BAKERY DELIGHTS IN OCEAN SPRINGS!

Need a fresh hot loaf of french bread?  How about a hot doughnut?  What about a cupcake?  Well, I have found a few great places that will meet your needs........A short drive led me to an old but delicious standby...

Tatonut Doughnuts on Government Street.  Tatonut has been in business for years and is a clear local favorite.The fav doughnut here is the glazed and somewhere between 200-400 dozen per day are sold. 

Claim to fame and I agree!

Are you hungry yet?

There is usually a line out the door, especially Fridays and the locals gather for coffee in the small shop, hashing out local politics and the weather....nothing beats a warm, doughy, sweet Tatonut doughnut!!!

I left the yumminess of Tatonut and headed down Highway 90 to a new bakery.......  Torta Dolce Bakery has been open about 3-4 months and business is good! 

List of Deliciousness!

I stopped by and the first thing I noticed were the inexpensive loaves of fresh baked bread and biscotti on the rack out front...The clerk behind the counter told me besides the breads, the bakery produces cakes, cannoli, croissants, Belgian waffles, cookies and pastries, including cinnamon rolls which is one of the most popular items......in fact, the cinnamon rolls are also found in the CINNAMON ROLL BREAD PUDDING!!!!! No, I did not get to try it.... I was too anxious to buy the hot bread and jump in the car and leave so I could stuff big hunks of it in my mouth!!!  Torta Dolce is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.....at 7AM...stop on your way to work.....Beignets are served Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 - 1 p.m. 1614 Bienville Blvd.  (same shopping center as Red Zone Grille)......like them on facebook at Torta Dolce Bakery

 Ever have a taste for cake, but don't really want a whole cake, well what about a cupcake? My last stop is a cute bakery in East Ocean Springs at the entrance to Gulf Park Estates, Buzzin' Bee Cakes.  They specialize in decorated birthday cakes, special occasion cakes and wedding cakes....But they usually always have a display of cupcakes for purchase.......

White Almond cupcakes are most popular......

 

Local baked goods always taste so much better than the prefab stuff at the big box store and they are made with ingredients you can pronounce like......BUTTER....... FLOUR......SUGAR........support these hardworking bakers..................Buy their yummy stuff!!!

Woody's Roadside Restaurant.....GO THERE NOW!!!

My husband and I had been observing the reconstruction of the place where "Castaways" used to be and when we saw the open sign we decided we needed to stop by.  It is a welcome addition to dining on the east end of town.  Should make a good partner with Salvetti's just a few doors down.

We were surprised when we entered this fresh, hip and inviting space.  It is much larger than it appears. It has a great horseshoe shaped bar and I believe we counted about 8 - 10 draft beer selections in addition to the full bar.  TV's are there for sports fans and a stage at one end of the room is set up for live music.

The ceiling is painted to look like a sky with a setting sun a one end.....adds a nice ambience.

The menu is great and reasonably priced.  Appetizers include:  fried green tomatoes, fried calamari, wings, etc.  There are several salads, bbq and burgers like "The Hangover".  This burger is fresh ground chuck, topped with fried egg, hashbrowns, bacon, tomato, cheddar and havarti cheese.  Yummm....a definite need after a long night on the town. Well, after reviewing the menu, I decided on the fish tacos.

The grilled fish tacos arrived in soft corn tortillas topped with cabbage and a tasty lime sauce.  Fresh hand cut fries accompanied the tacos. I loved the Saints themed paper on which the food was served.    Delicious!

                   

Hubby chose the brisket sandwich with a sweet bbq sauce and those delicious hand cut fries and coleslaw.

Our "hit and run" lunch was perfect and because our dining opportunities are so limited on this end of town we are delighted to find a restaurant that is locally owned and serves great food and drinks fairly close to home.

 Take a look at their menu at www.woodysroadside.net and stop by soon.....

        The kitchen is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Then the music and fun begins.

Art! Music! Food! Welcome to the Peter Anderson Festival 2011

This past weekend in Ocean Springs, the 33rd Annual Peter Anderson Festival was held to celebrate the art community that originated with the Anderson Family in the 1920's. Peter was the potter in the family and brother to the artist, Walter Anderson. Many descendants of the 2 brothers and other family members are active Ocean Springs artists including children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Their work was for sale during the festival. In addition, more than 350 artists and craftsmen from across the U.S. set up booths for the 2 day festival. I began my journey through the festival at the south end of Washington, where the Annual St. Alphonsus Fall Festival provided lots of activities for the kids......

A super spectacular blow up play yard!!!! and PONY RIDES!!!!!       YAY!

 oh yeah, and a spinning thing too, guaranteed to help unsettle that stomach!!












As I continued......a great demonstration from a gentleman creating a wooden bowl as an audience watched. 

I headed north and found more wooden items...beautiful handcarved kitchen utensils......

POTTERY, POTTERY EVERYWHERE.....My good friend Dell Cochran creates pottery with a coastal
theme.......

Take a look a these gorgeous pieces up close....

 

Matt Stebly, Walter Anderson's great grandson always has a booth, usually selling t shirts, prints and pottery.

but this year he included shoes and Christmas cards.....

Finally, before lunch I spotted a couple of artists and their work that I found delightful...

Lorrie Drennan and Ginger Woechan

 

www.ginwoeart.blogspot.com   Great, fun, fabulous paintings!!

Almost time for lunch but  these wire headbands caught my eye........

Aren't these great?  "Z WISTED" by  Zelitha B. Dukes

Finally, I am starved and ready for food and music.....I continued toward the Food Court.....

where many choices awaited from hamburgers to sausage, eggrolls, fried fish, and even alligator and boudin balls. My choice was 3 fresh hot boudin balls from this cart The Cajun Swamp Shak....this was the first time for this cart at the festival and the owner was concerned that he might not do well......I made sure to spread the word and for $1.50 for each boudin ball I think I found the best tasting  food bargain at the festival!

Now time to sit down and relax and enjoy some good local music......

The Rosco Bandana Band is a hot new band that is gaining both local, national and world wide attention and lucky me and all fest goers got to have a free concert with lunch....Hope this gives you a taste of what to expect if you come to the Peter Anderson Festival......

                                                   See you next year!!!!!

TA24U?......Eternal Expressions.....

Yeah, I know what you are thinking.....Tattoos?  Really in Ocean Springs?  Oh yes, Ocean Springs is becoming the Tattoo Mecca.........Why?  Well, one explanation I heard is that Ocean Springs is a very diverse community and is widely recognized as a city of the arts......Stop it right now!......Tattooing IS AN ART and requires a great deal of skill and talent to execute.  Tattoos are no longer for the old sailor or bar hag....tattoos are found on celebrities, doctors, lawyers, even elementary school teachers!  The art work created is personalized to an individual's life and interests.

Jason's shop is located on Highway 90 in Ocean Springs and is here to serve you........The shop has been open about 6 years and is regulated by the Health Department. (Safe Tattooing here!)

I was attracted to the decor......these are the coolest chairs ever......and while you wait, snacks are available which is always important no matter where I go.......

Before I started browsing for my perfect tattoo, I talked with Matt Stebly.  He is a local artist in his own right creating pottery, paintings and specialty T-shirts, in addition to producing between 20 and 25 tattoos a week. In case you are wondering tattoos range in price from 40 dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the complexity, size and number of colors in the too'.  He showed me the tools of the trade...

Brightly colored inks

I know these look scary but no pain, no gain....

Lucky me!  before I make a decision about a tattoo, Matt demonstrated the application of a tattoo on a friend.......no screaming or gnashing of teeth.............so I took that as a good sign.. So what kind of tattoo do I want? Let me look......

I can have a choice of a special pet..........my favorite is a picture of a pit bull with the saying,"Born to Love, Trained to Kill" OR........... how about an alien to commemorate my encounter?

 hmmmm.............I am a Saints fan......but not sure....I have a friend that could definitely use the "Love Sucks" and would proudly wear the "Future Ex-Wife".............

Matt showed me an interesting one that he has........no he DID NOT TATTOO himself.........

Well, I still have not decided on a tattoo for myself, I am leaning toward a rose with a dagger through it for my ankle or possibly a frog on my hip..........will have to think about it......but if YOU KNOW what YOU WANT.......don't hesitate to stop by and get premium service offered in a cool setting from the best on the coast!!!  "OS Ink"..........all the way with Eternal Expressions..............

For more information on Eternal Expressions and Matt go to www.eternalx.com/mattwork.html

Walter Anderson Museum of Art......Celebrating 20 Years of the Artistic Genius of the Anderson Family

 I recently attended a celebration at the Walter Anderson Museum Art.  The event commemorated the reopening of the Ocean Springs Community Center after the restoration of Walter Anderson's murals and a new exhibit showcasing the work of the Anderson brothers and other family members.  The work includes watercolors, wood carving, pottery, furniture and other examples.

The museum is located on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs. I did mention the celebration featured food, Lazy Magnolia beer and barbecue, didn't I?




   The Ocean Springs Community Center was built in 1948 and during the years of 1951 through 1952, a local artist, Walter Anderson painted murals illustrating the seasons of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  He was paid the sum of one dollar and the artwork is now valued in the millions.

The Community Center has a state of the art system for preserving the murals and as you can see the natural light enhances the artwork creating an ethereal aura of nature surrounding you.

Beautiful flowers!

Abundant desserts, including a local favorite, pusharatas

Great music by The Terry Breland Band

After enjoying the music and food, I joined the crowds for a tour of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art which is connected to the Community Center.  If you need a unique handcrafted gift, either reproductions of Anderson art, or originals by local artists, the gift shop is right at the entrance.

My pictures only reflect a small portion of the artwork currently on display. 

Please stop by the Walter Anderson Museum of Art the next time you are in downtown Ocean Springs and admire the artwork as well as the hard work our community has put forth to preserve the history and talented skill of a brilliant artist.