Don't Miss Out On Rocket21...

Great place for lunch! Food and atmosphere were very nice. The waiter a little spacy but, she got the food out just as ordered in a timely manner.  Decor was pretty swanky and stylish looking with the nice bar and beautiful aquarium. Been a lotta of complaining about this place however, we had a good lunch visit and the place was packed.  The Calamari was my favorite and the Fish Tacos and Homemade Potato Chips were good but, you must try the Tomato Bisque Soup w/ House Salad if they have it the day you visit...fresh, different, light, and delicious!

Play Trivia: Worth $20 gift card at Rocket Twenty One if you FOLLOW the blog  Di's Cupcakes (Diannehocut.blogspot.com) and Email the correct answer to DianneHocut@live.com. If there is more than one correct answer, a winner will be drawn.  Deadline is next Tuesday, June 25th 2013 at 5p.m. CST.

Trivia Question: What was the name of the Mexican restaurant (back in the 70s) that was located in what is now the Ice House?

 

What the Heck is A Cajun Noodle...

Well, it's a sweet little hole in the wall restaurant in Lonoke, Arkansas. We were headed out of town the other day via Interstate 40 and naturally we were hungry before we ever got going...so upon a friend's suggestion we stopped and had lunch at the Cajun Noodle. Don't understand the noodle lingo but the Cajun part I really got! We had the Meatball Appetizers with a special red sauce and they were gone before I could get a picture. Then we had the Shrimp Etouffee and it was really scrumptious over some rice. Not noodles...still wondering. Anyway, we topped our meal off with a delicious Bread Pudding that had ooey gooey caramel sauce and pecans all over it. No noodles... Guess we will have to return and check the noodle thing out. A little pricey but worth the trip to Lonoke.. where else can you get scrumptious Cajun cookin', good old Southern hospitality, great service, and Karaoke, as well, in an old golf club house that use to be the Lonoke Country Club???

Love A Great Coney Dog...

This monster coney dog is only $6.99 at Smokin' Buns on Hwy 107 North toward Cabot. Everything involved with the making of this dog is to Di for! Love the beef dog, the creamy cold slaw, the hearty chili (no beans) the onions, the mustard, and the fresh toasted bun!! The dog even comes with french fries! But, I always ask for a bag of chips instead of fries... wouldn't want to over do it!

Loretta Lynn's Kitchen

We often travel toward Charlotte, NC to visit our family, and when we do we stop in at Hurricane Mills right off Interstate 40 around mile marker 143 and visit our friend, Loretta. Loretta is all over the kitchen area and continually running throughout her general store as we enjoy dropping in for a heaping bowl of Beans with Cornbread, & a big ole slice of onion. All for $4.99! The Sweet tea compliments our meal rather nicely.

Our friend, Loretta sure knows how we love our Southern delicacies and one day we hope she will come strolling through her country store and kitchen to give us a big ole "Howdy!" Until then, we'll just have to enjoy our meal and settle for soaking up all the pictures, souvenirs, and memorabilia of Loretta through the years that are scattered all over every square inch of the walls and premises. We do love you, Loretta!

A. W. Lin's Asian Cuisine

#3 and me thought we might have lunch at YaYa's Euro Bistro the other Sunday, but man that was a silly thought since we did not have reservations and would not consider a 45 minute wait. Instead we bopped around the corner to A.W. Lin's Asian Cuisine at the Promenade in Little Rock. In fact, we were greeted and seated immediately in this beautifully decorated new restaurant. We were pleased with our wonderful server as we ordered two appetizers, two entrés, and two iced teas. But with a tab over $60 (tip included) and a not quite so great special chef's entré we will not return.

For starters we had Crab Rangoon with a tasty sweet sauce. The Crab Rangoon was OK but tasted as though it had been sitting for awhile. Would have been nice to be a tad more fresh. Next, we had Egg Flower Soup which was really colorful (how does it get so yellow) and delicious. The crunchy and fresh fried wontons served with the soup were really good, too. #3 had a Sweet and Sour Shrimp which was served with rice and was fresh and tasty. I ordered a chef's speciality of Coconut Honey Shrimp served with rice which was not as good. It was pretty and had plenty of seasoned walnuts, pineapple, cherries, and honey all over it, but the battered shrimp was cold and tough and I still don't know where the coconut was. This dish was quite pricey, and I believe it should have been better. Oh well, live and learn (and be a little more patient at restaurants with long waits)!

Lunch at the Packet House...

Di and Daughter had lunch today at the new and remodelled The Packet House on Cantrell Road overlooking the Arkansas River. Lots of hits and misses...
Misses include:
Cold Butternut Squash Soup...brrrrr!
Only slightly heated grilled bread for the Grilled Pimento Cheese
Fried Green Tomatoes and House Fries desperately needed seasoning
No salt and pepper shakers on the table (we get the gist here, but you need to season properly)

Hits include:

Excellent server (also, retrieved the salt/pepper shakers in a flash)
Beautiful modern decor
Great tasting House Fries with truffle oil
Nicely seasoned House Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette and sweetened rosemary seasoned walnuts
Delicious creamy pimento cheese filling on a very tasty bread for the Grilled Pimento Cheese 

Light and delicious Sweet Potato Chips
Scrumptious Italian Cream Cake

The hits did outnumber the misses and we will return because it just wouldn't be right if we didn't give this wonderful old establishment another shot...

Forty Two at the Clinton Presidential Center

Lunch overlooking the beautiful Arkansas River with the famous Bridge to the 21st Century towering overhead on another sun bursting day in the 60s was very special today at the Little Rock restaurant, Forty Two located in the basement of the Clinton Presidential Center. What more could you ask for...well, a darn good meal (and a lot less Democrats) for one two things and that's just what Arkansas chef, Stephen Burrow gave us, a darn good meal!

For starters we had the French Onion Soup which was the best I have ever had in the Natural State. So simple to make however, lots of others (not Chef Burrow) tend to annihilate this classic, elegant appetizer. Rich beef broth with earthy bread, lots of cheese and onions, and I especially loved the serving bowl with a tidy little round indention on the side to properly hold your cute little soup spoon.  So presidential. And, the Wedge of Romaine was simply delicious. The huge (every thing is BIG here) salad had lots of blue cheese crumbles, ripe grape tomatoes, sweet red onions (sweetened in a fabulous way) fresh Romaine lettuce, a light vinaigrette, and hunky, porky monster ham/bacon chunks. Out of the ball park! Also, the Shrimp Wrap with Homemade Potato Chips was nothing to sneeze at. Not teeny, tiny shrimp you have to look for in a sea of mayo but BIG, nicely seasoned shrimp with the freshest of greenery and spices in a tasty honey wheat wrap. Nothing was over done, just quality ingredients in a down home Southern kitchen with a lot of  presidential like stuff all around. Service and greeters were exceptionally delightful...well, what do you expect in the Natural State. Serving lunch only, check the link above for all sorts of other important info about the fabulous Forty Two!