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Trip 2, Day 3/4 – San Antonio, Austin // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 02:00:05 +0000

The final two days of our trip, we explored San Antonio’s attractions, drove back to Austin, and then flew back home to NC.

Merit Coffee Co.

Around 08:00, we left our hotel in San Antonio and drove just down the road to Merit Coffee Company for some coffee and breakfast. I got a blueberry lemon muffin, Trevor got some kind of granola bar, and Cody got a pumpkin cream cheese muffin with chocolate chips and pepitas. Everything was very good, but Trevor was very disappointed they were out of breakfast tacos.

Merit Coffee Co.

Remember The Alamo

Next, we drove to downtown San Antonio, found parking in a parking deck, and walked a couple blocks to our destination for the morning: The Alamo. I booked a guided tour for the three of us, so we checked in at the kiosk and waited for the tour to begin, using the time to locate a place to dispose of our empty coffee cups.

The tour lasted about an hour, and took us all around the grounds of The Alamo complex, starting in the courtyard outside, and ending in the exhibit building. Several things surprised me about The Alamo; I’ll list them below. You can read about most of the site’s history elsewhere, so I won’t bore you with a historical recap.

The Alamo is in the middle of downtown San Antonio, and I literally mean in the middle of it.
In 2023, The Alamo is opening a huge collections center across the street. The majority of the artifacts will be from the world’s largest collection of Alamo artifacts, owned by Phil Collins. Yes, I’m talking about the musician.
The Alamo complex is far larger than just the Alamo chapel, which is the most recognizable structure from the original Spain mission. In fact, the whole complex was about five acres, including long barracks, a large courtyard, outbuildings, and more.
The Alamo chapel didn’t have a roof for much of its existence. Sometime after the US Army took control in 1846, the soldiers added a roof to a building.

The Alamo

After the tour, we took another half hour to walk around the grounds and through the exhibits. We enjoyed the tour, and it was fascinating to learn about the history of the area. You can stop by just for a quick visit, but I would highly recommend booking a tour or getting an audio guide if you want to fully appreciate the history of the area.

The Alamo

River Walk

We left The Alamo, stopping briefly at an exhibit marking the corner of one The Alamo’s walls to see a cannon. It was a shocking experience (the hand rails had tons of static electricity). Continuing north, we descended about a story and a half below ground to the famous San Antonio River Walk. Since it’s below street level, the temperature is significantly cooler on the River Walk than the city above.

San Antonio River Walk

It’s a unique and beautiful experience, with exquisite landscaping, and a sense of peacefulness thanks to the white noise of the water drowning out the bustling traffic above. This stands out as probably the most unique downtown I’ve visited in the US, and I’d recommend everyone to visit at some point if given the chance. The River Walk itself winds in various directions; there’s a main “circle”, but they’ve significantly expanded it over the years. My only complaint is that most of the restaurants and shops on the river are very high-priced and touristy (e.g., Hard Rock Cafe, Dick’s Last Resort, etc.).

San Antonio River Walk

San Fernando Cathedral

Kallison Love Lock Walk Bridge

San Antonio River Walk

We’d originally planned to take a boat tour around the Walk, but we ended up walking so far, we decided to just complete the circle on foot instead. We briefly popped back up to street level to see the Main Plaza and San Fernando Cathedral, and managed to witness a small outdoor wedding in the process. Around 11:15, all of us were starting to get very hungry (and tired of walking), so we decided to make our way back to the car and head towards lunch.

Rosario's

We attempted to go to two different restaurants before finally settling on Rosario’s Mexican Cafe Y Cantina in Southtown. The first place we tried had no parking, and the second was in a rather bad-looking section of town, so we left for the sake of our rental car’s safety. Rosario’s turned out to be a great decision. It’s an art deco-themed restaurant, augmented with pink décor, that specializes in Tex-Mex cuisine.

For an appetizer, we ordered their fire-roasted salsa and chips. It was the best chips and salsa I’ve ever had by far – slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and deeply savory and smoky from the fire-roasted tomatoes. The chips were airy, thin, and light, but didn’t break when dipping in the salsa. We all got tacos of some kind – Trevor’s were rolled, Cody’s were loaded with all kinds of toppings, and mine were griddled with a gooey layer refried beans and cheese hugging the meat inside. Everything was exceptionally flavorful, especially the meat in the tacos. The refried and charro beans will make any I eat in the future taste bland, since Rosario’s were laced with a savory blend of ground spices that gave them exceptional flavor.

Rosario's

San Antonio, TX

Honestly some of the best Tex-Mex food I’ve ever had, if not the best. Everything was super flavorful – I don’t think I’ll be able to eat “normal” refried beans for a while after tasting these. If you in San Antonio, be sure to stop by!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Mission Espada

Thoroughly stuffed, we needed to kill some time before our next Dutch Bros run, so we drove south of the city to Mission Espada. This is the southernmost of the five Spanish missions in the area; we planned to start down here and work our way northward. Four of these missions now make up San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, excluding Misión San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo). We decided to visit all the missions in the park, spending a half-hour or so at each.

Mission Espada

Founded in 1690, this is the oldest of all the Spanish missions in Texas. It’s full name is Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The original church is still standing, but most of the mission complex is in ruins. We walked through all the exhibits, and then followed the San Antonio River north to the next mission.

Mission San Juan

We stopped briefly at Mission San Juan, which is a couple miles north of Mission Espada. There’s not much to see there, so we peeked inside the church and continued upriver.

Mission San Juan

Mission San José

Our next stop was Mission San José, the largest of the mission complexes. Inside, we toured the 18th Century church, and several exhibits. It amazed us how much of the original architecture was still intact, including the outer wall and the church with its stone archways. The park’s visitor center is on the opposite side of the parking lot from the mission, so we also stepped inside to browse the exhibits and visit the gift shop.

Mission San José

Mission Concepción

Mission Concepción (full name Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña) was founded in 1711, and is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. The church’s western entrance was built so it aligns with the sunset in an “annual double solar illumination event”, occurring around the Assumption of Mary in mid-August. The church was originally adorned with colorful frescoes, but those have since faded, and only small, faded sections remain. We kept our wanderings around the grounds fairly short, since we were starting to get tired and hungry.

Mission Concepción

Dutch Bros

After finishing our tour of the missions, we drove (once again) to Dutch Bros for a cold drink. By this point, we were scheming about how to open a franchise in NC. Turns out, it’s reasonably priced, but they only franchise internally, so you have to have been a Dutch Bros employee for at least three years. Trevor didn’t want to spend the next three years as a barista, so I guess our plan is defunct.

Redneck AC

Dutch Bros

Cabela's

Leaving Dutch Bros, we continued north to Buda, Texas, our home for the night. Buda (pronounced BYOO-də) is a small town situated on I-35 just south of Austin. It’s known as the “Outdoor Capital of Texas”, and is home to numerous outdoor retailers, including a 185,000 sq. ft. Cabela’s. So of course, when we had some time to kill before dinner, we we decided to visit the Cabela’s. It’s pretty much what you would expect, but with more wildlife displays than usual.

Cabela's

Matt's El Rancho

In search of dinner, we first stopped by Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, only to find they were sold out of almost everything. Instead, we drove to Matt’s El Rancho, a Tex-Mex spot on the south side of Austin. Matt’s has been around since 1952, and serves classic dishes in a laid-back indoor/outdoor setting. We opted to eat outside by a fountain under a large oak.

For an appetizer, we split a Bob Armstrong dip, which is basically queso with taco-seasoned ground beef and guacamole mixed in. Additionally, they brought salsa and giant tortilla chips. For the meal, Cody got the Asadero tacos (beef tenderloin, grilled Asadero cheese, onions, and rajas, served with frijoles a la charra). Trevor and I split an order of beef enchiladas and the same tacos. All the food was very good, especially the tacos.

Matt's El Rancho - Austin, TX

Bob Armstrong Dip

Tacos

Enchiladas

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel for the night, and capped off the day with a lovely cold shower (apparently the hot water couldn’t quite make it to our room at the end of the building).

Matt's El Rancho

Austin, TX

Some solid Tex-Mex food, and in a unique setting – especially if you get to eat outside. The Asadero tacos alone are worth a stop.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Summer Moon

The next morning, we slept in a little, since we were thoroughly exhausted. After taking another [even colder] shower, we checked out of the hotel and headed out for the day. For breakfast, we originally wanted to return to Vaquero Taquero in Austin, but they are closed on Mondays. Instead, we headed to downtown Buda and landed at Summer Moon Fire-Roasted Coffee, a small Texas chain. Downtown Buda isn’t much to speak of, so we were able to easily grab a parking spot and head inside. We each got some coffee; Cody got a chocolate croissant, I got a strawberry “pop tart”, and Trevor got a cinnamon roll. The baked goods were pretty good, but the coffee was lacking. I don’t think that any of us finished our drinks.

Black's Barbecue

After surviving the drive up I-35 to Austin, we decided to go ahead and stop for a small-ish lunch on the north side of town. We ate at Blacks’ Barbecue, a Texas staple originating in Lockhart, the “Barbecue Capital of Texas”. We got three slices of moist brisket, one slice of lean brisket, one original sausage, three pork spare ribs, some street corn, and of course pickles/onions/white bread/jalapeños. They were out of turkey, so we didn’t get to try that. We opted not to get one of their signature beef ribs, since we weren’t exceptionally hungry.

Black's Barbecue

Brisket, street corn, and sausage

Pork ribs and white bread

The brisket was very good, the ribs were excellent, and the corn was very good, but the sausage was not our favorite. The ribs might have been the best I’ve had in Texas. It was nice to get some barbecue without waiting in line.

Black's Barbecue

Austin, TX + Other Locations

Good, traditional Texas barbecue. It’s not the best we had this year, but it’s a classic, and one every brisket lover should try.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Texas Landmarks

After lunch, we decided to drive by the Texas State Capitol and through the University of Texas campus, since Cody hadn’t seen them yet. Cody was navigating, and he managed to route us to the Capital Plaza shopping center instead of the State Capitol. After some confusion, we made it back to our intended destination. We snapped a few quick pictures from the car and then headed on our merry way.

University of Texas

Hat Search

Next on our (mostly Cody’s) Texas to-do list: find cowboy hats. We drove to a place just north of downtown, walked inside, and immediately knew we were looking at the wrong price range. It was a nice store, if you wanted to spend $900 on a pair of boots and $500 on a hat.

Ironically, we drove back to the Capital Plaza shopping center and went in a Boot Barn, which was definitely more our price range. Cody found a cowboy hat, but they didn’t have any big enough for me, nor any small enough for Trevor. Can’t say I was overly disappointed…

Dutch Bros

Mission complete, we drove to Dutch Bros for yet another drink run. I got a bonus kids sized orange-blue raspberry milkshake to go with my regular double chocolate mocha Dutch Freeze, and Cody and Trevor tried the seasonal pumpkin brûlée cold brew freeze.

Dutch Bros

Javi's Best of Tex Mex

Before heading over to the airport, we met Dad and Larry at Javi’s Best of Tex Mex, which was about the only decent-looking spot close to the airport. We all got tacos or something similar; the food was on par with good Mexican back home. After dinner, we filled up our rental car at the Exxon next door, and headed to the airport to drop off our rental car.

Javi's Best of Tex Mex

Travel

After dropping off our rental cars, we waited at least 45 minutes for the shuttle to take us to the AUS South Terminal, and finally arrived at the gate just before TSA opened for the evening’s flights. We boarded the plane, and managed to land a full 45 minutes earlier than scheduled – our pilot must have been in a hurry. When we landed on the AVL runway, he probably took the curves at 65mph.

We waited around 30 minutes for the shuttle to take us back to our car at the overflow parking lot. It was rather cold outside, so we finally gave up on the shuttle, and Larry and I walked (I would guess about a mile, maybe more) to get the car. We got back to the terminal and picked up the rest of our party just as the shuttle bus arrived. It was doubtful we’d even have been able to board that shuttle; there was quite the crowd waiting by then.

Flight home

Flying into AVL

I’d originally intended to spend the night in Granite Falls, and then wake up early and drive up the mountain for work the next morning. By the time I’d unloaded the car in the cold air, I was wide awake, so I decided to drive on up the mountain. I finally arrived home around 02:40 and crashed into bed.

Conclusion

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This was a great trip (so was the last one), and it’s been great to share it with you. Stay tuned for two more short trips this year: West Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay area.

– Isaac & Co.

Flying home

The post Trip 2, Day 3/4 – San Antonio, Austin // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Trip 2, Day 1/2 – Austin, Snow’s BBQ, San Marcos // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 02:00:10 +0000

Welcome to part two of our 2022 Texas adventures! For those of you just now joining, we traveled to Texas at the beginning of September to watch App State upset #6 Texas A&M. Last time, Dad, Trevor, and I made the trip; this time we added Larry Knight (a friend from Granite Falls) and Cody (one of my college roommates).

The first two days of our second trip, we ate some excellent barbecue, saw some beautiful scenery, and watched an extremely disappointing football game.

Travel // Allison's

We all took a half day off work on Friday, and met in Granite Falls just before 13:00. From there, we piled into Larry’s SUV and headed for Asheville. First, we stopped at Allison’s Family Restaurant in Morganton so everyone could get caught up on lunch. After fighting I-26 traffic, we finally made it to the airport, and wound up having to park in an overflow lot (which I’m convinced was actually in Fletcher) and ride a shuttle back to the terminal. We checked in, and finally made it through security, notwithstanding a slight mishap with Cody’s birth date in the airline’s system.

Allison's Family Restaurant

Flying into AUS

Terry Black's BBQ

We landed in Austin just after 19:00CST at the AUS South Terminal, and waiting a solid 30 minutes on a shuttle to take us on a long drive back to the main terminal. As Cody commented, “It took us 30 minutes to get from the airport to the airport”.

We waited in a moderately long rental car line, got our matching black Nissan Altima’s (one for Larry and Dad and one for Cody, Trevor, and me), and headed to downtown Austin to find some food. Of course, our first stop in Texas was going to be barbecue, so we went to Terry Black’s BBQ in downtown Austin.

Terry Black’s is a buffet-style (except they dip/weigh everything for you) joint that serves a tremendous amount of people. I primarily chose it because they’re open late, and was honestly not expecting the food to be as good as it was. We got brisket (plus the free burnt ends they gave us), a beef rib, turkey, pork ribs, creamed corn, mac & cheese, pickles, jalapeños, onions, and white bread. For dessert, I got a peach cobbler, and everyone else got banana pudding.

Terry Blacks' BBQ

The whole meal was excellent. The brisket and beef rib had a thick, peppery crust and a delicious fat cap. The turkey was tender and moist, and the sides were very good. It was an excellent kick-off to our trip.

Terry Blacks' BBQ

Austin, TX

We were all genuinely surprised by this place. I expected a bit of a tourist trap because of the sheer volume of business they do, but I was wrong. Everything was exceptionally good, even late at night. While Snow’s was better, considering we didn’t have to wait in line at Terry Black’s (or wake up at 04:00), I’d be more likely to revisit Terry Black’s. Don’t miss the beef ribs!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Lexington

The Austin City Limits music festival was going on, so it took quite a while to get out of Terry Black’s parking lot. However, while we waited, we enjoyed some of the best people-watching we’d ever seen, as thousands of University of Texas students paraded down the road in rickshaw bikes, on foot, and via other various wheeled vehicles.

We finally made it out of the parking lot, and drove northeast to Lexington, TX. If that sounds familiar to you, you’re not mistaken; we stayed there last time. Just after our first trip, we decided to make yet another early morning barbecue run, this time with Cody and Larry joining us.

We stayed at an Airbnb just outside of Lexington in Blue, TX. The property was managed by Rosamaria, who ran the 10 acres as a well-decorated “health retreat”. Clearly, our planned pre-dawn brisket run didn’t constitute “health”, but the house was a nice place to stay for the far-too-short night.

Snow's, Part II

Sometime before 04:30, I dragged everyone out of bed. Everyone piled (quite literally) in Larry and Dad’s rental car, and we drove over to Snow’s BBQ, arriving just before 04:45. Last time, we arrived around 05:15 and were #44 in line; this time, we were number #85, despite arriving over 30 minutes earlier. The five of us rotated standing in line and sitting at a picnic table, until an hour or so later when someone from Snow’s brought out a pallet of dilapidated lawn chairs. We snagged three of them.

Early start in Lexington, TX

At some point, Cody and I walked down the street to observe the local cattle auction. Eventually, Snow’s broke out the cornhole boards, and Cody and I took on Trevor and Larry. Pro tip: don’t play Larry in cornhole unless you enjoy getting soundly beaten, especially not at 05:00.

Snow's BBQ

Cattle auction

We soon realized what all the fuss and longer lines was about: Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, a regional distributor, was sponsoring an event at Snow’s that day. They were giving away various prizes, and had commissioned a drone light show at around 06:00. I’d never witnessed anything like that…it was basically like a quiet, choreographed fireworks show. Here are some social media posts highlighting the event:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages (@cocacolaswb)

The in the dark. @snowsbbq for @CocaColaSWB
CC: @flintfieldtx pic.twitter.com/ToD1wvk4rW
— Mark Champion (@Mark_Champion) October 13, 2022

The restaurant started serving around 07:30, and we got our food around 08:45. The line definitely moved faster than our previous visit. We ordered everything on the menu, except for chicken, which sold out at #80 in line, just before us. The food was just as special as before, and the ribs were even better this time. We ate at a picnic table beside the pits, and then headed back to our Airbnb.

Snow's BBQ

Brisket

Turkey and pork ribs

Pork steak and sausages

Dad and Larry left quickly so they could travel to New Braunfels to watch Larry’s grandson’s football game. Meanwhile, Cody, Trevor, and I stripped the beds, checked out, and then started the drive back towards Austin.

Snow's BBQ

Lexington, TX

Okay, you know this place is going to get three stars, because we’ve made two special trips to come eat here, and have woken up at 04:00 to wait in line for hours. Would I wake up that early again? If you offer me a chance to go back, I probably won’t refuse.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

McKinney Falls State Park

Our first stop was McKinney Falls State Park, which sits southeast of downtown on Onion Creek. The park has two falls, a variety of ruins, a giant bald cypress tree, and an old Tonkawa shelter dating back to 500 BC. We hiked the trail to the lower falls, and crossed the limestone creek bed to traverse the trail through the homestead and grist mill ruins. Both the upper and lower falls were quite dry due to the lack of recent rain, but there were several people swimming in the creek at their bases. Next, we drove up the road to the visitor center parking lot, walked to the upper falls, found “Old Baldy”, visited the ancient rock shelter, and got semi-lost in a cactus field on our way back to the car.

McKinney Falls State Park

Smith Rock Shelter

Cacti

Upper Falls

Dutch Bros

By now, we were thoroughly hot and exhausted, so we decided to seek out something cold to drink. After a quick search, I excitedly realized that Dutch Bros had spread to Texas. Faith and I discovered the Grants Pass, OR-based chain during our trip to Colorado Springs this summer. We each got a Dutch Freeze, a frappuccino-like drink with chocolate and a shot or two of espresso. It was extremely refreshing, and we immediately started discussing when we would return.

San Marcos

Since we didn’t really have time for another adventure before the football game, we decided to drive on to San Marcos, home of Texas State University. We easily found parking next to the stadium, and proceeded to walk around campus and the town for a couple hours. Texas State has a beautiful (and huge) campus, highlighted by the San Marcos River flowing through the area. There’s a place on campus where they’ve canaled the river, and students can swim in the clear waters under lifeguard supervision. Farther downstream, you can rent a kayak and paddle through campus and town.

San Marcos River

While we’d rate their campus 5 stars for water features, we would rate it 0 stars for gameday atmosphere, 1 star for landscaping, and 1 star for friendliness. The friendliness star was earned solely by a campus employee who directed us from our parking lot towards the river and campus. Most of their campus is on a sizeable hill, with nice views of the buildings below. Other highlights of our campus tour included not finding a statue of George Strait (very disappointing, considering he’s an alumnus), finding a statue of LBJ (I guess that’s understandable, since he was president), and a finding a very large statue of fighting horses (with no plaque explaining its meaning). Interestingly, their performing arts theater also had a moat around it, scattered with several sizable snapping turtles.

Texas State University

Not George Strait

Moat

Snapping turtle

Texas State University

Football

Soon, we walked over to Bobcat Stadium, well before kickoff, to watch warmups and explore the venue. It’s a pretty nice stadium, but the overall gameday atmosphere pales in comparison to most college football games we’ve visited. Atmosphere aside, Appalachian played horribly, mostly thanks to a lack of pass defense, and suffered an embarrassing loss. But, as always, it’s great to be a Mountaineer, and we all had fun despite the dismal result.

Bobcat Stadium

Tailgating

Bobcat Stadium

Buc-ee's // In-N-Out

After the game, Cody, Trevor, and I managed to weave our way back to our car, despite railroad tracks and baseball fields making it challenging to walk in a straight line. Once again, we drove south on I-35, this time heading towards San Antonio for the night. On the way, we stopped at Buc-ee’s (read this post for more info) so Cody could experience the 138 gas pumps and endless snack options. Instead of getting “sat-out-all-day” food from Buc-ee’s, we opted to drive down the street to In-N-Out for a hot $3.25 burger. Can’t beat that! It took a while to get our food, but it was delicious.

Buc-ee's

In-N-Out Burger

We finally arrived at our hotel in San Antonio around 23:00, and immediately headed to bed.

Conclusion

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The next two days, we’ll explore San Antonio and possibly more of Austin.

– Isaac & Co.

Snow's BBQ

Restaurant

Location

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* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

The post Trip 2, Day 1/2 – Austin, Snow’s BBQ, San Marcos // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Trip 1, Day 4/5 – Houston, Galveston, Minute Maid Park // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:00:35 +0000

The last two days of our trip, we went to a baseball game, drove to see the ocean and eat some seafood, and ate some good Mexican food before we traveled home.

Minute Maid Park

Sunday morning, we stumbled out of bed as early as we could (around 08:30), heated up our leftovers from Snow’s, and had barbecue for breakfast for the second day in a row. We checked out of our Airbnb, and hit the road for downtown Houston. We quickly found some parking, and headed into Minute Maid Park to watch the Houston Astros play the Los Angeles Angels.

Downtown Houston

To be clear, we all hate the Astros (cheaters), so we slightly pulled for the Angels. Shohei Ohtani launched a home run his first at-bat, and hit a ground-rule double later in the game. José Altuve got out on his own running error, which was pretty satisfying to watch. Sadly, Mike Trout had the day off, so we didn’t get to see him play. It was a close game for the first few innings, but the the Astros pulled away. Mostly, we were struggling to stay awake because we were so tired.

Houston Astros 9/11 Tribute 2022

We had great seats; albeit high, they were right behind home plate, and we could see over the strike zone. Minute Maid was a neat stadium, with lots of amenities. It’s definitely very unique, with its retractable roof (which was thankfully closed), large windows in left field, and strange outfield fence layout. During the game, Trevor got some popcorn, and Dad and I split a small Blue Bell cookies & cream container, but we were all starting to get hungry, so we left in the 8th inning. By then, the Astros had established a substantial lead, and we figured we could beat a bit of the traffic.

Minute Maid Park

Galveston

Since we had nothing better to do, we decided we would drive down to Galveston (yes, we listened to Glen Campbell on the way) for the evening. It was a bit of a spontaneous decision, but turned out to be a lot of fun. Along the way, we saw many oil rigs and refineries, plus some nice views of the bay from the Galveston Causeway on our way in, and a picturesque sunset by the Gulf of Mexico.

Galveston Causeway

Katie's Seafood House

For dinner, we stopped at Katie’s Seafood House, a “boat-to-table” dockside eatery on the bay specializing in extremely fresh seafood (they also have a seafood market next door). We split Dockside Oysters (char-grilled oysters sizzling with garlic butter, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs) and Oysters Katie (sweet herb marinated smoked oysters grilled with crab, Alfredo, & seasonings) as an appetizer. Trevor got a rather large seafood quesadilla (fresh Gulf fish and shrimp grilled in chimichurri and folded in mozzarella, with avocado and spicy salsa), and Dad and I split a large bowl of seafood gumbo and a fish (red snapper) and shrimp platter with crab mac & cheese, rice, veggies, and cornbread with honey butter.

Katie's Seafood House

All the food was excellent, particularly the red snapper. Once again, the Texas-sized portions defeated us, so we did our best to clean up the seafood and leave the sides behind. One complaint the entire state of Texas needs to hear: I do not, nor will I ever want jalapeños in my cornbread or hushpuppies. I like the peppers sometimes, but there’s no need to ruin hushpuppies with their inclusion.

Katie's Seafood House

Galveston

Ocean Star Oil Rig

Galveston

Galveston Seawall

After dinner, we drove down to the Galveston Seawall to see the Gulf of Mexico, which nicely framed the famous Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier. After snapping a few pictures and taking in the sea breeze, we headed back towards Houston.

Galveston

Galveston Seawall

Driving

Sunset on Galveston Causeway

Bridge

On our drive back, we saw many more of the refineries and oil rigs, beautifully illuminated by a crimson sunset. I tried to get some good pictures, but unfortunately my phone camera wasn’t appreciative of the combination of the bumpy interstate and low light. The refineries are seemingly endless, and slightly ominous looking at night, like some nefarious villain’s lair.

Sunset near Texas City, TX

El Bolillo

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and drove north to the Houston Heights neighborhood, where we visited El Bolillo bakery, a Mexican bakery with a huge variety of pastries, fresh tortillas, chips, cakes, and more. It was quite an experience, and quite honestly I have no idea exactly what we purchased. We took it back to the hotel lobby to eat, and killed time by watching SportsCenter in the lobby until lunch time.

El Bolillo

From the bakery, we got a cinnamon-sugar donut, some kind of gingerbread-like spice cookie shaped like an animal (?), a chocolate shortbread cookie, a long cream cheese danish, some kind of cream cheese icing-covered pastry with dried fruit inside, a concha, and a churro. I’m 99% certain the churro was meant to be cooked further at home, so it was pretty tough. The cookies and pastries were all good, but the real star was the cinnamon-sugar donut. The most incredible part is that all these pastries, plus three bottles of milk, only cost ~$11.

El Bollilo

Houston, TX

This place is getting a star not because the food is exceptionally good (although it was good), but because it’s exceptionally cheap. Also, I’d never been anywhere quite like this before. As cheap as it is, it’s worth visiting while in Houston!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Puebla's Mexican Kitchen

Departing the hotel for the second time, we drove back to Houston Heights to Puebla’s Mexican Kitchen, an acclaimed Tex-Mex spot with limited seating and authentic Mexican food. Dad and I split some tacos, rice, and beans, and Trevor ordered chicken enchiladas, although they gave him chicken mole enchiladas by mistake. Dad and I split the following tacos: beef fajitas, carnitas, barbacoa, asado de puerco, chicharron, and grilled chicken. The tacos were good, especially the carnitas, but paled in comparison to Vaquero Taquero (Day 2).

Puebla's Mexican Kitchen

Travel HOme

After lunch, we stopped to top off the rental car with petrol, drove to the airport, and made it to our gate. Our flight was delayed by almost an hour, and we finally landed back in Charlotte around 20:00. We did, at least, get to witness yet another beautiful sunset.

CLT Sunset

On the drive home, we stopped at Chick-fil-A in Gastonia, and I got to try their new Autumn Spice milkshake – it was excellent, and a refreshing change from the typical pumpkin overload this time of year. We arrived back in Granite Falls around 21:30, and I made it back up the mountain just before 23:00.

Overall, it was a great trip, and I felt like we got a tour of the best of eastern Texas. Now, it’s on to more football for the next few months.

Conclusion

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Next month, we’re headed back to Texas, this time flying into Austin and then heading to San Marcos and San Antonio. Stay tuned from more posts in a few weeks!

– Isaac & Co.

Minute Maid Park

The post Trip 1, Day 4/5 – Houston, Galveston, Minute Maid Park // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.