LONG TIME NO SEE!

Gee! Guess it's been a while since I posted, huh? Perhaps I should have warned you that we were headed up north to visit Hubby's family in Ohio. However, before we left, he had a little surprise for me. First we drove over to San Antonio and checked into Hotel Valencia -- the same one we stayed in when I won that amazing mega-prize-trip to San Antonio a few years back. They've remodeled since then, and it's even better now! Once we were checked in and spiffed up, we walked a few doors down to a little cafe, midway between our hotel and the infamous Majestic Theater, where John had made dinner reservations. I thought the name sounded familiar, but it wasn't until I headed to the ladies room and saw a framed sketch that I realized this was the same Bella Cafe with the cute little awning that used to be down on the Riverwalk. We tried to go there several times with our best buddies Paula and Tim, but they were always either closed or full. Now they are catering to the theater crowd, and offer a wonderful prix fixe menu on show nights.

From there it was just another block or so down to our ultimate destination, where one of my very favorite bands from our college days happened to be playing. But, even if that band hadn't been playing, it would have been worth the trip just to see the inside of this amazing theater -- a relic of bygone days. One thing we love most about San Antonio is that they seem to lean more towards preserving and protecting their lovely architecture, while Austin has a tendency to raze and replace!

When is the last time you rode in an elevator with an elevator operator in it?

To tell you the truth, when John told me who we were going to see, I was a bit shocked. I didn't even know they were still alive, much less touring!

So, imagine my surprise when the performance was actually so good that it got an audience full of people my age and older (and quite a few young ones too) up out of their seats, singing along and waving their iphone lighters in the air!

Best of all, once the concert was over, we only had a five minute walk back to our hotel, where we got a good night's sleep, a delicious breakfast, then had a very short drive to the airport and our flight out to Ohio!

Does it get any better?

THE KATZ BROTHERS DO IT AGAIN

There is a young duo in the town of San Marcos, the Katz brothers, that seems to be taking the town by storm. First they opened a little kolache shop called Dos Gatos. Then they opened a second one. Next they turned a vintage filling station into Zelicks Ice House. After that came Pie Society, a pizza place with a speakeasy hidden in back! And now, there is North Street -- a beer bar/curry house/coffee shop. So, of course, The Tiny Dinner Club had to give it a try, right?

Pretty much everything we tried was moan-worthy.

Chicken Tikka Masala Tacos

Chicken Curry Plates

Curry Queso

The only complaints came from our Irish/British friends, who said their chicken curry wasn't spicy enough. Of course, they grew up in the U.K., where curry is their national dish. But this is Texas, and I expect they're keeping it on the mild side since San Marcos is primarily a college town, and half it's population has probably never even tasted a curry dish. So, on the whole, we gave it 16 thumbs up.

Try it. You'll like it!

WHERE AM I?

 Is it Paris?

Nooooo....It's San Antonio!

We had a meet-up with our CPA there on Wednesday. Afterwards, we headed straight to Bakery Lorraine, at the Pearl Brewery Complex, to celebrate the fact that we didn't owe an arm and a leg in taxes this year! As if that weren't enough, they even threw in a free macaron, because one was a little smushed. Guess what? A smushed almond joy macaron tastes every bit as good as an unsmushed one! The dark chocolate-cassis one was pretty darn good too.

Hubby, of course, just couldn't resist the lemon-blueberry muffin. "All my favorite things in one bite!", he said.

TILLIE'S AT CAMP LUCY

Our Tiny Dinner Club decided to switch things up this month, and become a Tiny Brunch Club. Why? Well, because of the rumors we've been hearing about a magical place called Tillie's, which is situated on a gorgeous resort called Camp Lucy, out in the boonies just west of Dripping Springs. Not the kind of place you want to be finding your way home from late at night, if you've had more than one glass of wine! 

The Main Dining Area -- An Old Temple From Viet Nam

For the Sunday Brunch they offer a "sharing menu", served tapas-style.

They started us off with a basket of freshly made mini corn muffins and biscuits. Don't eat too many. You'll need to save room for everything else!  First course? French toast with coffee-vanilla maple syrup and candied pecan butter.

Then came a breakfast hash like no hash you've ever tasted before, with marvelous things in it like roasted Brussels sprouts.

After that came fried chicken with a kick...

Chinese Pork Dumplings...

and Crispy Breakfast Potatoes. Now that I think about it, there may have been a curry dish as well, that I failed to get a photo of.

All I can say is, pace yourself! The good news is that, although you can't really tell it from these photos, the portions were reasonably small, served on tiny dishes.

I hesitate to mention this, for fear my daughters will be packin' their bags for another girls getaway before I finish here, but, just to the right of the restaurant is a gorgeous swimming pool with a sunken ledge holding luxurious loungers that keep one's body submerged...

and, although this is primarily an event facility, I heard a rumor that if they don't have anything big going on, they will rent out the casitas to individuals. I just have no idea how much they will charge you for that privilege. Nevertheless, the brunch was worth every penny!

IT'S A DATE

It's been a long time since Hubby and I had any kind of "date" other than our Friday lunch-and-a-movie, or a special anniversary or Valentines dinner. So I was a bit surprised when, Saturday evening, he suggested that we head into town to listen to some music. Unlike my Hubby, I've never been a huge fan of hanging out in bars, but this was something a little different at our new favorite place, Los Olivos.

My Baby Kale Salad With Burrata Cheese

Hubby's Panini Sandwich

Now, this? This is a date I can get down with! Plus, Hubby even bought a couple of little prezzies to take home with us.

Just so ya know? That amaretto pecan honey butter is to die for, if you're an anything-almond-addict like me.

WHEN IT PAYS TO KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE

One of the three couples in our Tiny Dinner Club has this thing they do. Every year our town's civic club hosts a Spring Fling, where lots of different people volunteer to host a party or a game day or teach a class, at their own expense. Hoards of people sign up online and pay to take part in these activities, then all that money goes to different charitable causes right here in our community. Four years ago our friends Ken and Sherri decided to host a dinner -- an epic, tapas style dinner with five or six courses and wine pairings -- and it was such a huge hit that they've continued doing it, with different menus, each year since. We don't always manage to get a place at the table for that event, since word has spread and the limited seats sell out fast. But, as I said, it pays to know the right people!

Ken, Sherri and daughter Bella do all the cooking, while Sherri's mama hosts the official event at her home, where there is more table space, china and crystal!

Fortunately for us, they like to do a test run and get some feedback before the big event, and the members of our little dinner club get to be the guinea pigs. The theme? A Taste of Texas! Below you see the full lineup, minus the "amuse bouche" starter that I jumped in and wolfed down before I remembered to take a photo. It was a plate with chips, homemade guacamole and a cup of the most amazing queso with shredded beef.

(please forgive me, Ken and Sherri, for not remembering the proper names and ingredients of each course, being too busy wolfing, as mentioned above)

Next came these little risotto-like patties made from grits, topped with grilled and glazed shrimp wrapped in bacon...

followed by all of this!

Daughter Bella's Tomato Basil Soup

A Pheasant Taco that I can't even begin to describe, and the best slaw I ever ate!

A Grilled Pork Thingy And Caramelized Scalloped Potatoes With A Hint Of Fruit Somewhere

Last but certainly not least was a bread pudding that my bread-pudding-hater-husband actually devoured! Why? Because it started with a scratch-made biscuit, so you had a mix of creamy and crunchy, instead of the usual gelatinous gooiness.

We feel certain the "official" meal will be a roaring success, as we could not find a single thing to suggest or change this time. Well, other than maybe just giving them a dab of that queso on the very first course, instead of a cupful, which no one could seem to stop eating, even though we knew we still had five courses to go! Maybe that way they won't have to roll them all out to their cars, as they did us.