Picnic in the Park

Last weekend Mother Nature finally allowed us to experience a bit of that wonderful spring weather I've been anxiously awaiting after what has seemed like an unending winter. So with temperatures predicted in the low 70's and sunshine on order, the husband and I decided to make a drive to Village Creek State Park near Wynne, Arkansas.

The state park falls along Crowley's Ridge, an unusual geologic formation that runs southward from the northeastern corner of Arkansas. In essence, it means for those with sports cars or motorcycles and a desire to find twisty roads it's a pathway to fun. The parkway that follows the ridge is favored among auto enthusiasts, motorcyclists and bicyclists that reside nearby. Driving to the park can be quick and bland by taking the main highways, or much more entertaining with decent quality roads (a little rough in some spots) that snake along the edge of the ridge. I did see one offshoot from the road we traveled with one of those magical "Crooked and Steep Next # Miles" signs and made note of the highway number. Oh yes, I will be back there to see if the sign is accurate and the road worthy of repeated travel.

The park itself is comprised of 7000 acres sitting atop Crowley's Ridge. It boasts two lakes and miles upon miles of trails for walking, hiking, cycling, or traveling on an ATV or horseback. We had our choice of many picnic tables overlooking Lake Austell and after a quick lunch went to the visitors center for more info about the trails. The one we walked, the Arboretum Trail, was a bit muddy in spots after the previous night's heavy rain, but that rain left every little creek running all along the trail. It's well marked, requires very minimal climbing and has signs pointing out some of the interesting trees along the path.

I was both pleased and impressed with the quality of the park. Arkansas does a great job with it's state parks; they're usually well maintained, clean and friendly to both the pedestrians and those on wheels. I hope to see more of the state's parks throughout the rest of the year. Right now I'm just happy to see spring!

Hot Springs, Arkansas is one of those resort towns I haven't been to in ages, at least up until about a week ago. Not surprisingly it has changed a bit since I was last there about 20 years ago. It looks in some ways like any typical tourist friendly town with the variety of chain restaurants and box hotels, with downtown playing host to an active restaurant and kitschy gift shops. Typical but overall not too bad. I've seen far worse and thus haven't been back to certain areas of Tennessee or Missouri for fear of a redneck kitsch overload.

It was a fun weekend getaway with my husband and parents, but the trip was plagued with bad weather and dismal food. The only time I saw blue skies was in the car about an hour from home. The food? It was a mixed bag of good, bad and just plain awful.

At least we started off with the good food. On the way, we made a stop for lunch at The Diner in Cabot, Arkansas. My husband and I had stopped there once prior and we were not disappointed this time either. The fried catfish, one of the daily lunch specials, was some of the best I have had in a long time. Everything we ate was quite good. The atmosphere doesn't hurt either; the staff makes even the passerby feel welcome, and the day we went Michael Shaw was playing his guitar and singing. (Many kudos to him too, he is quite the talented guy and can cover a range from John Denver to the Beatles to Johnny Cash and do a mighty fine job at them all.)

Our final destination wasn't actually in Hot Springs, but rather Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa, which sits tucked away on Lake Ouachita in the Ouachita National Forest between Hot Springs and Mt. Ida, Arkansas. It's secluded but a relatively short distance from the more metro areas, and it's really not quite what I typically envision when I think "resort & spa." We reserved a cabin near the lodge & restaurant with a wooded view. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that it seemed a bit older and smaller than I'd expected. The floor plan was odd too; for a two bedroom, two bath cabin, I wouldn't have expected the bathrooms to both be at the end of the hall, not at all attached to either bedroom and small enough to induce some serious claustrophobia. For two couples, it was workable but not the ideal scenario. While it was small and definitely dated, the cabin was neat, clean and very convenient to the lodge restaurant.

We did discover one problem that might not be so easy to overlook though. It seemed chilly in our cabin, and despite turning on the heat, it wasn't getting much warmer. We strolled over to the restaurant for dinner and mentioned the problem to the front desk. Just after we'd ordered our dinner, one of the resort managers came to our table. "I have good news and bad news. You were correct about your heat not working, and the bad news is that it isn't going to start working anytime soon either," she told us. She gave us an apologetic look and continued, "however the good news is we want to move you to another cabin, and we'll be giving you a free upgrade!" She told us about the new cabin's location, which was not located right at the lodge, but nearby and it had a view of the lake. We agreed, she provided our new cabin keys and we continued with our dinner.

Speaking of dinner, the lodge restaurant is relatively small and doesn't have a huge menu, but the food was quite good. It's home-cooking with a few culinary touches that take it up a notch from basic southern lodge food. Good examples were two dishes I sampled, the Key West Chicken Sandwich and the Southwestern Style Baked Potato. Neither had that heat-n-eat pre-made taste, which I initially had expected to find based on the location and appearance of the resort overall.

After dinner we moved to our new cabin and the difference was dramatic. This was what I had expected to find and then some! A real gem, tucked away in the woods, yet with a large back deck providing views of the lake and woods around it. High ceilings, a small but serviceable kitchen, bedrooms each with their own private bath and french doors leading out to the deck. It was newer, with a better floor plan, and most of all, more spacious. For a weekend escape it was a perfect location.

The following day, we had a late lunch at Burl's Country Smokehouse in Royal. Royal, like several other communities in the area, are the epitome of what southerners describe as a "wide spot in the road." There are plenty of them, with an equal number of little diners and dairy shacks so that at least you know if you're lost, you won't have to go without food for too long anyway. Back to Burl's, it's not so much a restaurant as a deli and country store with some seating available. Based on the delicious scent wafting through the cool fall air, it was obvious Burl's had an active smokehouse on-site. Both the turkey and ham were as smoky good as the smell outside had led me to expect, and it was well worth the stop for lunch.

This was where the good food on this trip ended. I could skip the rest, but sometimes my travels serve not just as a recommendation but as a warning of pitfalls to avoid. Porterhouse in Hot Springs is one such place. It looked good from the street, but that was where it ended. In short, it was a place that at one time might have been good, but since then all the employees with any culinary talent have moved on, leaving it to the has-been and wanna-be upscale steakhouse staff. The food was not horrible (wait for it, that's next) but it lacked inspiration or anything interesting.

The next day on our trip home we stopped in at La Hacienda. Over the years, I have seen it promoted as the place for Mexican food. Whoever "they" are that determined this was the place, they lied. It didn't start out as a bad experience, the chips and salsa were both good. After that, the wheels fell off the tasty train. The tamales were some of the worst I have ever tasted anywhere. Truly awful. Its a shame too, as they looked homemade and visually were appealing. The taste failed to live up to anywhere close to what I expected. Not to be totally disparaging of the place, the service was very good. The remaining dishes I sampled, including tacos and carnitas were both just average, not a grand disaster like those tamales thankfully!

So overall, we had a good weekend relaxing at our cabin but the eats were a mixed bag of hits and big misses. Either way it's an adventure, and those are never a bad thing. They're the stuff that makes for good memories!

Destination : BBQ and Pie

Going to a new restaurant based on a review is always a risk. Do I know the person who gave the review? Is this a trusted friend, someone who I know has similar tastes and tolerances to my own, or is this an unknown reviewer out there in the vast blogosphere? This past week I took a chance, based on a review of two pie shops and a bbq restaurant in DeVall's Bluff, a small town just southwest of Brinkley and I-40 in Arkansas.

So the husband and I loaded up with our neighbors and headed off for a short road trip for a BBQ lunch and some pie for desert. After a drive through the flat farmlands of the Delta, where the farmers always seem to have too much (or not enough) rain, we arrived at what was not a lot more than a wide spot in the road. The sign greeting us read "DeVall's Bluff, population 780." This definitely would be an interesting experience at least.

First stop in town was for lunch at Craig's BBQ. It's the typical older bbq shack building from the exterior, and even more simple and dated inside. Layers of linoleum peek out around the floor, showing that the sign outside proclaiming "est. 1947" probably isn't an exaggeration. Our enthusiastic and friendly waitress arrives and we order up the pork bbq and lemonade to drink, which she coyly assures us is good, "'cause I made it." One sip and I agreed, it was good lemonade, less tart and more sweet than most. The bbq wasn't quite what we expected, as it was sliced rather than pulled pork. I'd also read a review on RoadFood.com that warned of the heat levels to their sauce. The sandwiches arrived already sauced, and I wisely chose mild. I sampled the medium sauce version my husband ordered and as I consumed more cooling lemonade I pondered just how flammable was their hot sauce. I was saving my bravery for later or I'd probably had to ask for a taste of the hot sauce, just out of curiosity. I don't know I quite agree with RoadFood's overall review of "Worth driving from anyplace," but it would make a good stop along my way if I were traveling through the area.

Next stop: Pie Shop. Not just any generic grocery store bakery, but a step back in time to Family Pie Shop (also known as Mary's Place.) Just across the street, set back from the highway about 100 feet is this white cinder block building with "pie shop" hand painted on the side. We passed the driveway a couple of times, debating in the car if that actually was the real entrance or just a driveway to a house next door. My friend and I stepped in through the screen door and instantly I was transported back to my grandmother's kitchen both from the sight and the smell. Ms. Mary came out to greet us and told us what kind of pies she had today. "Chocolate, coconut and one or two apricot fried pies." She carefully gathered up our selections from her kitchen, slipping the chocolate mini-pies (about 5-inch individual pies) into Styrofoam containers and graciously thanked us for stopping by. She genuinely seemed to take modest pride in her work and that alone made me glad we sought out her pie shop.

As we stopped at a local gas station further down the road headed home, we dove into the pies. It was simple, good homemade pie. It wasn't one of those overpriced concoctions that boasts vast mountains of meringue above a mediocre filling, it was all clearly homemade and good. Not a "turn the car around, I need more NOW" type of good, but tasty nonetheless. I don't recommend that neat freaks or those indoctrinated to the southern small-town restaurant kitchen go inside; it's not a shiny commercial production kitchen but a hodge-podge of ovens, plastic bowls and utensils from 10 years ago or more, low lighting, no seating for customers, and its one nod to the modern world, a substantially-sized commercial grade stainless refrigerator.

Overall it was a good trip for the company, the adventure and trying something new. I can't say I was as overwhelmingly impressed with the food as the reviews led me to believe, but both are worth trying as a stop along the road. And the service? It's typical of a small town in the Mississippi delta, it's consistently more friendly and inviting than many other places I've been.

A Restaurant Down Memory Lane

To paraphrase a comment from James May, car enthusiast and presenter on Top Gear (BBC), "Never drive the car of your childhood dreams."

This applies to food as well, as my husband and I found out this evening. Periodically throughout our marriage, I've heard my husband wax poetic about Almond Chicken from a local restaurant. Over the years I've attempted to make the dish a few times, but none so far have been the dish he recalled, or even come close. So after tossing the idea around a few times, we finally decided tonight we'd try that restaurant for dinner and see if I could get a better idea of what this dish really entailed.

Bad idea. I think I can borrow Mr. May's comment and take it one step further. My revised version is as follows: Never return to the restaurant you idolized during your childhood. It will NOT live up to the memory.

Our first hint to turn and run should have been that the sign now included "buffet." When the parking lot on a Friday night seemed to be sparsely populated, that should have been the second giant red flag waving us and our car into a different direction. Then the food... cold, salty and so loaded with MSG, it wasn't what I'd call pleasant. I've had worse experiences, but this was up pretty high on the list of bad food.

It wasn't as bad as that infamous burger in Maui. That truly was horrific, I don't think there are words to describe it. I can't recall the name of the place, but after a long ride motorcycle ride around the quite literally breathtaking Honoapiilani and Kahekili Highways from Kapalua, my husband and I were tired and ready for a place to relax and chow down. As is our usual traveling style, we were trying to go with a local restaurant, so we found one and stopped in for a sandwich. What we got were two of the most awful, grease drenched burgers I've ever had anywhere. We actually both took one gut-wrenching bite, paid for the "food" and left the restaurant. To this day I can recall how truly bad that inedible item on the plate was, described mysteriously as a burger. There are meals I like to remember and even reminisce, and then there's that experience that I won't ever be able to forget.

Take my word for it about the childhood thing though. Keep the memory untarnished. Let it remain happy there in your mind and history. In my case, I'm just thankful that Mexican restaurant I used to adore back in high school is long since gone, but not forgotten.

BBQ Lunches

For some reason, it seems I've been chowing on the BBQ lately. I know I take food cravings in cycles, as I recently went to Blue Coast Burrito three days in a row. The tacos are really good, but three consecutive days? Maybe we are creatures of habit.

I while I do like BBQ, admittedly I am not a connoisseur of all things BBQ. Just the term "BBQ" has a vague definition, making reaching a pinnacle of experience appear unattainable. What is BBQ exactly? It depends on who I ask. It could be any number of smoked portions of a critter, or some food item(s) cooked on a grill, or simply a meat drowning in a BBQ sauce. There's that elusive term again, BBQ. Presuming we could even narrow down that BBQ is a cooking methodology that employs a slow, low heat source and smoke from a type of wood, there's then a whole debate on what makes a good sauce. Sweet? Spicy? Slippery thin? Molasses Thick?

Fortunately, none of this matters to me. Put the cooked critter on a plate and give me a fork already. Sweet, savory, vinegar-based, molasses based, I'll take it all. About the only BBQ that I will skip uses a mustard based sauce. I've actually seen my husband get an indescribable expression on his face and excuse himself from the table to rid himself of bbq with mustard-based sauce. I don't quite have that strong an aversion to it, but why waste the calories and fat on something that's not to my liking? If it requires running an extra mile that day, I'm going to make it something truly tasty.

Anyway, I've had the good fortune of finding good BBQ in my path as of late. Searching for something local open on a Sunday, which in itself is a challenge, my husband and I found Woody's BBQ at the end of a strip mall in Elizabethton, Tennessee. I wouldn't expect a BBQ chain centered around Florida to have BBQ that Tennesseans find acceptable. When it comes down to it, people are pretty picky about their BBQ, we southerners most especially. So a BBQ joint that has a fairly full parking lot is as good an indicator as I could find that day. It was a good call too, as their sampler of pork, chicken and turkey were very good. The turkey was served as a section instead of pulled and in conjunction with some great chili cheese fries, made for a good lunch stop.

Another good BBQ experience I've enjoyed twice now at Famous Daves in Little Rock, AR. They are a chain out of Minnesota, and to this southerner's surprise, there IS good BBQ to come from north of Kentucky! (I have a short list of food rules and this breaks one of them, more on that later.) Their BBQ chicken is truly exceptional! Also seeing that they're based out of the North explains their sweet cornbread muffins, as any southern cook will tell you that cornbread isn't supposed to be sweet. I take issue with that, and I like it both ways; I say that doesn't make me un-southern but that I have a more flexible palette! I have it on good word (my mom) that their bread pudding is also fantastic, but both times I've been I filled up on too much BBQ chicken to give it a try. There's always next time, and with chicken that good, there will definitely be a next time.

So regardless of what it's called, the deliciously cooked meats and their accompaniments I consumed at two "BBQ" restaurants recently were worth the calories. I do like my BBQ, in most any form. I think that qualifies me as southern enough.

A Friendly Recommendation

"We're going to insert city name here, got any recommendations?"
Being a frequent traveler, I hear that question fairly often and do my best to provide ideas of worthwhile stops. Most often it goes right, but there are instances where something goes awry.

For example, after I posed this same question to a friend in Little Rock, Arkansas, my husband and I went to a cool place called Imagine a Restaurant. They had good sandwiches and very good fresh made chips. Within a few months time, I had friends going to Little Rock that would be in that area of the city, so I suggested the place for lunch. They arrived to find it had closed. Just a few doors down was Crew, a restaurant I'd also tried and found it to be pretty mediocre at best. I wish I knew what caused the good restaurant to fail and mediocrity to live on; I can only assume it was either under-funded or poorly managed, either of which will take places with the best food down in a hurry.

Then there's that time you make a suggestion and it falls flat. I've recommended both hotels and restaurants that were in my book worth return trips that for various reasons didn't pan out. The Crowne Plaza in Little Rock, Arkansas is a prime example; I encouraged my parents to stay there and their experience was far from good. The room was noisy and didn't have proper working curtains so bright spotlights beamed in like pointed lasers all night. I've stayed there on several occasions and have yet to have a room anything like their description, but during my last visit I discovered the difference. Rooms facing into the atrium area would hear all the music and sounds of the bar drifting up, plus the high-placed spotlights would be blinding to the eyes at 3am without the curtains pulled tight. So I stand behind my recommendation for the hotel, but know that guests must ask for the right room placement.

Another issue is level of tolerance. How much of a "dive" looking place will someone take? I've had some amazing bbq at a place in Memphis, Tennessee, but I can assure you I'd never go there after dark. I don't think the bars on the windows are just ornamental. For the sake of some good eats, I'm willing to accept the rough edges that may come with the package. There is one I won't tolerate though, and that's smoking. Nothing will make me do an about face and promptly leave as quickly as a cloud of smoke hanging over the tables, waiting to irritate my desensitized nostrils.

As of late, I've gone three for three. Brave New Restaurant, Cupcakes on Kavanaugh (both in Little Rock) and The Green Tomato Cafe (in Pocahontas, AR) all are places I've mentioned on here. Recently I've had friends give a thumbs-up review to all three, so not only are they still in business, they're approved by other trusted foodies.

Now I just need to get out and find more places to recommend. Despite those occasional bumps in the road, I'll keep on making my suggestions and take the chance. It's a worthwhile risk.

Gut Instinct

When the lady at the front desk said "We don't have any king beds, all our rooms are single or double queen rooms" I should have listened to my gut, thanked her for her help and gone to the next hotel. Instead I allowed myself to be caught up in the newness of the hotel. Not the best move on my part.

Let me back up to the beginning. We were visiting family in Mountain Home, Arkansas and decided to stay the night. I knew there was a fairly new Holiday Inn Express and had expected to grab a room there. However, when my husband and I drove by, we spotted a brand new Hampton Inn next door. "Even newer?" I thought. "Sure, why not!" So along the way we stopped and I ducked in to reserve a room for the night. Everything was shiny-new and looked like a typical new Hampton Inn. The rate seemed reasonable, and rooms were available. Then the clerk gave me the news about bed choices. Succumbing to the gloss, sparkly gleam and a mostly empty parking lot, I decided to proceed with the room.

That night we returned to our room for the night. The room itself was standard fare, but typical of a small town was a bit more spacious, especially for the price. The bed was reasonably comfortable, as was the rest of the room. We nodded off for the night. Then came 6am. Around that time, it began to sound like someone was taking a shower about 3 feet from our bed. Anytime someone walked by in the hallway, it was as if they were talking to us. So while it was nice on the surface, the sound issue falls into that area that is inexcusable.

So I have to remind myself to listen to that little voice when booking a hotel. Anytime I've questioned my judgement and not heeded the warning, I've regretted the decision. Next time it's the Holiday Inn Express with the king-size bed.

Powerful Lessons

As the new year began, I had convinced myself I'd blog more. Then I blinked. Then I was changing my calendar to February and I was falling way behind on that goal. It's not like one of those vague "In insert year here I will eat better and get in shape" type resolutions. It's simple. Plant myself in front of the computer, and put some words on the screen. For someone who works at the aforementioned computer all day long, you'd think it would be easy. It's proven to be a bit more challenging than I thought.

My only legitimate reason was a power outage and that lasted a mere three days. It did however lead to some interesting food experiences, so that alone is worth noting. Mother Nature delivered to our area a blanket of freezing rain, which of course created an icy landscape complete with large treetops dipping down for a close-up view of the earth. That same thick layer of ice that made things look beautiful found its way onto to power lines, cable lines, power poles and most anything and everything exposed to the outdoor air and wind. So about ten minutes into watching a tv show everything went dark and stayed that way until about three days later. I forget just how much relies on power, it's those basic little things like the refrigerator, freezer, microwave, tv, computers. If you're married to a techno-nut like me, all phones require power too.

So where did that leave me? Sitting at home with no power and below freezing temperatures. In the Southern US, we are most definitely not prepared to deal with this sort of thing. The mere mention of possible snow flurries sends hordes of panic-stricken shoppers to the grocery store buying up enough milk and bread to last them through the impending blizzard. However we southern folks are hardy enough to improvise and make the best of a situation. We'll just skip over those infamous "Hey y'all watch this!" moments that make their way to YouTube showcasing southern ingenuity at its not-so finest.
So I didn't have power, but I did have two things going for me: a gas fireplace and a gas water heater. Most would take that as I had a way to stay warm and hot water. That's just the beginning of what was to come. With the fireplace, I had a way to cook scrambled eggs for breakfast. (I have to admit I was only being a copycat on that one, my neighbor did that first. He's full of good ideas.) The grill outside at the same ingenious neighbor's house allowed us to heat up some chili and soup for lunch. My own grill became my freezer. Since it was already below cold enough outside, and my somewhat temporarily underpowered freezer was starting to show signs it would no longer keep its contents at a chilly four degrees, I bagged everything up that would fit and put it on the grill. The cold temperatures outside kept everything frozen and the lid to the grill would keep out any nosy hungry critters. Coolers with the remaining ice from the freezer kept the refrigerated contents chilled. As power gradually came back to restaurants around town, it provided those of us without such luxury a chance to escape the candlelit house for a hour or two to return to civilization. It also meant meeting up with family and friends, all of us taking our time and just enjoying the meal and socializing. It reminded me how it's easy to forget in all our daily hustle that sometimes it's nice to just relax and linger over a meal with good company. There wasn't any pressure to get back home, as none of us wanted to leave and go back to staring at the walls, waiting and hoping we were next in line for power to return.

There were some lessons to be learned, such as having a spare no-power-needed phone can be handy. It's useful know where to find a flashlight with working batteries. Using dry ice to keep the contents of the fridge or freezer cold is fine, just don't use the dry ice in the actual refrigerator. It will likely require repairs when the power returns. Also carbonated sodas will explode when stored with dry ice, causing your refrigerator to look like it's been shot. Thankfully, that lesson didn't occur in my kitchen, but lesson heeded either way.

That explains three days in January, and of course a few more after the storm passed as I then had three days of work to catch up, so we're up to six days. What about the other twenty-five? I did manage to make one trip to Mountain Home, Arkansas. That's a whole other story and another post.

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I can only imagine the problems for those still waiting on power to return. It's been almost two weeks since the storm hit and there's quite a few out there with no power. I hope that it is restored soon and wish the best to those out there working long hours to make it happen.

Odds & Ends

Last year I visited a number of places that while they were interesting and definitely blog-worthy I didn't always take time out to make note of them. As it's the start of a new year, it's probably time I mention them in the order they pop into my mind.

After driving by one of those little roadside trailers a few times while heading to Little Rock, we finally remembered on one of those trips to not eat lunch before leaving town and make a stop there. I don't even know the actual name of it, other than it's the only place to eat in Amagon, Arkansas short of visiting family or killing whatever lives in the swampland nearby. So despite chiding from friends that we were eating what was "cooked using swamp water" we stopped in for lunch one day. The burger and tater tots were cooked just right and flavorful. Topping the meal off with a homemade apple fried pie reassured me that the risk of swamp water infection was worthwhile.

I've also had my eye on another place, this one leaning quite the opposite direction in atmosphere and style. I bookmarked Bailey's Chocolate Bar in St. Louis a number of months ago and had planned to put that on my next trip that direction. On my most recent trip there, I was able to fit it in the schedule. It was a little hard to spot at first, just a small nondescript entrance mixed in a few buildings near downtown. Once my husband & I convinced ourselves we should go see what was waiting inside, it was an experience. Seated in one of the larger spaces, we relaxed at a tall table to one side of the room and could take in the whole place. The restaurant was divided up into smaller areas, all with dark walls, velvet & candles draped around each space. As far as the food, the white hot chocolate was very good, and the Chocolate Inebriation cake was good, but the cinnamon ice cream on top was something to write home about. The Lover's Plate featuring a variety of delights had some interesting sauces and truffles, but the nuts included were so odd we had to bring some home. The exact flavor is indescribable, other than I didn't like it but I could not stop eating them either. I'm not sure what exactly they put on them that can create that sort of desire to eat something that just isn't that good, but I'd like to buy a few ounces and introduce it to some broccoli.

Since I've had a sudden shift of thoughts to breakfast, I'll jump back to Arkansas and the Green Tomato Cafe. Located on the square in Pocahontas, it's easy to find and will be wonderful to visit when warmer weather arrives. I've sampled both breakfast and lunch and would go back anytime I get the opportunity. The menu has a range of staples such as eggs, hash browns and classic southern fare meats. They also have very good pancakes, with a slight touch of citrus in them. It's not overpowering, but definitely adds a little something worth noting to the taste. At lunch the vegetable beef soup got rave reviews from our table, and if the two guys with me whose tastes are somewhat opposite ends of the spicy-heat index to agree it's good, that really makes a statement!

While on yet a different trip to Little Rock last year, we happened to get a late lunch at Cantina Laredo, a place that labels itself as gourmet Mexican food. I don't know I'd quite call it gourmet, but it was a nice change from the same menu we get at all the local "Authentic Mexican" restaurants that dot every busy street corner in my hometown. I'm not a fan of guacamole, but they make it tableside, and the menu had enough variety that I didn't go away hungry. It's in a handy location near The Container Store, a place where I could spend too much money in a very short time. The location alone puts it in my book as a worthwhile stop.

This past year I got the opportunity to try a tapas restaurant, and I can't wait to go to another. After my enthusiastic reviews to friends of the place, I think I may need a bigger car for my next trip down bite-sized goodness lane. I love the whole "small plates" concept. At a new restaurant, I always want to try a little of several things on the menu, especially if it's in a place where I'm not sure I'll be back soon. So I either feel like a glutton ordering too much food and wasting it because I can't begin to eat it all, or just roll the dice and hope I choose something great. Enough about the joys of going tapas... the specific Tapas restaurant I went to was BARcelona in St. Louis. I sampled a variety of dishes, all of which were good. Just like Il Vicino, which I mentioned in a previous post, the cozy, small space atmosphere seemed fitting. This place however was buzzing with chatter from full tables of happy patrons downing pitchers of Sangria and nibbling at all the tasty small plates. It's probably best that I don't have a handy tapas restaurant just around the corner or they would certainly know me on a first name basis.

This isn't an exhaustive list of good eats I found along my travels last year, but it does cover just a few that were blog-worthy and that somehow failed to make it into a previous post. When there's good food and good fun to be found, I can't keep all it to myself!

It's a Gamble: Food away from the Interstate

Sometimes when you venture off the known food road you're rewarded with a memorable experience. Those aren't always the best food experience but it's one of those risks generally worth taking. On the way to Texas hill country my husband and I stopped at Dixie Diner in Texarkana. The food was mostly food service bland but the music was funny. For some truly odd country music this is the place. The example that sticks with me most was the song where the only lyrics I could catch were "chicken fried". Now that I think about it, one other singer did seem to have an abnormal fixation with the phrase "visibly shaken". I'm not really sure why either would inspire an entire song dedicated to their wondrous phraseology, but someone deemed it necessary. We also made a stop at Penny's Diner, somewhere in southern Texas. It was another instance of the setting made the meal better. The waitress was chatty, but in that good southern hospitality sort of way and the place definitely had the 50's long metal diner building style down quite well.

I wouldn't really recommend either diner, but they were worth a good laugh and provided sustenance. Not every off-the-beaten-path choice is a perfect winner. It could also be that I've finally traveled enough to become a tough customer to surprise and impress.

Quick Restaurant Review

A couple of blog-worthy places that I visited while in Little Rock were Loca Luna and The Hop Diner.

While subscribing to that "loud means good" trend I've seen in what's often the local hot places, Loca Luna is definitely a place for the cool kids to hang out. However the salsa makes it worth bringing the earplugs and digging in. The cheese dip is good, but the roasted red pepper and jalapeno salsa is good yet not as tongue-incinerating as the name might sound. The wood-fired pizza oven produced a tasty crisp crust pizza as well. Desert was a bit lacking but not bad.

The Hop Diner had a truly fantastic burger. Located downtown near the Rivermarket, the menu features a small but mostly diner type food choices of sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs. The turkey melt was also tasty; it arrives served on seared Parmesan bread, which is something I can't resist.

Both are worth checking out if you're in the area and looking for a good meal. I wouldn't rate either one as a Must-Visit, but I'm glad I went to both restaurants.

What a Hotel Should Be

Last night my husband and I were in Little Rock for the evening and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. After my trip to Atlanta, I was a bit apprehensive of the quality of nearly any hotel. Not that my Atlanta experience was that bad, but it left just enough of one to dampen my enthusiasm about another night in a hotel.
Thank you, Crowne Plaza of Little Rock. Thanks for having someone greet me at the door when I walked in. Thanks for having such a beautifully clean room, following through completely on the renovations to the building, and providing an adequate number of both pillows and towels right from the start. This hotel deserved to wear a banner proclaiming the "Whatever, Whenever" slogan that the W Hotels touted yet fell flat on delivering. The staff was friendly and seemed to bend over backward to help with any needs. We chose a room on the Club Floor, which I think was a wise choice for us. I do think the other floors are probably an equally good value, but for minimal price difference and the added amenities, the added expense was money well spent. The club floor had a lounge that included evening cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as well as breakfast the next morning. The food served wasn't the typical sad quality heat & eat steam table foodstuff, it was actually pretty tasty. I'd even describe the cookies as really, really good! Unlike the last hotel, the bottled water in the room was free. I've paid upwards of $40 for hotel breakfast elsewhere that didn't compare to what I ate this morning. It wasn't a 5-star gourmet breakfast, but it was good.

I know Top Ten lists are so cliche and overdone, but I'm going to go there anyway. There are a few things I look for in a quality hotel, and this one covered them all quite well. Some of those, not in any particular order, include:
1. Curtains can be closed to create a truly dark sleeping environment. They took it one step further providing a "Curtain Clip." Close those shades up and at 9am and the room had barely the faintest sign that we'd gone from night to day.
2. Quiet. Period. I have little tolerance for the herd of elephants on the floors above me, and of course being on the top floor helps. I didn't hear hallway noise either, despite being in very close proximity to an elevator. Going above and beyond, they provided earplugs, a sleep mask and even a CD of soothing sounds or something like that.
3. Don't put a glass top on the desk. If it's a business hotel, as this one is marketed, make it business friendly by making using my optical mouse on the desk possible.
4. Give me adequate pillows and bath towels. Again, well done in this aspect.
5. High-Speed Internet access should not cost me $10 or more a day. Most moderate priced hotels have this right, it's most often wireless and it's free.
6. Some bottled water in the room (that you don't charge $10 for looking at) would be great too. In some cities the tap water isn't fit to drink. It's barely tolerable to take a shower. Little Rock generally isn't that way but a couple of small bottles in the room was a welcome find.
7. It's great to have a small light source in the bathroom to keep from tripping over the bath mat on my way to the toilet. This hotel had one of those flat plug-in night lights. Fantastic.
8. Providing a blow dryer with more wind power than a chihuahua's sneeze and that isn't permanently affixed to the most inconvenient wall in the bathroom is a nice touch.
9. A real thermostat, hallelujah! While I understand from the maintenance standpoint it's far more difficult to repair a centralized type of unit than those stand-alone devices, it's not as noisy and easier to get the temperature comfortable and keep it that way.
10. Use a fitted sheet on the bed. So many hotels try to make it easier on themselves by making do with a flat sheet on the bottom. They don't stay tucked in if I move more than 3 inches to the left after climbing in bed that night.

Of course those are just a few of my little picky things I think help make for a good hotel. Some are forgivable based on the price or special circumstances, some are not. Finding a hotel that meets them all is rare. Yesterday I did find one and am quite pleased to know I've got a good place to stay anytime I visit Little Rock.

Since I can't leave well enough alone and just heap on the praise, I'll give my two small complaints about the hotel. The desk wasn't placed all that well for two guests in the room as the chair blocks the path of travel. The bathroom was a bit small, but again that really comes with having two guests in the room instead of one. Basically, I'm really reaching to find issue with the hotel. Finally! A place really worthy of a positive blogging experience.

Two Tasty Treats for Tuesday

Two tasty meals out in one day? Sure! It doesn't happen often, but Tuesday I had the good fortune of two meals that made me want to leave the kitchen.
It starts with a bit of diner food in the middle of the sticks, also known as the Dairy Shack in Waldenburg, Arkansas. Leave it to your local diner to come up with a lunch special of Mexican Chicken, Fried Rice and green beans. Mexican, Oriental and southern home cookin' all in one plate. Interesting combination but it was surprisingly good. Being a good southern dairy shack, their tater tots are cooked to a perfect GBD (golden brown and oh-so delicious.)

After a day roaming around Little Rock, Arkansas, my husband and I finished the day with a fantastic meal at Sonny Williams Steak Room. The steak, sea bass, wild rice and mashed potatoes were all exceptionally good. I always rate steaks on a scale with Ruth Chris' filet as a "Perfect 10." This one was probably a 9 out of 10, which speaks highly. The real cincher was desert. The Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Crème Brûlée that is truly one of the best Crème Brûlées (is that word?) I've ever had anywhere. I'm always impressed when someone gets the texture, temperature and flavor all down just exactly like it should be. If nothing else, it's worth going there for the desert alone.

Despite the two good meals, I'm still ready to spend a little time cooking. I've eaten out so much lately I'm starting to miss my kitchen. At least I've got a family reunion to attend this weekend, that gives me an opportunity to get back in there and have a little fun. Cooking for groups, yea!

A quick weekend in Northwest Arkansas

This corner of the state is growing rapidly and after visiting, I can see why. The area is beautiful and with the size of the overall area, the conveniences of a major city there there too. So is the traffic, not a pleasant thing for the residents I'm sure.

My husband and I stayed at the Hyatt Place in Rogers. I've heard of this chain but not had an opportunity to try one until now. It's the large hotel chain's answer to the demand for a hotel that has more the boutique and upscale feel without being priced vastly higher than your average Holiday Inn. It is a step up in style, quality and the rooms have several well thought-out amenities. A large plasma tv with about every conceivable input to allow you to see your business presentation beyond your laptop, a very comfortable lounging area in the room, stone counter tops and a small wet bar area; just nice upgrades you typically see in a more upscale, 4 star or better hotel room. My only complaint about the hotel was our room location. We were directly across the hall from the ice maker. Ordinarily that wouldn't be too bad, but since it was a slow weekend and the hotel had maybe 12 occupied rooms, the defrost cycle ran every 3 hours and was horribly loud. Inexcusably so. I would recommend the hotel, but check your room location first. Also call for reservations, the rates on the phone were considerably less than online. (Usually it's the opposite.)

Our plan was to have dinner at Doe's Eat Place, a small chain that has garnered rave reviews. Then as I was flipping through a local magazine, I found an ad for it. The first Ruth's Chris in Arkansas just opened in November. Instant change of plans! Dinner was as wonderful as expected, and I sampled a new dish too. The ziti with cheese and caramelized onions was fantastic, good enough that I could have eaten it by itself as a meal. Besides, the Doe's Eat Place location in Bentonville is a franchise, and I think I will save the experience for the original in Greenville, Mississippi.

On our trip home, we stopped at a Taco John's in Russellville. I haven't been to one in years, and after our stop I realized it's a good thing I am forced to avoid them. I would eat there about daily, it's just that much better than the Taco Bells found on every corner at home. I didn't have a single bad item, all hot and very tasty.

It was a great weekend getaway and I'll certainly put the area on my list for a return visit. The scenery is great, the food choices plentiful, amenities are handy but it's also easy to get out of town and find some great driving roads all within a short distance. With all these features, I can certainly see the attraction to the area.

Imagine a Restaurant

After my recommended restaurant experience in Little Rock turned out disappointing for dinner, I got another suggestion from another reliable source. This one paid off quite nicely. (Thanks!) The name of the place alone hinted that it would be something worth noting and it followed through.

Since I was in Little Rock, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get some of the "good stuff" available at Fresh Market. Living in a smaller town has it's benefits but the lack of ingredient options sometimes does limit what fun foods can come from my kitchen. So when I'm in a larger city with a selection of either specialty foods or the larger gourmet grocery stores I like to make at least a quick stop in for a few items. While the internet nets me a plethora of sources, I just can't beat sometimes browsing around the store for new goodies.

So I wouldn't want to buy every interesting gourmet delicacy in The Fresh Market, we first stopped by Imagine a Restaurant, located in the same shopping complex. It was a really tasty stop for lunch. The club sandwich my husband ordered was great, and the Ham, Brie and Apple sandwich I ate was delicious. I chose the sweet potato chips and he chose the regular potato chips, both made fresh in-house and both excellent. After making some fresh potato chips at home this weekend, I can't imagine why more restaurants skip out on this simple but tasty dish. I'll definitely put this on the list of restaurants I hope to visit again sometime this year.

After I mentioned Whole Hog Cafe in my previous post, a bit of interesting news has brought it back to my attention. In our local newspaper this week, it was announced that Whole Hog Cafe will be opening in my town, probably around late March. I won't have to travel to Little Rock or Memphis just to sample this new-to-me BBQ, so while they're taking away the travel it does mean I can have as much as I want, whenever I like. I think I will enjoy the convenience.

Greetings for 2008

It's about time I finally ate or went somewhere noteworthy! The holidays didn't provide me with a lot of blog fodder, but a short trip to a small town in Tennessee visiting relatives did give me one cozy little restaurant to mention. The Elms Restaurant in Selmer, Tennessee has that southern style service that's missing in many places today. The waitresses know the patrons, they call them and everyone "honey" and sincerely care if the diners are happy. Between the warm sincere service and some simple, tasty food it's a welcome stop for lunch or dinner. Of note in my book were the fried cheese sticks since they were battered instead of breaded, which is my personal favorite.

Last week my husband and I were in Little Rock for one night, and after making a pass by Whole Hog Cafe and feeling too much sympathy for the employees to go in at 20 minutes to closing and order dinner, we ended up at Julie's. The restaurant had come with good recommendations from reliable sources. While I think it had the potential to be a good restaurant, it failed to deliver. The chef must have been quite paranoid about under cooking the shrimp as despite the good flavors I can imagine the bottom of my running shoes would be less rubbery in texture. The other items we had were merely ok at best, and the baked potato was baked and past its prime long before we arrived.

So for desert, my husband & I skipped out on the offerings at Julie's and opted for Krispy Kreme. I know it's just a donut chain but in this case it's worth mentioning. Yes, the donuts are good. Really good. It's the service that gets my attention. At this location the service has been fantastic every single time. While I haven't been in that often, it's been consistently good each time, good enough for it to stand out against the crowd of mediocrity.

I have plenty of trips planned for this year, including a Caribbean cruise I just booked this week. As I like to call it, "blog fodder" will be plentiful this year I hope. As always, I've resolved to take a little more time to enjoy my hobby of cooking this year, but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for roads and eats along the way too.

In search of a road

This fall, while visiting the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center, I was admiring a large relief map showing portions of Crowley's Ridge. One area caught my eye toward the south eastern portion of the map, a national forest near the Marianna area. It had a couple of lakes and a road that resembled a 2 year-old child attempting to draw a piece of spaghetti. That's something nearing perfection in the eyes of a car or motorcycle enthusiast. It meets all the requirements for fun; Plentiful curves? Check. Scenery? Check. Relatively convenient? Check. Let's hit the road!

So we did. The map at the Nature Center and the state highway map gave a more rosy picture than was realistic. After ending up at a dirt road to a Confederate Cemetery (for history buffs a great find) and ultimately the Helena Police Station trying just to find the highway that would lead to the road, I should have see the big red flag waving wildly in front of me. If nothing else, I am persistent and would find this road one way or another. After a while longer of wandering somewhat lost, there it was... the road. It was one of the better roads, lined with trees and despite having virtually no shoulder it was still reasonably maintained and most of all beautiful. A good amount of twists & turns later and the road opened up to a lake area. That's when the gravel appeared. Thus ended the search for a good road that after less than 10 miles turned to gravel. My car isn't the kind you'd take down a rough gravel road, so after all that it was time to call it a day.

The entire day wasn't without something of note, a bit of good food at Ray's Dairy Maid in West Helena. Actually it's considered to be in Barton, but it's just on the outskirts of West Helena. Between the friendly staff and the good, home cooked food it was hard to go wrong with anything on the menu. The fried pies were excellent, and the variety of pies alone was a reason for the drive.

Between an interesting historical stop, some great pie and at least 10 minutes of good road made the day's trip worthwhile.

Return Trips

Several years ago, I used to go with a group of friends to Sheffield's for lunch. It had a certain charm that only comes from a restaurant housed in a old downtown building, complete huge glass windows in the front, brick interior walls, original hardwood floors, and a ornate ceiling that hopes to hide the sprinkler system. We'd catch up on the latest gossip and socialize while feasting on homemade quiche, soups and most often their notoriously good salads. It was these gab sessions that actually encouraged me to start eating salads; prior to that I generally avoided lettuce like it was a nasty and highly contagious disease.

Skipping forward to now, the friends have moved away and the restaurant has a new owner, but it is still there. Today I went for lunch after having not been in a number of years. The salads were still as good as I recall. I think if I had a blob of mud and could cover it in their Wine & Cheese dressing, I would probably eat it. It's not unique to their restaurant, but with what has to be an astronomical calorie count, I prefer to leave it for special occasions. The quiche wasn't quite as good as I recall, but the soup was quite tasty. I suspect I might have gotten the leftovers from yesterday's lunch, so I'll certainly give it another chance.

There was an unexpectedly great dish I sampled; my husband ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries. At this haven of upscale, gourmet, light lunch foods he ordered one of their specials, the American Burger. It was great! It's probably one of the best tasting burgers I've had in quite some time, served with hot french fries that didn't taste like they'd had a long soak in trans-fat filled lard. The bun was likely a house-made bread, thus fulfilling its gourmet setting, but still good.

While I can't go back to my "girls day out" lunches of years past, it's nice to know I can go back to the restaurant and get the same great salads and a surprisingly delicious burger.

My rating: 4 stars
Pros: The burger is really phenominal. One of the best I've had in a long time even. The salad selections are plentiful and the "mixed greens" isn't a load of iceberg lettuce with some other things lightly sprinkled in. Toppings are varied and plentiful. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is pleasant and relaxing.
Cons: Parking. It's downtown thus parking is limited. This is one of those "club" restaurants that are popping up in the area. Membership is required just to dine for lunch, regardless if alcohol is served. (The restaurant is in a Dry County.)

Dinner to Wear

I must have a target printed on me somewhere that I can't see as lately I've worn part of dinner. One night, it was a glass of Sprite, which proceeded to pour out all over the place when the table got wiggled. In less than a week, I also had a plate full of french fries dumped into my lap. Both were of no fault of my own. Whoever is in charge of the accident distribution can aim another direction now, I'm completely caught up for now, thanks.

The interesting thing was how each restaurant handled the situation. The cleanup of the Sprite was just another thing that got between the employee and her paycheck. The french fries were another story. The employee who did it apologized repeatedly. Then came the assistant manager, who also offered his apology and sent over the manager next. They all simply wanted to make it right, whatever was needed. Their gestures made me reconsider my new vow to never return. I might actually go back, they did make such great efforts to correct an otherwise unpleasant situation.

I've been to a few restaurants that I've sworn off for life, such as the one where a fellow diner found a roach in her salad. Or the one where I waited too patiently for an hour for my meal. Then there's the one where the waitress dumped a glass of ice water down my back in a full room. That last one wasn't me, but I was at the same table. I can't describe the whole Ruby Tuesday incident; it just puts me in a foul mood thinking about their lousy attitudes. But I digress. With accidents, it's how they handle it. There are some inexcusable acts like the "extra fiber" in the salad. Those put a restaurant on my permanently banished list.

Cheap Seafood Ain't Good

My rule of thumb about seafood is this: if it's more than 100 miles inland, realize that most shrimp/fish/scallops/other seafood is not going to be really fresh. If you take that into consideration, your expectations will be adequately adjusted for the food you're about to consume.

The title of this post comes from the marquee at Who Dat's Cajun Restaurant in Bald Knob, Arkansas. I am inclined to agree with their assessment of seafood quality and have to give them credit for doing justice to good seafood. To say the portions are generous is an understatement and considering that, the $15 to $20 for most entrees on the menu doesn't seem overpriced. Most also include their food bar, which when added to the meals makes for more food than I can eat in one sitting. Everything I tasted was in single a word, flavorful. Many restaurants like to substitute heat for flavor and treat Cajun as label meaning "hot." That's not a real definition of all things Cajun. These guys get it. They understand that while heat has it's place, it's not a stand-in for good flavor and a disguise for poor quality. The gumbo was the best I've had anywhere and I can't honestly say I could identify everything in it. Sometimes I know it's better that I don't know the complete contents. Other things on the menu and food bar that were good included the fried catfish, hush puppies and blackened catfish. I'd expected the blackened fish to have more heat, as I've become accustomed to the whole "hot" in place of flavor versions most places serve. This was quite the contrary as it had a warm flavor but was not intensely hot. The seasoned rice (or any of their rice for that matter) was also a nice complement to about any dish. The one real surprise was the roast beef on the food bar. I'd rank it in the top 5 of roast beef dishes I've had, which I would have never thought to look for in a Cajun restaurant. The selection of deserts was plentiful and delicious as well, so despite having really no room left after all the feasting, I had to sample the Peanut Butter Pie and the Carmel Pecan Chocolate Cake. I certainly wouldn't send either of those back to the kitchen, they were a fine finish to a large but tasty meal.

With eager patrons lining up out the door before 6pm in this small town, I was glad I arrived early. As I was leaving I saw a framed copy of a magazine article titled "Ten Places Worth Driving For" based out of Little Rock. After seeing, smelling and tasting why it's on their list, I'm anxious to ask, what are the other nine?

My Rating: 4 Stars
Pros: Leaving here hungry won't be the fault of the restaurant, there's so much food available at every turn. Most everything on the menu is good, and there's plenty to choose from. Even the seafood adverse folks will find something here. Family friendly atmosphere. I could put the seasoning they use on several dishes in a bowl and eat it, it's that good.
Cons: Gargantuan portions, so big I couldn't make a real dent in my meal and that was after I chose to forgo 99% of the food bar. A little pricey for those with a light appetite, but if you're really hungry and have hollow legs, it's not a bad value. The shrimp are on the larger size and tend to have more of a prawn than shrimp taste; unless you're a fan of prawns, I'd steer clear of them.