Thanks rgdot.  I remember trying Outwiker a while back and it would not play well with me.  Who knows when CintaNotes implements these features. Inline images have been on the roadmap for 4 years.  >:(
@dantheman: you might be right but depends which version of Evernote. I just finished a comparison of 5 different note-taking apps on another forum.  Below is the text:

Today I’ve performed a series of tests comparing 5 different note taking apps that recently caught my eye, namely:
1. ResophNotes:
http://s29.postimg.org/wqihqre87/Resoph.png
2. CintaNotes:
http://s27.postimg.org/nd9olfycj/Cinta.png
3. Evernote v2.2.1.386:
http://s12.postimg.org/bgzxd39a5/Evernote2_2_1_386.png
4. Nimbus Note:
http://s28.postimg.org/6iylr4cot/Nimbus.png
5. WizNote:
http://s22.postimg.org/s9yzz572p/Wiz_Note.png

The links show the most minimalistic view of each app without distortion.

In my criteria, I’ve mainly compared the following areas:
A. Minimalistic GUI: award goes to ResophNotes with EverNote not too far behind.
B. Fast-as-you-type search: award goes to to EverNote (due to OCR search) with ResophNotes and CintaNotes closely after
B. Rich Text support: split award goes to EverNote, WizNote and Nimbus Note
C. In-place images: split award goes to WizNote and Evernote sine they have builtin simple image editing
D. In-place tables: split award goes to WizNote and NimbusNote with Evernote closely after
E. Offline with Online sync option: split award goes to ResophNotes and CintaNotes.  Evernote database can be synced using Google Drive/Dropbox/etc. but it’s not as convenient.  WizNote and NibusNote require to register online account but can be used offline.  I just don’t like their enforced cloud approach.

Since minimalistic GUI and instant search are my primary requirements, it’s a hard decision between Evernote 2.2.1.386 and ResophNotes.
If I wasn’t dealing with lots of visuals and how-to guides, I would probably stick with Resoph but that’s not the case.  Therefore, it looks like Evernote v2.2.1.386 receives my gold medal.  A little ironic that such an old app from around 2007 is still able to deliver.  It’s all because of those Russian hardcore coders :-)

Don’t take me wrong, Evernote 2.2.1.386 can also handle images and tables pretty well as shown below:
http://s30.postimg.org/40k2qiw35/evernote_howto.png

It doesn’t have border styles but a quick paste into MS Word can make it even better:
http://s29.postimg.org/tdo199osn/word_howto.png

Hello,

I am looking for offline note taking app with minimalistic GUI similar to ResophNotes but with ability to paste images inline and possible simple table support (not crucial).  The other key features would be tagging and fast-as-you-type search with keyword highlighting.  Any recommendations?

TIA

I've tried most of the other suggestions except for EmEditor.  It almost seems like it's in a class of its own. Speechless!