Date Night at Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, NC

{ October 27, 2019 } - Trish

We all have these restaurants we never notice until we’re on our way to somewhere else, right? Well, Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, North Carolina, has been that place for me for quite a while now. From what I can tell, they’ve been open for almost 2 years now, but for some reason, they never come to mind when the hubby and I are ~~fighting~~ discussing where to go for dinner.

The stars finally aligned for me to try out Nu Asian Bistro when a good friend of mine invited us to a sushi dinner date. Turns out she had been there many times before, and it’s one of her go-to places! It was fate. Fate for a sushi date. Fate for a sushi date with some of my mates. Feel free to stop me anytime here.

Great Food and Deals

Now on to the good stuff – We happened to go on a Thursday night which also happens to be one of their BOGO sushi nights! Finally, I could try different kinds of sushi without it costing me an arm and a leg. I’m usually a Shrimp Tempura Roll kinda gal (which, of course, I got because it’s my favorite), but I also got their Volcano Roll, which I was very excited to try. Both were AMAZING, and I almost couldn’t finish them both (I said almost).

My Volcano Roll even looked like a volcano which I loved. I admired it for a total of 5 seconds before I destroyed it. Our friends got an undeniably large platter of sushi rolls that put my little plate to shame, and they loved their choices as well. If you don’t like sushi, they also offer many other dishes, including a special Thai menu that is out of this world. I’ll definitely be sampling that one soon. The hubs isn’t a fan of sushi, but he was super pleased with his Teriyaki Beef. I almost regretted not getting it, but we’re married so of course, I stole a bite or two or three.

As if the night wasn’t perfect enough with our BOGO sushi rolls, the dinner gods continued to shine down on us with $5 martinis… need I say more? There were four of us in our group, so we asked the waitress to surprise us with four different martinis. We spent the evening sampling almost their entire menu of martinis – Death by Chocolate, Sour Apple, Washington Apple – you name it, we probably tried it.

My Favorite Picks at Nu Asian Bistro

My personal favorite was the Lemon Drop Martini complete with sugar on the rim. The Sour Apple was a close second. This chocolate lover was sure the Death by Chocolate martini would rock my world, but I suppose I’m just not a big fan of chocolate with my alcohol. Martinis and sushi; this is my heaven, I’m sure of it! The service was great as was the atmosphere of this cute little restaurant. It’s complete with some nice, low lighting to really set the mood before you chow down on some delicious food.

Perfect Date Night at Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, NC

We had a great time for our first trip to Nu Asian Bistro! Yummy food, great friends, good atmosphere – it was the perfect date night. I may or may not have had one too many martinis… But hey, who I am kidding, it was totally worth it. Word on the street is they have BOGO sushi rolls Monday through Thursday, and different drink specials pretty often! We’ll definitely be returning to NU Asian Bistro for my sushi fix, but also to try some of my other Asian favorites like Mongolian Beef or a Thai Stir Fry. YUM.

If you’re new to the area or a local and haven’t tried this spot yet, Nu Asian Bistro should be on your list of places to have lunch or dinner. You can find them the next time you visit Jacksonville, NC at:

Nu Asian Bistro
2100 N Marine Blvd, Jacksonville, NC 28546

Loved this post? See more great finds along my Crystal Coast.

This guest post was contributed by Ragan Chambless. What are your favorite local restaurants in North Carolina? Do you have any places you love or haven’t gotten around to trying yet? I’d love to know what tickles your fancy so I can add some new places to my slew of places to visit. Help a sister out.

My Very First Blueberry Cobbler

{ July 7, 2012 } - Trish

I made Blueberry Cobbler! This is my very first Blueberry Cobbler ever and the first of many I hope, in my new kitchen. I was happily guided through it step by step by my cousin, a North Carolina native, and cobbler expert.

My recipe calls for fresh blueberries so I haven’t tried this with anything else. If you do, let me know how it works out. I’m sure it would be just as delicious.

Now, I’ve never been known as a food blogger and I’m not sure I ever will be but if I could make this, so can you! Here’s all you need to know to make a super simple blueberry cobbler you will actually want to eat (and maybe share).

Super Simple Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
4 cups fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place butter in an 8-inch square baking dish.
Melt the butter in the preheating oven, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
Mix flour, sugar, and milk in a bowl until combined; pour batter over melted butter. Scatter blueberries over the batter.
Bake in your preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, it takes about 1 hour.

That’s it. Super simple, even a food-loving, recipe-flubbing blogger like me can do it.

Do you have a good cobbler recipe? If so, drop it in the comments or link me to your post. I can’t wait to try yours!

A Visit to Shiver’s BBQ

{ August 3, 2011 } - Trish

My kids, like many, aren’t all that adventurous when it comes to food. In fact, they’d probably eat peanut butter and jelly for every meal if I allowed it. That’s why it’s important to me to try to get them to taste different foods and experiment with different flavors. Granted, barbeque isn’t that exotic but for kids who only order chicken fingers and cheeseburgers whenever we go out, I figured I’d give it a go. They like chicken and burgers so why not?

Shiver’s Fried Mac and Cheese Wedges

This was our first visit to Shiver’s BBQ. We found it on our way down to Coral Castle. The restaurant is family-owned and operated in Homestead, Fl. and has been serving authentic hickory-smoked barbecue for over 50 years! Shiver’s specializes in slow-smoked meats such as baby back ribs, pork spare ribs, beef ribs, chicken, beef brisket, pork, and more. If you’re a big fan of BBQ, it’s worth a drive down to check out. I hear that it’s a popular stop to and from the Keys.

Shiver’s Jalapeño and Cheese Grits

While we were there we tried burgers, chicken fingers (of course), BBQ, fried mac and cheese and jalapeño grits. All of which were delicious. I’d never had grits before so I stepped outside my comfort zone, too.

Overall, I’d say lunch was a parenting win. The place was family-friendly with picnic-style tables, and rolls of paper towels to keep even the messiest of hands clean. Kids enjoyed it and so did the adults. We’ll definitely be back when we’re in the area.

Visit Shiver’s BBQ in Miami

If you’d like to take your turn at trying Shiver’s BBQ in South Florida, here’s where you can find them. Enjoy!

Shiver’s BBQ

28001 S. Dixie Hwy
Homestead, Fl 33033

(305) 248-2272

Pei Wei Does Social Media Right

{ August 1, 2011 } - Trish

I love Pei Wei. Lucky for me, I have one in my neighborhood. Though the place is usually really great, the last visit wasn’t as good as it could have been. The food was great, service was fast but the place was super messy, there was no one cleaning tables, there were no napkins to be found and the booth seats were ripped. Ick!

I’m a huge social media enthusiast. I create and consume. When I go out to eat I snap photos to share on Foursquare and UrbanSpoon and I usually write a review or two when the mood strikes me. So, it was normal for me to comment on Foursquare about what my experience was during my last visit to Pei Wei in Miami Lakes. What was unusually surprising for me was that a few days later, Pei Wei reached out to me on Twitter to help make amends. Bravo Pei Wei! They apologized, noted my concerns and offered me a goodwill gesture.

Pei Wei gets it. They do social media right. They monitor their brand mentions and act upon the findings. They didn’t have to reach out to me but they did. It’s so hard to find good service anymore, so I wanted to make a point to write about this. The fact that someone at Pei Wei took the time to go the extra step and reach out to me AND listen to what I had to say made all the difference. I haven’t had a chance to get back to Pei Wei in Miami Lakes yet, but when I do I’ll be sure to follow-up with a post. Thanks again, Pei Wei! The ten-dollar gift card is appreciated.