There is a series of farm-to-table dinners happening all over the state in state parks.

Combining state parks and local food are two of my favorite things.

So, I saw that the North Bend State Park dinner is one of the closest to me, so I jumped at the chance.

The menu features dishes sourced with local ingredients.

I started with a drink of choice, and I went with raspberry lemonade.

Then, we were served a strawberry salsa and sweet cinnamon tortilla chips.

After that, we had a number of dishes - including a tomato and herb salad and pickled deviled eggs

There was skillet cornbread.

And we had potato and green bean salad with vinaigrette.

The main dish featured sweet corn on the cob, maple dijon roasted carrots, maple rosemary grilled chicken, and beef fillet with mushroom cream sauce.

And to top it off, we had fresh watermelon.



Have you been to one?

Pastimes is a bar on the West Side that recently had their menu redone by Kayleigh Philips.

The fun doodles caught my attention so I headed over there to check it out.

The menu is small but has classic bar fare. On this day, the fryer was down so were limited on availability. 

I went with two hot dogs with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

This was definitely a unique take on a hot dog. Have you been?

During MOV Restaurant Week, I wanted to do my due diligence and check out a few places.

A number of restaurants listed I had already tried, but there were a few new one to me - among them was The Hideout on 47.

This restaurant, housed in a bright green building, was busy on a Friday night.

Walking in, there was a large wall that listed all the MOV Restaurant Week specials.

I actually ordered off-menu only because the pizza was a huge one, and I only needed a small. So I got the same items, just a smaller pizza.

First course: deep-fried pepperoni rolls with marinara sauce.

Entree: Buffalo chicken pizza.


Dessert: Cherry cheesecake. Have you been here?

OK Chinese Buffet in Fayetteville has always made me giggle a little bit.

While some Chinese restaurants opt for "Super" or "No. 1," I enjoy that this spot went with "OK."

I've mentioned before how I love going to Chinese buffets to get takeout - the perk of variety while enjoying it at home.

There were a good bit of dishes to choose from, which included all my favorites.

General Tsos, dumplings, crab, rangoons. Check, check, check and check.

Have you been?

A new bakery in Vienna opened, and I was excited to check it out.

The Little Stirr Bakery is known for their custom cakes, but they have a number of goodies available daily in the shop.


I stopped by to check it out.

As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with a ton of options.

On the shelving to my right, there were packs of cookies available.

In the case in front of me, there were cupcakes and novelty items like chocolate-covered oreos and peanut butter cups.

Then, off to the side, there were pepperoni rolls!

So I got a little bit of everything: a cheese pepperoni roll, some "unicorn bark" which is white chocolate with sprinkles and m&ms, and a milk and white chocolate-covered rice krispie.

What's your favorite thing here?