Eating Out

When I first started this blog, I thought I would post my opinions on restaurants that we eat at. I think I did a pretty good job the first 6 months but then it went away. Not that I meant to but I just forgot! Here are a few reviews of restaurants that we have eaten at within the last 3 weeks:


Moonshine

We were lucky to receive a gift certificate to Moonshine recently. I have been there once before for dinner and for bunch. This experience at dinner did not disappoint. We went with my brother and we were all pleased with our meals. Hubby ordered the catfish with a side of macaroni and cheese. The catfish was delicately spiced and crunchy! My problem with catfish is that it can taste fishy, and this fish tasted fresh. You didn’t have to fight through the fishy-ness to taste the seasoning. My brother ordered the maple pork chop with apples. I had a bite, and it was tender and juicy. Lee didn’t want to try the apples at first, but they were damn tasty and went well with the pork chop. I ordered the safe bet and ordered the chicken almandine. Oh mommy, mine was juicy and crunchy all rolled into one. It was the perfect comfort meal and we were all very happy when we left. The veggies and garlic mashed potatoes were perfect sides. I like the feel of Moonshine and desperately wish that my back yard looked similar to their back patio. Moonshine has been a good choice every time we have gone.

Mama Fu’s

We have been searching for a Chinese food restaurant that is good but not to expensive. We really like Suzis, but we never leave there spending less than 45 dollars and we need to find a cheaper alternative. We don’t mind splurging on Suzi’s but we wanted a cheaper option for nights that we just need some good take out. We walked through Mama Fu’s awhile back when we were looking for the Flying Saucer. Mama Fu’s is just a slight step above fast food Chinese food,,, not that it is a bad thing. Mama Fu’s cooks all of their foods in a wok, not deep fried, so that is a plus (unless you have your woman friend with you, and you want fried food… HA!). I ordered the sweet and sour chicken and the hubby ordered a spicy chicken dish. I had total dish envy…. Jim’s was so much better than mine. Not that mine was bad, but I liked the way his tasted so much better. The veggies were tender crisp and both dishes were light on sauce. I want to go back and try one of their noodle bowls. Forgot to mention that we also ordered the egg rolls and they were good, nothing spectacular but not the worst egg rolls I have ever had. I guess I should mention that we got take out, so the egg rolls did have to sit in their container for about 15 minutes. 15 minutes to an egg roll is a life time and can make it quite soggy (which ours wasn’t, so not sure why I just mentioned it). Mama Fu’s was good and we’ll be back. Still looking for the GREAT cheap Chinese food place…..



Hickory Street Grill

I wish, wish, WISH Hickory Street Grill was better. Now, they have some items on their menu like hamburgers and fries that always seem to be good, but to many times the rest of their menu isn’t very good. They have great French fries. The fries are thick cut with skins and is crunch on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. They also include a artery clogging sauce with the fries that is some type of mayo dipping sauce. Of course it is a welcomed change to ketchup. Recently I ordered the salad bar, and walked away somewhat disappointed. Kudu’s for having lots of options on the salad bar, but it was messy (pea’s mixed in with the carrots and cheese mixed in with the mushrooms, etc) and there were quite a few veggies that looked less than stellar. It was far after the lunch rush (2:30pm) so there would have been plenty of time to pick up after the rush and make their food more presentable. Now, I haven’t worked in a restaurant before, but it seems like a simple thing to go through and make sure the various salad toppings aren’t all mixed together from rambunctious patrons trying to pile their rabbit food high on their plate during the rush hour. In a previous experience I ordered their turkey sandwich and was really grossed out by the meat on the bun. It looked like pressed together pieces of meat to resemble a slice of deli turkey. YUCK.

Hickory Street Grill always has cheap marg’s and beer, so that is a nice plus while sitting on their large patio in the middle of downtown. I just desperately wish their food was better. So now I know, when I go (if I go back) I’ll stick with their hamburger to eat with my cheap beers.

Hog Island Deli

It is hard for me to dislike a sandwich shop. I can eat sandwiches for every meal and I would never complain! I took my brother to get a cheese steak from Hog Island before he left Austin. He ordered his with Wiz (ummmm, YUCK) and I ordered mine with provolone (YUM!) :) The sesame seed bun was toasted but it was soft on the inside. The meat was tender and not chewy and the cheese was melted perfectly. I was very happy with my sandwich and think that it gives Delaware subs a run for the money. I will say that any person that knows what a real Philly cheese steak is like, might night enjoy the sesame seed bun. I’ll have to take my mom there, to see what she thinks. I would like to go back and try another sandwich as well as one of their other specials. They had gnocchi on special, and I have found that I really like gnocchi and am curious to try it from Hog Island. I heard a rumor that Hog Island Deli makes a cheese steak egg role for one of the sports bars in Austin. The hubby and I will have to make a special trip over there to try them out! The only complaint that I have about Hog Island is that I forget about it when I am hungry and we aren't that close to their downtown location:)

Hello, May I borrow your baby?

Has anybody out there seen the new show "Baby Borrowers"? It was on network TV last night, and I just saw the re-run on the "W" channel. This concept cracks me up, but at the same time I think that it is an important opportunity for younger folks (HA! I'm at the age where I can saw younger folks!!!) to really get an idea of what having a baby is like. So, I have no freakin room to talk since I don't have a baby but I am opposed to kids having kids. I think growing up and enjoying/experiencing life is way more important than having a baby immediately. Is there a right age to have a baby? No, I don't think so. I think everybody is different but if an 18 year old wanted to have a baby, I would tell her she is crazy. Sure she might totally be ready (in her mind) and might have a great life but how much more would she be able to do without toting a little rug rat around.

I would love to get my hands on one of those maternity suits. I would wear it for a day or two, just to see what it would be like. But more than the curiosity of wearing the suit, I would just want to freak people out :)

Diner, Drinks and FUN!

We went to dinner and drinks on Friday night with some friends of ours. We were supposed to meet up with other friends that were at a concert, but that never happened. We had enough fun by ourselves :) We went out to eat at Cantina Laredo and overall it was a good experience. Most of us were happy with our dinner, and only one complaint (shrimp were over cooked). I had a grilled chicken breast with sauteed veggies and in a cream sauce and Jim had a shrimp burrito. Very tasty!

We went to a couple of different bars downtown.... Cuba Libre.... Light Bar..... Gruv.... and I think that is it :) We left a little earlier than the rest of the crew because I had to work the next day and I didn't want to be a total mess while at work :)

Nicole, Jennifer and I

Cos-mojito..... By far one of my favorite drinks. Not to sweet, not to tart, VERY YUMMY

Nicole and Steven

These four went to high school together.... so odd that they are still in contact! Jim and Chris have always been friends, but Nicole and Jennifer and in the picture because I met them through other friends and became friends with them. We all get along great!!

Oh my.... crazy ladies!

Matt, Chris and Jim

Me and the other ladies... Lindsey and Vanessa

Check out my fish lips!! :)

Day at the park with Hubby and Kids

Since it has been so hot out recently we thought we would take the kids to the park to swim. Taylor has always loved to swim and play in the water, but Chewie just recently figured out that he likes the water. The first few times we took him to the park to swim, he would only get his feet wet and would watch from the side of the water. So we didn't go as much since little Poopa didn't have as much fun as his sister. But now that he has started to actually like the water I think we will go more often!!

Taylor has always loved to lay in the water and watch other dogs and people. I still had her on the leash because she has the tendency to take off to smell things. I eventually let her off of the leash and she behaved!

This was a cool part of the park. Taylor and Chewie kept jumping up and down of the ledge and chasing other dogs around.

Me and the kiddos

I had little freakin fish biting my toes while I was standing in the water. They were aggressive little fuckers.

Before we loaded up the kids, we dried them off the best that we could. After drying Taylor off, I decided to wrap the towel around her... she just stood there like a good little dog!

Me and the kids waiting for Jim... he was grabbing some lunch for the humans

I thought I was a super star!





Last weekend we spent the day on the lake with some friends. The weather was hot, but the water was nice and cool! We spent some time in Devils Cove before we went wake boarding. I haven't wake boarded in a couple of years but I tried it out! Surprisingly I got up on the first time, however as soon as I tried to get my bathing suit out of my bootie I took a nose dive into the water :) ** note to self **... it is okay to flash the other boaters if it means I'll stay up on the wake board longer. I went a few more times and had a great time! I was even bold to try a couple of jumps. I didn't land any of them but it was a rush to try! I thought I had at least gotten off of the water by a few feet, but after looking at the pictures it appears that I was only off of the water about 6 inches. I guess I have some work to do!! I look forward to wake boarding the rest of the summer!!

Yes, I am a ham even while wake boarding

VVVRRRRROOOOOMMMMMMMM!

I was SOOOOOOO sore after wake boarding. My thighs, my back, and my arms were killing me! I used muscles that I haven't used in years!!! Wow, I am really out of shape! Not a good feeling.

This is me after I attempted one of my grand jumps :) I did a face plant into the water,,, hence why the board is up in the air. Jim did a good job of getting pictures!

Lee's Visit to Austin


While my brother was here, we didn't want his visit to be all sad business so we went out and had some fun.

We had dinner at Moonshine and then some drinks at Six Lounge upstairs patio while we watched the Celtics beat the Lakers in game 4 (I think it was game four)

Jim and Lee figured out that they really needed an old Nintendo and a few games. After a bit of research and many calls, they found the machine and games that they wanted. Jim and Lee played a TON of RBI baseball while he was here. I bet they played at least 10 hours in 3 days. If he had stayed longer, they would have to play more. The next time we head to AZ, Jim has to bring the gaming system so they can play RBI baseball. Ugh. :o)

Poor Taylor and Chewie just wanted to play with their dad and uncle, but they were only interested in RBI baseball :)

Momma hung out with the kids

Chewie was trying to distract Lee so Jim could get a few runs in him

After Jim's softball game, we went to watch The Happening after hours at the movie theater. We have the "hook up" at the theater so we saw the move 2 days before it was released. I'm sure you saw the other post I had.... the movie sucked total ASS! Anywho.. it was neat to see what the projectors looked like. Here is a picture of us "behind the curtain" and one of Lee in the theater.

Little Taylor was pooped after Lee's visit



After lunch one day, we headed down to Sixth Street to do some people watching while our food digested. Plus it was nice to get out of the house and away from the sadness. We went into one establishment for a refreshment... but they had a refreshment that was on special... The Irish Car Bomb. Mom- this is a natural drink made from wheat grass..... he he he.





Momma and her baby

Lee practicing his golf swing



I had to give Lee a proper send off..... Philly Cheese steaks!!! They were from Hog Island Deli, which I highly recommend.