin County that I have not tried yet. The restaurant is owned by Warsaw native Jerry Powell, along with his two children, Jeremy and Jasmin. He took over the building in Warsaw and created Peggy’s in June 2021 and originally wanted to name it The Kitchen Table. After the loss of his mother on the same day he was scheduled to become a limited liability company and buy the building, Powell thought it was only right to name the restaurant after her — especially because she was a big inspiration in his culinary career.

Growing up in Warsaw, one thing Jerry vividly remembers is family dinners. His mom was one of seven children and they would get together every week to have dinners.

“I guess that’s how I got into the hospitality field,” Powell said. “I watched my mom and aunts get together and cook for the family almost every week. So that’s what I’m used to — big crowds, good food and just enjoying your time around the table.”

Back to my experience. Upon arrival, everyone was really friendly and even laughed and joked with us. We had a busy day, so it was probably around 8 in the evening and most people had already had their dinner for the night but there were a few people in there still enjoying their meals.

I wasn’t super hungry and was mostly there to celebrate. So, after going back and forth with myself on what to order, I ended up ordering three appetizers. I saw several entrees that I wanted to try like the alfredo dishes but I am trying to do better in 2024 about overindulging. LOL!

I ordered the fried mushrooms, Korean beef tips, and macaroni salad. The fried mushrooms came with a thick spicy ranch that was perfect for dipping. They were cooked to perfection and not slimy at all. One thing I noticed is that their mushrooms were larger than what I am used to getting, so you could easily get full off this appetizer if you just wanted a quick bite for lunch that won’t put you to sleep when you get back to work LOL!

The Korean beef tips were delicious, made to order like you want. They were cooked in a tasty garlic soy sauce marinade with a hint of pineapple flavor, but if you follow Duplin Eats, you know this girl loves her sauce! So, of course, I got a side of BBQ sauce to go with it, but honestly, it didn’t even need it. 

The macaroni salad wasn’t my favorite, only because I like mine super creamy with a hint of sweetness but it wasn’t bad and was a great item to pair with the other two items I had. It balanced out the sweet/savory/fried appetizers and gave my dining experience a refreshing twist.

One thing Jerry said he loves about what he does is that he provides a family-friendly environment where people are treated like family when they come in.

“One of the things I like about being in Warsaw is that it’s so community-based. Customers come in and before they get to a table they see three other tables that they know. They say, “Hey neighbor,” and I like that. I want my customers to come in and feel like they are sitting at somebody’s kitchen table.”

I witnessed that myself while I was there. When Christy and I walked in she instantly began speaking to someone she knew. By the time we sat down, she was laughing with people from another table, and she doesn’t even live in Warsaw! That tells you something.

I think Jerry got it right with his description of what people can expect at his restaurant. I will definitely be going back, and this time I’m going on an empty stomach because I have quite a few more appetizers and entrees I want to try like the smoked wings, the spicy chicken and sausage alfredo, and the bacon pimento cheeseburger. Jerry also spoke of a special that is popular that I think is going to be a must-try: the stuffed sirloin with rosemary cream sauce. It just sounds so mouthwatering!

I haven’t even tried the main courses yet, and I already gave Peggy’s Kitchen Table an A+!