Many of you have asked why my blog is called ‘Tasty Travels and Other Stories’? For a number of years, I wrote about our travels, the places we saw and the restaurants we ate. Most recently, the ‘Other’ and only Story has been Suzanne’s Cancer and her courageous efforts to survive. That changed this past week because we actually got to travel for the first time in over a year and a half. Our last vacation was visiting our son in Florida during the winter of 2019.

For months, we had planned on attending Suzanne’s Janome Sewing Machine Conference in San Antonio Texas, but unfortunately, it was canceled just three weeks before it was to happen. Looking forward to this trip for so long, Suzanne & I decided to venture to Texas anyway where a long list of friends and family had already been lined up for visits on this trip.

For me, the ‘Tasty Travels’ part of my writings is the food and that is a big part of my vacationing. Trying new foods, seeking out unusual places and of course, the occasional brewery is always on tap (pun intended)

We started off our trip with a visit to the School Book Depository Museum in Dallas where President Kennedy was shot. This has been on Suzanne’s bucket list since before we were married. A JFK assassination aficionado, Suzanne was looking forward to seeing what version was portrayed at this self-guided museum. All through the exhibits, my personal tour guide explained to me what false narratives were being shown and then sharing all the facts that were not being told. Taking it all in, she was surprised at how small the geographic area was and even more convinced after walking through the building that Oswald wasn’t even on the sixth floor when the president was shot, which is a discussion she would love to share with anyone.

Next up was a visit with our granddaughter in north Dallas. We met at Razoo’s Cajun Cafe, a Texas chain of Cajun restaurants. I usually avoid chains but this one had great reviews. A sampler skillet was my choice with a chance to taste it all; Grilled andouille sausage, shrimp creole, crawfish etouffee, red beans, and a corn muffin. This was my #3 meal of the trip.

Our next stop was Waco and the chance to see far away cousins, my mom’s sister’s kids. It had been about 15 years since I last saw them and actually got to meet some of their kids for the first time. During our stop in Waco, we shopped in the downtown area including the Magnolia Market at the Silo’s which was not our style (sorry Val). For Lunch, my first brewery, Southern Roots Brewery where I had a pizza and of course, a flight of beer, a place for a re-visit in the future. It was that evening when we met with all my cousins at Cricket’s Draft House where I had a brisket and a fish taco. The fish taco was really good but the flight of beer was the best part of the meal.

Down the road, we went, still on our original trip toward San Antiono where our convention was to have been held where we met a lifelong friend of mine for lunch in Austin. After graduation, he joined the Marines and we lost touch until recently. So what do you say to someone you haven’t seen for so many years? “You haven’t changed a bit”! Still funny and interesting, catching up with him over a great corned beef sandwich at his local diner, The Monument Cafe was just what my soul needed.

So now, it was off to Houston to spend a few days with Suzanne’s cousins. When Suzanne owned her quilt store and our annual buying convention was held in Houston, we would always stay with them to save some cash and get a better feel for the local scene. While there we visited the Houston Holocaust Museum. I had never been to a Holocaust Museum which just tugged at your heart and the staff was interested to hear of my dad’s stories from liberating Dachau.

Also, while in Houston, we ate at a Whataburger, the burger of choice in Texas with over 80% of their 820 locations in Texas. Darlene’s Shrimp Shack, a food truck located on an intercoastal waterway road in Galveston was my #1 favorite meal on this trip. I’m not sure if it was the 10 huge cooked to perfection shrimp I had for lunch or the scenery while I ate watching the pelicans and seagulls on the pier that made this my favorite, but this is my type of meal and place.

My #2 meal was unexpected. Suzanne’s cousin’s son’s wife (did you follow all that) is from Indonesia but her Texas family isn’t quite as adventuresome with food as I am. So when I commented that I would love to try some traditional food, she graciously provided me a meal the next day and it was fantastic.

Other notables in the South East Houston area include: Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen where the steak fajita taco al carbon was outstanding; Red River Bar-B-Que & Grill where the andouille filled popper was almost too hot; and Galveston Island Brewing where they kept the car running while I got what I needed to bring home.

Ironically, the worst two meals occurred by accident in the same town. On the drive down I ate Italian where we stopped for the night and needless to say it was extremely uneventful. Then, on the way home I saw a sign for Sonic and decided to pull off the interstate for lunch. Much to our surprise, we recognized the exit immediately as our stop from earlier in the week and again we were disappointed in the cuisine.

The trip last week was our first big adventure since Suzanne’s cancer appeared, but it’s not our last. This first one provided us the knowledge we needed to venture out on longer and even more tasty travels.

And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

Luke 13:29

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