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One of my favorite things about See’s Candies would have to be the free samples. Ok, I admit that sometimes I walk by more than once just to get another one! See’s Candies are truly delicious....
One of my favorite things about See’s Candies would have to be the free samples. Ok, I admit that sometimes I walk by more than once just to get another one! See’s Candies are truly delicious. For a long time I thought they were made in St. Louis because they always open locations in St. Louis before Christmas. But, actually they are a California company that has locations in many states.
My favorites are too numerous to name them all, but for starters I love the Gourmet Lollypops. They are delicious and rich tasting. Of course it goes without saying that I love the chocolates as well. The toffee is amazing, buttery and fresh with a delicious chocolate covering. I generally buy the 2 lb. Fancy Gold assortment to have on hand during the holiday season. It has the best mix of creams, nuts, brittles, truffles and fruits that I have found anywhere. They mail order and would be perfect for gifts and stocking stuffers. http://www.sees.com/home.cfm
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Teavana
Category:
Coffee Shops
340 King St
Charleston, South Carolina 29401
(843) 723-0600
I have always been a tea drinker. I start the day with coffee, but the rest of the day is devoted to tea. On a trip to Charleston, SC in May my husband and I found a store called Teavana. We...
I have always been a tea drinker. I start the day with coffee, but the rest of the day is devoted to tea. On a trip to Charleston, SC in May my husband and I found a store called Teavana. We walked in and were completely out of our element. It was sort of like going to our first wine tasting-we didn’t know enough to ask intelligent questions. The employees were very helpful and explained to us that they sold many varieties of loose tea leaves and that we could taste or smell anything we liked. My husband goes for the fruity teas. Teas that have apple or raspberry mixed in with the leaves. I prefer teas without flavors added. We ended up buying several different kinds and have been to other Teavana locations since to stock up. My favorites are the Iron Buddha Oolong and the Dragonwell Green while my husband loves the Raspberry Black and the Black Current teas. Our best investment was the Teavana Perfect Tea Maker. This item makes brewing tea leaves as easy as using a tea bag. You put in a spoonful of the tea, add sugar if you like and hot water. The tea brews and then you place the entire Tea Maker over a mug or cup and it drains the tea in, and the leaves stay behind. I have given several of these for gifts since we bought ours. Teavana stores are located in upscale malls and they do mail order.
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I have been to Charleston, SC twice in the past 3 years, and both times we have had lunch at Hyman’s Seafood. Some locals seem to think of this as a “tourist trap” because it can be difficult...
I have been to Charleston, SC twice in the past 3 years, and both times we have had lunch at Hyman’s Seafood. Some locals seem to think of this as a “tourist trap” because it can be difficult to get in without a wait. We always arrive early and have never had to wait for a table. Hyman’s specializes in fresh, local seafood and we haven’t been disappointed. They bring boiled peanuts (which I love) to your table. We have always started our meal with the fish spread and crackers. I have always had the Napoleon appetizer as my lunch. It is three layers of fried green tomatoes, crab dip and fried shrimp with a delicious remoulade sauce. My husband loves the shrimp po-boy sandwich. They have a large variety of food on the menu and prices are reasonable.
http://www.hymanseafood.com/
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There are Cracker Barrel Restaurants all over the country. I remember when we were first married there weren’t very many. It was always such a treat when we were going to Florida to stop at a...
There are Cracker Barrel Restaurants all over the country. I remember when we were first married there weren’t very many. It was always such a treat when we were going to Florida to stop at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast or dinner. I actually really like the food at Cracker Barrel. They are most famous for their down home cooking.
I often have the vegetable plate with real mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, green beans and cole slaw. Other favorites are the grilled catfish, the homemade soups, the grilled cheese and bacon sandwich on sourdough bread and the wonderful breakfasts with grits, eggs, bacon, country ham and biscuits and gravy. This is a very kid friendly, kind of loud restaurant. Prices are very reasonable, and the gift shop carries an interesting assortment of items. The wait can be long, particularly on Sunday mornings. http://www.crackerbarrel.com/
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Pond Hill Farm is located just outside of Harbor Springs, MI. It is just what it claims to be-a working farm. We stopped on trip to Michigan last year because a guide book told us to. This...
Pond Hill Farm is located just outside of Harbor Springs, MI. It is just what it claims to be-a working farm. We stopped on trip to Michigan last year because a guide book told us to. This year, it was on our "must do" list and I had shopping in mind when I hit the door. For kids there are animals to feed, a pond to fish, squash to "toss" and walking trails. Bouquets of their own dried flowers and wreaths hang from the walls and the ceilings. I bought a lovely bouquet of dried flowers for around $4.
I love the fact that they have organic produce and if I lived closer I would be taking some of that with me. They have the best canned items I have ever tasted. They can the fresh produce on site. Our favorites are the whole Dilly Green Beans and the Dilly Sugar Snap Peas. They are crisp, delicious and unusual. We eat them just like pickles, but they would make a wonderful appetizer tray. We also bought Apricot Marmalade and a Lemon Herb Sauce this year, but I haven't tried them yet. They look wonderful. It was exciting to learn this year that they have added a website and will ship the canned goods.
As we were leaving a school group was just getting off the bus and they were so excited to see the animals and all the pumpkins! Very cute. We really enjoy our stop here. http://www.pondhill.com/
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If you live anywhere in Illinois near Bloomington-Normal you are probably familiar with Avanti's Italian Restaurant. (There are also locations in Peoria, IL) It is always crowded, a favorite of...
If you live anywhere in Illinois near Bloomington-Normal you are probably familiar with Avanti's Italian Restaurant. (There are also locations in Peoria, IL) It is always crowded, a favorite of the college kids and their parents! They have a large dining room with plenty of seating. They also have a walk-in area, where you can order and carry out many of the menu options. The menu is fairly extensive with a variety of Italian dishes and pizza. I have actually dined in a few times and never been disappointed. The prices are very affordable and the food is always good...not gourmet...but good.
Most people I know are mainly interested in the bread! They make a simple sandwich they call a Gondola. It is ham, salami, cheese and lettuce on sweet, fresh Italian bread. You can also just buy a whole loaf of the bread with butter for $2.25. We used to stop when driving through the area for bread and butter and just eat it all the way home!
http://www.avantisnormal.com/index.html
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With all the wonderful restaurant choices in Chicago this is not the most likely choice. I will tell you that if you take your children (of any age) once, they will never want to eat anywhere...
With all the wonderful restaurant choices in Chicago this is not the most likely choice. I will tell you that if you take your children (of any age) once, they will never want to eat anywhere else! The style is 50's diner...complete with plastic booths and Elvis pictures on the walls. The menu follows the theme with burgers, fries, meatloaf and mashed potato dinners and is always very good, but certainly not gourmet. It is the cast of characters that makes this so unique and fun. The wait staff is dressed much like the cast of "Grease" only more so. They do not hesitate to yell at you to "wait behind that line, I'm not ready to seat you yet!" or "you want a vanilla coke? Sicko!" They are known to jump up on the counters and burst into Sha Na Na songs. Our first visit the kids were small and they couldn't believe the waitress was yelling at mom for not cleaning her plate. They loved it! This is a great place to take a lunch break in Chicago. It will keep your kids entertained; you won't leave hungry and best of all it won't break the bank! Ed Debevic's is located at 640 N. Wells St., downtown.
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Maggiano’s Little Italy is a chain restaurant with locations in many states. It is styled much like a pre-World War II Italian eatery. We have eaten at Maggiano’s restaurants in both Chicago...
Maggiano’s Little Italy is a chain restaurant with locations in many states. It is styled much like a pre-World War II Italian eatery. We have eaten at Maggiano’s restaurants in both Chicago and St. Louis, and we have never been disappointed. On Thursday we had lunch at the St. Louis location to celebrate our anniversary. We were lucky to have only a 10-minute wait for a table. The one problem I have seen with Maggiano’s restaurants is that they are so popular that the wait can be long.
There were 3 of us for lunch, and we all ordered very different food choices. We enjoyed the warm bread and dipping oil while we waited for our food to arrive. I ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Sandwich, which came on a brioche bun with arugula, tomato and onion strings. It was served with Parmesan Chips. It was perfect. My husband had the special of the day, which was Grilled Tilapia on a bed of tomato and red onion. My daughter ordered the traditional Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. We all had side salads ($1 extra with lunch) with our meals. All the food was delicious, and the service was great. My daughter mentioned our anniversary to the waiter and he brought out a plate with 3 Zuccotto Balls. I didn’t know what they were at the time, but actually they are chocolate cake rolled with Sambuca flavored cream finished with Val Rona cocoa powder. They looked like chocolate truffles, and tasted like gooey brownies. Yum! I don’t think you can go wrong with a meal at Maggiano’s, just try to time your visit at non-traditional eating times to cut down on the wait. http://www.maggianos.com/
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I love to go to The Melting Pot, and my husband hates it. The Melting Pot is a chain restaurant with locations in several states, and I’m sure like most chains the quality of the experience...
I love to go to The Melting Pot, and my husband hates it. The Melting Pot is a chain restaurant with locations in several states, and I’m sure like most chains the quality of the experience will vary from location to location. We have eaten several times at the Sarasota, Florida location and each time I had great food and wonderful time.
The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant. It is a dining experience that takes time and is really fun with a group. This is exactly what my husband doesn’t like about it. He would rather go someplace, order dinner, eat and leave. I like cooking the food at the table, the slow pace and the chance to “make an evening of it.” My favorite menu choices are: Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue, Mushroom Salad, the Signature Selection Entrée (shrimp, sirloin and chicken) and Chocolate Fondue for dessert. I prefer the Court Bouillon style of cooking, which is broth based instead of oil based, but I do like the batter dipped mushrooms! I think it is a really fun experience, and our food has always been delicious. This is not a place for very small children or if you are in a hurry. http://www.meltingpot.com/
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For me, a visit to Walt Disney World isn’t complete without at least one visit to Epcot’s Boulangerie Patisserie. Located in France in the World Showcase section of Epcot, this is a perfect location...
For me, a visit to Walt Disney World isn’t complete without at least one visit to Epcot’s Boulangerie Patisserie. Located in France in the World Showcase section of Epcot, this is a perfect location for an afternoon snack. We generally pick 2 or 3 different pastries and share them. I love the crème brulee, and the napoleons; my husband generally opts for one of the fruit tarts. We add a cup of café au lait and go into the cool seating area for a much-needed break.
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