Quick Weekend Trip
Hello world. I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while to share my recipes, dining and travel experiences. So here goes. This was a fast 2 day 1 night trip to Austin and San Antonio from the Houston area. Some days you just want to get out and about, but you don’t have much time between work and kids, so a quick weekend trip is all you have time for. In my case we were able to get tickets to the Alton Brown Live show in Austin on a Friday night. As it happens, the show matched up with the Annual Dia De La Muerta event at the Freetail Brewery in San Antonio, so we combined those trips into one short weekend getaway. This trip was with my Husband, while our kids were going to spend the weekend at the Grand Parents.
Itinerary
Friday
- Hruska’s Store and Bakery, Ellinger TX
- Parkside, Austin TX
- Alton Brown Live, Austin City Limits, Austin TX
- The Roosevelt Room, Austin TX
Saturday
- Freetail Brewery Tap Room, San Antonio TX
- San Antonio Botanical Gardens, San Antonio TX
- Buc-ee’s, Luling TX
Hruska’s
We skipped lunch as we had early dining reservations, so we choose to get a snack at Hruska’s. If you are from Texas, anywhere between Austin, Houston, and San Antonio you have probably heard of Hruska’s (http://www.hruskas-bakery.com/). I have been hearing about their kolaches for years, and wasn’t sure if they could live up to the hype. They did. We purchased a chocolate cream cheese kolache and it was soft, fluffy, sweet and delicious. I also noted a large number of people ordering their burgers. Next time we take the kids though there we will be stopping again, to try the burgers and get some kolaches for breakfast the next morning. Do not make the mistake we did and only get one, you will regret it. The bakery also has a gas station, clean restrooms, and a convenience store, so your travel pit stop/food is taken care with one stop.
Lodging
We arrived at our hotel (Hyatt Place) in Downtown Austin. Since the venue for the Alton Brown show is downtown, we selected a hotel within walking distance, and then chose our before the show restaurant and after the show bar within walking distance. The hotel was clean and quiet, with valet parking and a free breakfast. The only issue I had with the hotel, was I found the water pressure a little lacking, but would definitely stay there again. The location is close about halfway between the river and 6th street, so close enough to walk to the bars and eateries on 6th street, but far enough to not be effected by the noisy night life.
Parkside
Our diner reservations were at Parkside (https://parkside-austin.com/). We got there just after they opened and found out that they have a Happy Hour. This meant that the appetizers, some of the entrees and some of the adult beverages were half off. Bonus! We ordered the Steak Tartare. The cut on the beef was small, but big enough to allow the texture of the beef to come through. The citrus notes from the tomatillo and lime helped lighten the dish, while the dusting of chili dust added an interesting heat to hit. The whole dish is served on a crispy corn tortilla, giving a satisfying crunch factor.
My Husband ordered the Oyster Platter (happy hour pricing) that had two types of east coast oysters and a Canadian type. He paired this with the garlic shallot fries. I had the Steak and Frites with a red wine jus. The steak quality was in line with the price, the seasoning fantastic and a perfect cook. The frites were the garlic shallot fries served with ketchup and what appeared to be a in-house made aioli. I felt that the aioli was not strong enough of a flavor to pair with the fries, but my Husband did not agree.
For desert, both my Husband and I were intrigued by the Parsnip Spice Cake. The description of the dessert does not do it justice. The spice cake was delicious, and while you do not get the flavor of the parsnips, they are present in the texture. The cake is “frosted” with cheesecake! served on a brown butter caramel. Candied rainbow carrot chips and sweet pickled carrots decorate the cake with candied walnuts and raisins strewn about the plate. The carrot spice sorbet is refreshing and helps cut the richness of the rest of the plate. This was delicious. I am definitely attempting to recreate this cake at a later date.
Alton Brown Live #beyondtheeats
This is Alton Brown’s 3rd live tour and the 3rd time we have seen him live. If you have not seen him live, I highly recommend it. At times I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breath. There were songs, hilarious stories, games, audience interaction and science. I do not want to say too much and risk spoilers. But definitely worth the price of admission. The shows ties into Alton’s Good Eats show, but you do not need to be an expert to enjoy the show.
The venue was the Austin City Limits and as you can see from the photo, not all seats are created equal. The speaker was blocking part of my view of the screen and that screen was used during the show as well. I would recommend if you are on the balcony, to sit closer to the middle. Next time we attend an event at this venue we will be going for either the ground or the mezzanine.
The Roosevelt Room
When it comes to bars, I am not interested in a place that is so packed you can’t breath and there is standing room only. The Roosevelt Room (https://www.therooseveltroomatx.com/) has reservations and plenty of seating. The extensive cocktail list is impressive. The cocktails are organized by era and there is a separate list of other specialty cocktails. They seem to excel at intricate over the top cocktails, so while there are booths, you get a show sitting at the bar and watching the bar tenders. I had a Daisy De Santiago, 1930’s cocktail made with Bacardi 8-yr Rum, Hamilton Pot Still Rum, Yellow Chartreuse, Demerara syrup, pineapple gomme syrup, lemon, lime, mint, berries in season and dusted with powered sugar. While I enjoyed the cocktail, I now know that I do not like chartreuse in my drinks. We also had the Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn as a late night munchie. Highly recommend the Roosevelt Room, but you will need reservations.
Freetail Brewery Tap Room
Freetail Brewery Tap Room (https://www.freetailbrewing.com/) has an annual Dia de la Muerta (Day of the Dead) event with special release brews. My Husband is a huge fan of craft beers and Dia de la Muerta, so it is a no-brainer to attend. This was our third event. Since the tap room does not serve food, there are food trucks for this event. There was a mariachi band and vendors. If you are a craft beer fan, I recommend you make your way here, but either bring a designated driver or prepare to ride share because some of these brews are strong (+9%).
San Antonio Botanical Gardens
My Husband had ordered a special release whiskey from Ranger Creek Brewery and Distillery, so we had a couple of hours before it was available for pickup. With our time, we stopped at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens (https://www.sabot.org/). Since we are members, the visits are free. The gardens are preparing for their first Lightscape (holiday lights) and everywhere we looked you could see the preparations. We already have our tickets for the event and I am going to try to get some photos at the same spots to be able to show the prep vs final product.
Yellow Rose of Texas 
Improvements are always happening 
Preparation for Lightscape 
Dia De La Muerta 
Buc-ee’s
No road trip in Texas is complete without a stop at Buc-ee’s for bathroom stop, snacks, or just random stuff. If you have never been to a Buc-ee’s, I do not think that I could describe it in a way that is believable. If you have been to a Buc-ee’s then no review is needed. I will say that the women’s bathrooms are huge and very clean. I have been in there all parts of the day and most times they are actively being cleaned. Anything you need for a road trip is available. Kolaches, homemade fudge, jerky, candied nuts, bbq, pudding, gas, etc. I could go on and on, but I will not. Also, most Buc-ee’s are not truck stops, so no 18-wheelers are allowed. I will tell you that the traffic in the parking lot and in the store can be a bit much so keep a tight grip on your kids.