Texas,
October, 2019
Decided to visit Texas for the great
country music and barbecue!! Took a
United basic flight which only allows you one carry on. So, I HAD to check my roller bag and pay $30
to check it. Also with the basic flight
you have no seat choice and are the last to board. Might NOT do that again!!!
Arrived in Austin about 5:30 p.m.
and walked across the street to the Fox Rental Car – very convenient! Used the GPS which I always bring to find my
airbnb which was on the south side, a lovely studio and parking spot all to
myself. After unpacking I drove to Rainey Street for
dinner at Emmer & Rye. The street
was filled with bars and discos with people dancing and music everywhere. I was fortunate to find a parking spot which
is not always the case…
Sat at a nice
little upright table and had my first taste of Texas, red curry Johnny cakes with crème
fraiche and peppers, chicken w/acorn squash and corn sauce and a little apple
crumb tart with red wine ice cream. It
was delicious! Decided to wait on the
music until the following night.
Drove to Mozart’s
Bakery on Lady Bird Lake
in the morning for a blueberry bran muffin and great coffee. A fabulous bakery with delicious pastries,
outstanding coffee and great atmosphere to which I returned every morning. Found a parking spot near lady bird lake and
realized it was Sunday and parking is free everywhere. Yes!!!
Walked around the lake for an hour and then wandered up Congress Avenue,
the main street of town.
Visited the O
Henry House where he lived for three years and where he wrote some great
stories. He was charged with
embezzlement and had to flee the country for a few years but
after serving a
prison sentence all turned out well for him. Decided to visit the Blanton Museum of Art but
first stopped at their little café for pumpkin bread and hot tea. The museum was filled with an extensive art
collection which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Walked back to my car and returned to my airbnb to regroup before heading
to dinner at Barley Swine. Had blackened
redfish with couscous and acorn squash and tres leches with white
chocolate. Very nicely prepared. Drove to the Elephant Room for jazz and
parked where I had parked earlier because I knew my way from there. Sat at a table with another guy near the
front and the music was really good. No
cover charge and no requirement to buy a drink.
That worked for me!!!
Mozart’s in the
morning and I parked on Gibson
Street in South Congress for free until 5
p.m. A bit of a walk to the Capitol but
I didn’t have to worry about moving the car.
Took a guided tour of the Capitol building and learned about the many
men and women who had served there and then wandered the grounds looking at the
memorials and statues to different people and for different events…Walked down
to 2nd avenue for a delicious barbecue lunch at Lambert’s. I had their tacos with brisket but the meat
was so tender and delicious I skipped the tortillas and concentrated on the
brisket and the salad that came with it.
Finished up with a rich chocolate peanut caramel pie with ice cream.
Drove over to the
modern art museum but although it was closed for the day the sculpture gardens
of Laguna Gloria nearby were open. I
enjoyed wandering along the lake and into the park to see all the interesting
sculptures standing throughout the grounds.
Drove back to the airbnb to regroup and then headed out to Garrison in
the Fairmont Hotel for dinner. Self
parking in the hotel garage and into a lovely restaurant that felt like you
were in someone’s home, complete with porch!
Food was beautifully prepared and excellent. I had the seared octopus with pumpkin seeds,
mole sauce and acorn squash puree and finished with brulee lemon tart – as if I
really needed more food after my barbecue lunch!!!
It was Monday
night Bluegrass at the Radio on Manchaca and I
really enjoyed the group. We sat outside
on benches and two banjos, a guitar and a fiddle played until 11 p.m. It was grand!!!
Muffin and coffee
at Mozart’s and a rainy day. Very
changeable weather which I wasn’t expecting.
Parked on Gibson and walked up Congress
Avenue to the LBJ Library which was very
interesting. Before I visited the
museum, I stopped at the Cathedral built by Ellsworth Peters which I forgot to
go into when I visited the museum. A
beautiful little space with three blown glass windows and some black and white
marble “pictures” on the walls.
The LBJ Library
was all about the life of LBJ before, during and after his presidency and keyed
in on what he had accomplished during his term of office. There was also a special Motown exhibit of
country western and rock music which was also really interesting. Stopped by the Blanton Café again and had
some tea and the brownie I had picked up at Mozart’s.
Since it was
raining I just headed back to the airbnb to plan the next part of my trip. About 6:30 p.m. I drove to the Broken Spoke music
hall nearby and listened to honky tonk music for about an hour. One lady played the accordion and piano like
you wouldn’t believe; although her voice left something to be desired…Dinner at
Ushiko on N. Lamar was fabulous! Decided
to compose my own tasting menu so started with eggplant tempura crisps and the
waitress brought me some of their signature Brussels sprouts to try
(excellent!!!), kanpachi crudo with amberjack fish, poblano and Asian pear, hot
short rib with butternut squash puree and maitake mushrooms and milk cereal
with chocolate mousse which a table nearby sent over to me “just because” which
was very sweet. I stopped by their table
after dinner to thank them…
Muffin at Mozart’s
and then drove to the botanical gardens even though it was raining. The gardens were beautiful, especially the
Japanese gardens but it was a bit tough to enjoy the beauty for the rain…Drove
to Johnson City
where I visited LBJ’s childhood home and learned a bit about his growing up
years. On to Fredericksburg where I stayed in an airbnb
walking distance from the great main street of town. Stopped for a hot tea and the ginger cookie
from Mozart’s and then drove up to the Enchanted Rock Park where I checked in
and walked the very lovely path to the rocks.
It was rainy and the path wasn’t marked very well and it was getting
late so once I saw the rock I turned back.
Airbnb was cozy
and warm and the host was out of town.
Lucky for me! His cat wanted in
so kept me company while I was there.
Drove a ways out of town to Cabernet Grill for dinner. Great food!
Had a thick and creamy butternut squash soup, wild arugula salad with
pecans, goat cheese and diced beets and a triple chocolate mousse cake that was
moist and ever so good…
Found a cute
bakery called Twisted Sisters for blueberry coffeecake in the morning and then
walked up Main Street
to the Pioneer Museum with housed several old buildings
moved there from other locations, i.e. blacksmith shop, Sunday house, school,
etc. It was a great outside museum and
showed how one used to live. As it was
very cold and I had not brought a jacket with me (big mistake!!!), I found a
cute little jacket that kept me warm the rest of the trip.
Drove the Willow City
loop recommended in my Moon guidebook and it was a lovely drive. I saw a few deer and beautiful landscape
which would have been evenly lovelier if the leaves were changing. Stopped at a little café called Emma and Ollie
and had a creamy butternut squash soup and molasses cookie for lunch before
driving on to Kerrville. Found my airbnb a ways from town but a very
nice little studio and then had dinner at Rails near the train depot. It was a charming place and my grilled salmon
salad with walnuts and goat cheese was the perfect dinner especially as it was
followed by flourless chocolate cake which was divine.
Drove into town in
the morning to PAX Coffee and had banana bread and nice coffee. Walked along the creek nearby in the park
which was a good way to start the day.
Spent about an hour in the Western
Museum with its fabulous collection of
bronze statues and paintings done by Texas
artists. Also some beautiful furniture
made with Texas
pine or maple trees.
Back into town for
lunch at Francisco, i.e. a cup of pumpkin soup and two pecan crusted fish tacos
and then I drove out to Stonehenge II, a replica of Stonehenge
as well as replicas of Easter-island statues.
On out to the Coming King
Sculpture Prayer Garden where there is a 77 foot tall empty cross located up on
a hill with excellent views of the city.
A nice place for some solitude time…
Drove into Bandera
on S16 which was a beautiful drive and stayed at an airbnb where I had the
whole top floor to myself. Stopped in
town and found Chikin Coop where live music would be playing until 11 p.m. Drove out to the Backyard Bistro in Pipe
Creek which was a local hangout with good food.
Had some crab cakes with red pepper sauce and chocolate pecan cake from
a side board of bundt cakes!!! Spent
about an hour listening to country western music at the Chikin Coop later that
night and meet some Texas
ladies who had come in on their harley davidsons!!! Music was great with drums, guitars and great
songs. People were dancing and having a
great time.
Had a muffin at
Cavangaugh Coffee on Main but it wasn’t that
great… Drove to Lost
Maples State
Park in Vanderpool but it was a Saturday and
there were no spots available. I didn’t
realize you needed to reserve ahead online…Instead I drove back into Bandera
and found a very nice trail in the Hill
Country State
Park.
On to Boerne about
3:00 p.m. and arrived at the Moon Bakery just in time to have broccoli quiche
and a ginger cookie before they closed their doors to guests arriving a few
minutes after me. Wandered down the
Hauptstrasse of the very cute little town of Boerne
before heading on to San Antonio.
My GPS lead me to
a very sweet guesthouse on the southside with easy parking on the street. Walked downtown to Bliss, a bustling
restaurant with great food. Had grilled
octopus, a glass of wine and a chocolate dessert with popped corn – all
delicious. Am looking forward to the river
walk!
Decided to go to
Bakery Lorraine in the pearl area and it was a great choice!!! Easy parking all day and the bakery was
fabulous!! Had a butternut squash muffin
and rich strong coffee and then walked the river walk for about an hour which
was gorgeous. Drove over to Mission Jose
founded in 1720 and took a guided tour and learned about the American Indians
who lived in these missions run by the Franciscans. Heard a Sunday service where the mariachi
band played and it was very moving…Also stopped by Mission Juan with its unique
architecture and rich fields.
Returned to Bakery
Lorraine for a nice kale and barley salad and got hooked on their delicious
ginger cookies. Walked across the river
to the Art Museum and really enjoyed the exhibits especially the Victorian
Radicals with its excellent British art.
Wish I had allowed more time…Walked the river walk to downtown to see
where the Alamo would be and then drove out to Savor Bistro for a very
disappointing dinner…A new restaurant, quite chic, but the main chef was not
working the night I was there and there were no other customers so my dinner
was uninspiring…
After another
delicious butternut squash muffin at Bakery Lorraine, I walked the river walk
to the Alamo, which was originally Mission San
Antonio de Valero, founded in 1718.
There was a very good video explaining all the history of the battle for
independence which went on there, etc. Walked to La Villita Historic Arts
Village area with its cute shops and local artist community and then to the San
Fernando Cathedral founded in 1731 and the oldest standing church building in Texas. Stopped by the Governor’s Palace but it was
closed so I will see it another time.
Lunch at Bakery
Lorraine was a delicious egg salad on toasted bread with a ginger cookie. Stopped by the Mission Espada, the oldest of
the East Texas missions and then to Mission
Conception which looks essentially as it did in the mid-1700s and was very
impressive.
Drove to Biga on
the Banks for dinner downtown and it was a challenge finding a parking
spot!!! Great restaurant, elegant and
classy. Had a fabulous dinner, i.e.
arugula salad with smoked beets and goat cheese, scallops w/habernero sauce on
grits and pineapple chutney and a trio of little desserts, i.e. toffee pudding,
bourbon crème brulee and chocolate mousse.
How could it get any better than that!!!
Bakery Lorraine for coffee and
a muffin and then walked along the river walk to the governor’s palace
downtown. It is a beautiful colonial
style home built in the 17th century, very simple but elegantly
decorated with period furnishings. It represents the last visual remnants of
the Presidio San Antonio de Bejar.
Walked back along the river walk to the King William neighborhood of historic
homes near the San Antonio
River. Took a guided tour of the Villa Finale, the
last home of local preservationist, Walter Nodd Mathis who was instrumental in
the revitalization of the historic King William neighborhood and was a
prodigious collector of fine and decorative art. His 12,000 piece collection is everywhere to
be seen in this exquisite mansion. On
down the street to the Steves Homestead Mansion owned at one time by Edward
Steves, founder of the Steves Lumber Company still in operation today. Took a quick peek into the Guenther House,
once owned by Erhard Guenther, founder of the Pioneer Flour Mills. It is now a museum as well as a restaurant
located on the river.
Had read about the
opening in October of Ruby City, a contemporary art center envisioned in 2007
by the late collector, philanthropist and artist Linda Pace but did not have
time to visit. It presents works of more
than 900 paintings, sculptures, etc. and also includes Chris Park, a public
green space named in memory of Pace’s son…
Walked back along
the river walk taking a different route which passed by lots of outdoor
cafes. Returned to Bakery Lorraine for
lunch and then drove to the historic town of Gruene where I stayed at the
Gruene River Inn. Wandered around the
little quaint town, had grilled tuna salad and chocolate pecan pie at the
famous Gristmill Restaurant and then enjoyed some country western music in the
old Gruene Hall nearby.
The breakfast at
the Inn was rather dismal so I walked into town and had banana bread with
excellent coffee at the Gruene Street Café.
Drove into nearby New Braunfels where I walked to Landa Park and along
the lake. Visited the Texas Furniture
Museum and the docent was very enthusiastic so I spent almost two hours
there. The unique furniture was in an
old house and had been made by the German immigrants who came to Texas almost
100 years ago.
Stopped at Uwe
Bakery in town for a quick German pastry and then drove the Devil’s Backbone
route to Wimberly, a lovely route. My
airbnb was a sweet little studio in the center of town so I could walk to the
Leaning Pear where I had a curried butternut squash pizza with lemon
ricotta/Anaheim chiles and a chili spiced chocolate terrine with pomegranate
seeds.
Walked to Sugar
Shack near the Leaning Pear for coffee and a delicious pecan sticky bun in the
morning and sat outside as it started to rain!!
Wandered a bit in the nearby Nature Preserve and then in and out of the
art galleries and shops on River Road 12.
Stopped by the Texas Glass Works on my way out of town and enjoyed the
demonstration of glass blowing and the beautiful items made in house.
On my way back to
Austin, I stopped at the famous Salt Lick in Driftwood for legendary
mouthwatering barbecue. The parking lot
is enormous as is the inside but as it was a rainy day and off season there was
plenty of room and the service was fast.
My pork rib and brisket with some burnt ends were tender and moist with
great flavor. All plates include cole
slaw, beans and potato salad. Soooo
delicious. Finished with chocolate pecan
pie and ice cream and then I was on my way back to Austin. Keep in mind it is a “cash only”
establishment!
Easily found my
airbnb, this time in a nice spacious room with private bath in an art décor
home with a delightful hostess. A bit
farther from town than last time but no problem getting around. Drove to Holly Street to a restaurant called
Launderette and it was fabulous!! Easy
parking and a funky little place filled to the brim with people and great
fun. Had grilled octopus with potatoes
and paprika and a creamy chocolate dessert with “sunchokes”. One of my favorite restaurants so far. Stopped by the Broken Spoke and into the
dance hall to hear the music and see everyone dancing and having a great time.
Tried a different
muffin at Mozart’s, parked in my favorite spot and walked around Lady Bird Lake
for about an hour. Walked up to the
Bullock Texas State History Museum and enjoyed the “Becoming Texas” exhibition
with its journey through more than 16,000 years of Texas history starting with
the early American Indians. La Salle’s
300-year-old ship, La Belle, excavated off the Texas coast was on display which
was fun to see.
Walked over to the
Governor’s Mansion nearby where I had booked a tour for 2:30 p.m. What I didn’t know was you are not allowed to
bring even a purse inside. Luckily a
nice couple took my backpack to their car for me while we were on the tour…
This premier
historic home has served as the official residence of Texas governors and their
families since 1856 and is a lovely mansion.
It houses countless valuables including Sam Houston’s mahogany four
poster bed and numerous pieces of valuable art and antique furniture. Thankfully all of these items were removed
and in storage when the building was targeted by arson in June 2008 and
sustained major damage.
Walked down to
Starbucks and had hot tea and a cookie from Mozart’s and then returned to the
airbnb to regroup before dining at Lenoir on south 1st street. Had to wait awhile for my table as the
restaurant is quite small but watched some of the plates come out of the
kitchen so knew what I wanted by the time I was seated. Opted for the prix fixe menu which started
with one hush puppy, shrimp tempura wrapped in greens w/grilled summer squash,
fish with curry sauce and greens, blue polenta w/tempura wild mushrooms and quinoa,
guinua hen with tiny butternut squash cakes and almond cake with passion fruit
curd and blue cheese – a fabulous meal and my last dinner in Texas.
Walked around the
corner to Congress Avenue and to Continental Club for music. Listened to one band and watched it dismantle
and another come on which was even better.
A bit more rock than country but good nevertheless.
Check out of my
airbnb in the morning and had a final muffin at Mozart’s, a walk around the
lady bird lake and then stopped at Mozart’s for lemon tart and tea. Returned the car at the airport and caught my
flight to SFO. Had an hour stopover
where I picked up an egg salad sandwich and got to SNA about 7:30 p.m. I look forward to returning to San Antonio
one day soon!
