TEXAS SPRING BREAK TRAVELS — SAN ANTONIO

Spring Break this year didn’t find us at an exotic beach or ski resort (not that it ever has).  Instead, we made one last visit to two Texas colleges that my daughter is considering attending next year.  The first college is in San Antonio, and we spent a few days there having a mini family vacation.

No visit to San Antonio is complete without a lazy stroll on the Riverwalk:

IMG_3747IMG_3749We had some great meals at several San Antonio restaurants.  Among the highlights was our Mexican lunch at La Fonda on Main:

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It was perfect weather for leisurely dining outside on the shaded patio:

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My husband had the catch of the day, which was flounder, served with pineapple salsa and rice primavera, which was as tasty as it was colorful:

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I went for the Vegetarian Tacos, which was a tangle of seasonal squashes, grilled poblanos, onions, mushrooms, and black bean puree, accompanied by a spinach and mango salad:

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Do you see the jalapeno on my plate?  It was grilled, and then soaked in soy sauce, and was like a fiery umami explosion — genius!

The restaurant that I can’t wait to return to, however, is the fun and funky Feast:

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The menu consisted of small plates divided into 6 categories:  oceanic, heat, chilled, grilled, crispy, and hearty.  Among our favorites were butter leaf lettuce wraps with ground pork, garlic yogurt, and piquillo peppers (heat):

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Duck breast tostadas with lime, red onion cabbage slaw, and ancho chili sauce (crispy):

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Cornmeal fried oysters with watermelon radish slaw and horseradish remoulade (oceanic):

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And what must be the ultimate stoner food — house-made potato chips with nutella olive oil sauce, grilled red onions, and rosemary salt (crispy).  That’s right — potato chips with nutella.  This sounded nasty to me, and looked like a hot mess, but it was outrageously good:

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As someone who didn’t expect much beyond Tex-Mex and barbecue while we were visiting San Antonio, I was pleasantly surprised by these great dining options, and can enthusiastically recommend these restaurants.

WINTER BREAK IN HALLANDALE BEACH — PART 2

As part of our three-day eat-a-thon while visiting my Dad in Hallandale Beach, we had a memorable lunch at Sage Bagel & Deli, an authentic Jewish-style deli.

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My husband began with a cup of matzoh ball soup:

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That is one big-ass matzoh ball 

The kids got salads and omelets, but my husband and I went for more classic Jewish deli fare.  My husband had the Reuben sandwich with sweet potato fries:

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While I chose to elevate my cholesterol with a Salad Sampler Platter of whitefish, baked salmon, and tuna salads with a toasted bagel:

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Couldn’t leave without buying a few black and white cookies for later . . . .

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We also had lunch at Lychee Garden, a Chinese restaurant that had been a favorite of my Mom’s.  In fact, the restaurant has a framed newspaper article with a picture of my parents eating there, which my kids got quite a kick out of:

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At the Chinese restaurants we frequent in Houston, the food is served on platters.  But at Lychee Garden, the food was served in metal compotes, which I haven’t seen in a long time, and brought back memories of many, many Chinese meals with my family growing up:

IMG_3375 Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables 

But we didn’t JUST eat on our trip.  We went to see Anchorman 2, which my Dad declared to be the worst movie ever made (he was warned), at least the parts he stayed awake for.  We also did some sightseeing, including a visit to Flamingo Gardens in Davie, a botanical collection and wildlife sanctuary.  I love this place.  There are impressive plants all over the property, including flowering gingers and other tropicals:

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I was fascinated by the star fruit hanging off of this carambola tree:

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And even more fascinated by the seed pods on the annatto tree.  (Annatto, also called achiote, is used in Latin American and Carribbean cuisines for both coloring and flavoring food):

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Peacocks roam the property:

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There’s lots of other birds too:

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IMG_3341The Rookery — a free-flight aviary

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I had ’em eating out of my hand 

And of course, there were flamingos:

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Interestingly, flamingo is the color adorning the roadways in Hallandale Beach — wouldn’t have been my choice, but yet, it seems so Florida-y:

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But I digress.  Flamingo Gardens also has some very animated parrots, a wildlife sanctuary with alligators, bobcats, and other animals, a narrated tram ride through a tropical rainforest and groves, and a restored home that provides a look at life in South Florida in the 1930s.  A visit to Flamingo Gardens is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you’ve got kids — even teenagers!

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