Tag Archives: restaurant

“NOT” The Tortilla Factory, Fortilla Tactory Salsa Recipe

THE Tortilla Factory Salsa Recipe - Best Salsa Recipe. EVER.

I was going to do another Molly’s Money post today, but I’m sorry, this recipe just HAD to be shared. Especially with the Super Bowl being this weekend and all, I NEEDED to share it.

People from my hometown of Herndon, VA (and surrounding areas) will appreciate this post the most, however, once you make this salsa, you too, will be thankful.

Now, this is NOT (READ: this is NOT) my recipe. I’ve mentioned before that my favorite restaurant in the ENTIRE WORLD, like, the ENTIRE WORLD was called The Tortilla Factory. I grew up going to The Tortilla Factory MULTIPLE times a week. One summer, I ate there something like 65 days in a row. Yeah, I loved it that much. Well, sadly, I found out last year (WHILE we were on our honeymoon) that The Tortilla Factory was closing.

I didn’t even get to eat there one last time. :( I cried. Pathetic, I’m aware.

One of the things they were MOST famous for was their SALSA. To say their salsa is good is an understatement. It just needs to be experienced. They made it in house and the recipe was always SUPER secret.

Well, since the restaurant closed last February, the recipe has gotten out there and I got a hold of it. Now, I don’t want The Tortilla Factory police coming after me, so that’s why this is titled the “Fortilla Tactory” salsa recipe. Hehehe :) jk!

So anyway, I made it this week and my life has been changed forever.

Now, it’s going to take a LITTLE bit of tweaking as the first batch I made is not EXACTLY how the salsa tasted, but it was PRETTY dang close (trust me, I knew that salsa like the back of my hand) BUT, I can tell you what I’d do differently next time.

So, below is the recipe as I received it, and in grey parentheses I have told you what I would do differently to get it SPOT on next time.

But trust me, it is good. You’ll never want to eat another salsa again. Seriously.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • Medium onion, chopped – (I used a red onion, I would probably use a smaller red onion next time)
  • 1 or more chopped cloves garlic – (I used two cloves and will probably use one clove next time)
  • 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper - (I used this amount and it has a great amount of spice, BUT you can use more or less depending on how dangerous you feel)
  • 2 tsp. Mexican oregano, preferable – (You can find Mexican oregano at Harris Teeter or any “nicer” grocery store like Whole Foods or whathaveyou)
  • 2 tsp. salt/to taste
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 4-6 oz. coarsely chopped cilantro – (I would NOT recommend using this much, I used about 1/2oz. and that was PLENTY)
  • 1/2-3/4 cup red wine vinegar – (I would recommend using 1/2 cup, I used 3/4 and will definitely only use 1/2 cup next time)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender or food processor (I used a blender) blend all the ingredients until you achieve a smooth consistency.

DO NOT try to eat this salsa right away. It is 100,000,000 times better when it sits in the fridge over night. It’s even BETTER on day two. If you try and eat it right away all you are going to taste is vinegar. It also gets a little spicier the longer it sits. Remember to stir and mix the salsa up every time you take it out of the fridge to eat it as the oil and vinegar condense.

Enjoy! Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Now, if I can only figure out the chicken chimichanga and fajita marinade recipes…

What about you? Are you a Tortilla Factory fan? Let me know if you try this recipe and if you make any tweaks to it!

52 in 52: Pueblo Viejo – Hillsborough, NC

52 in 52 is a weekly series that I publish on Friday afternoons where the hubs and I visit / try out a new restaurant in the area that either one or, preferably, both of us have never been to. Then we review the restaurant! The goal: 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks of marriage. :)

Pueblo Viejo | Hillsborough, North Carolina | Facebook | Website

[Shirt: Target, Skirt: Express, Boots: Thrifted, Sunnies: Target, Headband: Target (similar), Bag: Longchamp, Denim Jacket: LOFT]

This is Pueblo Viejo. Two years ago on July 15th, it was called Casa Ibarra. And it’s the place where John and I went on our first, real, non-Toby-Keith-concert date. I awkwardly asked him after work what he was doing that night and suggested we go eat Mexican food.

We ended up at Casa Ibarra.

Coincidentally, it is RIGHT NEXT to the place where we had our wedding reception. Who knew that two years ago whilst sitting at dinner at Casa Ibarra / Pueblo Viejo, we’d be married less than two years from that point RIGHT next door…?!

So, since we hadn’t been back to Casa Ibarra / Pueblo Viejo since that night, we decided to go on the two-year anniversary of that night and use the restaurant as a 52 in 52… you know cause it’s a new restaurant.

The food was the same. Delicious, traditional Mexican food. You can’t really go wrong. Is it the BEST Mexican food we’ve ever had? No. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it is good. And nostalgic for us.

And to make matters more awesome? They just HAPPENED to sit us in the SAME EXACT BOOTH as the night we went there on our first date. We didn’t even ask them to… It was kind of awesome.

So, Casa Ibarra Pueblo Viejo wasn’t a let down. It was delicious, affordable, quick and easy… and honestly? That place kinda means a lot to us… even if it’s not the BEST ever. Although their Queso dip was pretty dang stellar.

Where should we go next? Have you tried any new places lately?

Overall Stillman Rating: 3 out of 5 Stillman Stars

Happy Friday! YAY OLYMPICS!! GO USA!

-all for now. molly <3

52 in 52: Antonia’s in Hillsborough, NC

52 in 52 is a weekly series that I publish on Friday afternoons where the hubs and I visit / try out a new restaurant in the area that either one or, preferably, both of us have never been to. Then we review the restaurant! The goal: 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks of marriage. :)

Antonia’s Restaurant | 101 North Churton Street | Hillsborough, NC 27278

(919) 643-7722 | Website | Facebook | Yelp

So, last Friday, husband and I finally got to try the little Italian restaurant in our town. It opened a little while ago and it’s a LITTLE on the fancy side and we just hadn’t been able to try it yet.

Well, we had both hit a lot of milestones and we both had pretty big and successful weeks at work (and I made my first big sale!) – there was a lot going on – and, needless to say, we decided that it was a night to just celebrate.

*Above is what I wore out to dinner. (You may have seen this outfit earlier this week). Hubs snapped a pic of me in this little alley way… I really do love our little town. Downtown Hillsborough is so quaint and awesome and has so much character.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

Another shot of downtown Hillsborough.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

Welcome to Antonia’s. That lady right there… in the photo below… that’s Antonia. Sweetest little Italian lady. She even sat us at our table. Love it.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

The menu at Antonia’s changes depending on what’s in season, with the exception of a few “staples.” They also have a separate, printed Dinner Specials menu with a ton of REALLY good food. The specials were a little on the pricey side, but the “staples” on the menu were VERY reasonable! Pasta ranged from $9-$14 a plate.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

Since it was a special celebratory night out, we opted to toast with a glass of the house prosecco. I don’t honestly know much about wine or really, any bubbly, in general but it was very good.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NCFor an appetizer, hubs got a bowl of the gumbo and I got bruschetta. SO. GOOD. Ah those tomatoes were so fresh and the basil was just right.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

For dinner, we each opted to go with a “staple” – I got the lasagna bolognese (pictured below) and hubs got the linguine al ragu. I LOVED my lasagna – seriously. One of the best lasagna’s I’ve ever had (only second to the lasagna my mother-in-law makes (now THAT is good lasagna…). But seriously, the cheeses were perfect, the sauce was delicious, and with the bread they brought out for dipping? Perfect.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

Hubs liked his meal, didn’t love it. I tried his linguine and the sauce was great, but the noodles were cooked a little too hard, in my opinion. They weren’t quite… al dente. Is that what you say? It was good, not great. My lasagna was definitely the right choice of the night.

Antonia's Restaurant - Hillsborough, NC

We were so full after dinner we didn’t do dessert in house… we went to Wendy’s and got a Frostie. Don’t judge us.

Anyway, all in all I really loved Antonia’s. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be a “regular” place for us – but it’s perfect for a special occasion or when you’re craving fresh, local ingredients and a big ol’ bowl of pasta. :)

Overall Stillman Grade: 3 out of 5 Stillman Stars :)

So, where should we go next?

all for now.

52 in 52: Russell’s Steakhouse in Hillsborough, NC

You guysssssssss, I have a man outfit in this post. YESSSS!

You’ll see more of these pics in a coming post… but I figured since this is what we both wore to dinner, I’d include it for fun. :)

If you don’t know, 52 in 52 is a weekly series that I publish on Friday afternoons where the hubs and I visit / try out a new restaurant in the area that either one or, preferably, both of us have never been to. Then we review the restaurant! The goal: 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks of marriage.  :)

Check out my hunk of a husband before dinner! Check him out in his Cody James boots c/o Boot Barn!

…And, I felt a little frumpy, but it was SUPER hot this day and I just threw this on out the door to dinner…

Seriously. How hunky is this guy?

hubs: shirt: old navy, jeans: old navy, boots: c/o boot barn, shades: ??

me: shirt: juicy couture (old), jacket: old navy, necklace: jcrew via ebay, shorts: belk, boots: ebay

Anyway, onto this week’s 52 in 52.

Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to Russell’s Steakhouse in Hillsborough, NC. Okay, I’m going to be honest with you… this place is not new to Hubs and I. Nope. It’s our favorite restaurant in the whole world (well, all of Hillsborough and the surrounding area, at least). We had our rehearsal dinner here and we hadn’t eaten here since we’ve been married… and honestly, I feel like I’d be letting Y’ALL down if I didn’t tell you about it.

Russell’s is located off of Old 86 and I-85 in the old Occoneechee Steakhouse location. The owners, Rusty and Sheila, took over the place, renovated it, and completely re-did the menu and it is now AMAZING.

Seriously.

That’s hubs probably telling me to stop taking pictures…

It’s a rustic-looking restaurant with all certified Angus beef, local chicken, and fresh fish. Honestly, the prices are really good for what you get, too.

The filet (my favorite) is only $21 for a 9oz. Yes, $21 is expensive for steak, but for THE BEST FILET EVER? $21 is not bad. At all. And their burgers and other dishes are all VERY reasonably priced. Oh and the service is great, too!

Their sides are amazing. Their shimp scampi? TO DIE FOR. All their beef. SO GOOD. Oh, and the bread? The bread! GAH! SO GOOD. …now I want Russell’s tonight.

This is the lobby of the restaurant. I didn’t get any pictures of us at dinner because it is really dark in there and my camera doesn’t do well in low lighting (dangit!) but I can assure you, Russell’s does not disappoint.

We go there a lot for dinner but like I said, they specialize in special events. They have a GORGEOUS (read: SO NICE) event room / space that we had our huge rehearsal dinner in and it was PERFECT. In fact, the place was SO nice, we had almost considered it for our wedding reception. It’s such a cool, rustic venue.

Seriously, y’all. I can’t say enough good things about Russell’s. I LOVE the people, the place, and the food. It’s such a hidden gem that I just want to scream from the rooftops how awesome it is.

So, yeah. Go. Check Russell’s out. You won’t regret it.

Here are the deets: Russell’s Steakhouse, 378 South Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 | (919) 241-4902

Website | Yelp

What restaurant should we check out next?

All for now. :)

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