HAYS CITY SPECIALS

There are many reasons why we have fallen in love with the reincarnation of Hays City Store, which opened up about a year ago. Not the least of which is that, on those weekends when we just can't face the hordes of holiday revelers/Market Day shoppers in Wimberley, we can now drive about ten minutes in the opposite direction and be at Hays City! Then there are the yummy burgers, the fabulous brunch options on the weekends, and the weekly shrimp boils during the warmer months. Best of all, however, is that, when one grows weary of having the same ol' same ol', there is always a daily Chef's Special to pique one's interest. Things like this dish, which I tried on Monday:

You can see for yourself the crisp bits of prosciutto, the fresh asparagus, and the slightly smokey grilled shrimp and corn. But, hidden underneath, there is a bed of perfectly toothsome spinach pasta, dressed with the kind of tomato sauce where they probably just sauteed some minced garlic in olive oil, stirred in fresh cherry tomatoes and let them simmer until they erupted and their sweet juices were released, then finished it off with a dash of red pepper flakes and some freshly grated parmesan.

Oh. My. With daily specials like this, I don't see how I could ever grow tired of this place!