I usually fly Southwest Airlines to go back to Maryland, because they have a direct flight from OKC to BWI, there's no bag fees, and they don't charge stupid "guaranteed standby" fees like American Airlines does. But it took me longer than normal to pick dates for my trip so by the time I finally did it, American was my only option. Gripe #2... My mom tried to gift me miles, but that was going to cost over $300. So we booked the flight under her account, using my name. I'm sure they will close that loophole soon too. Absolutely ridiculous.
My flight was scheduled for 7AM. Waking up at 3:30AM to make the flight is no fun, but I get to Maryland by noon so I get another half day there. As I reached Edmond I just happened to notice that I had a voice mail. It was from American Airlines, that my flight had been canceled. I guess I appreciate the service, but the call came at 1AM when of course I was sound asleep. They got me on another flight, but it wasn't until 10:30AM. Gripe #3... since the new flight was on United I had to pay a bag fee (you don't pay it when you fly with miles on American). They canceled the flight and put me on United, so I shouldn't have had to pay it.
So I was stuck in OKC with nothing to do for about 2 hours. And I was hungry. And annoyed.
I don't know much about breakfast spots in OKC, so I went onto TripAdvisor and decided to try Joey's Café. It's located in a strip mall just down the street from Northpark Mall. It had gotten good reviews so I figured why not.
The sign outside the restaurant and their website are very modern looking, but the inside of the restaurant looks very dated. The upholstery on some of the booths are ripped, and a lot of the furniture just looks kind of old. Not bad, just in need of a serious update. And I can't tell what kind of look they're going for. It's kind of a mix between an Italian café and a diner. Odd combination, but it's the food that's important.
The menu isn't huge, but I couldn't decide what to eat. My server was very patient as I contemplated all the choices, and tried to help me make decisions. I thought about the pancakes, because I'd read a few good reviews on them, but she said they were huge. And I didn't want the "colossal" omelet for the same reason. So I went old school, with the 2 egg breakfast with bacon. All the egg dishes come with home fries or fruit, plus a choice of toast, biscuits, pancakes or an English muffin. Again that was too much food, so I just did hash browns and fruit.
For some reason my camera kept taking fuzzy pictures, so it's pointless to post it here.
My eggs were cooked over easy, just the way I wanted. The 3 strips of bacon were crisp and delicious. There was a ton of hash browns--much more than I expected, but they were hot and perfectly browned on top. In hindsight I should have gotten wheat toast to eat with the eggs, but I love hash browns. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of the fruit. The strawberries and oranges were fresh and good, but the pineapple was just average. But I'm also very picky about pineapple.
Will I go back? Yes! My server was very friendly, kept my coffee filled and helped me decide what to eat. And the food was good and came out very fast, which is the way it should be for breakfast.
Repeats with a Twist - Pappadeaux, Dallas TX
My flight from Orlando was scheduled to depart at 4PM. Not really sure why I did such a late flight, but at the time I booked it, that seemed like a good idea. I re-evaluated once I got to Orlando, and planned to just fly stand-by. However, when I got to the airport for the 9:30AM flight, I was told that because of the code of ticket I bought, I had to pay $75...seriously??? Pay $75 to fly standby??? What a racket. I paid it, because I was already at the airport, I wanted to get home, and I didn't want to sit in the airport all day. And to make things even worse, there were at least 10 empty seats on the plane. The gate agent tried to be nice and make it up to me by waiving my bag fee. But since work pays for that, it really didn't help me at all.
I had a 3-hour layover in Dallas, and was spending the whole time in the A terminal. Win for me, because that's where Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is. With such a long layover I would have gone regardless of what terminal I was in, but this was just a bonus. Absolutely love that place, and I've never had to wait to be seated at the airport location. On the other hand, at the locations in town there's been times the wait has been over an hour, especially on Friday or Saturday evening. But you can have drinks at the bar in the meantime, and the food is worth it. The seafood is always so fresh, the garlic bread is to die for, and I've never had anything on the menu that I didn't like. This is one of the very few restaurants in Oklahoma or Texas where I will even order seafood. The only thing I don't like about Pappadeaux is the prices, as they are a little high. They have a couple of items on the lunch menu, but everything I always want isn't on it.
Apparently you don't get the delicious garlic bread at lunch at the airport location. Very sad, but oh well. After all the food & drinks I had during my conference, not gorging on bread was probably a good thing. The server told me that they now have a lunch buffet, so I checked it out first. It looked just okay, but there are too many good things on the regular menu. And it looked like it had been sitting there for a little while, which doesn't surprise me because it was well after the lunch rush. I really like buffets, but only just before or during the rush when you know the food is really fresh. I decided to go with the Crispy salmon, jumbo crab & shrimp. I had seen the picture on the sign upstairs, and it looked really good. And I'll be honest, it was the smokey bacon & sweet corn that sold me.
OMG this was absolutely amazing! And it was quite a large piece of salmon for a lunch. But I don't think they have a lunch portion of this item. The server said the salmon is usually served medium rare, and I asked him to cook it to medium. Bad move, because it was a little overcooked. But that was the only negative. The salmon had outstanding flavor. It had a little more kick than I was expecting, but it wasn't too much and the corn really toned it down. The lump crab tasted like what you'd get on the east coast. I was full about 2/3 through, but it was so good that I forced myself to eat the whole dish.
Even though I had to pay the ridiculous $75 and had a long layover, in the end it worked out because my original flight from DFW to OKC was cancelled and I wouldn't have gotten home until almost midnight. And, the airport is always amazing people watching.
I had a 3-hour layover in Dallas, and was spending the whole time in the A terminal. Win for me, because that's where Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is. With such a long layover I would have gone regardless of what terminal I was in, but this was just a bonus. Absolutely love that place, and I've never had to wait to be seated at the airport location. On the other hand, at the locations in town there's been times the wait has been over an hour, especially on Friday or Saturday evening. But you can have drinks at the bar in the meantime, and the food is worth it. The seafood is always so fresh, the garlic bread is to die for, and I've never had anything on the menu that I didn't like. This is one of the very few restaurants in Oklahoma or Texas where I will even order seafood. The only thing I don't like about Pappadeaux is the prices, as they are a little high. They have a couple of items on the lunch menu, but everything I always want isn't on it.
Apparently you don't get the delicious garlic bread at lunch at the airport location. Very sad, but oh well. After all the food & drinks I had during my conference, not gorging on bread was probably a good thing. The server told me that they now have a lunch buffet, so I checked it out first. It looked just okay, but there are too many good things on the regular menu. And it looked like it had been sitting there for a little while, which doesn't surprise me because it was well after the lunch rush. I really like buffets, but only just before or during the rush when you know the food is really fresh. I decided to go with the Crispy salmon, jumbo crab & shrimp. I had seen the picture on the sign upstairs, and it looked really good. And I'll be honest, it was the smokey bacon & sweet corn that sold me.
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crisp, spicy, seared salmon with jumbo lump crab & shrimp,
over sweet corn & smokey bacon in a lemon butter sauce
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Even though I had to pay the ridiculous $75 and had a long layover, in the end it worked out because my original flight from DFW to OKC was cancelled and I wouldn't have gotten home until almost midnight. And, the airport is always amazing people watching.
#62 - Funky Monkey Wine Company, Orlando FL
The ALSD conference always ends on Wednesday early afternoon. A lot of the attendees either leave Wednesday morning, or immediately following the last session that afternoon. I see no reason to race back to reality, so I stay the night and head back Thursday morning. Blair and his wife ordered in at the hotel, so Krista and I made plans to go somewhere delicious for dinner. The concierge suggested Funky Monkey Wine Company, located in Pointe Orlando, a shopping and dining area about a mile from our hotel.
Funky Monkey is a great restaurant, with a pretty large outdoor patio. But, it looked like it might rain so we went inside. We were seated at a pub table next to the window. We ordered wine, and it was really good. But I don't remember what kind we had. I really need to do a better job of that moving forward.
I thought about sushi, but none of the rolls really jumped out at me. And as I looked at the rest of the menu, there were a few very unique items that I wanted to try. I couldn't decide between the Funky Monkey or Drunken Monkey salad, but since Krista got the drunken salad I got the other one.
My salad was awesome. I mean with those ingredients you really can't go wrong. For dinner Krista got the scallop & shrimp Maque Choux, and I got the seafood pasta diablo
Since it was our last meal we went with dessert. I can't remember what it was called, and there's no dessert menu listed on the website...
The crust was made of cookie dough! And the outside edge of the cake was a big piece of white chocolate. This cake was phenomenal. We shared it, so it wasn't too much.
Our waiter was both a positive and a negative. When he was attentive, he was great. He knew his stuff and gave great suggestions. However, when we were ready to order he was nowhere to be found, and when we finally saw another waiter head our direction and asked for our waiter, he just took the order for us. When we were done, the waiter disappeared again, and we had to wave another waiter down to pay our bill.
Will I go back? Yes I will, if I ever go back to Orlando. The food was delicious, the wine list was substantial, and I don't want to let one waiter's inconsistency to ruin my whole impression of the place.
Funky Monkey is a great restaurant, with a pretty large outdoor patio. But, it looked like it might rain so we went inside. We were seated at a pub table next to the window. We ordered wine, and it was really good. But I don't remember what kind we had. I really need to do a better job of that moving forward.
I thought about sushi, but none of the rolls really jumped out at me. And as I looked at the rest of the menu, there were a few very unique items that I wanted to try. I couldn't decide between the Funky Monkey or Drunken Monkey salad, but since Krista got the drunken salad I got the other one.
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| Blue cheese crumbles, avocado, grilled onion, bacon, tomato, blue cheese dressing |
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| Shrimp, mussels, scallops, spicy tomato broth, linguine |
Yep, forgot to take a picture of Krista's meal, but she said it was really good. My dish was fantastic. The broth was spicy and had lots of flavor, and on the menu it said "spicy" in italics. It definitely had a kick, but not in a crazy way. I've tasted much spicier in other restaurants.
Since it was our last meal we went with dessert. I can't remember what it was called, and there's no dessert menu listed on the website...
The crust was made of cookie dough! And the outside edge of the cake was a big piece of white chocolate. This cake was phenomenal. We shared it, so it wasn't too much.
Our waiter was both a positive and a negative. When he was attentive, he was great. He knew his stuff and gave great suggestions. However, when we were ready to order he was nowhere to be found, and when we finally saw another waiter head our direction and asked for our waiter, he just took the order for us. When we were done, the waiter disappeared again, and we had to wave another waiter down to pay our bill.
Will I go back? Yes I will, if I ever go back to Orlando. The food was delicious, the wine list was substantial, and I don't want to let one waiter's inconsistency to ruin my whole impression of the place.
#61 - Spencer's for Steaks & Chops - Orlando, FL
There's always one night during the conference when there's no venue tours, the exhibit hall closes by 7 and we have the evening to ourselves. So we're always looking for something fun and delicious to do for dinner.
Over the past couple of years we have become good friends with Jeff, Tom and Ed from Perlick, a company that provides refrigeration systems (wine coolers, keg fridges, suite fridges, etc). They've kind of become honorary members of CD4L, our college division group. Not because they have any specific tie to us, but just because they're really fun! Jeff couldn't come to the conference this year, so it was just Ed and Tom.
We decided to go to Spencer's for dinner. It's right in the hotel, and is one of the top restaurants in Orlando and one of the top steakhouses in the country. The main dining room is all dark paneling, white tablecloths, and lots of wine glasses on the table. We were seated in a private room, which eventually proved to be a very smart idea. This was a beautiful space that seated 12, with large windows to outside and a full glass wall full of wine bottles. Even though we only ended up with a group of 7, I was glad they didn't move us to a table in the main dining room. That would have been kind of boring. The below picture is from the website.
Our waiter, Scott, was fantastic. He immediately could sense that we were there to enjoy each other's company and the food, and never made any attempt to rush our choices. He anticipated our needs very well, made excellent suggestions on each course of our meal, and was extremely knowledgeable.
Earlier in the day Krista and I had seen a sign for The Holy Land Experience theme park on our way back from our trip to U of Central Florida. We had no idea there was any kind of religious theme park anywhere. Have to admit, we joked about it, but when I looked it up online we were surprised at the size and scope of the park. When we were discussing it that evening at dinner, Scott told us that the owners of the park eat at Spencer's frequently. If you've ever turned on Trinity Broadcasting Network (by accident or on purpose) you've seen them:
Yep, that's all hair. She kind of reminds me of Tammy Faye Baker on steroids.
So anyways, on to the food and drinks. Ed and Tom ordered wine, but we figured we should order cocktails while we waited for the wine. Krista ordered a French 75. (champagne, Cointreau, gin, lemon juice) We all thought she was making it up. Scott also said he had never heard of it, but he went to the bar and appeared a few minutes later with the drink. I love a waiter who takes on a challenge full force.
With the bread came butter on a Himalayan salt block. I had never, ever heard of that before, but it was really cool, and definitely a conversation piece.
Apparently you can cook on it, but it takes a long time to get hot and the food can slip off the block pretty easily. But it's a very cool way to impart salt to your food without going overboard.
Before we even ordered dinner, Scott came and discreetly closed the door to our private room. I knew we were kind of loud, but we were having a great time, and the restaurant only had a couple of tables full, so we really didn't think about it. Not sure if we were disturbing the other guests or if he just pre-empted it, but it worked. I like that Scott just came and shut the door, and didn't try to keep us quiet. I'm honestly not even sure how well that would have worked.
We all decided to skip the appetizers and go full force into the food. I went with the Spencer's steak, the 14-oz boneless ribeye. I thought about the bone-in for a minute, but decided that might be a little too much. I added the crab & béarnaise sauce on top, at the suggestion of Scott.
My steak was phenomenal, but huge! It was perfectly cooked, and had so much flavor. I know the ribeye is probably the fattiest cut of meat, but that's why I like it...the fat imparts tons of flavor to the final dish. I will say that the béarnaise sauce was too heavy for my tastes, and I ended up taking off most of it. I should have asked for it on the side. Actually, I should have done the Cabernet sauce, because Blair said it was amazing. And it looked more my style. But oh well, live and learn.
Like all of the high-end steakhouses, Spencer's menu is all a la carte. Scott suggested that we get 3-4 sides to share because they are big. But since we'd had quite a bit to drink, we were deciding with our eyes instead of our stomachs. So we got 2 orders of the loaded hash browns, truffled creamed corn, asparagus, creamed spinach and fries. Yes, we went way overboard. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures. Maybe because they're all just basic sides. But they were all absolutely delicious. The hash browns were highly recommended, and we weren't disappointed.
Can't remember the exact part of the meal that this happened, but Ed got a little aggressive with his wine glass
Scott said this happens all the time, and not to worry about it. So we didn't.
As if we hadn't been gluttonous enough already, for some reason we felt the need to get dessert. I honestly didn't even know that anyone had ordered anything until it arrived on the table.
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| Strawberry Rhubarb - Pavolva, brown sugar, sour cream, ginger |
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| Apricot Chamomile - Honey goat cheese panna cotta, pistachio, oats |
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| Mango Chocolate - chocolate flourless cake, mango Gnache, cayenne Aglaise, kiwi, Chantilly cream |
Will I go back? Well, it's definitely a special occasion restaurant. But next time I'm in Orlando and am looking to celebrate that occasion, I certainly will.
#60 - Tropics Pool Bar & Grill, Orlando, FL
One of the perks of my job is that I am a member of the Association of Luxury Suite Directors (ALSD). Most people wouldn't consider an association as a perk, but this one is. Every year it's in a different city, we do venue tours each night, I always learn a lot and am able to take ideas back, and I've made lifelong friends. The conference starts on a Sunday, but I always get there the day before. My first couple years I arrived on Sunday early afternoon, but I was always so tired that by Sunday night I could barely keep my eyes open. 3 years ago in LA was the worst, as I was falling asleep at the bar. So after that I started getting there on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon I spent a little time at the pool, took a nap in my room, and when I woke up it was almost 8pm. The closest off-site restaurants were about a mile away. I didn't want to pay for a cab and didn't want to walk back in the dark, so I went downstairs to Tropics Pool Bar & Grill, out by the pool. I decided to take my order to go, since I had wine up in my room. As I was trying to decide what to get, I noticed the guys next to me had gotten the specialty surf & turf pizza. I asked how it was, and they both said "it's awesome" before I even finished the question. Sold.
The pizza was SO good! It was steak & lobster, and yummy deliciousness. I'd never had lobster on a pizza, but it was fantastic. I would never normally eat a whole pizza like this myself, but I came pretty close this time. I ate 2 pieces Sunday morning, and there was only one more piece left when I was finally done with it.
Sunday I was planning to walk to the restaurants for lunch, but I was way too comfortable at the pool, reading my book. And I knew they would bring my food to me so I wouldn't even have to lose my lounge chair. So I ordered a blackened mahi mahi wrap
So good! The blackening was very flavorful but not too spicy, it was a big piece of fish, and the avocado added an awesome flavor. The fries were hot, crisp and fresh. I got the tarter sauce on the side, because the waitress said they usually put a lot on it. I'm glad I did, because too much would have ruined the flavor of the wrap. And I liked that it was a wheat wrap too.
The last night of the conference we had just come back from a day trip to Tampa, and they provided beers on the bus for us. There was lots of extra beer, so some of the guys took it out to the pool bar. And eventually a game of flip cup erupted. I'm not sure the hotel staff was too fired up about the beer or the flip cup, but they tolerated us for a while. I took the opportunity to go on the lazy river. It was super relaxing, and doing it at night is a much smarter idea than during the day when there are 8 million kids out there.
Wednesday after the last session Krista, Blair, Jamie and I went out to the pool to relax and start to recuperate from the conference. We had a late lunch, and I got the mahi mahi wrap again. And it was just as good the second time.
If I ever stay at this hotel again, I'll definitely be eating here. It's good food, reasonably priced, and a great view.
Saturday afternoon I spent a little time at the pool, took a nap in my room, and when I woke up it was almost 8pm. The closest off-site restaurants were about a mile away. I didn't want to pay for a cab and didn't want to walk back in the dark, so I went downstairs to Tropics Pool Bar & Grill, out by the pool. I decided to take my order to go, since I had wine up in my room. As I was trying to decide what to get, I noticed the guys next to me had gotten the specialty surf & turf pizza. I asked how it was, and they both said "it's awesome" before I even finished the question. Sold.
The pizza was SO good! It was steak & lobster, and yummy deliciousness. I'd never had lobster on a pizza, but it was fantastic. I would never normally eat a whole pizza like this myself, but I came pretty close this time. I ate 2 pieces Sunday morning, and there was only one more piece left when I was finally done with it.
Sunday I was planning to walk to the restaurants for lunch, but I was way too comfortable at the pool, reading my book. And I knew they would bring my food to me so I wouldn't even have to lose my lounge chair. So I ordered a blackened mahi mahi wrap
So good! The blackening was very flavorful but not too spicy, it was a big piece of fish, and the avocado added an awesome flavor. The fries were hot, crisp and fresh. I got the tarter sauce on the side, because the waitress said they usually put a lot on it. I'm glad I did, because too much would have ruined the flavor of the wrap. And I liked that it was a wheat wrap too.
The last night of the conference we had just come back from a day trip to Tampa, and they provided beers on the bus for us. There was lots of extra beer, so some of the guys took it out to the pool bar. And eventually a game of flip cup erupted. I'm not sure the hotel staff was too fired up about the beer or the flip cup, but they tolerated us for a while. I took the opportunity to go on the lazy river. It was super relaxing, and doing it at night is a much smarter idea than during the day when there are 8 million kids out there.
Wednesday after the last session Krista, Blair, Jamie and I went out to the pool to relax and start to recuperate from the conference. We had a late lunch, and I got the mahi mahi wrap again. And it was just as good the second time.
If I ever stay at this hotel again, I'll definitely be eating here. It's good food, reasonably priced, and a great view.
#59 - Surf Shack - Tampa, FL
Bree and I have been friends since college. I honestly can't remember exactly how we met, but we worked together in the Maryland Football office for 6 years. It's way too long to go into lots of detail, but suffice it to say we did a lot together, and had tons of fun...Ocean City, Preakness, away football games, Final Four lacrosse, Bentley's, The Cellar, and lots more. After she left Maryland we fell out of touch for a while, and then it was pretty sporadic over the years, but we've always remained friends. And we always will. I was going to Orlando in June for my annual suite director's conference, and since it was only about 90 minutes from Tampa, went a little early to stay with Bree, who's been living down there for a couple of years. I'd never met her husband, or her twin 2-year old daughters, and figured this was the perfect opportunity.
We both forgot that she had to work on Friday, so I entertained myself by going to Honeymoon Island state park, about 30 minutes from Bree's house. It costs $4 per car to get in, but the beach is well worth it. And if you live in Florida you can buy an annual pass that gets you into any of the state parks. The beach was pretty quiet, very peaceful, and beautiful Gulf water. I spent most of the day Friday there, and then again Saturday morning before heading to Orlando.
Friday night we went to dinner at Surf Shack. I was all for it, seeing as they had lots of seafood. It's a neat place, located in a strip mall not far from Bree's house. There's a covered patio in the front, and you walk through a tiny portion of it to get inside. It was hot (big surprise in Florida in June) so we decided to sit inside. There's a bar and a few bar area tables to the right, and the main seating is to the left. There's a really cool design feature behind the bar that looks like it's a water wall, but I think it's just made to look that way. The restaurant was pretty crowded when we arrived, but luckily we were seated immediately.
I thought about having a drink, but the kids were with us, and nobody else ordered a cocktail, so I just stuck with my water. They bring you out chips and salsa, which were both very good. The salsa had a little kick, but not too bad. We also ordered wings. It comes in an order of 10, and you get your choice of 3 different sauces. I honestly can't remember what sauce we got, and of course I forgot to take a picture. But the wings were amazing. They were huge and meaty, and I was really impressed. Good thing there were 4 adults, because it kept me from eating a bunch of them.
For dinner, I couldn't choose between the fish tacos or the pacific pork tacos (orange-chili pork with pineapple salsa). Both sounded so good, but I wanted to stick with fresh fish as long as possible, so I went with the Longboard fish tacos
These were awesome. The cod was light, and the cole slaw was delicious. The sour cream was good, but they were a little heavy handed with it. I should have ordered it on the side. The first taco I ate with the tortilla, but by the second I knew it would be too much so I just ate the filling. It also comes with a side of the surf slaw, but it wasn't much. But that's okay, because I was full from the rest of the meal.
Will I go back? Next time I'm in Tampa, definitely.
We both forgot that she had to work on Friday, so I entertained myself by going to Honeymoon Island state park, about 30 minutes from Bree's house. It costs $4 per car to get in, but the beach is well worth it. And if you live in Florida you can buy an annual pass that gets you into any of the state parks. The beach was pretty quiet, very peaceful, and beautiful Gulf water. I spent most of the day Friday there, and then again Saturday morning before heading to Orlando.
I thought about having a drink, but the kids were with us, and nobody else ordered a cocktail, so I just stuck with my water. They bring you out chips and salsa, which were both very good. The salsa had a little kick, but not too bad. We also ordered wings. It comes in an order of 10, and you get your choice of 3 different sauces. I honestly can't remember what sauce we got, and of course I forgot to take a picture. But the wings were amazing. They were huge and meaty, and I was really impressed. Good thing there were 4 adults, because it kept me from eating a bunch of them.
For dinner, I couldn't choose between the fish tacos or the pacific pork tacos (orange-chili pork with pineapple salsa). Both sounded so good, but I wanted to stick with fresh fish as long as possible, so I went with the Longboard fish tacos
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| Beer battered cod, chipotle sour cream, surf slaw and pico de gallo in a pair of flour tortillas |
Will I go back? Next time I'm in Tampa, definitely.
Repeats with a Twist - Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Stillwater, OK
Back in the spring, Bob bought a mobile home to use on home game weekends, and whenever else he feels the urge to come to Stillwater for more than an afternoon. He got really lucky that he was able to get it from the daughter of a friend, it was a great price, and she kept it in really good condition.
A couple weeks ago I was helping him paint and do some other stuff to start getting it ready for football season. And, as I've pointed out before...when we get together we eat and drink...kind of like when Joni and I get together. And when all of us are together, watch out!
We were planning to paint all morning. But then I remembered that I wanted to look for a couch for my patio, so we decided to hit a couple of yard sales first, and then get started on the painting. First yard sale we found, we got this gem for $25
I gave her an extra $5 because she had her son and his friend deliver it to my house. First thing my mom said when I sent her a picture: "what about bed bugs?" So we sprayed the whole thing with bed bug spray--twice. Second thing from mom: "that's in horrible condition". Its gonna sit out on the patio, exposed to the elements all year long, and cost $25. So who cares?!
Anyways, after a couple hours of painting the shed, and all the couch drama with my mom, we were starving. House of Greek was closed (only open weekdays in June & July); and Coney Island was closed (pretty sure they only open in the evenings during the summer), so we went to Fuzzy's. I so love that there's a Fuzzy's on The Strip. And I think all the students do too. I'm pretty sure it put a couple other businesses on The Strip out of business in the past year. And from what I've been told, it's the #1 grossing Fuzzy's. Not bad for Stillwater, OK.
I told Bob the secret of getting fajita meat instead of the regular meat. Because the regular meat is already partially cooked and they just finish it when you order; the fajita meat they cook from raw. It takes longer, but it's so much more moist and flavorful.
We each ordered the fajita plate. I got beef and I think he got combo. They come with 2 sides, so I got borracho beans and cilantro lime rice. Bob got black beans and mix-Mex fried rice. And as if all that wasn't enough, we just had to order chips & guacamole to eat while we waited for lunch.
One would think that the smart move would be to share the fajitas and maybe get 4 sides to share. And one would be right. But we didn't even contemplate making that move, so of course we were both stuffed by the time we were done.
However, the fajitas were delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful. The borracho beans were delicious, even though I only could eat about half. I ate some of the rice. It was good, but I got too full, and it wasn't as good as the cilantro lime rice at Chipotle.
A couple weeks ago I was helping him paint and do some other stuff to start getting it ready for football season. And, as I've pointed out before...when we get together we eat and drink...kind of like when Joni and I get together. And when all of us are together, watch out!
We were planning to paint all morning. But then I remembered that I wanted to look for a couch for my patio, so we decided to hit a couple of yard sales first, and then get started on the painting. First yard sale we found, we got this gem for $25
I gave her an extra $5 because she had her son and his friend deliver it to my house. First thing my mom said when I sent her a picture: "what about bed bugs?" So we sprayed the whole thing with bed bug spray--twice. Second thing from mom: "that's in horrible condition". Its gonna sit out on the patio, exposed to the elements all year long, and cost $25. So who cares?!
Anyways, after a couple hours of painting the shed, and all the couch drama with my mom, we were starving. House of Greek was closed (only open weekdays in June & July); and Coney Island was closed (pretty sure they only open in the evenings during the summer), so we went to Fuzzy's. I so love that there's a Fuzzy's on The Strip. And I think all the students do too. I'm pretty sure it put a couple other businesses on The Strip out of business in the past year. And from what I've been told, it's the #1 grossing Fuzzy's. Not bad for Stillwater, OK.
I told Bob the secret of getting fajita meat instead of the regular meat. Because the regular meat is already partially cooked and they just finish it when you order; the fajita meat they cook from raw. It takes longer, but it's so much more moist and flavorful.
We each ordered the fajita plate. I got beef and I think he got combo. They come with 2 sides, so I got borracho beans and cilantro lime rice. Bob got black beans and mix-Mex fried rice. And as if all that wasn't enough, we just had to order chips & guacamole to eat while we waited for lunch.
One would think that the smart move would be to share the fajitas and maybe get 4 sides to share. And one would be right. But we didn't even contemplate making that move, so of course we were both stuffed by the time we were done.
However, the fajitas were delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful. The borracho beans were delicious, even though I only could eat about half. I ate some of the rice. It was good, but I got too full, and it wasn't as good as the cilantro lime rice at Chipotle.
Repeats with a Twist - Nhinja Sushi, Edmond, OK
On the way back from Altus we stopped in OKC to get some lunch. We were starving, and Mary had never been to Nhinja Sushi & Wok, so we decided to go there. I was originally thinking sushi, but I also really like their wok dishes and need to branch in that direction more in this restaurant. The sushi is great, but I think already I've tried most of the rolls that have caught my eye.
I've been into Nhinja Sushi numerous times, and I really like it there. The food is always fresh and delicious, they cook the wok dishes to order (like most places), and service is fast. The raw sushi ingredients are in the display case right in front of you as you stand in line to order. I don't do raw, but it does look pretty. The restaurant only has about 20 tables. Sometimes it's packed, and other times there's only a couple of tables full, but there's always a crowd.
Mary went with the Mongolian beef, and I went with the spicy kung pao beef, both with brown rice.
I tried a bite of Mary's and it was delicious. Mine was delicious as well, but I think the beef was a tad over-done. It was a little tough and there wasn't as much sauce to the overall dish as you would normally get. I could have sent it back, but I was hungry and we were both exhausted and ready to get home. And the dish still had tons of great flavor. It definitely had a kick, which I wanted, but it wasn't too powerful. The veggies were all cooked perfectly.
Am I going to let this one negative keep me from going back there? Certainly not. My parents really like it, so we'll definitely go when they come to visit in August.
I've been into Nhinja Sushi numerous times, and I really like it there. The food is always fresh and delicious, they cook the wok dishes to order (like most places), and service is fast. The raw sushi ingredients are in the display case right in front of you as you stand in line to order. I don't do raw, but it does look pretty. The restaurant only has about 20 tables. Sometimes it's packed, and other times there's only a couple of tables full, but there's always a crowd.
Mary went with the Mongolian beef, and I went with the spicy kung pao beef, both with brown rice.
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| Snap peas, chili peppers, carrots, signature kung pao, peanuts, scallions |
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| Yellow/green onions, snap peas, sweet garlic soy |
Am I going to let this one negative keep me from going back there? Certainly not. My parents really like it, so we'll definitely go when they come to visit in August.
#58 - Mike's Sports Grill, Lawton, OK
Every year when we go to Altus for the caravan it's about 100 degrees. And I swear the temperature rises as we drive there. No matter what, by the time we reach the Expo Center for the caravan, the heat just assaults us when we open the car door.
Altus is about a 3.5 hour drive from Stillwater, and once you get past OKC, there's nothing to eat until you get to Lawton. We normally eat in OKC, but we were heading down earlier to get set up because we were supposed to do a tour of the Altus AFB before the caravan. So we decided to stop in Lawton for lunch. We normally just drive through the outskirts of Lawton, so we were very surprised at how big and nice it actually is. But since Ft. Sill is there, I guess it's got to be big.
We checked out TripAdvisor, and decided to try Mike's Sports Grill, since it was ranked #7 and it looked like it had a good diverse selection of food. From the outside it really doesn't look like much. Not that it looked bad, but it was just kind of bland. But the parking lot was packed so that's a good sign. I definitely like the inside. There's seating to both the right and left of the greeter booth, a bar behind it, and an indoor/outdoor patio. There's tons of TV's throughout the restaurant. It would be a great place for a game watch location.
We were immediately seated, and started browsing through the menu. We knew we were going to have a huge dinner...the steaks in Altus and Enid are the best on our caravan tour. But we were also really hungry and knew we had a lot of time before dinner would be ready.
I started with a salad
Mary went with the smothered bronzed chicken. I had a much harder time deciding, and in the spirit of food blog research finally decided on the Kansas City pork wild wings...I liked the name and it was something fun and new.
I tried a bite of Mary's chicken and it was delicious. The cheese helped the chicken stay very moist. And she remembered to ask for no mushrooms. Mine was fantastic! I had never heard of pork wings before. I was shocked at how much food I got, because each wing was huge and there were 4 of them. The sauce was really good. Tangy, but not too thick, and not spicy. I prefer breaded onion rings over battered, but they were hot and crisp and delicious so I ate them. The fries were really good too, but I only ate about half of them...cardinal sin for me, but I was trying to save room for the wings.
Will I go back? Yes! I like getting to Altus early to set up, and then having time to go to the hotel and change before the caravan. So the early departure time works a lot better, and Lawton will now be our lunch stop.
Altus is about a 3.5 hour drive from Stillwater, and once you get past OKC, there's nothing to eat until you get to Lawton. We normally eat in OKC, but we were heading down earlier to get set up because we were supposed to do a tour of the Altus AFB before the caravan. So we decided to stop in Lawton for lunch. We normally just drive through the outskirts of Lawton, so we were very surprised at how big and nice it actually is. But since Ft. Sill is there, I guess it's got to be big.
We checked out TripAdvisor, and decided to try Mike's Sports Grill, since it was ranked #7 and it looked like it had a good diverse selection of food. From the outside it really doesn't look like much. Not that it looked bad, but it was just kind of bland. But the parking lot was packed so that's a good sign. I definitely like the inside. There's seating to both the right and left of the greeter booth, a bar behind it, and an indoor/outdoor patio. There's tons of TV's throughout the restaurant. It would be a great place for a game watch location.
We were immediately seated, and started browsing through the menu. We knew we were going to have a huge dinner...the steaks in Altus and Enid are the best on our caravan tour. But we were also really hungry and knew we had a lot of time before dinner would be ready.
I started with a salad
Mary went with the smothered bronzed chicken. I had a much harder time deciding, and in the spirit of food blog research finally decided on the Kansas City pork wild wings...I liked the name and it was something fun and new.
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| A lightly blackened chicken breast smothered with grilled onion, bell pepper & sauteed mushrooms then topped with melted Swiss cheese |
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| Where do pigs fly? Once you have tried this wing-style pork you may never go back to the chicken. Heck, you may never go back to ribs either! Served with a side of chipotle BBQ sauce |
Will I go back? Yes! I like getting to Altus early to set up, and then having time to go to the hotel and change before the caravan. So the early departure time works a lot better, and Lawton will now be our lunch stop.
#57 - Wing Stop, Tulsa, OK
In what's becoming a clear pattern, we always stop for lunch on our way to caravans. Our options in Stillwater are just average, and this way we can check out new and fun places in other cities. Tulsa obviously has tons of restaurants, but since our Wing Stop option turned out not to be one in Enid, we decided to go there on our way to Bartlesville.
I realize that Wing Stop totally goes against my original plan of not doing chain restaurants with more than 6 locations (there's 144 locations in California alone), but sometimes plans change.
The one we went to is in a strip mall right near the Fairgrounds. Mary assured me it was really good. And I love wings. So that was a pretty easy decision. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. They do make the wings to order, so it takes a little time to get your food. But I'd rather have that, and know they are hot and fresh, than wings that have just been sitting there forever. They also have the Coke machine that lets you make your own flavors. It's a cool thing, but personally I really only drink Diet Coke/Pepsi or Sprite Zero, so my options are pretty boring.
I'm a bone-in wings girl, so the only decision I had to make was the seasoning. They've got 10 different seasonings to choose from, and when I asked the guy at the counter he said lemon pepper before I even finished my sentence. Mary had said that was her favorite too. I went ahead and got the combo meal with fries and a drink. Mary got the same thing, same seasonings.
The fries were fresh, hot and crisp. The wings were fantastic! I love the lemon pepper. It's not overly lemony, and the pepper is not spicy at all. And the wings are nice and meaty. It reminds me a lot of the lemon pepper wings at Frankie's Sports Bar in Dallas, but Wing Stop's aren't as greasy.
Will I go back? Definitely! It's a quick easy lunch, and very reasonably priced.
On a side note, as we got near Bartlesville I looked over to a field on the right and saw a donkey! You heard right...a donkey. Now maybe I saw one at the zoo when I was like 5, but other than that I'd never seen one live and in person before. Neither had Mary. So of course, we had to turn around and take a picture. And obviously he knew we were papparazi, and he posed for us.
Apparently some people who have horses also have donkeys because they keep coyotes away. We didn't believe the first couple people who told us...but then our Equestrian coach, Larry Sanchez, confirmed it. And clearly he knows his stuff. Neither of us had ever heard of that. Then again, we both grew up in the city so this was a whole new adventure for us. And apparently this donkey has been in Bartlesville for years. But since we only go there once a year, for one day, we would never have known that.
I realize that Wing Stop totally goes against my original plan of not doing chain restaurants with more than 6 locations (there's 144 locations in California alone), but sometimes plans change.
The one we went to is in a strip mall right near the Fairgrounds. Mary assured me it was really good. And I love wings. So that was a pretty easy decision. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. They do make the wings to order, so it takes a little time to get your food. But I'd rather have that, and know they are hot and fresh, than wings that have just been sitting there forever. They also have the Coke machine that lets you make your own flavors. It's a cool thing, but personally I really only drink Diet Coke/Pepsi or Sprite Zero, so my options are pretty boring.
I'm a bone-in wings girl, so the only decision I had to make was the seasoning. They've got 10 different seasonings to choose from, and when I asked the guy at the counter he said lemon pepper before I even finished my sentence. Mary had said that was her favorite too. I went ahead and got the combo meal with fries and a drink. Mary got the same thing, same seasonings.
The fries were fresh, hot and crisp. The wings were fantastic! I love the lemon pepper. It's not overly lemony, and the pepper is not spicy at all. And the wings are nice and meaty. It reminds me a lot of the lemon pepper wings at Frankie's Sports Bar in Dallas, but Wing Stop's aren't as greasy.
Will I go back? Definitely! It's a quick easy lunch, and very reasonably priced.
On a side note, as we got near Bartlesville I looked over to a field on the right and saw a donkey! You heard right...a donkey. Now maybe I saw one at the zoo when I was like 5, but other than that I'd never seen one live and in person before. Neither had Mary. So of course, we had to turn around and take a picture. And obviously he knew we were papparazi, and he posed for us.
Apparently some people who have horses also have donkeys because they keep coyotes away. We didn't believe the first couple people who told us...but then our Equestrian coach, Larry Sanchez, confirmed it. And clearly he knows his stuff. Neither of us had ever heard of that. Then again, we both grew up in the city so this was a whole new adventure for us. And apparently this donkey has been in Bartlesville for years. But since we only go there once a year, for one day, we would never have known that.
#56 - Napoli's Italian Restaurant - Enid, OK
I came back from my vacation in Playa Sunday evening, and only had a day to recuperate before it was time to hit the road again...this time to Woodward, OK for a caravan. Mary and I had decided after the lunch debacle before the caravan in Enid that we would definitely go to Napoli's Restaurant on this trip, since we drive through Enid anyway.
The previous restaurant in that space was Pastimes Café, and that was where we had always gone to eat lunch in Enid. It was American food that was really yummy. The building speaks for itself, as it's an old building that I'm sure has some sort of historic value. So Napoli's didn't have to do much but change a couple of pictures. It's right in the middle of downtown, across from the Convention Center. There's tons of construction going on down there right now, since they're building a new Convention Center.
As we walked in we were greeted by a very handsome young man, who turned out to also be our waiter, so of course that got the meal started off right! I'm probably old enough to be his mother, but he was still pretty to look at...
The menu thankfully wasn't too overwhelming. After all the food I ate in Playa I shouldn't be hungry for about a week, but sadly that's not how things work.
The lunch specials include salads, so Mary got her standard Caesar, and I got the tossed salad. Mary went with the chicken Siciliano, and I went with the baked ziti because I heard our waiter tell the lady at the table next to us it was his favorite dish. Not because I'm a stalker or anything, but because I love baked ziti and if the staff say it's really good, then I'm sold.
I didn't try any of Mary's, but she said it was really good. She doesn't like mushrooms, and forgot to tell them to keep them off, but that was her only negative.
Mine was so good! It was screaming hot and bubbling, so clearly it had just come out of the oven. The sauce was definitely rich, but that didn't stop me from cleaning my plate. And it was topped with mozzarella cheese, but it wasn't a crazy amount which was good. Because the rest of the dish was rich enough without it.
Will I go back? Napoli's is now our official lunch stop for the caravan in Enid.
The previous restaurant in that space was Pastimes Café, and that was where we had always gone to eat lunch in Enid. It was American food that was really yummy. The building speaks for itself, as it's an old building that I'm sure has some sort of historic value. So Napoli's didn't have to do much but change a couple of pictures. It's right in the middle of downtown, across from the Convention Center. There's tons of construction going on down there right now, since they're building a new Convention Center.
As we walked in we were greeted by a very handsome young man, who turned out to also be our waiter, so of course that got the meal started off right! I'm probably old enough to be his mother, but he was still pretty to look at...
The menu thankfully wasn't too overwhelming. After all the food I ate in Playa I shouldn't be hungry for about a week, but sadly that's not how things work.
The lunch specials include salads, so Mary got her standard Caesar, and I got the tossed salad. Mary went with the chicken Siciliano, and I went with the baked ziti because I heard our waiter tell the lady at the table next to us it was his favorite dish. Not because I'm a stalker or anything, but because I love baked ziti and if the staff say it's really good, then I'm sold.
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| Sautéed with capers, mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a lemon butter white wine sauce over spaghetti |
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| Penne pasta, in a rich pink tomato Alfredo sauce topped with mozzarella cheese |
Mine was so good! It was screaming hot and bubbling, so clearly it had just come out of the oven. The sauce was definitely rich, but that didn't stop me from cleaning my plate. And it was topped with mozzarella cheese, but it wasn't a crazy amount which was good. Because the rest of the dish was rich enough without it.
Will I go back? Napoli's is now our official lunch stop for the caravan in Enid.
Playa Del Carmen Vacation!
My friends Jack and Betty go to Playa del Carmen once a
year, sometimes twice. I always loved
seeing their pictures on Facebook and hearing about the great food and how much
fun they have. Back in January they were
talking about their next trip in May, and I started thinking…I’ve never been to
Mexico (except for a one-day trip during a spring break in South Padre back in
college), and the trip would be a perfect treat to myself for running my first half
marathon. So I jumped at the chance to
join their week-long adventure.
5th Avenue is the main shopping and dining hot-spot area in Playa. There are hundreds of little shops and tons of restaurants along the drive, and it’s about 3 miles long, and each side street along the way has a few more shops and restaurants. Most of it is touristy stuff, but we did find a few things we liked. I didn’t end up buying anything, mainly because I didn't have enough suitcase space to take anything back. Which is probably a good thing so I wouldn't have spent all my money.
* You really don't need to know much, if any, Spanish. Because it's a tourist town, the natives speak at least conversational English. It may be broken, but you can definitely carry on a conversation.
After lunch we went to the grocery store across the street to stock up. We had a full kitchen and a grill up on the patio, and momentarily thought about cooking dinner one night, but then realized that meant we would have to clean up after. So instead we stocked up on beer, tequila, and snacks.
We also got Mexican diet coke. I don't know what they put in it, but it tastes so much better than the American stuff. I rarely drink soda, but I was hooked on this stuff. We also bought Squirt, to make Palomas. Barb very smartly brought snacks with her, and those were a definite lifesaver.
Dinner the first night was a complimentary welcome buffet at
Indigo Beach Club. The food was pretty
good, but nothing really stood out. It
was kind of your basic restaurant buffet food.
The drinks were good, but those specialty fruity drinks are expensive
and don’t pack enough of a punch to be really worth it. But it was included, and we had a view of the ocean, so we really couldn't complain.
Monday night we went to Pizza Pazza. My friend Greg told me about it several times, so we went to check it out. There are a couple locations in Playa, and they sell pizza by the slice. It was pretty good for dinner Monday night, but amazing after our Playa Crawl on Thursday night!
The restaurant was right on the ocean, and although the weather was
icky, it was still an awesome view, and we even saw a fisherman out in the
water bringing in loads of fish in his net…without a boat.
We did start with chips, salsa and guacamole. But they all basically look the same, so there was really no need to take pics every time.
Barb had the fish tacos, Jack & Betty shared the fajitas, and I had the mango chicken empanadas.
I had one of Barb's fish tacos and they were fantastic. The fish was grilled, light, and super fresh (obviously). The fajita meat was so tender and perfectly cooked. The chicken was so moist. I was kind of wanting that, but I knew it would be too much for me to eat by myself. I'm so happy I went with the empanadas, because they were amazing. I'm pretty sure they cooked them fresh when I placed the order. The mango was in chunks and I was very pleased that they didn't cook down to mush. I could still see the chunks as I ate.
After lunch we took a short nap on the hammocks. If the weather had been better we would have spent a lot more time there, like Betty, Jack and Barb had done during their trip in October. By the time we got to the swimming with the turtles place we were all worn out, from the walking and the crappy weather. So we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
I can't remember exactly which roll I got, and the only menu I can find online is mostly Spanish. But it was really good!
I'm definitely planning to go back again next spring. Since I'm planning to do the half marathon every year, the Playa trip will be my annual treat to myself.
After months of counting down, the trip was finally upon
us. We had a 7am flight out of OKC on
Sunday morning, but it got us to Cancun about 11AM so we ended up having about
an extra half day in town. I love that they
have a Margaritaville right outside the airport terminal, to get your trip
started off right.
Playa del Carmen is an amazing Mexican city along the Caribbean Ocean, about a 40 minute drive from Cancun. The weather is usually awesome, the water is clear, blue and warm, the people are friendly, and the food is fantastic.5th Avenue is the main shopping and dining hot-spot area in Playa. There are hundreds of little shops and tons of restaurants along the drive, and it’s about 3 miles long, and each side street along the way has a few more shops and restaurants. Most of it is touristy stuff, but we did find a few things we liked. I didn’t end up buying anything, mainly because I didn't have enough suitcase space to take anything back. Which is probably a good thing so I wouldn't have spent all my money.
* You really don't need to know much, if any, Spanish. Because it's a tourist town, the natives speak at least conversational English. It may be broken, but you can definitely carry on a conversation.
* Don't drink the water. Well, this is something I think every American knows, and if you don't know it before you get to Mexico and you drink the tap water, you'll learn it pretty quickly, the hard way. They serve bottled or purified water in all of the restaurants, and our hotel had a water cooler in each condo.
* Just accept that you're going to have chips and salsa at pretty much every restaurant. And they're going to bring you mild and hot...and hopefully they warn you ahead of time what's really hot. Because if they don't, you're going to get a rude awakening.
* The merchants on 5th Avenue will hound you every time you walk past them. But you just ignore them. Some are pushy, but most are very friendly. We got called the Spice Girls, some guy called me his "brown sugar friend", one guy was obsessed with Barb, and several of the guys told Jack he was a very lucky man with 3 women.
* I know that the exchange rate fluctuates daily, but we found different exchange rates at different booths around town. I thought that was kind of odd. Also, don't change all your money at once, because you never get back as much US.
Wi-Fi is decent when you can get it. It's pretty widely available, but password protected in every hotel and restaurant. Every time we got to a restaurant, the first thing we did was ask for the Wi-Fi password so we could hop on Facebook to check in.
* Just accept that you're going to have chips and salsa at pretty much every restaurant. And they're going to bring you mild and hot...and hopefully they warn you ahead of time what's really hot. Because if they don't, you're going to get a rude awakening.
* The merchants on 5th Avenue will hound you every time you walk past them. But you just ignore them. Some are pushy, but most are very friendly. We got called the Spice Girls, some guy called me his "brown sugar friend", one guy was obsessed with Barb, and several of the guys told Jack he was a very lucky man with 3 women.
* I know that the exchange rate fluctuates daily, but we found different exchange rates at different booths around town. I thought that was kind of odd. Also, don't change all your money at once, because you never get back as much US.
Wi-Fi is decent when you can get it. It's pretty widely available, but password protected in every hotel and restaurant. Every time we got to a restaurant, the first thing we did was ask for the Wi-Fi password so we could hop on Facebook to check in.
Sunday
We stayed at Porto Playa, an amazing condo hotel.
It sits about a block and a half from the beach, and is comprised of 1,
2, and 3-bedroom units. Ours was a
2-bedroom on the 3rd floor, and we even had a private rooftop space
above our unit, with a hot tub, grill, lounge chairs and a seating area. We also had a view of the pool below, as well
as the ocean. I need to convince my parents that they should buy a vacation condo there. Not sure how well that's going to go
We arrived a little too early for our room to be ready, so we checked out the beach, had a drink at The End Zone, a sports bar on 5th Avenue and walked around for a little while. For a late Sunday lunch we went to El Fogon for street tacos. It's one of the top rated restaurants in Playa, and I can understand why. I got the el pastor tacos (BBQ pork) and it was amazing. The "mild" salsa had chunks of jalapeno, and I swear my first bite was half jalapeno. I was not pleasantly surprised. We also got a side of sautéed cactus (nopales guisados). I'm usually not that adventurous, but Jack assured me they were good so I took the plunge. They really weren't bad! They were very mild and had a soothing flavor so it was good way to tone down the heat of the dishes.
After lunch we went to the grocery store across the street to stock up. We had a full kitchen and a grill up on the patio, and momentarily thought about cooking dinner one night, but then realized that meant we would have to clean up after. So instead we stocked up on beer, tequila, and snacks.
We also got Mexican diet coke. I don't know what they put in it, but it tastes so much better than the American stuff. I rarely drink soda, but I was hooked on this stuff. We also bought Squirt, to make Palomas. Barb very smartly brought snacks with her, and those were a definite lifesaver.
Included with our hotel was breakfast each morning. We had our choice of Indigo Beach Club or
Imprevist. Most of the days we went to Indigo
because it was right on the beach. The
breakfast was great. There was unlimited
fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple & papaya), 3 flavors of
yogurt, assorted toppings (seeds, nuts, dried fruit), and a few different types
of bread. You also got to select one
item from the menu, and also got coffee or juice. The whole grain bread was definitely my
favorite. It was thick sliced and
homemade. I tried one of the crossaints the first morning, and it was okay, but the bread was so much better. I ate tons of all the fruit
except the papaya (not a fan). I
also had vanilla yogurt topped with granola and sesame seeds, and at least 2 slices of the bread. I don’t like orange juice with pulp, and
that’s all they had, so I stuck with coffee and water. When I was a kid, my mom had to strain the
pulp out so I would drink the juice. I
tried a different entrée item each morning, and I think my favorite was the Monte Cristo
Monday
Monday morning I went running up and down 5th
Avenue. I got out there about 7:45, so
it was pretty quiet as the vendors were just starting to open up their
shops. It was super humid so that wasn’t
too fun, but it felt great to get out and do it.
For lunch on Monday we went to Yo Amo Tacos. We ordered the obligatory chips & salsa, as well as a side of guacamole.
I loved that the salsas came in the tower. And the bottom picture is the habanero salsa. Thankfully our waitress pointed that out, otherwise I was going to take a big bite. It was delicious, but lethal at the same time. For my meal I got the el pastor tacos again. Barb ordered the fish tacos, so we shared.
The el pastor was really good, but the fish tacos were amazing It was made with sea bass, lightly breaded, and perfectly fried.
After lunch we went to Luna Blue hotel to see Jorge, Betty & Jack's favorite bartender in Playa. He quickly became mine too. Luna Blue has a small bar on the street, with swings for seats around the bar. Jorge is awesome! I highly recommend going to see him next time you're in Playa.I loved that the salsas came in the tower. And the bottom picture is the habanero salsa. Thankfully our waitress pointed that out, otherwise I was going to take a big bite. It was delicious, but lethal at the same time. For my meal I got the el pastor tacos again. Barb ordered the fish tacos, so we shared.
The el pastor was really good, but the fish tacos were amazing It was made with sea bass, lightly breaded, and perfectly fried.
Monday night we went to Pizza Pazza. My friend Greg told me about it several times, so we went to check it out. There are a couple locations in Playa, and they sell pizza by the slice. It was pretty good for dinner Monday night, but amazing after our Playa Crawl on Thursday night!
Tuesday
On Tuesday we took the bus to Tulum and Akumal. The plan was to spend a couple hours in Tulum,
and then swim with the turtles in Akumal.
It was pouring rain the whole 40-minute ride to Tulum, and was raining
off and on while we were there. We
walked about a mile looking for a beach club that Betty had heard about, but we
never found it. We did, however find
some extremely peaceful beaches and stopped and had a beer and took a bunch of pictures. We also saw a couple that
had just gotten married jumping into the ocean in their full wedding
outfits. By the time we got back to
where the taxis and buses were we were exhausted from the walking, but forged
on to Akumal. Once there we walked about
another mile to La Buena Vida for lunch. Barb had the fish tacos, Jack & Betty shared the fajitas, and I had the mango chicken empanadas.
I had one of Barb's fish tacos and they were fantastic. The fish was grilled, light, and super fresh (obviously). The fajita meat was so tender and perfectly cooked. The chicken was so moist. I was kind of wanting that, but I knew it would be too much for me to eat by myself. I'm so happy I went with the empanadas, because they were amazing. I'm pretty sure they cooked them fresh when I placed the order. The mango was in chunks and I was very pleased that they didn't cook down to mush. I could still see the chunks as I ate.
After lunch we took a short nap on the hammocks. If the weather had been better we would have spent a lot more time there, like Betty, Jack and Barb had done during their trip in October. By the time we got to the swimming with the turtles place we were all worn out, from the walking and the crappy weather. So we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
After we got back, relaxed, and regrouped, we went back to Luna Blue
to see Jorge. The drinks are strong, tequila shots just
sort of arrive in front of you without warning, and I love the swing seats at
the bar. It wasn’t very crowded, but I
like that better because it’s really not very big.
We met 2 couples from Maryland who were sitting on the other side of the
bar, and had a great time with them.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning I got a little later start, and I did a
power walk in a different direction, through a very nice neighborhood where
there are a ton of beautiful vacation homes.
For breakfast we decided to go to Imprevist, which was also
included in the free breakfast, but wasn’t on the beach. It’s basically about halfway between our
hotel and the beach. It’s a tiny little
place, with 4 tables on the patio and about 10 tables inside. This breakfast wasn’t a buffet, but we still
got a basket of assorted breads for the table, a small plate of fruit each, and
yogurt/granola/honey for the table. I went with the breakfast burrito as my entrée.
My burrito was fantastic. It was full of beans, egg and avocado. It sounds like kind of a weird combination, but it worked really well. And the salsa added just the right kick to pull it all together.
For lunch we walked to the far end of 5th Avenue
to La Cueva del Chango. You feel like you're walking into a rain forest. The main part of
the seating is inside, but they’ve also got a tree-covered patio out back. Even though it was super humid we sat out
there, because there were big fans to keep us cool. My burrito was fantastic. It was full of beans, egg and avocado. It sounds like kind of a weird combination, but it worked really well. And the salsa added just the right kick to pull it all together.
Our guacamole looked so pretty I had to take a picture
None of us were super hungry so I ordered the chef salad, Betty and Barb split the turkey sandwich with bean soup, and Jack had the chicken skewer salad.
Everything was really delicious! I tried a bite of the other dishes and was very impressed. My dressing was definitely really heavy on the coriander...maybe a little too heavy. But it was still really good. This was the first place where we really had a language barrier with our server. He spoke very little English, and we had to do a lot of pointing. And he didn't understand when Betty asked for her coke with her meal. But other than that, it was great.
None of us were super hungry so I ordered the chef salad, Betty and Barb split the turkey sandwich with bean soup, and Jack had the chicken skewer salad.
Everything was really delicious! I tried a bite of the other dishes and was very impressed. My dressing was definitely really heavy on the coriander...maybe a little too heavy. But it was still really good. This was the first place where we really had a language barrier with our server. He spoke very little English, and we had to do a lot of pointing. And he didn't understand when Betty asked for her coke with her meal. But other than that, it was great.
For dinner we decided to go American, and went to Wah Wah Beach Bar. It's a large place on the beach, with an awesome view on the patio of the ocean. And the whole floor inside is sand. They also have a huge stage, and that night there was a local band playing that was comprised of music teachers from the local school. It was their first performance as a band, and they were really good. A bunch of their friends and family came out to hear them, and it was awesome to see them celebrate their first show afterwards, and how relieved they all looked that it was such a success! I can imagine that's pretty nerve wracking.
I honestly forgot to take pictures of our food, because we were too busy listening to the band and being nosy watching them talk with friends and family. But we all got burgers and fries, and they were all delicious.
Thursday
Thursday morning I decided to go running on the beach. It was so peaceful with the wind and the
waves, but running in the sand is super hard work! I ended up alternating between running and
power walk. . Regardless of what you do, your legs are gonna hurt when you’re
done. At one point I saw 3 military guys
in full gear with machine guns on the beach. Not sure if they were watching for
drug smugglers coming across the water or what.
For lunch we went back to Yo Amo Tacos...because it was so good the first time around! I got the fish tacos this time, and they were just as good as the previous day. We only got chips & salsa, but not guacamole.
For dinner we went to Oh Lala, the top rated restaurant in Play according to TripAdvisor. It’s a very tiny restaurant with only 7 tables, and so you definitely need a reservation. The menu is short and sweet, which makes me very happy. Because I don't do well with tons of options. All the tables are outside, so if it's raining that's a big negative, but they do have a retractable awning to protect the patrons. The waitress is the chef/owner's wife, which is pretty cool. I had the Thai curry with fish
This was the best dish I had all week. I can't remember the specific type of fish, but it was a whitefish of some sort. Some fish will break down being cooked in broth, but this one definitely didn't. Although the broth was creamy it was still very light, and the curry lent a great subtle flavor without being overpowering. It came with a pretty large side of rice, but I combined it all in the bowl of fish and the broth soaked into the rice and was absolutely wonderful. Jack had the butter soy tuna steak. I'm not a big fan of seared tuna, but his was fantastic.
For lunch we went back to Yo Amo Tacos...because it was so good the first time around! I got the fish tacos this time, and they were just as good as the previous day. We only got chips & salsa, but not guacamole.
For dinner we went to Oh Lala, the top rated restaurant in Play according to TripAdvisor. It’s a very tiny restaurant with only 7 tables, and so you definitely need a reservation. The menu is short and sweet, which makes me very happy. Because I don't do well with tons of options. All the tables are outside, so if it's raining that's a big negative, but they do have a retractable awning to protect the patrons. The waitress is the chef/owner's wife, which is pretty cool. I had the Thai curry with fish
This was the best dish I had all week. I can't remember the specific type of fish, but it was a whitefish of some sort. Some fish will break down being cooked in broth, but this one definitely didn't. Although the broth was creamy it was still very light, and the curry lent a great subtle flavor without being overpowering. It came with a pretty large side of rice, but I combined it all in the bowl of fish and the broth soaked into the rice and was absolutely wonderful. Jack had the butter soy tuna steak. I'm not a big fan of seared tuna, but his was fantastic.
After dinner we met Jack and Betty’s friend Sina for Playa
Crawl. For $70 US, we had unlimited
drinks at 3 clubs. That might sound like a lot, but it was well worth it because they charge cover in the bars too, and that was covered by our $70. There was another
group of 3 friends with us, but they only made it to the 2nd bar
before they called it a night. We were
very impressed with ourselves, because they were only in their 20’s, and we stayed out and partied the whole night. The first bar was
a hookah lounge. I’d never done hookah
before so I tried it, but I couldn’t inhale at all…pitiful. It tasted really good too, so I was a little
disappointed. At the second bar we saw a bachelor party of guys we had seen on the beach earlier that day. To say the groom was wasted would be an understatement. I was impressed that he was still going strong though, dancing the night away. Actually we all did that...not sure if Jack did too much, but we made up for him. Barb and Betty were up dancing 5 minutes into the first bar, after a couple of shots and drinks. I took a little longer to get going, but by the second bar I was dancing with the rest of them. We really had a lot of fun, and thankfully there was a Pizza Pazza right up the hill from the clubs.
Friday
After all the funtivities Thursday night, none of us worked
out Friday morning. So we just went to
breakfast and then to the beach. Barb
didn’t want lunch, so Jack Betty and I went to Babe's Noodle House. It's a very interesting place, located on one of the side streets off 5th Avenue. It's an Asian style restaurants, and all the décor is pin-up girls from the 50's and Barbie dolls. Very odd. This weird guy came in and talked to us for a little while after we ordered, and tried to just plop down and join us. He acted like he'd never been to Babe's before, but then he said he's lived in Playa for years...I find that combination hard to believe. I had the Babe's pad Thai, and Jack & Betty shared the Thai chicken
They offer both half and full servings, and we both got the full. Did I need to get the full? Probably not, but I figured they would try a little, and what the waiter showed as the half portion didn't look like it would be enough for me. Both dishes were awesome. Jack & Betty said theirs was better after they added a little of the sauce from the table. Mine was delicious on its own, and I had tons of protein in mine, which was really nice.
Friday night Jack and Betty’s friend Johnny came to see
us. He brought his wife and absolutely adorable baby girl,
and we went to Sushi Club. Johnny's wife speaks/understands very little English, so she asked for a Spanish menu, and they had a separate one. That's the first I had seen of that all week, but I'm guessing a lot of other places have that as well. She ordered salmon ceviche and the Ensalada SC as appetizers to share. They offer both half and full servings, and we both got the full. Did I need to get the full? Probably not, but I figured they would try a little, and what the waiter showed as the half portion didn't look like it would be enough for me. Both dishes were awesome. Jack & Betty said theirs was better after they added a little of the sauce from the table. Mine was delicious on its own, and I had tons of protein in mine, which was really nice.
The salmon was absolutely amazing. Since there were 6 of us I had to hold back from wolfing down the entire thing. It was so fresh, the citrus it cooked in was just the right tartness to not overpower the fish. I mean seriously, it was awesome. I didn't eat any of the salad, but I'm glad I took the picture because the bread sticks on the right of the pic are what came with the ceviche. It was almost like a flatbread, crisp and delicious. It paired super well with the salmon.
I can't remember exactly which roll I got, and the only menu I can find online is mostly Spanish. But it was really good!
Saturday
Saturday morning was back to power walking the beach,
breakfast, and then the beach. For lunch
we went to Los Aguachiles. This was the only other place where we really hit a language barrier. We had so much trouble communicating with our server on a couple of questions that he went and got his manager to help us out. I do appreciate that, but I also think in a tourist town where so many people speak English that the servers should have to have a better understanding of the language.
Betty doesn’t eat seafood of any kind, and almost everything on the menu was fish. But there was a ribeye steak and fries so she got that. However, 2 bites in and she said she didn’t really like it. Even though we had all eaten, Jack, Barb and I devoured the steak for her. We all thought it was delicious. I ordered 3 tacos: shrimp on the grill, shrimp with cream sauce & tempura shrimp. However, I only got 2 of them. But I decided not to make a big deal because it probably would have taken more effort than it was worth to correct things. We also got coconut shrimp, and it was fantastic
It hardly rains in Mexico outside of the rainy season and
when it does, it’s usually about 30 minutes and then it blows over. Clearly Tuesday we had rain most of the day,
which again is very rare. Saturday
around lunchtime it started raining, and never stopped. It would slow down for a little bit, but then
pick right back up again.
Betty doesn’t eat seafood of any kind, and almost everything on the menu was fish. But there was a ribeye steak and fries so she got that. However, 2 bites in and she said she didn’t really like it. Even though we had all eaten, Jack, Barb and I devoured the steak for her. We all thought it was delicious. I ordered 3 tacos: shrimp on the grill, shrimp with cream sauce & tempura shrimp. However, I only got 2 of them. But I decided not to make a big deal because it probably would have taken more effort than it was worth to correct things. We also got coconut shrimp, and it was fantastic
We planned to go to dinner at this other place, another very small
restaurant that Jack said had awesome food.
Before we left the rain had slowed down significantly and we thought we
would be good. But about a block from the hotel the rain started coming down
again super hard. And by the time we
reached the restaurant, we found out it was closed.
We were shocked considering it was Saturday night, but the owner said
that Saturday is usually very slow for them.
A friend of the owner very generously offered to drive us to Sushi Club. It’s a good thing too, because by now several
of the roads were starting to flood.
At Sushi Club of course we had to get the salmon ceviche again. And it was still amazing. I also ordered gyoza. I was kind of disappointed though, because they were just very average. I've had much better in other places. I can't remember which kind of sushi I had, but it was pretty good. Not as good as the night before, but oh well.
Since the sushi place is right near Jorge’s bar, we stopped by to see him. That, and it was our last night in Playa. One of Jorge’s friends very generously offered to drive us back to the hotel. It continued pouring rain all night. I woke up at one point and thought I heard water dripping inside. I moved my suitcase away from the window, which is a good thing because water leaked through the window and when I finally woke up in the morning there was a puddle where my suitcase had been.
At Sushi Club of course we had to get the salmon ceviche again. And it was still amazing. I also ordered gyoza. I was kind of disappointed though, because they were just very average. I've had much better in other places. I can't remember which kind of sushi I had, but it was pretty good. Not as good as the night before, but oh well.
Since the sushi place is right near Jorge’s bar, we stopped by to see him. That, and it was our last night in Playa. One of Jorge’s friends very generously offered to drive us back to the hotel. It continued pouring rain all night. I woke up at one point and thought I heard water dripping inside. I moved my suitcase away from the window, which is a good thing because water leaked through the window and when I finally woke up in the morning there was a puddle where my suitcase had been.
Sunday
One last power walk on the beach, one last breakfast on the
beach at Indigo Beach Club. We took a
few final pictures, and then had to catch our shuttle back to the airport. Of course the shuttle gets you there almost 2
hours before your flight, so we did a little shopping before our flight back to
the US and back to reality. We had lunch
at Johnny Rockets in the airport, which is nothing exciting, but I had to laugh
at the ketchup that I got… Honestly they
give you way too much and I ended up throwing a bunch away, but the thought was
there.
We had an awesome week and a fantastic trip! Jack and Betty said that on their October trip they were super busy every day going places and doing stuff. Quite honestly, I was very content to do the more relaxing thing. Barb couldn’t sit still on the beach for very long and always wanted to go walk somewhere. Me, I was perfectly happy to lay on the beach--or at this awesome pool chair at the hotel--and read.
We had an awesome week and a fantastic trip! Jack and Betty said that on their October trip they were super busy every day going places and doing stuff. Quite honestly, I was very content to do the more relaxing thing. Barb couldn’t sit still on the beach for very long and always wanted to go walk somewhere. Me, I was perfectly happy to lay on the beach--or at this awesome pool chair at the hotel--and read.
I'm definitely planning to go back again next spring. Since I'm planning to do the half marathon every year, the Playa trip will be my annual treat to myself.
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