A little taste of Hawaii in Georgia - Truett's Luau Chick-fil-A

The kids and I have taken so many day trips around Georgia over the years. I have thousands of pictures on my laptop, so I'm going to work hard to get these here on the blog this summer!

One of our favorite discoveries was Truett's Luau in Fayetteville!  It was opened by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy in 2013, when he was 92.  This was his last project, and he put his heart and soul into it! He handpicked most every piece of decor, and he tested menu items as they were developed so that he could be sure a little bit of Hawaii was brought to Fayetteville, Georgia through the menu at this restaurant.

At 8000 square feet, this is a MASSIVE Chick-fil-A!  And it's beautiful - inside and out.   There are tropical plants, beautiful furniture, even ukeleles to take and play at your table!  This is the coolest place to spend time with your family, enjoying amazing food and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.

Choose to eat in the fast food dining room on your left, which is like any Chick-fil-A, or choose table service in the beautiful dining room to your right! We've only eaten in the table service side, which is pictured above.  It's bright, airy and absolutely lovely in there! Some of the tables are made of the most beautiful wood, as shown in the last picture.  That picnic-style table with benches is huge!

The menu has your favorite CFA items, but it also offers amazing Hawaiian specialties.   Appetizers include Calamari, Hawaiian Pork Nachos, and Tropical Nuggets (in an awesome sweet chili sauce!)

Appetizer Sampler with Lava Rocks, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and Tropical Nuggets 

Hawaiian Pork Nachos 

For your entree, you can try a Kalua Pork plate, Mahi Mahi, Maui Shrimp or even Teriyaki Chicken!

They even have a burger!! The Luau burger is topped with fresh pineapple, bacon and colby jack cheese on a King's Hawaiian bun. Yum!! Or try an Awapui BBQ chicken sandwich or a Kalua pork sandwich.  So many choices!

Sides include Asian pasta salad, sweet potato waffle fries (my favorite!), pineapple fried rice, and stir-fried vegetables.  They also have the usual CFA salads, plus a Hula chicken noodle bowl.

Desserts here are something special.   Try a Frosted Pineapple (similar to the Frosted Lemonade, but with pineapple juice), or a Pineapple Macadamia milkshake.  Or the King's Hawaiian Bread Pudding, Skillet Cookie or Lava Cake.  Deliciousness!

Outside, the curb appeal is just as great as the decor inside!  Lush greenery, rocks, plus the typical landscaping care that is evident at all Chick-fil-A's make this place look beautiful.

I've gone with my kids, and I've also taken my sweet friend Katherine when she visited from Texas.  The service is perfect and the food is like nothing I've ever had in Georgia.  It's a long drive from NE Gwinnett, but it is surely worth the stressful Atlanta traffic - I promise!  I can't wait til our next visit!

Some of our favorite choices here are the pork nachos, tropical nuggets, teriyaki chicken, those delicious sweet potato waffle fries, and the frosted pineapple!!  Everything we have tried is delicious and freshly cooked to order.  If you have time to make that drive, you've absolutely GOT to give Truett's Luau a try!!

Their address is: 600 West Lanier Ave., Suite 103
Fayetteville, GA 30214
(770) 461-5828

The website is here.  You can see the menu items here!
Thanks for stopping by!


Have you been to Truett's Luau?  If so, what did you think?  What is your favorite item on the menu?

Summer Travel - DC & Virginia - Oz Restaurant and Bar

UPDATE 6/30/19:  I'm sad to report that Oz has closed.                                                                                                                                     

We took a 2nd trip to Washington DC earlier this year.  It is such an amazing place to visit with your family!

Lots to share about this, but wanted to start with Oz Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia.

I really wanted to eat here because I'm a dork.  I adore Ashley Darby on Real Housewives of Potomac, and she and her husband own this restaurant.  He is Australian so the menu offers lots of Australian-themed food. It was on my list of places to visit when we went back to DC!

The interior is lovely. Lots of fun touches, like boomerangs on the wall, and bamboo in the foyer.

My husband is a very adventurous eater.  As in, he'll try anything once! So I knew he would love their exotic menu.

He had a beetroot slider first, then he chose the camel burger for his entree! What!?

Beetroot slider

He said it was delicious, and quite tender.  And he looked like a goofball when I took this picture!

I am not adventurous when it comes to food! So my son and I ordered from the regular menu.

I ordered the crumb steak. It's chicken wrapped in prosciutto, with sweet potato mash and charred brocollini, topped with almonds and mushrooms.  This was a really tasty meal! I didn't know it had mushrooms, as that wasn't on the menu.  I didn't eat those.  But the sides and the crumb steak were amazing.

We also got to try these delicious vegemite biscuits while we waited for our entrees.  They were so good!

David had Greek flatbread but we didn't take a picture of it.

For dessert, he and I shared Aussie banana pudding, with salted caramel bananas and anzo cookies, topped with whipped cream and berries.  My husband had the golden turmeric milk.  What a lovely meal - we still talk about it 5 months later!  It does look like they have a new menu on the website now (we were there in May), but I'm sure everything will be just as delicious!  (Crumb steak and Greek flatbread are no longer options).

We parked in a parking garage on the same block as Oz, and did a quick walking tour of the Monuments in DC after dinner.  Such a great time!


Oz is located at  2950 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA and hours are as follows:


Monday-Wednesday // 4pm-12am
Thursday-Friday // 11:30am-2am
Saturday // 10am-2am
Sunday // 10am-12am


If you are in the area you have to stop by!

Super Bowl Party? Let Pollo Tropical Cater!

Can you believe Super Bowl time is almost here? Are you having friends over for the big game this year?  Let Pollo Tropical help you out with their delicious food! 

    Game day favorites from Pollo Tropical include:

• 50 Tropical wings with Pineapple Rum sauce for $35.50
• 4 lbs. of Mojo Pork for $38 and a dozen sugar-cane rolls for $2.50 – perfect for homemade sliders when you add their Guava BBQ sauce.
• Island wrap platter for 20 people for $63 – including the Chicken Caesar and Chicken Quesadilla wraps.
• Fresh brewed mango iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch and PowerAde gallons for just $4.99.
• FREE Sauce – all of Pollo Tropical’s signature sauces are complimentary! 

Call 1.866.769.7696 to place your catering order and use the code word “Football” to get 15% off!!


** I received no compensation for this post, just sharing information from one of our favorite places to eat! **

Atlanta-area Pollo Tropical openings!

Earlier this year we tried Pollo Tropical for the first time and WOW did we ever love their fresh, tasty food! I'm really happy to share that the new location in Buford, by the Mall of Georgia ( 3385 Buford Drive) has opened and it is fabulous!

The Woodstock location opened on  Aug. 19 at 188 Molly Lane, with a grand opening celebration from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 21. (*tomorrow*)

The Marietta location opens Sept. 2 at 680 Johnson Ferry Road, with a grand opening celebration from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 4.

Grand opening celebrations will feature calypso bands and spin-and-win prizes, and an interactive charity challenge where contestants will compete for first- and second-place prizes of $500 and $300 to go to their favorite charity. The first 100 guests at the festivities will be entered into a raffle for the grand prize of Free Chicken for a Year* and receive a free meal coupon, redeemable on a future visit.

Pollo Tropical’s menu centers on its signature flame-grilled chicken and also includes Mojo Roast Pork, Grilled Tropical Wings and made-from-scratch sides like rice, beans, Caribbean corn souffle and balsamic tomatoes. The Tropical Lite menu offers tasty, lighter options that range from 340 to 510 calories and are built around the core Caribbean flavors of the Pollo Tropical menu.

At Pollo Tropical, savory island spices, herbs and citrus juices are blended into rubs and marinades that enhance the flavors of its fresh dishes. The famous Saucing Island® brings on the flavor – and a little heat – with 10 signature sauces including Curry Mustard, Guava BBQ, Pineapple Rum, Cilantro Garlic and Spicy Poyo-Poyo. To complement its menu, Pollo Tropical also offers a variety of island-inspired beverages, ranging from Caribbean beers to coconut water.

The 3,400-square-foot restaurants will be open from 10:30 a.m. to midnight daily, and will feature indoor and outdoor seating for more than 90 guests, with limited table service and a convenient drive-thru. Guests can receive a coupon for either a buy one, get one free small TropiChop® or $3 off a family meal by signing up for the Pollo Reward$® loyalty program.

My family and I had lunch at the Buford location over the weekend and it was so delicious. Everything is fresh and a nice change from the usual restaurant fare around here!

I had the chicken, bacon, avocado wrap with Caribbean corn souffle.

I tried their BBQ sauce and also added some of my favorite, the Pineapple Rum sauce.  To. die. for!!

While I'm talking about sauces, here is their awesome sauce bar!

David tried a Chicken Quesadilla wrap with mac and cheese as his side.  He added Curry Mustard sauce to his wrap and proclaimed it delish!

My husband had their BBQ pork sandwich with fried yuca as his side.  He tried several sauces and peppers with his.

I also made sure to take a few pictures of the new restaurant in Buford - it makes you feel like you are close to the beach!  The tropical colors and light, airy space make a wonderful getaway for a fast lunch or dinner.

I'm loving the mason jar lights!

Don't judge, but we even went back for lunch yesterday! I know - twice in a week! The Buford location is close to us, and some days, homeschoolin' families just need to get out of the house. :) Yep, this place will be a favorite of ours, I know...

To celebrate the three new locations in Atlanta,  Pollo Tropical wants to give one of you a Pollo Tropical swag bag with coupons!  I also have a few coupons from the grand opening to give away, so there will be a couple of winners for those, as well!

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win.  Good luck!

Pollo Tropical #PolloTropiCulture Review

Last month we had the chance to visit Pollo Tropical and try out their delicious food.  We live in the farthest corner of Gwinnett county, and the closest Pollo Tropicals to us are either Lawrenceville or Cumming.  Both require a bit of a drive, but we found out it was well worth the trip to Lawrenceville. The decor is Caribbean, very light and sunny.  The service was great, too.  You place your order, then get a card for your table, and a server brings your food.  Ours checked back throughout the meal to refill drinks, bring napkins, etc.

Caribbean food is the specialty at Pollo Tropical. I've never really tried anything like that before but obviously, I've been missing out - it's delicious! We ordered the Family Meal on our first visit, which came with a whole grilled chicken, rolls, fried plantains and sides.  We chose Caribbean Corn Souffle - it was amazing! and Macaroni and Cheese (for the kiddo). You can also choose from beans, brown, white or yellow rice,  yuca and other dishes.

We also added two grilled boneless chicken breasts for my son and I.  Everything was so tasty!  The chicken is marinated in tropical fruit juices and spices and then grilled.  Really moist and delish.  The sides were great, and they had a variety of sauces and salsas to add to your meal.  My favorite is the pineapple rum, which was zesty and fresh.  David likes their curry mustard which definitely had some heat to it.  If you are counting calories, check out their Tropical Lite menu. There is something for everyone at Pollo Tropical!

The second time we visited, we used the drive through.  We had just spent the morning at the park and were hot and tired.  So we went a little out of our way so we could hit up PT on the way home. This time David got a kids meal (mac and cheese bowl with a drink and a guava bar) and I had the pineapple chicken wrap with a yummy sauce and grilled pineapple plus that delicious chicken.   Everything we've had there has been fresh and tasty!

The Lawrenceville location always seems crazy busy when we've passed by, and the two times we visited it was packed!  I was really excited to find out that we are getting a new Pollo Tropical location right here in North Gwinnett, by the Mall of Georgia! It opens later this summer.  It's hard to find fresh, healthy options when you are eating out, but you can't beat the grilled chicken at Pollo Tropical. We will definitely eat there once it opens. Next visit I will be trying their new Chicken Avocado Club Tropichop - yum!  They've just added fresh avocado to the menu since it is in season, and also Cheezy Yuca bites!

***I am so bummed that I can't use the pictures I took at Pollo Tropical of their tasty food. My phone's camera was acting up this Spring and many pictures I took were blurry and horrible.  So the pics included in this post are actually from the Pollo Tropical website.***

Time for another giveaway!! Pollo Tropical wants to give one my readers a fantastic swag bag full of PT swag and coupons for their amazing food!

It's easy to enter via the rafflecopter widget below.  (if you don't see it, click the read more link) Please enter only if you live in an area with Pollo Tropical locations.  (They are only in the South East - FL, GA, TX, TN) All entries will be verified.

CLOSED ~ Quick giveaway!! Win a Wooden Spoon from Tuttorosso & JKAA!

So last week I shared the Tuttorosso Wooden Spoon Giveaway that they are running on FB, remember? Today they asked if I'd like to give one of you that same prize! Of course I said yes !  :)

So this will be a super easy, quick giveaway.  First you need to enter the official giveaway on the FB page, then come back here and leave a comment saying you did so.  Please include your email address in the comment so that I can reach you if your comment is the winning entry!  I will pick one comment to
win a wooden spoon from Tuttorosso here on the blog!

Contest closes on November 5th at 12:01 am.  Open to US & Canada.  Prize will be mailed to you directly from the sponsor!

How to make Varsity-style Chili Cheese Dogs

Tonight for dinner I made the yummiest homemade chili for hotdogs! It is similar to the chili found at the world-famous Varsity restaurant.   No beans, just yummy spiced meat!  What'll ya' have!?!?

Varsity-Style Chili for hot dogs

1 lb lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1/8 onion, chopped fine (omitted in my version)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/3 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 cup water 
1/2 to 1 whole (1/3 ounce) package chili seasoning mix, adjust amount to your taste


Directions:

Brown ground beef in skillet and drain fat.

Add all other ingredients and combine.  Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often.  Add  additional 1/2 c water, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce, stir well and cook, covered on med. low for 30 minutes. Stir as needed.  I also added a little more water as needed so it didn't completely thicken up.    

I topped our Hebrew National beef hotdogs on Sara Lee whole grain buns with this chili and some shredded cheddar cheese.  SO good! At the Varsity, you can get them topped with chopped onion, too.  My husband always does!  We enjoyed these with Baked Lays chips and a sweet fruit salad. :)


This is my adaptation of a recipe on Food.com: the original version can be found at http://www.food.com/recipe/varsity-chili-for-hot-dogs-120680?scaleto=4&mode=null&st=true

How to make the Perfect Cold-Busting Vitamin C Drink

Well, we are fighting off the colds here at our home.  So yucky to be hacking away with a dry raspy cough,  you know, the kind that makes your head & chest hurt?!   So far,   just D & I have it - hoping the other two members of our family don't get it!  I made a most delicious, vitamin infused drink for us to fight this off and wanted to share it with you - both kids LOVED it!  And it is super easy to make - only 3 ingredients!

Sorry,  I didn't remember to take pictures before I made this!!  We love cranberry juice with Lime La Croix water, so I wanted something similar. I used one bottle of cranberry juice cocktail ( you can also use pure cranberry juice), one small bottle of fizzy sugar-free key lime flavored water, and an envelope of Emergen-C cranberry pomegranate drink mix.   I used a large plastic drink dispenser, and just shook it all up!  Then store it in fridge and let it get cold!

The water and Emergen-C will both make this drink fizzy (which makes it a little like soda - more tempting for kids!) That is why you see the bubbly/frothy stuff on the dispenser. 

It is really, really tasty!  And loads of vitamin C!  So if you've got colds or other bugs going around your house, give this drink a try!  Hope you love it like we did ~ yummmmm!

Delicious Savory Super Bowl Party Food!

I'm looking forward to making some yummy treats for my family next Sunday. Katie is the only one who really loves football, but the rest of us enjoy all the fun commercials! This year, I'm making a cheesy, corn-y Mexican flavored dip, and my most favorite Buffalo Chicken dip. I'll serve them with carrots, celery and Tostito Scoops. I'll probably add my Easy Peasy BBQ Chicken Pizza to the spread, too.

Cheesy-Mexicorn Dip (serve warm!)

1 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened (you can mix this with a little taco seasoning for more spice)
1 15 or 16-oz Can Refried Beans (I use fat-free)
1/2  (or full) can Hormel No-bean Chili (I like the Turkey No-Bean Chili - if you use 1/2 can, freeze leftover chili in a ziploc bag flat in the freezer for next time!)
1 can Mexicorn or white corn, drained
**optional** chop a handful of black olives coarsely, throw them on top of the corn
1 8-oz pkg Mexican-blend Shredded Cheese

Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Spread beans, then the chili, then the corn, (and olives, if you use them) on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheese over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes until cheese is melted. SOOOOOOOOOOOO good!  Drizzle ranch dressing over the top, serve with corn or tortilla chips!

Buffalo Chicken Dip (served warm)

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup Frank's® RedHot® Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (can use mozzarella, parm, blue, or any other cheese instead)
2 (9.75 ounce) cans Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cream cheese in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth. Stir in the dressing, hot sauce and shredded cheese, then stir in the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbly. Stir before serving.  Serve with carrots, celery, pita or other chips, crackers.

We're gonna be rooting for the Patriots next week ~ Katie really likes them!  How about you ~ which team has your vote? And what delicious foods do you serve on game day?  I'd love to see your favorite recipes, leave me a comment!

How we fondue on New Year's Eve

Tomorrow night, our little family will have our 4th annual NYE Fondue Feast!  My kids love fondue - we enjoy the Melting Pot when we are lucky enough to get Groupon gift certificates, but when we can't afford that kind of night out, we drag out our two fondue pots and enjoy dipping our dinner at home! : )

Here are a few pics from last year's feast, to give you an idea of how we do it.  It's SO easy, and you can find fondue pots at Goodwill, garage sales, or from friends or family who have them sitting in a cabinet unused!  We received one pot as a wedding gift almost 9 years ago, and a second from a friend who gifted us her mom's cool vintage 1970's pot! 

We try different recipes each year ~ last year was a cheddar/beer cheese fondue served with crusty french bread and apple slices.  YUM!   This year, I bought a tried & true - the fondue cheese pack from the Deli at Publix.  It costs $14 - steep, but we tried making our own swiss fondue one year and it cost much more than that for all of the ingredients!! (The beer & cheese fondue contained about $12 worth of ingredients)

We also have a dessert fondue.  Obviously, it's the favorite part of the meal for the kids, ha!

Last year. our dippers were: cherries, angel food cake,  marshmallows, strawberries, pineapple & mini-nutter butters.  So good! 

My chocolate fondue is easy peasy.  No real measurements, I just taste/eye it til it's right.  Chocolate chips,  a little butter, a little half & half.  Heat over a double boiler, then pour into fondue pot, serve with dippers.

This is one easy way to get my kids to eat their fruit!

See?  Check out that chocolate mustache!!  : ) 

When I was a kid, my mom made a big pot of spaghetti every NYE.  We always stayed home.   I've never gone to the Peach Drop down in Atlanta (NY drops a crystal ball, Atlanta drops a peach!), but one day I'd like to do that.  I confess to being very leery of being out on the roads on New Years -  the idea of many more people drinking and driving scares me to death! So for now, we stay home, safe & sound.

What are your family traditions regarding New Years Eve?  Leave me a comment & share, pretty please!  Hope you have a very safe & super-fun New Years Eve, and that 2012 is full of blessings and wonderful things for you and yours!! xoxo ~