too many damn choices in texas

eating while on vacation is always a good time.  and the general rule is not to go anywhere that we can easily access at home.  of course, starbucks is exempted from that rule.  duh.  and because it's not a particular favorite at our house, we wanted to avoid having BBQ too often.  i know, i know, not possible, right?  but yeah, for us, there IS such a thing.

but then of course, our first meal upon landing in texas was indeed barbecue.  that's totally okay though, because it was washed down with delicious sweet tea.

and then followed up with this.

after my virtual boston marathon 5K, we headed to one of the ILs' favorite places for tex-mex - the blue goose cantina.  i don't really love tex-mex, but there ain't nothing wrong with bacon-wrapped shrimp, huh?

to fulfill a craving that hit the bean one morning, we headed to a shop just around the corner that seemed to know we were coming based on the reserved parking spot right in front.  heh.

it was really just your basic, run-of-the-mill donut shop except that they offered to spot your donuts of choice with whatever filling you wanted on the spot.  um, custard in my chocolate bar, please and thank you.

a midday snack led us to this place for a drink.

you could choose a base, flavors, fruit, extras, boba, you name it - it all got swirled together to make it easy to suck up through a straw.  the bean went with a frozen hot chocolate:

mine was some sort of creamy, caramel-y cup of deliciousness with boba at the bottom.

and we all shared this tasty concoction of cinnamon toast crunch, marshmallows and chocolate.

with his lenten sacrifice over at last, the hub requested a nice, juicy steak for dinner one night.  we went here:

crab cakes started it off.

the hub got a fat ass ribeye, and i went with a smaller, boneless version with sautéed mushrooms piled on top.

brunch with the grandparents one morning brought us to this joint.

i'm sure it's a typo, but that must be one hell of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

my grilled ham & cheese sandwich came with fries smothered in creamy gravy.  they were supposed to be tots, which ended up being served on a separate plate.  it was okay...not fantastic, but not bad.

the teen satisfied a craving for meatloaf, which is something i personally despise and so very rarely serve.

a drive for ice cream brought us to a new shop near the blue goose cantina that offered a bit of a twist.  now, there are lots of places that let you customize your treat by choosing mix-ins and toppings and stuff.  but this place takes it to a whole new level - you can choose a flavor, whether it's ice cream or yogurt, milkfat level, and mix-ins.  they pour all of your selections into a special kitchen aid mixer outfitted with a liquid nitrogen blaster, and create your ice cream from scratch within minutes.

another casual dinner was at a hipster-y burger place that also offered tons of selections for everything from your burger meat to pickle flavors to variations of soda and iced tea.

my bacon cheeseburger came on a pretzel bun with a very generous stack of fried pickles.

the teen and i had to pay a visit to the restroom.  because, i mean:

our last meal on texas soil was at my beloved cracker barrel.  nobody else likes this place besides me.  well, and the bean - but she pretty much likes anywhere you can get stuff covered in gravy.

we played a few rounds of this as we waited for our food.

hello, chicken 'n dumplins, hash brown casserole and cheesy grits.  well, the latter didn't end up being my favorite by a long shot, but at least now i can say i tried them.

a quick stop at the adjacent general store yielded some OG treats for the plane ride home.

...and then i wonder why i'm up six pounds after that week.  well, no, i don't.  but still.  dang it.

no me gusta. sort of.

we were all sad when sunday rolled around. it meant the end of a lovely long weekend, with a return to the salt mines looming in the near future. boo.

the first sunday of every month is communion sunday - and although we've been slightly lazy about going to church in recent months, we do make the effort to attend for that. it's always nice to sit there and do a little soul-searching and reflecting on our lives, and leave with a clean slate and a fresh start. and we started off our morning doing just that.

then, since we were with a bunch of old folks - the grandparents and great-grandma - we found ourselves at one of their favorite eateries: souplantation. although i do know at least one person that's far from senior citizen status who adores this place. heh.

afterwards, we headed home ostensibly to change, but somehow ended up staying put for several hours while the bean indulged in another of her super long naps. the plan was to meet at the grandparents' to watch the dodger game and then head down to the beach to cool off and find dinner, but by the time we got out the door, it was a little late to make the drive.

after debating several other possible destinations, we ended up heading out to glendale - the americana at brand.

we managed to score a sweet ass spot right in front of the elevators. i always take that as a sign that good times lie ahead.

having ridden with the ILs, we had no stroller to roll the bean around in. she ended up doing her peoplewatching from a great vantage point - the hub's shoulders.

she was transfixed by this shiny statue, and as she got down from her lofty perch, we had to hold her back from diving right into the water.

as for dinner, we ended up here:

we put our name on the list, and it was a blessedly short wait before we were called in and escorted to a table.

while we perused the menus, i handed the bean a snack cup with some lucky charms cereal inside, and she got busy hunting for marshmallows.

the distraction didn't last long, though, and not content with sitting quietly in the high chair, FIL took her out for a walk, where she was immediately captivated by the sight and sound of the mariachi band playing out on the patio.

while they were gone, the hub, MIL, and i munched on the chips and salsa on the table. the chips were fresh and crunchy, but the two cups of salsa - one green, one red - were pretty gross. the green was tolerable, but the red one tasted like barbecue sauce or some shit like that. i never knew you could fuck up chips and salsa.

our server was pretty shitty, too. she slunk around the restaurant, looking dazed and confused, and took forever and a freaking day to come back and take our order. we had to literally flag her ass down to get her to stop at our table. and she brought two of the five drinks requested, then stood at the end of the restaurant and gaped at the floor for a while before finally returning with the rest of our beverages. it was terrible and frustrating.

not surprisingly, our entrees were delivered by someone other than our server. maybe she fell asleep in a corner or something. anyway, i was delighted with my tacos de langosta - sauteed lobster meat, tomatoes, black beans, and rice in a soft flour tortilla.

the others weren't nearly as pleased with their choices. "this is the blandest mexican food i've ever had," said the hub. coupled with the disastrous chips and salsa, i'm thinking we won't be returning ever again.

frida's doesn't offer a kids' menu. instead, they mark some of the entrees in their menu with a little symbol to indicate that smaller portions are available. for the bean, we chose simple chicken tacos.

she liked picking them apart, eating chunks of melted cheese and chopped chicken. the rice went over pretty well, too. but the biggest hit on her plate was...the wedge of lime.

despite that sourpuss face, she couldn't get enough of it. she popped that lime in her mouth time and time again. silly bean.

just before we left, the mariachi band returned from a break and walked around the restaurant, playing at each table. the bean was again captivated and clapped and danced to the music.

outside, we headed to the big lawn area and let her run wild.

so, while it wasn't a perfect outing, it was still nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air, walk around, and peoplewatch. quite a lovely way to end our long, leisurely weekend.