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HEXX Kitchen and Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: HEXX Kitchen and Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada! Check out the Las Vegas Strip from a vantage point at the Paris Hotel that offers open-air patio dining with a view of the Bellagio fountains. Have you ever tasted Chilaquiles? It’s a perfect brunch option of tortilla chips loaded with roasted chicken, tasty salsa, two eggs cooked your style, avocado chunks, sour cream, and asadero cheese. So what if you have to strap on the Fitbit to exercise a few miles walking it off? This is Vegas, baby. It’s worth it.

Tortilla Republic Kitchen and Margarita Bar in Koloa, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Tortilla Republic Kitchen and Margarita Bar in Koloa, Kauai. Picture this. The sun is super-bright and tropical-warm to the point where ducking into a Mexican cantina for a salt-rimmed margarita would have been a good idea about an hour ago. Nevertheless, the shade on the outdoor patio feels 10° cooler under the turquoise blue umbrella as the breezes are beginning to stir. The house margarita goes down easy on its way to an order of Quesadilla Vegetariano. I’m sure you get the picture. Complimentary tortilla chips and spicy salsa are perfect for snacking. This is a recipe for making my day.

The Lanai Restaurant and Bar in Koloa, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: The Lanai Restaurant And Bar in Koloa, Kauai. Avocado croquettes, sweet watermelon salad, crunchy sea salt macadamia nuts, grilled shrimp. If you strive for healthy options, local ingredients, and aloha flavor, rest easy at The Lanai. Escape to the garden isle where open-air ambience meets great tasting food. People-watching is a bonus, especially among gentle sea breezes. Adjacent to a gourmet market makes it a plus for top-notch quality. Take it slow, savor each bite. Then think about the next time you plan to come back.

Dining Outside the Home: Ainsley’s Café and Harbor Bar in Brookville, Indiana

Dining Outside the Home: Ainsley’s Café and Harbor Bar in Brookville, Indiana! When the weather is hot and sunny, get away where old friends meet to reminisce about the glory days, mixed in with current events and fabulous food. Ainsley’s Café makes you feel as though the vacation never ends. Everyone who comes here is happy and full of life, including the staff. It’s like family reunions without all the drama. Sit outside where the breeze is fresh and the outstanding view is nonstop. Take your time, life is easy. This is is way things were meant to be.

Dining Outside the Home: Hilton Garden Inn Pavilion Lounge on Wailua Bay, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Hilton Garden Inn Pavilion Lounge on Wailua Bay, Kauai. You’re always on holiday here glamorously soaking up the rays and sipping on tropical Mai Tais, garnished with mellow paper umbrellas, at the edge of turquoise seas. Is this real, you wonder? Pinch me if I’m dreaming. But don’t wake me. Please. Instead “Hang Loose” with aloha spirit. Absorb the open-air lounge that is true Hawaii. Order a side of Crispy Popcorn Shrimp garnished with seaweed furikake, for starters. The Paniola Burger topped with chipotle pineapple and applewood bacon drizzled with barbecue sauce can come later. After all, you have all the time in the world. Let the seasoned bartenders introduce you to their crafted cocktails. They have a story to tell.

Dining Outside the Home: Off the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: Off the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada! Get off the beaten path and you’ll discover a unique chophouse that serves the freshest food 24 hours a day in a city that never sleeps. You’ll want to remember that little detail. The bistro style atmosphere boasts kick-back comfort in its surroundings as well as its menu items. Go ahead and order the Rolled New York Strip with Asparagus. Turn it into breakfast by adding an egg over easy. The melted provolone cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and Marsala mushroom sauce is enough to make you swoon. This food is the real deal. I’d like to to tell you it’s the best kept secret in Vegas, but word is getting around. Meander down The LINQ Promenade and you’ll see what I mean.

Dining Outside the Home: Chayo Mexican Kitchen in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: Chayo Mexican Kitchen in Las Vegas, Nevada! Just because they have a mechanical bull doesn’t mean you have to ride it. Unless you want to. For those who dare for more excitement than a tequila bar, innovative Mexican fare, and diverse dance music…check it out. Chayo Mexican Kitchen, located on The LINQ Promenade, is like an oasis in the desert. Surrounded by lush palm trees, the outdoor patio offers downtime shade from the Nevada sun. Kick back for a breather. Hear the sizzle of grilled shrimp fajitas. Appreciate the freshness of authentic street corn. Sling back a Don Julio tequila flight. It’s all about the journey.

Dining Outside the Home: Ernestine and Hazel’s in Memphis, Tennessee

Dining Outside the Home: Ernestine and Hazel’s in Memphis, Tennessee! Housed in a building steeped with southern history lies a gathering place where the burgers are greasy, the music is hypnotic, and the liquor is smooth. People connect with the heart and soul at the mere thought of Chuck Berry or Ray Charles, listening as the jukebox plays on. Upstairs an aura of mystique practically oozes from the heavily color-draped walls. That’s no coincidence, especially after hearing murmurings of shadowy figures and other unexplained phenomenon based on the dozen or so tragic deaths that occurred there. Perhaps that is why the seasoned bartender keeps his head down, humming under his breath, and serves up a stiff one.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Z

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Zero Candy Bar Cookies! White chocolate fudge has been popular since it was introduced in a candy bar a hundred years ago. At that time it was called the Double Zero Bar due to its “chilling” snowy white color, reminding the public of an ice cube. To this day it is sold in a trademark cool silver wrapper. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, they say. Today’s cookies are nothing short of heavenly. 
ZERO CANDY BAR COOKIES
Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, softened 

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 sea salt

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups peanuts, chopped

3.4 ounce Zero Candy Bar, chopped
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture. Stir until blended. Fold in white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, peanuts, and Zero Candy Bar pieces. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Drop cookie dough, using a melon ball scoop, onto the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Yield: 6 dozen.