LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!!!!!!

Yay! Ocean Springs holds the first Mardi Gras parade of the season and with nice weather, we arrived early (10 a.m.) and parked close to the parade route and soon were comfortably sitting at the Ocean Springs Yacht Club with a bloody mary to start the day.

The parade floats began lining up along front beach as we all watched the festivities from the deck.....There were many pre partiers at the yacht club including this lively costumed group from Arkansas

What you have to understand about Mardi Gras parades, is that it is not just about the parade, it is the BEFORE and AFTER festivities that make a parade a day long event, from early morning til late in the evening!!After a nice visit we decided to move towards the parade route to see what people were up to.........

What a view!!!

Gettin' Ready.........

Chair camp out!!!

Float Riders practicing the bead throwing

We soon found that the closer we got to downtown.....people had staked their parade watching space for themselves and their kids and created prime bead catching areas...........

Did you forget to buy your child a toy at Walmart to bring to the parade?, well there were plenty of traveling salesmen ready to accommodate your little one's desire for anything from hats to a blow up Shamu or monkey....please, daddy, please........

Daddy, I want the frog AND THE MONKEY!!!!

We found lots of watering holes to stop and people watch..............

Sweet's Lounge was rockin'

Porter Ave. Bistro Beer To Go.....

Lots of people choose to dress rather festively for Mardi Gras as you can see below....

My, those are some awesome beads!!

Mardi Gras Party Lizard with Owner in the background

Ok, so I am getting to the parade.  We decided that The Office on the corner of Washington and Government would be the perfect place to observe....First things first,the veggie infused vodka for a bloody mary looked tempting.......     

 However a beer and snack seemed the best choice.........ahhh.....now where do we stand for the parade?

Wait a minute...... there is no one in The Office except for maybe 3 other people, bartender Connie was able to provide us drinks quickly, hmmmm......bathroom, A/C....and gee look out the window....

I THINK WE FOUND THE PERFECT SPOT!!!!!  On to the parade.............

OFFICER RICKY KEEPIN IT UNDER CONTROL WHILE WE WAIT...

PARTY ROCK IS ON THE TOP OF THE OFFICE TOO!

Our Armed Forces Represent!!

Go Girl!!!

Getting her Parade on!!

Spinning on a float in the parade.......

A Floating Bar in the Parade.......I'm not kidding!

The Heaven Bound float following Lynchburg Landing float....hmmm....

Great way to campaign!!

Well, the parade finally ended.........and after a noisy, exciting, celebratory day we headed home in the aftermath........

Until the next Mardi Gras parade...............it is all over but the cleanup........

Throw me something, Mister!!!!!      See ya at the next parade, Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m.

A Trip to "Lil Italy" in Ocean Springs.....

Hidden behind an out of business nightclub and located in the building that used to house a Mexican restaurant, Ocean Springs has it's own Lil Italy....restaurant that is....The eatery was previously located in a sort of trailer/food truck setting on North Washington Ave. My husband and I have eaten here twice recently and still need to return because there are such a wide array of items on the menu, including: soups, salads, bbq, pasta, pizza, Chicago style hot dogs and Italian beef, gyros, steaks and much more. 

Interestingly enough, The King greeted us, as our waitress led us to our table in the friendly, casual dining restaurant.....Elvis is replaced by local, live entertainment later in the evening.

The spacious dining area is great for large groups or small.....

 A nice bar with tv and an attentive bartender provides another option for dining or a quick drink.

 On to the menu......a quick look at the many choices and......I decided on the Chicago style hot dog with fries  a bargain at $4.99!

Quite yummy, right down to the neon green pickle relish and peppers.........I really shoulda ordered a double!!

Meat eater sitting next to me ordered the rib eye, which comes with soup or salad, potato and bread for $20.95.  Picture speaks for itself.......and on the return visit we sat at the bar and the bartender was happy, and interested in serving us.  She actually seemed to enjoy her job and her customers!!!  You go, girl!!We ordered an Italian beef with fries (7.95) and the gardenier pepper mixture on it was spicy and tangy!!

I ordered the baked ziti with sausage....(I know the picture looks a little weird or maybe the sausage does) BUT IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT TREAT!!!  The sauce was very delicious and made the dish. This meal also came with a soup or salad and bread (8.99) (unfortunately, I did not get the bread) but I was not able to finish my pasta, so it was just as well............Lil Italy is located on Highway 90 in Ocean Springs and are open for lunch and dinner every day..........check their website and like them on Facebook.  BUONO APPETITO!!!

Indulge........More Bakery Delights in Ocean Springs

Let me describe the deliciousness that you see above........freshly baked chocolate cupcake, stuffed with strawberry filling, topped with strawberry butter cream frosting and a fresh slice of strawberry.....OH MY!!!

The menu at Indulge, a new gourmet cupcake bakery in Ocean Springs provides a perfect reason to purchase one or many more of these......... "The perfect, "Get out of jail free card" for men who find themselves in serious trouble."  Ha!   There are always 8 or 9 cupcakes to choose from daily along with specialty cupcakes that are made depending on the whim of the magical bakery fairy, Amber (AKA Pastry Chef/Owner)

Red velvet available but King Cake SOLD OUT!!

I walked into the store one Monday afternoon recently and was surprised by the the fun and funky interior as well as the delicious display of cupcakes.  The walls are hot pink with black and white floor tiles, black accents, small tables and chairs and even a TV and couch with wifi available.  What a great place to have a cup of coffee and a great cupcake, read a book, surf the web and all for under six bucks!! 

Picture yourself here, munching on THE XANAX or CHOCOLATE TO THE POWER OF 4 cupcake and just smiling to yourself about your secret little treat!   All cupcakes are made fresh daily.......all prepared onsite and never frozen or leftover from the previous day...........and yes the flavors mentioned above are available....The full menu can be found here. 



Even  a trip to the bathroom is a  fun, happy event!

The prices are reasonable and business is brisk.  The specialty cupcakes available for the day are always noted at their facebook page so be sure to like them and you will be notified when that KingCake flavor is ready for you to stop by and eat in one gulp!
You can also have your fav flavor made into a specialty birthday cake and how about cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake?......yummm.....so many choices...
 Haven't we all felt like this from time to time?

Visit Indulge on Government Street near Poboy Express and Glazie Dazie.
Hours:  Monday: 12-6:30  Tu-Sat.:  10 - 6:30 p.m. 
You know you deserve it!!!!

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!!!