Journey Through San Antonio

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to San Antonio. We had a small family gathering to meet the newest member of our growing family. Just making our way there was a journey and once we got to San Antonio, it was an adventure all to itself!



Dinosaur Park - Cedar Creek, TX

Dinosaur Park

One of the first stops we made on the way was to help break up the trip for the kids and let them run it out a little bit! We found the Dinosaur Park! The kids were able to run around on the trails and dig for fossils at the very end! The boys got to see lots of different dinosaurs and hunt for treasures along the way! Be sure to check out the Jurassic Park jeeps at the end!




Benny's Texas Barbecue - Cedar Creek, TX

Banana Pudding

Across Highway 71 from the Dinosaur Park, is Benny's Texas Barbecue. The barbecue here was amazing! So amazing in fact, that I ate it all and didn't take a picture! I got a picture of the banana pudding though! I got my usual barbecue plate of brisket and sausage, while my wife got the Frito Pie. The chili here was unique. Instead of ground beef, they used pulled brisket and sliced sausage, with some beans and the usual veggies. I have never had a chili like this before, and am now on a quest to recreate it!

Nachos!

Mama Margie's - San Antonio, TX

Our first stop in San Antonio was Mama Margie's. It's not the typical hole in the wall type Mexican restaurant I think of when I think of San Antonio, but it was good. We went through the drive thru and went back and ate with our family. The Nachos were top notch, with the perfect amount of melted cheese!

HEB Kid's Market at the Doseum

The Doseum - San Antonio, TX

The Doseum was a lot of fun. I was not fully prepared to let my inner child come out to play, but the boys made up for it. The Doseum is a fully interactive children's museum with a grocery store, cars, planes, construction equipment, lights, lasers, sounds, crafts, and even swimming! They also have some good food options, including coffee that I took full advantage of!

The Luxury Food Truck Park - San Antonio, TX

Cheeseburger at The Luxury

What's the first thing you need to do after spending the morning playing with the kids at the museum? Go get a burger! The Luxury Food Truck Park is located right next to the river. It's like a food truck park in someone's backyard with cozy benches and chairs under the trees. My cheeseburger was so cheesy, my face was covered in melted cheese, but it was worth it!

Mi Tierra - San Antonio, TX

Carne Guisada

Later that night, we headed out for dinner at Mi Tierra. We never made it. It wasn't until we got downtown that we realized there was a full on St. Patrick's Day celebration going on. It's hard to party in style when you're rolling three strollers deep.

Mamacita's - San Antonio, TX

The dinner compromise was Mamacita's. The boys survived the wait pretending to play racing games in the arcade area! I opted to mix it up a little and get something different than my usual fajitas or tacos. I went for the Carne Guisada, and was definitely not disappointed!

Magnolia Pancake Haus - San Antonio, TX

Southern Benny

I feel like there is rule in Texas that requires TX based restaurants wanting to use the house in their name, they have to spell it "haus." If there's not, there should be. Everyone call your congressman. We stopped here on Sunday morning for last sit down with the family before we all went our separate ways. There's something special about Sunday brunch, and Magnolia Pancake Haus certainly helped deliver. They tap in to the German influence of the TX Hill Country, while staying true to the TX roots. For instance, I got the Southern Benny, and Eggs Benedict made with pulled brisket instead of ham. It doesn't get much more TX than that!

Robert et Louise

Paris! Easily one of my favorite cities!

About 5 years ago, my wife and I took a trip for our

The Eiffel Tower

anniversary. It was her first trip, my second. She spent weeks, if not months, ahead of the trip researching and finding everything she wanted to do, breaking it down by arrondissement. The trip was fine tuned, even with a few restaurant selections based off of the location of the museums we would be touring each day.

So one afternoon we traveled to the 11th Arrondissement, with the hopes of stopping by the National Picasso Museum. Which we did. But they were closed. For renovations.

What to do, what to do? There were no specific dinner guidelines on the plans for the evening. So we went exploring. I'm sure we found some shops to poke around in, but the standout discovery was a little restaurant we came across, called Robert et Louise. We had just seen Anthony Bourdain eat here on No Reservations and were both immediately drawn to it! We past our time waiting for them to open in a cafe down the street sipping espresso and watching the occasional parade to celebrate the French National Football Team's advancement in the UEFA Uero 2012.

Finally it was 7:00 and Robert et Louise was ready open the doors. Out of excitement, we may have been the first people in the doors, promptly as they opened. We were kindly greeted by the hostess.

Do you have a reservation?

No. We did not. What to do?

The Grill at Robert et Louise

The hostess graciously seated us in their downstairs room, where we ate a steak dinner, French style. On the way downstairs, we walked past their amazing open flame grill! This is truly a thing of beauty! Steaks searing on a flat top with firewood stacked around. How could you not enjoy a steak off of something like this?

We paired our steaks with some roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and some greens, munching on fresh baguettes while we waited. I don't honestly remember, but I am sure we allowed ourselves to be tempted by a creme brule or any other spectacular French dessert on the menu.

With our bellies full and our appetites satisfied, we stepped out in to the French night to continue enjoying the beautiful city. Someday, I hope we will return.