Milanos Greek and Italian – Pelzer SC

Nov28

I went to Milano’s because there was no other restaurant around and I was hungry. There were no cars in the parking lot and I had low expectations of the place. I expected it to be a dive with mediocre food. Since they serve Italian and Greek food, I figured that there was not too much that they could mess up with that. Spaghetti is usually easy to cook. With enough hot sauce, I could make the marinara sauce palatable if I needed to do so.

The menu looked good, but keep in mind I was hungry too.

I ordered the Slovaki (know I spelled that incorrectly) chicken, steamed vegetables, pita bread with a Greek side salad topped with blue cheese dressing. Might as well live on the edge and try something different. It was so good. The chicken tasted as if it had been marinating for days in the liquid seasoning. The seasoning was heavy, but not overpowering, on Mediterranean spices. The Greek salad was mainly iceberg lettuce with 2 black olives and a pepperonicini. I would have preferred more olives but that is because I like their briny flavor. I had the option to get the steamed veggies or the greek potatoes. I am glad went with the veggies because I think that the potatoes and the pita bread would have been too much starch for one meal. The veggies tastes as if they might have been cooked in the same marinade as the chicken so they were full of flavor too.

The plate serving was more than enough food for me. I had to fight the urge to overstuff myself because the food was so appetizing.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. Do not let the empty parking lot fool you. Their food is awesome.

Milanos Greek and Italian

508 Highway 8 East Pelzer, SC 29669

The Mill House

Nov24

To sum up the Greenwood SC restaurant The Mill House in 3 words: Brick Oven Pizzas

This place has the best pizzas because they cook them in a brick oven. The crust is a little chewy but also has a little crunch.

Pizza prices start at about $8 and toppings are $.85 each. The do have specialty pizzas that usually cost between $9 – 10 and have several toppings. Most of the time, I rather choose my own toppings.

You can choose the type of sauce for the pizza- the most common are the red sauce and the white sauce. I always get the red sauce. I tell them to put heavy sauce because they are light with the sauce usually. In addition to pepperoni, I also like bacon, prosciutto ham and black olives. When the mood is right, I might even order the barbecue chicken pizza.

They have some gourmet topping options too (like smoked salmon) if you are the adventurous type. For me, I don’t like to get too crazy with my topping choices.

For people who like beer, they have an extensive beer selection too. My friends have said that they really good beer choices especially some high gravity beers which seems to be all the rage these days.

Overall, it may seem that there is a lot of hype about this place, but that is only because they are so committed to doing a good job cooking pizzas.

28 Weeks Later

Nov23


This the third movie in the series 28 days, 28 days later, and now 28 weeks later. All of these movies deal with a period of time after an outbreak in London and the surrounding areas. From what I can remember of the first two movies, there might have been one or two deranged people, but for the most part, the main characters had some common sense.

As this movie opens, there is a farm house in the country and the occupants are getting cabin fever after being confined there for a number of weeks. I should have taken a clue from the dumb girl in the beginning, pining for lost boyfriend, who gave away their location to the rage infected zombies. For the rest of the movie, I was annoyed by the two children who consistently acted in a way to endanger their lives and the lives of the adults trying to keep them safe. The 28 weeks later outbreak was pretty much the fault of the two disobedient, hard-headed kids. By the end of the movie, I was wishing that something would happen to them. That is how exasperated I was with their behavior.

Maybe I am too hard hearted or too much of a realist, but if a zombie apocalypse happens, there is no time to hesitate and try to save everybody. In a stress filled situation, not staying with the group will increase your chances of getting killed. If you do not listen when instructed to stay with the group, you get left behind. PERIOD. None of this “they are only children” nonsense. If they are tweens and teenagers like the kids in this movie, then they are old enough to understand what they are being told to do.

City In Review: Las Vegas

Nov23

Whether you are a single person who wants to party or a parent who wants to enjoy time with your family, Las Vegas has something for everyone.

If you do not care about staying off the Strip, the Orlean is a location and they have family activities like a cinema on site.

If you want to stay on the strip, here are some suggestions

Caesar’s Palace, Venetian, Bellagio – All their rooms look like luxury. If you are trying to go to Vegas on the cheap, you probably will not be able to afford to stay here. They have deals sometimes, but these hotels are usually going to be the higher priced options.

MGM (My favorite) – All of their rooms clean, neat, look like new. You can find rooms at affordable rates without worrying that the quality will be similar to a Super 8 or Motel 6. I have stayed here for as low are $59/night.

At the Stratosphere, Excalibur, Luxor, Tropicana and Circus Circus, it is best to stay away from the cheapest rooms they have to offer. Most of the time, the cheaper rooms have not been renovated as the premium rooms. Those rooms could be on par to rooms you might find at a Super 8 or Motel 6. I pay the extra few dollars for the upgrade instead of taking a chance on the quality of the room.

When deciding on a hotel, check what coupon books you receive with your room. Most likely you will receive discount coupons for hotel stores and restaurants. For example, Stratosphere offered a coupon for a free pass to the observation deck which was a $13 savings. Many of the hotel restaurants have 2-for-1 offers or hotel credit too.

Wherever you stay, Saturday night is probably going to have the most expensive room rate. Many shows have “dark” days when they are not performing, so keep that in mind when planning what days you are going to be in the city.

There is a lot to do in Vegas. You can go shopping, pamper yourself in the spa, try out different celebrity chefs’ restaurants, visit museums, or see one of the many shows. Any time of day or night, there is fun to be found.

If you are not going to rent a car, you will probably not leave the strip. If you rent a car during your stay, do not worry about parking because many places have valet parking. Be nice and tip the hard working people though. Whatever you do, make sure you have comfortable shoes.  There are taxis, buses and a monorail, but everything is farther than it appears. It might seem close, but after walking for 20 minutes and you have still not reached your destination, you begin to realize that.  

Also with a car, you have to plan a day to ride to the Hoover Dam. It is only about an hour away and worth every minute. Since you are so close, it is also worth the drive to go to the Grand Canyon too. Be prepared to spend close to $50 for entrance to the Hualapai Indian Reservation Grand Canyon West to see the Grand Canyon. The tourist trap of a skywalk is located here and you can walk on it for an additional $29.95. The Grand Canyon may be breathtaking, but I was still grumbling about the entry fee. It seemed to be excessive to me.

Since I love desserts, I have to go by Freed’s Bakery every time I am in Vegas and get some of their wedding cake (white cake with strawberries and Bavarian cream between the layers and buttercream on top).

Overall, Vegas is a fun town and there is something for every budget. It is not all about playing in the casino. There is no doubt that Vegas is an extremely commercialized that is designed to get you to spend your money, but there are ways to spend as much or as little as you want. Whether on or off the Strip, you can have a great time. And remember “What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas”

Kickers – Greenwood SC

Nov23

This is a small restaurant that is known in Greenwood SC for big flavors. There are a lot quirky flavor combinations that look questionable on paper but are delicious in execution. I call them gourmet burgers with international flavor.
My favorite flavor combination is the Caribbean turkey burger which pairs jerk seasoning and pineapple in the ground turkey meat. The burger is moist, savory from the spices, but with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple.
They also serve a pimiento cheeseburger that is DELICIOUS and full of cheese goodness!!!
Various sides include but are not limited to pasta salad or fries. If you do order the onion rings, prepare to share since it is too much for most people.
Each day, they serve different types of soup. The sweet potato soup is very good. The gumbo is a little spicy but delicious. You can always ask for a sample before deciding which one is best. Whether it is a sample, cup or bowl of soup, be careful because the soup temperature will be HOT and could burn your tongue if you eat it too fast.
Kickers is mainly open for lunch. Come early (11.30am) or late (after 1pm) if you do not want to wait for a seat. Since the location is small, it does not take many people to fill up the place.
The service is good. The wait staff was attentive and kept my drink glass full while I was waiting for my food.
Prepare to spend about $10 on lunch. Before you balk at the price, know that it is worth it.