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Lunch at Taco Mamacita

September 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

As a buyer’s agent at Pearl & Associates Real Estate, Stevie Corbitt doesn’t have much time for long, relaxing lunches during the busy week. She described her recent experience having lunch at Taco Mamacita on North Market Street for the NoogaLife. 

Sitting on the warm patio of Taco Mamacita is a great way to really soak up the atmosphere of the North Shore, especially during rush hour on a weekday. You can hear the great playlist on in the background of the restaurant, along with the buzz of the city. I got to experience this first-hand on my first lunch trip to Taco Mamacita!

My mother and I decided on this restaurant because neither of us had eaten there before. The staff was very friendly, and although they were busy, our food came out in a timely fashion. We decided to go with a salsa sampler (the red salsa is the best!) and chips. It’s hard not fill up on appetizers, but when my enchilada came out I couldn’t help but dig in. Overall, it was great for lunch, although I did leave extremely full!

gringo enchiliada from taco mamacita

 

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#LovingtheLocal with Southern Star Restaurant

June 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, pork chops, and other delectable southern food, you need to visit the Southern Star. With two SouthernStarlocations — one on the Southside, and one on Signal Mountain — the Southern Star makes it easy for Chattanoogans to get a fix of southern cooked goodness.

Operated by Rick and Nancy Adams, the Southern Star offers up the best kind of comfort food. Menu items are all house-made, and taste like someone’s grandmother is doing the cooking. One of the things that is special about the Southern Star is the carry-out convenience they offer. You can purchase a fully-cooked entree and side items to take home and reheat, in sizes that vary from a single portion to a family-sized serving.

The Broad Street location is a full-service restaurant, with a smaller carry-out section, while the Signal Mountain location is more of a carry-out shop, where you can have items heated if you want to eat in. Both locations offer special orders and catering, whether you want to buy a whole cake, or have a black-tie event catered.

Whichever location you visit, do yourself a favor and have dessert! Cakes, pies, and perfect banana pudding keep customers coming back for more. But, it’s not all sweets and fried foods — the deli cases have plenty of fresh, healthy options. The kale salad, and the quinoa salad are both low in calories but extremely flavorful.

 

 

 

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#LovingtheLocal: The Longhorn Restaurant

April 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Not too long ago, our friend @ModernSauce posted a photo of The Longhorn Restaurant on Instagram. That got us thinking about how many awesome local businesses there are in Chattanooga, and how they get overshadowed by the chains so often. Everyone knows about The Waffle House, right? But not nearly so many people know about The Longhorn Restaurant. You’ve probably driven past it on North Market:

Longhorn sign (correct)

photo credit: ModernSauce

 

 

You may be wondering what’s so great about The Longhorn? Here are just a few things we love about it:

  • The look — the vintage decor sets the mood for an excellent diner meal.
  • The food — it’s just GOOD.
  • The service — friendly and thorough.

The Longhorn is only open for breakfast and lunch, and is located at 129 North Market Street — in the same plaza as Taco Mamacita and ClearSpring Yoga. You can’t miss the oddly shaped building.

In an effort to share some of our other favorite local spots, we are starting a new series called Loving the Local. Each week, we’ll feature a business, organization, or citizen who helps make Chattanooga a great place to live.  Our friends at Pearl & Associates Real Estate have decided to show some local love, too. They are giving away a $25 gift certificate to The Longhorn Restaurant (plenty for breakfast for two!) on May 1. There are two ways to enter the drawing:

1. Subscribe to the Pearl & Associates newsletter. You’ll get emails once or twice a month about all sorts of local real estate topics — how to sell a home faster, what kind of credit score and savings you need to buy a home, special programs, taking care of your house, and much more.

2. If you are already subscribed, you can still enter the drawing. Simply forward the Pearl & Associates newsletter to a friend.

Do you have a favorite locally owned business that you’d like us to feature? Let us know in the comments!

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Keeping the Love Alive in Nooga

March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Just because it isn’t February 14 doesn’t mean you can’t experience romance in Chattanooga! Most people are busy, with work, with kids, and with life. It’s easy to let romance fall to the wayside. Here are some of our favorite ways

An unexpected bouquet of fresh spring flowers is romantic!

An unexpected bouquet of fresh spring flowers is romantic!

to keep the love alive, no matter the date:

Take a stroll together. We’ve written about which parks are best for small children before, and several from that list can be romantic, as well. Coolidge Park is great for stroll after a romantic dinner at any of the restaurants on the North Shore.

Spend an afternoon in the Bluff View Art District. Enjoy coffee at Rembrandt’s, then enjoy the River Gallery Sculpture Garden, the Hunter Art Museum, or the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts. Finish up with a romantic dinner at Tony’s Pasta Shop & Trattoria.

For a more traditional romantic excursion, visit Chattanooga’s wine and cheese bar: Brix Nouveau. You can enjoy wine, cheese, meats, fresh bread, a beautiful outdoor patio, and an all around excellent atmosphere. There is often live music scheduled, too!

If you and your sweetie prefer a more outdoorsy kind of romance, spend a weekend exploring and camping at Raccoon Mountain. There are extensive hiking trails, campgrounds, cabin rentals, events, and, of course, the caverns to explore.

Share a day, an afternoon, or even an hour of luxury at the Chattanoogan Hotel Spa. Even if you aren’t staying at the hotel, you can make reservations to enjoy a wide range of relaxing and rejuvenating spa services.

Whether your relationship is brand new, well established, or you’ve been together for a million years, some time for romance is always a good thing!

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Authentic Latin food in Nooga

October 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Are you looking for some authentic Latin food? Then look now further than Conga Latin Food. Located in the South side district at 207 E. Main Street, Conga Latin Food has some uniquely Latin food.

Walking into the restaurant I was greeted by the friendly staff and the brightly colored walls, and playing in the background was Cecilia Cruz, a classic Cuban favorite. Once I heard the music I was convinced this was authentic! It is a seat yourself place so I found my seat and the waitress came over with plantain chips and three sauces for the chips, a mango flavor, salsa verde, and a onion and cilitrano based sauce. YUM!

The menu is small but all Latin. When I saw the empandas I knew it was a must have for me. Guava empandas con queso are a favorite and I was hoping these would hold up, and I was not disappointed. I have been back three times all ready in the past two weeks. Once, just getting some to go.

The menu also includes Salvadorian pupusas which I must say are very good, along with black beans, yucca, tostanes and some other traditional Latin Food. If you are looking for authentic Latin food this is the place for you!

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