Luxury Gone Wild at Marriott Resort & Spa on Myrtle Beach

Recently while visiting my son in the Charlotte area, we skipped on down to the Marriott Resort & Spa on the beautiful Atlantic in Myrtle Beach, SC. The room with a view was perfect, the service staff delightful, and the food and drinks were spectacular! Don't you just love those reward programs!!!

Leaving our gorgeous room and moving on down to the main area we ordered Melon Coladas and Mediterranean Tapas from the Marriott's Ocean Blu Café. Why do those fruity drinks go so well with the ocean... And, the pita bread, hummus dip, Greek olives, and chopped tomatoes were to Di for! They were also deliciously accented with something I would not have thought of, caramelized onions. Yummy!

So, now that we're back in the real world, I would like to share my fave recipe for caramelized onions...try it.  And, do try the wonderful resort and spa at the Marriott in Myrtle Beach! It is luxury gone wild!!!

How to caramelize onions:

2 large onions peeled & sliced in rounds

Salt & pepper to taste

A sprinkle of sugar

Oil for frying

Place all into a large sauté pan. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes or so until soft and dark in color. The trick to perfect caramelization is keeping the onions moist by adding a little water, if   necessary. Yummy with Mediterranean Tapas and lots of stuff like homemade pizza pie!

Mamacita's...Another Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Please stop it!!! I do love Mexican food but, give me a break! Had dinner at Mamacita's on Kavanaugh and University the other night and I really couldn't see anything different from all the other million and one authentic Mexican restaurants in the Central Arkansas area. I had the Bacon Wrapped Camarones and guess what? Nothing new here except maybe a slightly sweet dipping sauce. Daughter had the Spinach Enchiladas which did have a pretty darn tasty cream sauce on them.  The hot sauce and chips and the cheese dip...a bit bland. Prices were high (maybe because of the high rent district). Whatever became of the Satellite Cafe which use to inhabit this corner spot??? Oh well...good service, good taste...maybe I'll be back.

Littlefield's Starlite Diner

 

The Starlite Diner, out Old Conway Highway in North Little Rock, is really a great little diner...finally! So glad Hunka Pie stopped trying in this location (as well as numerous attempts at other locals). Such a cute retro dining car, it would have been a shame if the Littlefields had not taken a chance to open a brand new restaurant in it.  Breakfast is delicious and sandwiches are wonderful. They do have a Pork Chop or Chicken Breast Plate with choice of potato and a house salad. The BLT was huge and the Bologna with cheese, mustard, and a wallop of onion on white bread was pretty darn good. Will go again soon!

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!