San Antonio

Erik, the gals and I went to San Antonio this weekend. We thought it would be a great learning experience for ALL of us, and a nice prelude to our big trip to Philadelphia and Jersey in June. The girls were fabulous. They slept through the night, napped well, and had a good time eating different food. We stayed at a Marriot Residence Inn, which is perfect for families. The room had a kitchen equipped with an oven, toaster, and even a dishwasher. Also, there were two bedrooms, so the girls stayed in one room, and we had our own. Last time we went away Erik and I had to eat take out in the hallway leading to the bathroom, whispering in the dark, as the girls slept, so two rooms was a nice change of pace! We even got to watch a movie (Slumdog Millionaire...awesome). Of course before we left I read Zagat's, so I knew exactly where I wanted to eat lunch and dinner during our stay.

The first night we hit the river walk. The river walk is GREAT!!! The riverwalk is a meandering, cobblestone walkway with waterfalls, the occasional duck, beautiful trees and restaurants along a natural river that runs through San Antonio. Most of the places are kinda touristy, but there are also some great restaurants along the river. Plus, it is great to eat on the water and people watch. We walked along the river with the stroller until we had to keep picking the darn thing up. There are lots of steps, bridges, and bumpy crevices along the pathway. Plus, some parts of it are narrow...not fun with a stroller at all. The next night we walked along the street above and took an elevator down to where we needed to be. It was a lot more pleasant.
The first night we ate at Boudros, a Texas bistro. It was wonderful. The gals had grilled fish with fries and veggies that came with a remoulade. We all ate guacamole prepared table side which was delicious. They smoked their own serranos and added fresh squeezed orange, something I never thought of adding before. Orange juice added a great citrusy punch to the guac. The girls loved watching the waitress prepare the guacamole tableside as well. Also, while eating on the river they saw their first ducks. Boudros has a barge that people can eat on, as they float and ride around (how fun!). Our table was right next to the barge. The girls loved watching the boat bob, sway, and take off. I ordered duck three ways. It came with a duck confit eggroll, which I gave to the girls because I was not in the mood for it. There was also a roasted leg with a cherry sauce. It was AMAZING, fall off the bone good. The third duck was chopped in a Lousiana style red sauce that had a spicy bite. Amara actually was grabbing it and eating the duck straight off my plate. Erik ordered a chicken chop with avocado rissoto. He gave me a perfect bite, yum. We all had a wonderfully relaxing night.
The next day we got lunch from Texas Farm to Table. Texas Farm to Table is a place that has boxed lunches made with mostly local products. The ham in Maya and Amara's sandwich was made in New Braunfels, it was a thick, juicy slab o' meat and really smoky. There sandwich came with on think slices of bread with lots of roasted red peppers and melted swiss cheese. I got the vegie sandwich which was carrots, zucchini, hummus, chive cream cheese and mushrooms on whole wheat toast, and Erik got grilled chicken with more of those roasted peppers. The sandwiches came with pasta salad and fruit. I was disappointed that Erik and the gals' sandwich seemed like the same thing with different meats added, but they were both tasty. Furthermore, on the website it said the packaging the lunches came in were compostable, but it was the same old plastic containers with the "2" on the back of em'. Oh well. Lunch was easy and healthy, and that suited us just fine.
We ate in Hemis Fair Park near the playground. The playground was kinda nasty. There was lots of garbage in the mulch and three bums chilling out on the park benches. I wished it was cleaner because it had some fun looking mazes and slides to explore. The park was created for a World's Fair. There were interesting looking man-made waterfalls. We also checked out the Alamo. It was right next to the hotel. The mission and church of the Alamo were quite beautiful, despite all the death that occured there.
Our second and last night in San Antonio we ate at Acenar. Before we left my friend, Jenn, told us to check out the restaurant in Hotel Valencia. I picked Acenar because it had a high food rating in Zagats. I had no idea it was in Hotel Valencia, go Jenn! Hotel Valencia actually housed Citrus as well, another really cool looking restaurant, as well as a very happening looking lounge. Acenar was a bit off the beaten path; towards the business district and away from all the other restaurants. We loved it! It was a modern Tex-Mex menu, with baby goat and slow roasted pork on the menu. The salsa came in a fluted glass vase. It was not too spicy and had a great, smoky flavor, addictive. I was not too impressed with the wine menu...it contained Woodbridge (a turn off for sure), but they had prosecco (sparkling Italian wine), so I was happy. Erik drank about three of the fresh lime juice margaritas. For the girls we ordered mushroom crepes that came with an avocado creme as well as the empanadas. The crepes were made with cornmeal. They were simple and perfect for the glas. The empanadas had an extremely spicy sauce on it, which would not come off. I wish they put it on the side, since I was even having issues with how spicy it was. I was boring and ordered fish tacos, but Erik got gulf blue crab tinga tacos. Tinga means it is sauted with onions, tomatos, and garlic. His tacos were juicy, filled with heaps of crab, and straight up delicious we loved them.
On our way out of San Antonio Erik got breakfast tacos at Torres Taco Heaven. He got the chorizo, egg, and potato taco, as well as the ground beef or pico taco. Both tacos came on homemade flour tortilla. The beef, as Erik tells me, is all about the flavoring. For me tacos are all about the tortilla, if it is not homemade...yuck. The beef was tangy and well seasoned, the chorizo, soft and not too spicy, and the tortillas did not get soggy. Yum. Oh, and of course on the way back I had to stop in Luling for the que'. I got myself a meat sampler of ribs, sausage and of course, brisket at Luling City Market. This place is the real deal. You get your meat in the back, by the smokers. It comes in brown paper, with some sliced onion and a pickle if you ask for it. If you really want sides you gotta purchase that at the front. Erik actually said it was the best sausage he ever had, a lofty statement coming from the meat-loving man. It was pretty damn tasty. The ribs had a perfect crust, and the brisket was thick and did not need any sauce. Luling is known as one of the best places for bbq in the country, damn straight. It would make a vegetarian a meat eater. The shit was no friggin joke.
One pound on the scale later we are back and getting in the swing of our lives again. I love road trips and am happy that we now have the confidence to take them with the gals.