Traveling with Tonya

EAST RIVER SMOKEHOUSE BAR-B-QUE - Mary Esther, FL

2012-10-21T13:05:00.003-07:00

Another of our eating spots on our little weekend trip to Florida was the East River Smokehouse Bar-B-Que bar and grill. They do not have a website but they do have a facebook page, although no postings on this page. It was near our hotel and the parking lot was loaded, so, we figured we would give it a try. After all, if there are a lot of people there, the food must be good, right? I know it doesn't always work that way, but on this particular night, it was true.

This place is located right on Hwy. 98 in Mary Esther, which is between Pensacola and Fort Walton. It's a huge building with an outside porch that overlooks the water. So, you can sit outside, eat and listen to live music on the weekends. We chose to eat inside and as large as this place was, we still had about a 10 minute wait. The only thing I didn't like about this place is that in order to get one of the vibrating pagers, we had to give them our driver's license to hold on to. I guess they must have had some disappearing pagers in the past. But, giving them a drivers license with personal information on it doesn't seem like the best solution to the problem. I went ahead and gave them my driver's license but I also sat there and watched them for 10 minutes. LOL

Once seated, the service was great. You are served drinks in these HUGE mason jars.

The menu has some interesting items on it, including the SpongeBob Fish Po-Boy! But we chose dinners instead of sandwiches and imagine our surprise when we found out that the bread that you are served with your meal is actually Bunny Bread!

Gene ordered the BBQ Chunky Chester's Chicken Dinner, which came with baked beans, cole slaw and Bunny Bread! He loved the cole slaw and said it was the best he had ever eaten. The chicken was moist and the BBQ sauce was a great sweet flavor.

I ordered the BBQ Tasty Smoked Turkey Dinner which came with baked beans and cole slaw and 2 slices of Bunny Bread. My turkey was nice and juicy and I loved the baked beans! I've never had baked beans with smoked sausage and bacon before but smoked sausage sure does add a great flavor to the beans.

Now, you will notice that the meals are served on styrofoam plates with plastic utensils. Normally, I don't like to be served a meal on styrofoam or paper plates, nor plastic utensils. However, this is the beach and the atmosphere in this place is more like eating outside, than inside. And, I tend to overlook this if the food is really great, which was the case here. And, the prices are comparable to other BBQ restaurants where we have dined.

So, again, if you are in this area, be sure to stop by and have yourself a great BBQ meal.

SLICK MICK'S DELI & GRILLE- Fort Walton Beach FL

2012-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone! I know it has been quite a while since my last post, but I have had a lot going on in my life and have not been able to blog much. But, last weekend, the hubby and I managed to get away for a short weekend trip to the Pensacola/Fort Walton/Destin area. One of the places where we stopped to eat was a place called Slick Mick's Deli & Grille on the corner of Eglin Parkway and Hollywood Blvd.. We had never heard of this place before nor had anyone told us about it. We found it in one of those crazy flyers that all the local hotels carry in their lobbies. This flyer was about the Beer festival that was going on that weekend and there was a rather large ad featuring this restaurant. What drew us in was the fact that it was a sports deli/grille with lots of TVs and it was Thursday night. So, we were hoping to watch the Thursday night football game there but it was a Pittsburgh Steelers hangout and the Steelers were playing that night. So, anticipating a large crowd, we went there a little earlier than game time to check it out. Glad we did!

From the outside, it looks like a small hole in the wall place in a strip mall. But once you get inside you see just how big it is with the place divided into two sections. Half is set up with high-top tables and the bar and the other half has regular tables.

The menu has lots of crazy named sandwiches.

Lots of varieties of food and the prices are incredibly reasonable. But we did not realize just how reasonable until we received our order!

Gene ordered the club sandwich with homemade potato chips. Now look at that club sandwich! It was huge...about 4" thick! He had a helluva time getting it in his mouth! And, the price, only $8.49!!! What a bargain this was! He said it was awesome!

I ordered the Original Philly Cheese-Steak sandwich with onion rings. It was awesome and again, the price, only $7.69!

These are Mick's buffalo chips....lightly breaded chicken breast drenched in your choice of sauces served with bleu cheese or ranch dressing and veggies. This is an order of 12. We had to try them to see what they tasted like and they were awesome! We did not get either of the dressings since we do not like either. But, just with the sauce that they are made with, they had an awesome buffalo flavor. On certain nights of the week, they have specials on these buffalo chips. This order was $7.69 at the regular price.

All in all, this was a great place to eat. Had it not been for that ad in that tiny newspaper, we would not have known about this place. I do not know how they are making money selling these huge sandwiches at their present prices, but it sure is a nice hidden bargain! We will be sure to go back on our next visit to Fort Walton!

HUCKLEBERRY'S Restaurant - Harahan LA

2012-07-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! I know it's been quite a while since you have read a new blog from me but I have one for you today. My husband and I decided to check out a new restaurant that we had been passing in our travels over and over again....Huckleberry's Restaurant. It's located on Hickory Ave. in Harahan. They claim to be the "Home of the Oyster Burger", which is not what you are thinking. According to our server, it's a burger topped with oysters, not a burger made out of oysters. Of course, I think she was a new server because she messed up the bill on our meals.

Anyway, the atmosphere in the place is really nice but unfortunately we had to contend with a crying 2-3 year old who couldn't seem to be consoled and spilled his entire drink all over himself and the floor. And, again, the parents didn't seem to be concerned about the other patrons trying to enjoy a nice meal. Enough said about that. You all know how I feel about screaming kids in a restaurant.

The menu is not extensive but it did have a few different entrees. And, since we had never been there before, I asked our server what she would recommend. She said her favorites were the Pecan Catfish and the Spaghetti and Meatballs. Well, I didn't plan to go out and eat spaghetti and meatballs, so I ordered the Pecan Catfish with sweet pecan batter, which came with Huck's house salad and a side dish. Sounded good and I wanted to try something different. However, while I was waiting for my meal, I overheard a diner at another table complain about the catfish being under cooked and he sent his back to be cooked properly. That had me a little concerned because I do not like raw fish. Well, there was no problem with my fish. It was cooked all the way through and as you can see by the photo, it was quite a large piece!

My side dish was the mac-n-cheese...

I enjoyed the catfish, although I didn't find the batter to be that sweet, and, in fact, found the batter to be rather thick and it kind of overtook the flavor of the fish some, but it was still good. There were pecans drizzled on top. Nothing really special about this meal, but it was good. The mac-n-cheese was really cheesy and was good but it's kind of hard to mess that up.

As for my husband, he loves oysters and was going to order the oyster burger until she told him how it was made. Instead, he ordered the oyster loaf, the large version, which is only 9" long. He expected to get a nice po-boy for the $12.95 price. That's not what he got. There were a total of 8 fried oysters on this po-boy. There was more lettuce than anything else. He was not a happy camper. The oysters were good, but there were not enough of them. And, we had to pay extra to get an order of french fries with this po-boy. I think it was overpriced for what he received.

While we were waiting for our meals, I did notice what other diners were getting and I can tell you that the side order of onion rings are HUGE, and I don't mean alot of them, I mean the onion rings themselves are HUGE! And, I did see someone get one of the wraps and it looked good, but I'm not a "wrap" person.

I would like to go back and try something different, but I do not think I can convince my husband to go back. So, if you plan on eating here, do not order a po-boy because you won't get a good one. And, if I can convince him to go back, I will let you know how I enjoy my meal.

IT'SUGAR - Venetian Casino

2012-06-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

One of the fun places that I visited in Vegas was the brand new store called IT'SUGAR. No, it's not misspelled. That's the name of the store, and this place lives up to its name! Sugar, Sugar and more Sugar!!! It is located just inside the front door of the Venetian Resort and Casino. There are many IT'SUGAR locations around the country but I believe that this is the first big one in Vegas.

This place does everything on a large scale. Everything is big!

The 2 pound rice krispies treat is $24.99 as are all of these large items. They also have many mannequins whose clothes are made from various Willie Wonka candies...

I actually liked the gummi bear adorned high heel shoes.

Then there were the weird things like...

and

and, my favorite...

let the jokes begin! LOL

And, this place has gummi candies in every shape and size from the regular little teddy bears to 4" long coke bottles! I brought some gummies back for Jocelyn and I picked a few of each, like sharks, whales, large butterflies, penguins, coke bottles...the kinds of things you cannot find just anywhere. She loved them! And, the one thing that I did not take a photo of and should have was the one item that she loved....rocks....not rock candy, but rocks that were made of chocolate. They looked just like rocks you would pick up from the ground. She had fun getting people to try them. She told everyone that her mommy was making her eat rocks! Hilarious!

If you can't find something that you like in this place, you obviously just don't like candy! For a link to all of the photos that I took here, just click here. It's definitely a fun place to visit and pick up a few things while you are there!

Kahunaville Las Vegas - Treasure Island Casino

2012-06-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is my last food blog for places in Vegas where we dined on this trip. The last place we ate in was Kahunaville. It is located inside of the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino right in the center of the strip. We had never eaten there before, even though we had seen it many times. It is an island themed restaurant. Apparently, they are famous for their bartenders who do crazy things.

And, again, I would like to point out the toilet bowl drink....

As you can see it's quite large. They will serve an appetizer in it as well as a drink..one in the bowl and another in the tank. Really weird.

Anyway, as you can see by the menu, the food is highly overpriced and not really that great.

You are paying for the atmosphere here. I ordered the stir fry and it was nothing exciting. My husband had the Lanai Chicken Pasta and he was not impressed either. I will definitely not go back to this place again.

Another been there, done that experience!

Blondie's Sports Bar & Grill - Planet Hollywood

2012-06-07T10:36:00.002-07:00

We had another of our meals at Planet Hollywood at Blondie's Sports Bar & Grill. Planet Hollywood has lots of places to eat and shop along their Miracle Mile. It runs completely around the casino and is a great place. You can find just about anything there and it's more affordable than trying to shop at the Canal Shoppes in Venetian or the shops in Caesar's Palace or Bellagio.

Anyway, Blondie's is a sports place with lots of televisions everywhere for watching your favorite sporting event. Your female servers are dressed as cheerleaders and I did not see any male servers. The food you are going to get here is going to be your typical sports finger foods...

cheese fries with gravy for dipping.

Garlic Bread Balls - which are rolled dough, deep fried and tossed in a garlic butter sauce topped with parmesan and served with marinara sauce. It's a twist on traditional garlic bread.

Okay, these were the best part of the meal and I could have made a meal off of these alone!

For our entree, we decided to share a meal, because of the size, the famous Beer Can Chicken. It's an entire rotisserie chicken cooked with BBQ Bud Light Lime sauce, then roasted on the grill for the juiciest chicken.

The chicken was quite juicy and the cup of sauce you see on the plate was the Bud Light Lime Sauce that was really full of Bud Light! It was so strong that I could smell the beer from across the table. It was an odd taste, but good, but way too much food for 2 people.

So, again, another restaurant that we can cross off of our list. It was good, but now that we have been there, we will probably not go back unless we want a good place to watch a football game.

Pink's Hot Dogs - Planet Hollywood Casino Las Vegas

2012-06-07T10:10:00.001-07:00

Not all of our dining experiences in Las Vegas were at sit down restaurants. This one was at Pink's Hot Dogs. We had seen them on the travel channel and wanted to give them a try since they had some great items on their menu. I know they are over-hyped but since we were able to get a Groupon for this place we decided they were worth a shot.

In case you don't already know, Pink's is located in Planet Hollywood Casino right on the strip. Entrance is in the front on the outside and dining is outdoors. So, if you are there in the summer, it's going to be hot!

Gene decided to try the Bacon Chili Cheese Dog....as you can see, it was quite a size!

I wanted something different and something from their Super Special Menu. I am not a big fan of a hot dog bun, so I went with a dog wrapped in a tortilla. the Three Dog Night! I had no idea how big this dog was going to be and when I tell you it had to weigh 3 lbs, I'm not kidding!

I cut it in half so you can see the inside....3 hot dogs with bacon wrapped in a tortilla wrap with chili and cheese. You can also have onions if you want them, but I eliminated the onions because I knew they were raw and I don't like raw onions.

Needless to say, I never even finished half of this dog! It was way too much for one person to eat. But, it was good. Having said that, if we had not had a Groupon for this place, we probably would not have eaten here and we will probably not eat at Pink's again. Not because it wasn't good, but because there are lots of other good places to eat in Vegas. It was nice to try once and now that we have done that, we don't need to do it again.

Rock & Rita's BBQ Restaurant - Las Vegas

2012-06-07T09:26:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting around to finishing my blogs about our dining experiences in Las Vegas this year. One of our meals was at Rock & Rita's BBQ restaurant, which is located inside the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino on the strip. I had seen lots of advertisement about this place and figured we would give it a shot. The atmosphere is one of drinking fun, hence the drink menu which is a booklet of several pages!

Lots of crazy drinks listed...

This is not the only place that boasts a toilet bowl drink...not sure why it's such a popular way to get your drinks...maybe that's where you will end up if you drink the entire thing yourself! LOL

Anyway, most of you know how I feel about BBQ restaurants...I like my sauce on my food when it is brought to me and I expect my meal to be brought to me on a plate with utensils that are not plastic. Well, they got part of it right. My sauce was on my food and the utensils were not plastic, but this is how they are presented at your table...

We ordered an appetizer of Fried BBQ Ribs. They were supposed to be deep fried but I'm not sure that they were. They were good, but didn't seem "deep fried".

I ordered the Meatloaf Sandwich which was topped with cheddar jack cheese, mushroom gravy and onion strings. It was okay, nothing special. And, it came in a metal basket, not a plate. Okay, it was a sandwich, not a meal. So, I'll give them a break there.

Gene ordered the Brisket sandwich with swiss cheese. He said it was okay.

Bottom line on this place is that there are lots of better places to eat in Vegas. So, skip this one unless all you want to do is drink crazy drinks!

Queen Victoria Pub - Riviera Casino Las Vegas

2012-05-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day we decided to go to the place that I was looking forward to the most, Queen Victoria Pub located inside of the Riviera Hotel & Casino. Here, they claim to be Las Vegas' only British owned pub. So, I was expecting British food, and I was not disappointed. I had perused the menu prior to our visit and I knew that I wanted to try the steak and kidney pie. My mom used to make kidney stew when I was a kid and I loved it and hadn't had it in years. So, I was looking forward to this meal. They make all of their pies individually and are cooked to order so that they are all fresh. Mine was cooked slowly in a Guinness gravy.

But, we started with the Welsh Rarebit as our appetizer first. It was toasted ciabatta bread with a savory grilled cheese topping that was very tasty but there really wasn't much to it.

My meal looked like this before I dove into it. The steak and kidney pie was cooked inside of a flaky crust and served with mashed potatoes and a side of peas, carrots and a cup of the Guinness gravy, which was so awesome!

In case you are wondering what the inside of the pie looked like, here is a pic of that.

Gene decided to go with the "safe" Steak Sandwich. He had never had kidneys before and didn't know if he would like it. So, he played it safe.

He said his steak sandwich was good but I know my steak and kidney pie was better! LOL

Bottom line, this restaurant gets 4 stars from me, only because our server was a bit of an airhead. We would definitely go back there again for the food and hope for a different server.

This meal only cost us $15 (plus tip).

Hash House a Go Go - M Resort - Las Vegas

2012-05-24T18:53:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my review of one of the restaurants that we visited while in Vegas. First, let me start by saying that for several months prior to our scheduled trip, I watched Groupon and Living Social to see if I could get some discounted meals and I completely lucked out by managing to buy 6 discounted meals from fabulous places that we had never been before, and that were all on the Las Vegas strip in various casinos. So, if you think it is not possible to get good food at a good price on the Vegas strip, you are wrong. And, none of these were for buffets. With the exception of one, these were all sit down restaurants with some pretty great food. The best, by far, was the meal we had at Hash House a Go Go which is located inside the M Resort Casino & Spa.

If you have never been to the M Resort, you should definitely take a drive south on Las Vegas Blvd. and check it out. It's absolutely gorgeous and the people are so very nice. It's away from the hustle and bustle of the middle of the strip.

Hash House is located inside this casino. It's been featured on the travel channel but I did not know that until after we ate there.

Our view from the table was great....pool view.

Here is a snapshot of the menu...not your usual menu... The one pound stuffed burgers were a bit scary and quite frankly, we saw one served to a table near us and I don't know how they were able to eat the burger since is was so large.

Our server told us that the signature dish was the Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles so my husband had to try that....he did not warn us about the size of it.

There were 4 waffles stuffed with bacon on the bottom, and 2 chicken breast on top with fried leaks and hot maple reduction. It was all held together with a stick and it was enough food for 3 people! My husband tried his best but he barely put a dent in it and we had to take the rest back to our hotel for him to snack on later.

I had a time trying to decide on the Kokomo (griddled meatloaf on milk bread) or the Big O' Crispy Hand Hammered Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. I chose the pork sandwich. Now, keep in mind that I am assuming that I am getting a sandwich...between 2 pieces of bread. This is what they brought to me...

Yes, there was a bottom to the bun but the piece of pork tenderloin took up the entire plate...and they had the nerve to bring me a side dish of mac-n-cheese.

Needless to say, I did not even come close to eating half of this. But, it was sooooooo good! I wish I could have eaten it all!

I have to add that the server we had was very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and he took the time to explain everything to us...he just failed to mention how LARGE the meals were. LOL

Bottom Line is that this place gets 5 stars from us! We will definitely be returning there on our next trip to Vegas.

And, in case you are wondering, this meal only cost us $13 (not including tip).

KISS Monster Golf - Las Vegas NV

2012-05-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted a blog so I'm about to make up for that with several blogs about my trip to Vegas last week. This trip included meals at restaurants that we had never been to prior to this trip and a few stops at some of our favorite spots. But, this blog is about a new spot that just opened up...KISS Monster Golf. It is located directly across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel on Paradise Road.

Anybody who knows us knows that we had to stop at this place since my husband's all-time favorite band is KISS! They have a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course inside, a game room, rock & roll cafe, wedding chapel and gift shop. It costs $11.95 per person for a round of golf but there are discount coupons all over town that will give you a $2 discount. So, it's really $9.95 per person.

There is this huge aquarium inside and on the inside of the tank are the letters KISS in a clear color, which makes it difficult to get a photo. Not sure if you can see them very well in this photo.

These are some of the games available to play. Each game allows you to earn tickets to buy merchandise...kind of like any other game place. Only with this one, you can pick all KISS items.

The "Hotter than Hell" Wedding Chapel is available in 4 different packages....Gold - $249, Platinum - $499, Double Platinum - $799 and Triple Platinum - $1199. Each package includes a little more than the one before it.

The also have a birthday room available and there are 5 different packages available and all are for kids 16 and under and include everything for either 12 or 15 children. They are Unmasked $250, Psycho Circus $275, Monster $350, Destroyer $475 and Ultimate Destroyer $1200...each includes a little more than the one before it but that last one includes a lifetime pass to KISS Monster golf for the birthday person.

And, of course there are tons of memorabilia all over the walls!

The gift shop is loaded with tons of KISS items, but my favorite, by far, was the Gene Simmons kondom whose tongue unfurls! LOL

This is supposed to be the largest KISS souvenir store in the world. It was small, but packed with stuff!

Oh, and did I mention there is a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course here! Here are some photos of the course.

And, no trip to KISS Mini Golf would be complete without the KISS salute!

I have tons of photos from this place, but way too many to post here. If you are interested in seeing all the photos, here is a link to view all of them.

Young's Garden Chinese Restaurant - Kenner

2012-03-04T17:06:00.002-08:00

Well, it has been a good dining experience this weekend. Yesterday was Squeal and today we went to Young's Garden Chinese Restaurant on Williams Blvd. in Kenner. They do not actually have a website so I am directing you to their listing under Urban Spoon.

As you all know, I have been on a mission to find a new favorite Chinese restaurant. I have given up the possibility of finding my non-cabbage egg rolls anywhere, but I was still looking for some good Chinese food. Well, today, I think we found it! This place was recommended by several friends who said I would not be disappointed and they were right!

First, the place was neat and clean and quite cozy on the inside.

They have a combination dinner that includes an entree, combination fried rice (shrimp, ham, beef and chicken) and your choice of egg roll, fried wonton or cho cho. I knew I didn't want an egg roll or the fried wonton so I inquired about the cho cho. I was told it was like a wonton but stuffed with shrimp, beef, pork and onions. That sounded good to me so I ordered the Pepper Steak and my husband ordered the chicken and broccoli, although he ordered the egg roll.

As you can see by the photos, there was a lot of food! We had so much left over that we brought home an entire container of food. My pepper steak had a great flavor to it and it had water chestnuts in it. That's a first for me. I have never been served water chestnuts with my pepper steak. Good thing I like water chestnuts! I had told them to go "light" on the peppers because I really don't like to eat them. I just like the flavor. As you can see, they listened. The cho cho are those triangular shaped things. They were delicious! And, the fried rice was awesome and did not contain any of the usual fillers like peas and carrots. You all know how I feel about fillers in my fried rice! LOL

My husband had the chicken with broccoli and he said it was just as good. His egg roll was a little different. It did not have cabbage in it, but had lettuce in it. That is the first egg roll with lettuce that he had ever had and he said it was good. He stopped our server and asked her if this was the usual size serving that you get or did they just load up our plates because it was our first visit to their restaurant and she said no, that was the usual size of the meals. So, we were checking everyone else's orders as they passed us and everyone had the same size plates of food.

By the time we left, this place was packed with regulars who apparently go there every Sunday. I think they may have found some new regulars in us! We will definitely be back and next time we are bringing some friends with us!

Squeal Bar-B-Q Restaurant

2012-03-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend we decided to check out a BBQ restaurant that I have been told constantly to try because they have the best BBQ in town, Squeal Bar-B-Q. And, since my luck with BBQ places has not been that good, we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. Everything I have been told about this place is true!

This restaurant is located on Oak St. in what appears to be a converted shot gun double. It has a homey charm to it with lots of local paintings on the walls.

The menu of items available are not your typical BBQ fare, which is a good thing. You get tired of seeing the same items offered on every BBQ menu.

I was tempted to try the Squeal Pie, which I heard was kind of like a shepherd's pie. But, I was told that the corn macque choux was very spicy and I cannot stomach much spice. So, I passed on that option. I really wanted the BBQ brisket because I love brisket. So, that's what I chose, along with the roasted corn & cheese grits and the baked beans.

My husband ordered the brisket and chicken along with the roasted corn & cheese grits and a side salad. The salad was more than just a side salad and was served with barbecue vinaigrette.

I have to say that the BBQ sauce was the best I've ever tasted. It was not runny or thin. It was kind of thick and had a sweet and sour taste to it. You could taste a hint of vinegar but it was not overwhelming. It was nothing like I have ever tasted before. In my opinion, this sauce is better than the sauce at the Shedd. And, the brisket was so tender and moist that you could cut it with a fork! That's how I like my brisket. As for the chicken, there is always a concern that it will be dry on the inside, but this chicken was cooked to perfection! It was nice and moist on the inside. The side dishes were good too. And, although the roasted corn & cheese grits were not as good as the ones served at Zea's, they were still good, just lacking some cheese. And, the baked beans were a little mushy but with the seasonings that were included, they were just fine. I like my baked beans with onions and these did not disappoint. I was advised to try the greens but since neither me or my husband like greens, we passed. But, I've been told that they are good as well.

All in all, this place gets an A+ from me! We will definitely be back to try more.

Oh, and as we were leaving, I noticed that they have a little garden planted in the front. I wonder if they are growing their own greens...hmmmm

Egg Roll Heaven!

2012-02-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am sharing the results of my homemade egg rolls, as well as my recipe. There are lots of variations of these egg rolls out there but this is what I put in my egg rolls:

1 lb of small shrimp (I used the frozen ones 60-90 count)
1/2 lb of beef (I used a portion of a round steak)
2 decent sized pork chops
1 bunch of green onions
1 bag of fresh bean sprouts
soy sauce (or you can use duck sauce or ginger)
egg roll wrappers (found in the produce section of the grocery)
vegetable oil (enough to cover the egg rolls when dropped in)

Now, my mom used to make these and I remembered that it was easier to cut the meat into very small pieces if you partially cooked it first. So, I cooked the round steak and pork chops first and then cut them into small pieces. Then I chopped up the entire bunch of green onions and put them in my wok along with the frozen shrimp. I kept the heat on low to medium and put the lid on so the shrimp would cook down. Once the shrimp cooked down I added the pork and beef along with the soy sauce and the bean sprouts. The only mistake I made was not holding out the bean sprouts until the very end. They cooked down a little too much and weren't crunchy like I wanted them to be. I'll know better next time.

Once I had everything cooked down, I turned off the wok and poured the entire mix through a strainer to get all of the liquid out of it (frozen shrimp hold alot of water). Then I poured the entire mix onto a flat cookie sheet and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. You cannot roll egg rolls when the mix is hot. So, you have to wait a couple of hours for it to cool off.

The next step is to roll up your egg rolls. I used these wraps:

Take one tablespoon full of the mix and place it on the wrap as follows:

Then, you can follow the directions on the back of the wrap package for rolling up your wrap. I messed up the first couple of wraps but once I got the hang of it, they looked like this:

In no time at all, I had an entire plate of these bad boys! LOL

The 1 lb package of wraps had 20 wraps inside of it. So, I had quite a few egg rolls to drop in the oil. Make sure that your oil is totally hot so that the egg rolls will fry up real fast. Drop them in a few at a time. Trust me, by the time that you drop the 5th one in the pot, the first one will be ready to come out. So, don't walk away from the pot. It only takes a few minutes and this is what they look like when they come out:

And, this is what they looked like on the inside:

They were absolutely delicious! Had to share some with my daughter, who loved them as well. It takes alot of time to make these but they were oh so worth it!

Chinese Tea Garden Restaurant - Metairie LA

2012-02-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

My husband and I decided to check out a chinese restaurant that has been around for at least 30 years, the Tea Garden . I used to go eat lunch there alot when I was working in the area, but I had not been there in quite some time and my husband had never been there. From what I remembered, the food was pretty good, but, as you all know, I am still on my mission to find an egg roll like the ones that Canton Chinese Restaurant served, with NO CABBAGE!

Anyway, we went there on Lundi Gras for lunch. Now, I know this is going to sound really bad when I say this, but I have to say it. A greeter/server with messed up teeth (and by that I mean, missing some of the front ones while the others were rotting out of her mouth) is not what you want to see when you first walk into a restaurant. After all, you would expect a restaurant to put their best foot forward, so to speak. Anyway, I decided to look past that and sit down anyway, albeit on plastic seats! All the chairs were covered in plastic.

Aside from that, the interior of the dining room was neat and clean.

When the menus came I was a little excited because there were 2 kinds of egg rolls listed, regular egg rolls and spring rolls, which we all know means cabbage. And, the lunch entree came with a regular egg roll. So, I ordered my usual pepper steak and my husband ordered the chicken and broccoli. I was a little taken aback when my meal came to me on a plastic plate. After all, this was a chinese restaurant, not an outside BBQ! Here are photos of both meals...

I thought the food was good but my husband said his fried rice was tasteless and he wasn't happy with his portion size. I think, for the price, it was an adequate serving. But, the real test was the egg roll....my husband cut his open and my excitement turned to disappointment....it was nothing but cabbage on the inside.

I am just about convinced that nobody in town has my egg rolls, so I'm going to make them myself. If they come out good, I will post photos and the recipe in my blog.

As for this restaurant, since eating here, I have discovered that they boast being "kid friendly", which I'm sure is why they have plastic on their chairs and serve their food on plastic plates. However, I think the plastic plates should go to the children only. I guess I should be grateful that my water did not come in a plastic cup with a lid and straw.

Anyway, it's an "okay" restaurant, but not a place that I would go to again. There are too many other chinese restaurants that have better food and service here in this city.

Krewe of Choctaw & Mystic Knights of Adonis - 2012

2012-02-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today we went out to the westbank to catch two parades, the Krewe of Choctaw and Mystic Knights of Adonis. Usually these are two fairly good parades. But, I have to say, they have gone downhill. Choctaw was the first parade. They usually have real bands in between their floats, but today, there were only a couple of actual bands and a bunch of these really small dance groups. I know that these krewes have to pay the bands to march in their parades so, I'm not surprised that we now have more small dance groups since they probably don't cost as much as the bands cost. Everything comes down to the almighty dollar. Membership wanes due to cost, so they try to keep costs down and the end result is a mediocre parade.

As for the floats, they looked like rehashed floats from years past that were not updated (see photos here). And, costumes were at a minimum. Some floats had only a handful of riders....in fact, the last float had 2 riders on one side. Now, why waste an entire float for 2 riders? Makes no sense to me. They should have been added to another float. And, if you cannot stand up on the float to throw your beads, then maybe you shouldn't be riding on the float in the first place. You could only see the tops of heads of some people and the others were kids, small kids. I'm all for kids riding in parades, but if your krewe can only survive if you allow young kids to ride, then maybe it's time to think about folding. I don't know how many krewe members were riding in either of these parades, but I can guarantee you that half of them were kids under 12.

The Mystic Knights of Adonis wasn't much better. In fact, the last 3 floats were back-to-back with no bands or dance groups. Neither the King nor the Queen seemed to be having fun.

I guess I am just spoiled by the major krewes that parade in New Orleans. You won't see any kids on those floats. And, the krewe members actually throw some krewe merchandise, i.e. items with the krewe name on them like doubloons, cups, beads and other miscellaneous items. These 2 krewes today were throwing merchandise from other parades, which to me, should not be allowed.

Okay, I've had my rant for today...Tonight we are going to the Krewe of Caesar, an all male krewe, no kids! It should be a better parade...stay tuned for my blog!

Krewe of Little Rascals - 2012

2012-02-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday was the Krewe of Little Rascals parade. In case you don't know, this is strictly a young people parade, mostly kids. Members must be from 2-18 years of age to ride in this parade. Young people like to throw alot of stuff so this is another good parade to take your kids to as they will catch alot of beads and toys.

Now, the only thing I do not like about this parade is that there are at least 3-4 dance groups in between each float, contrary to regular parades which only have 1-2. This makes the parade last very long. This particular parade took over 2 hours to pass and there were only 15 floats. I have attached a link to all the photos of the parade including alot of the dance/baton twirling groups.

It was nice to see all of the professional team mascots in this parade...like Hugo the Hornet...

And, Boudreaux and Clotille kissing!

And, Gumbo and Sir Saint!

Since my husband is a doubloon collector, you will find him at each and every parade with a sign asking for doubloons... We found out after this parade that there are 25 different wooden doubloons for the parade and we only caught 2! I guess we are now on the hunt to find the other 23! LOL

Be sure to check back next week for my blogs about the 7 parades we intend to see from Friday - Sunday and Happy Mardi Gras!

Krewe du Vieux - 2012

2012-02-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

This year is the first year that we attended the Krewe du Vieux parade down in the French Quarter. I have heard about how sexually explicit the members can be with their costumes and floats but I did really believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. The theme alone should have been my first clue...

Let me just warn you that there are photos that you may not want your children to see. I'm only going to post a link here to all of the photos that I took. Some are slightly out of focus and that is due to the fact that it was so crowded that the crowd was moving back and forth and pushing and pulling. It was about 6-8 rows deep on Decatur in front of Jax Brewery, which is where we caught the parade. It was way too crowded for my liking. While the parade was great to watch for the first time, it is not one that I can see myself fighting the downtown French Quarter traffic/crowds to attend again.

Cub Scout Parade - 2012

2012-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, this blog is for my out-of-town friends who cannot come to town for Mardi Gras. I plan on blogging about each parade that we attend. So, be sure to check back for lots of photos and information on each and every parade.

Today, I am giving you all the information on the little Cub Scout parade that we attend each and every year. This is a parade made up of alot of the local cub scout, boy scout, brownies and girl scout troops from the Jefferson Parish area. I believe there are nearly 300 scouts that walk in the parade. Each troop creates their own costumes and floats based on the theme of the parade, which this year was "when I grow up, I want to be..." The floats are pulled by their parents who walk right along with the children. It's quite a family affair and the parents help build the floats which hold all of the throws. Some of these floats can be very extravagant. There is a king and a queen and many dukes and maids. Check out all my photos at this link. My favorite group in this parade were the 496 Stompers, which was a take-off on the 610 Stompers, the men's dance group that marches in many New Orleans parades. These little guys were so cute!

All in all, this is always a successful parade. The scouts have a great time and throw lots of beads, toys, stuffed animals, doubloons and candy. It's a great parade to take your youngsters to because they can catch lots of stuff without the fear of being trampled by adults or run over by big floats. I take my granddaughter every year. In fact, her very first parade, at 7 months old (7 years ago), was the Cub Scout parade. We came home with several bags of stuffed animals for her that year. LOL

So, if you have never been to this parade, try and make it next year. It is always the day before the Little Rascals parade.

PHIL'S GRILL - HARAHAN LOCATION

2012-02-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone! I know it has been awhile since I've posted anything. Well, today I decided to catch up on my blogs so you can expect several today.

Last Saturday we stopped at Phil's Grill in Harahan for a quick lunch. I've been to Phil's Grill on Severn in Metairie numerous times but have never been to the Harahan location. I have to say that I like this location better. For one thing, parking is alot easier. There is a large parking lot, as opposed to the lot on Severn which only holds a few cars. If the lot on Severn is full, you have to find your own parking, which usually involves parking in the lot across Severn at Lakeside Mall. Crossing Severn on foot can be a hazard, depending on the time of day. So, if you decide to go to that location, be careful crossing the street!

Second, the servers and cook in Harahan are much better at their job than the ones on Severn. I have complained numerous times about the service at the Severn location but it does not seem to get any better. The Harahan location servers, cook and hostess do not seem to have any problem and are very adept at their jobs. Our order was correct and brought to is in a timely manner and the server was pleasant and eager to please. You don't always get that good service at the Severn location.

As for the burgers, I love Phil's burgers! I love the fact that I can build my own burger with my own toppings and choose my own side. And, I love the fact that I can choose to have it on a bed of lettuce or on a bun! Sometimes I just don't want the bread. This day I chose to have the onion bun, with 100% Angus beef burger, sauteed onions, mushrooms and shredded cheese and my side was roasted corn on the cob, which I have to say was very tasty and very crunchy! Check out the "build your own burger" menu. You have lots of options for your burger.

My husband chose to add a pineapple ring to his burger (along with lettuce and tomato), which I have done in the past but am not a fan of on my burger. Sometimes he chooses the hot sausage burger and it is hot but very good. And, his side was steamed veggies, which is usually what he likes to have with his burger.

I like the fact that I don't have to get a fried side order (fries, onion strings) and that I can get a healthy side because the burger is fattening enough. I don't need to add anything else fried to my meal! LOL

Also, Phil has a reward program. If you sign up for his reward card, you get 1 point for every dollar you spend there and when you accumulate 100 points, he gives you a credit on your card to use on your next visit. You also get a $10 credit during the month of your birthday.

If you can't find something on the menu that you like, be sure to check out Phil's Burger of the Month. Since this is Mardi Gras month, Phil is calling his burger the "Fat Tuesday" burger. It consists of a 100% Angus beef burger with a slab of Zapp'd Hog's Head cheese, dressed with Jalapeno Aioli, shredded lettuce, tomato & pickles on french bread. Now, that's a burger! You can always count on Phil to come up with a great burger of the month!

So, all in all, Phil has a great burger selection and I think the food is great! But, if you want good service and ample parking, be sure to go to the Harahan location.

Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant

2011-12-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know Gordon Biersch is a chain restaurant, but I had never been there before and since we had to go down to Harrah's on my birthday I figured why not give it a try. We arrived before the Saints game started and there was hardly anyone there. Once the game came on, the place filled up fast. There were enough televisions around so that everyone could easily see the game. So, it's a great place to catch any sporting event that is on television.

As for lunch, we both ordered the same thing, the Marzen Barbeque Chicken topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and Marzen BBQ sauce and it came with a side of garlic fries. Needless to say, this sandwich was huge! The chicken breast was hanging over the side of the bread! And, the garlic fries were good but a little too much garlic for me. I asked the server if we could ask for them to go "light" on the garlic the next time we ate there and she said it would be perfectly fine to do that. So, we know better for next time.

My husband also had a side order of grilled asparagus, which he said were very tasty!

Now, what I really liked about this place was that they had "mini dessert tasters for only $2! So, I had to give the Brownie Mousse a try. It was so chocolatey! And, it was very small so I did not have to feel guilty about indulging in a little dessert on my birthday. I still did not eat the entire thing, but that was because it was way too much chocolate for me.

We are definitely going back there again since we really enjoyed ourselves. The food was great and so was the service. And, it is a lot less expensive to eat there than it is to eat at Harrah's!

Ralph's on the Park

2011-12-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

I finally had a chance to go have my birthday lunch with my stepmom. I love going to lunch with her because she always picks a place that I have never been before. This time was no different. We went to Ralph's on the Park, which is on City Park Avenue across from City Park.

As you can see, my menu had a Happy Birthday message, which was really nice.

We started our lunch with an appetizer, the Disgruntled Shrimp, which was tempura shrimp teriyaki with spicy chili garlic creme fraiche. They were very delicious with just a slight spicy kick to them.

For my entree, I chose the Louisiana Seafood Crepe, which was stuffed with Lake Pontchartrain crabmeat, Gulf shrimp & fish, smoked tomato sauce and fried shrimp curls. Check out this photo! These were very tasty. I am not a big fan of crepes but I figured with the seafood stuffing they would be awesome and they were just that.

My stepmom had the Herb Paneed Veal with roasted garlic and red onions, farmer's market cauliflower and bleu cheese pan sauce. Look at the size of the veal pieces! It was alot of food. The cauliflower was under the veal. The breading on the veal was very tasty.

And, since it was my birthday, we shared a dessert, banana pudding. It was so creamy!

The restaurant itself is rather large and there is a banquet room upstairs for larger parties. I'm told that the view at night is much better with the park across the street lit up. I did like the fact that the menu was not a carbon copy of every other restaurant in New Orleans. There were definitely some different creations available. Overall, I would give this place 4 out of 5 stars, only because the service was just a little lacking.

Coffee Pot Restaurant - French Quarter

2011-12-26T18:13:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, we decided to go to the Old Coffee Pot Restaurant on St. Peter in the French Quarter. This is a small restaurant on the inside but it also has some patio seating as well.

I had seen it advertised on the Travel Channel and did not even know that it existed until we saw it on TV. Unfortunately for us, my birthday was the weekend of the New Orleans Bowl so we had to stand in line for about 20 minutes behind a sea of red t-shirts (ULL). But, the food was worth the wait.

This restaurant serves breakfast until around 3pm, so my husband had the Plantation breakfast which consisted of 2 eggs, ham steak, biscuit, rice cakes and either grits or potatoes. My husband ordered grits but they brought him potatoes instead and when we told them about their mistake, they brought the grits too so he got everything. As you can see the ham steak was hanging over the side of the plate.

And, the rice cakes come on the side with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

I had a cup of chicken and andouille gumbo along with the redfish and shrimp creole over white rice. And, it was really delicious!

What makes this restaurant charming is the banter going on between patrons and servers and amongst the servers themselves. Most of these ladies have been working there for years and they make you feel like you are eating at a relative's house and are part of the family.

There are only about 12 tables inside. So, you can expect to stand in line if there is anything going on in town. It's only 2 1/2 blocks off of Decatur, right down the side of St. Louis Cathedral, so it's relatively easy to get to. We definitely give it a thumbs up!

CAFE ROYALE - Metairie LA

2011-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday for breakfast, we went to Cafe Royale on Metairie Road in Metairie. It is located next door to CVS and across the street from Metairie Bank. I had gotten one of those Groupon coupons to use there and thought it would be a good option to start my fun day with my granddaughter. The server was very friendly and it seemed like she had a lot of regulars who come in there because she knew them all by name. That makes for a friendly atmosphere and makes your dining experience that much nicer. After the breakfast that we had, they may be seeing more of us as well!

My granddaughter is a picky eater and does not eat eggs. So, we weren't really sure if she would find something that she liked. But, they had french toast for her and that was what she went with. As you can see, it was 8 round pieces and too much for her but she gave it a good try and ate about half of it.

My husband opted for the western omelet with grits and toast. As you can see, it was a good size and he said his was delicious!

I chose the ham and cheese omelet with grits and wheat toast. I don't eat grits but my husband does, so he ate mine. My other choice was hash browns and I chose not to get those.

My omelet was very good and loaded with ham and cheese. All three of us ate breakfast for $20 and were all full and satisfied when we left. So, it was a good start to our day. And, my husband is already talking about going back again.

They do have an extensive lunch menu with daily specials, salads, paninis, pizzas, po-boys and lots of extras. We will be sure to try something else the next time we visit them.

A definite "thumbs up" from us!

AUNT JENNY'S CATFISH RESTAURANT - Ocean Springs MS

2011-12-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my husband and I went to Aunt Jenny's Catfish Restaurant in Ocean Springs MS. Let me first say that we did not just randomly choose this restaurant. As you all know, I am an avid pressed penny collector and this restaurant has a pressed penny machine. So, a couple of weeks ago we stopped there so I could press some pennies and it smelled good so we decided to go back and try it out.

As you can see, it looks like an old yellow house from the front. But, it has alot of old charm.

It has been there since 1852 and there are 500 year old oak trees, which are visible from inside the restaurant because the entire back of the house is all glassed in, giving you a view of the bayou as well.

The menu here only has 3 items on it: catfish, shrimp and chicken, with variations of each. You can either get a regular large platter or an all-you-can-eat platter for a couple of bucks more. My husband opted for the all-you-can-eat catfish platter, which includes your choice of baked yam or french fries, hush puppy, coleslaw and biscuits and apple jelly. This was his initial plate.

I opted for the broiled catfish plate since I'm trying to avoid anything fried but I am not a fan of yams, baked or otherwise, so my only other choice was french fries.

Before they bring your meal to you, they bring out the cole slaw in a bucket and you serve yourself. Now, I have never seen cole slaw served this way before and it really didn't look that appetizing in the bucket but it was tasty.

They only brought us 2 biscuits total for the both of us so my husband had to order more (no charge for extras) since he loves his biscuits.

As for the food itself, my fish was tasty, but I could have done without all the fries. It's too bad that they did not have another side option to choose from. The menu says they have crispy vegetable sticks but "crispy" denotes "fried" so even if they had them, it would not have been an option for me. My husband said the same about his fried catfish. It was good but nothing extraordinary.

So, while the atmosphere was nice and the view was great, the food was just okay. I don't know that we will be going back there again.