Morning Side Bagels in Maumelle

Found another lil' hole in the wall that is loaded with freshly baked bagels, lattés, soups, and small town service. For an easy morning of relaxing (who's up for relaxing every once in a while), reading the paper, and eating a freshly baked bagel you must try this cozy place on Maumelle Blvd. The bagels are tender, scrumptious, and lovingly baked every day. I always get the Lox and Cream Cheese schmeared on an Onion Bagel with red onion, tomato, and capers.  A little pricey at $7.30 but, I'm worth it. Oh, and try the Honey Almond schmear on a Chocolate Chip Bagel...to Di for! The lattés are a bit more costly here and not as good as the competitor down the way but, hey...this is a homemade bagel joint! Will try the soups soon. Such a nice way to start the day...

Lunch and Wine at Taziki's Mediterranean Café

Had the most wonderful long lunch with a friend of mine the other day at Taziki's Mediterranean Café.  Didn't know it was a franchise, did you? We both had the Greek Salad with Lamb and shared an order of Hummus Dip w/Pita Chips and Stuffed Dolmades with Taziki (yogurt) Sauce. Delicious!

Very busy at lunch with a short wait in the service line. Order in the line, they bring food to your table and clear the table, and ask if you need any refills. Worked out great to keep the busy patrons in and out in no time. But, we had no where to go so, we stayed to talk, chat, gossip, and did I mention drink a glass of wine?? My meal with salad, hummus, and one wine came to about $20 bucks. A little pricey but, well worth it!!

Must Try David's Burgers...

This place is clean, simple, friendly, cheap, delicious, fresh, and ALL about GREAT BURGERS!! We noticed all this commotion going on the side of the interstate toward the Hooters and PetSmart stores for about a week or so. Soooooooooo, we had to check it out...

Rocky's Pub Scores A Knockout

We are constantly searching for restaurants that serve good food, at decent prices, with a friendly staff, and clean surroundings. Hit the jackpot the other night when we dropped into Rocky's Pub! This wonderful little hole in the wall (Indian Hills Shopping Center) has been around for a few years and, we did try it a couple of years ago. We just never made it back because it had more of a bar atmosphere than food service. We gave it another shot the other night and glad we did. Still pretty good Italian food and, the bar is still there but more diners than drinkers seem to have made it to Rocky's that night. A must have is the Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce, simply wonderful!! Also, the Spaghetti and Meatballs are enough for two and maybe three! The Grilled Chicken & Bacon Salad was huge but a little too heavy on the bacon side for me (if that can be a bad thing). A side of garlic bread completed our meal and we were totally satisfied. Price for all with two Iced Teas and tip came to around $40 bucks. Nice visit...maybe we won't take as long to return the next time!

Checking Out Maddie's Place On Rebsamen Park Road

Haven't been to  Maddie's Place in a few years so, a friend and I made a date to check it out for lunch. Actually, we really wanted a nice, quiet, friendly atmosphere to catch up on a few years or so. You see, Leta just moved back from Fort Worth and we have not had a nice girlfriend lunch for a long time. It was wonderful to chat, rehash, and renew our friendship since she is back in town to stay!! We've known each other most of our lives...Ridgeroad Jr. High, NLR High, various reunions, a couple of Bible studies, and a few dinners, drinks, and such.  She is an especially nice person (rare) and, I can see our relationship continuing onward. Sort of special...how many friends are you still friendly with since way back when???

Back to Maddie's...we each had the special, Cajun Chicken & Dumplings. Very ample serving with lots of plump dumplings and plenty of chicken for a hearty New Orleans type meal. And, because we had lots to catch up on so, we stayed a good while, so dessert was a necessity. Chocolate Creme Bruleé is always delicious here. So that's just what we had before we paid our tab, jumped in the car, and shopped at various antique malls all afternoon! Very nice to have a good friend who, even though, you haven't seen for awhile, seems to nicely fit right back in where you left off, years ago! Sort of like revisiting Maddie's Place, too...

Metro Burger Is Simply Wonderful!

                                                                                                           

 

Because I do a lot of shopping in the Indian Hills area, I recently discovered a wonderful new burger joint at the back end of the Indian Hills Shopping Center. We badly need new restaurants in the area so, I was game to check this place out. Sort of simple menu, yet still a lot of complex offerings which stimulated my taste bud thoughts in a way I didn't think a burger joint could. All that said, and after reading all the menu suggestions, I chose the basic beef burger with American cheese, standard dressings, and topped off with powder sugar coated sweet potato fries. Simply wonderful!!! Pricey, but what burger place (including McDs) isn't???

Mac and the Magnificent 7 Cheeses

I have this wonderful mac and cheese recipe by CarnieWilson that I got from an article years ago and have turned into my own. It's one of those bake in the oven mac & cheeses and believe me it is out of this world!  Makes a lot, so plan to feed a crowd or freeze in smaller containers. Also, plan on a trip to the store to purchase all those 7 magnificent cheeses...don't wimp out on them either! Rich, creamy, and so good you will even eat it for breakfast...

How to make Carnie Wilson's Mac & Cheese:
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni, the big kind
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cup half and half
2/3 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
1 egg
3 T flour
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon each cayenne, nutmeg, and black pepper
12 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
8 oz Vermont cheddar cheese,cubed
10 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 cups Jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
Paprika
Chives and Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°, grease a 13x9 inch dish with butter.
2.  Pour cooked pasta into the prepared dish.
3.  In a large mixing bowl combine the heavy cream, half and half, and sour cream.  Break the cream cheese into pieces and add to bowl. Add egg, flour, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dry mustard along with cayenne, nutmeg, and black pepper. Whisk together, will be lumpy. Set aside.
4.  Starting at corners of pasta shove the cubes of Velveeta and Gruyere into the pasta working toward middle.
5.  Pour cream mixture into pasta and shake to distribute evenly.
6.  Sprinkle Jack and Cheddar over the pasta.
7.  Sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
8.  Sprinkle with chives and Parmesean for garnish.