Restaurant Wars DFW - The Quest for Tex-Mex

As you may have read in my last post, I have been looking for good, non-chain Tex-Mex in the DFW area. I had tried a number of places (see "The Search for Tex-Mex") and none of them were really exciting. I left off one, Primo, and it was again, okay. Not bad but nothing stellar. However, today, I found a wonderful place - Mariano's. I had passed by it, can see it from the highway, since I've been up here but it was in a slightly sketchy area. After the past failures, I decided sketchy or not, I've got to try it. The first clue this place had potential was the number of cars in the parking lot. At least double the cars any other place has had. I went in and sat in the bar area (easier when you're by yourself - at least they generally have a TV with sports on). On the way in, there is a big plaque sign noting that this was the home of the 1st frozen margarita. Ok...I'll play. I basically am not a tequila fan and therefore not a margarita fan but I figured "when in Rome". The "Wanda" margarita was the special of the day and it was half-price. I got one and it was really good. The kicker of knowing I was in a good Tex-Mex place was the salsa. They had 2 of them, one regular and one roasted. OMG!! They were both delicious but that roasted one was awesome! I had mixed fajitas for my meal and they were very good, very flavorful. Flavor is what I was missing from the other places and I'm so glad to have found it. Now, there was one drawback to this place - it is a bit pricey. Not horrible but not something to go to daily. I believe, now that I have found this place, that I can find a good hole-in-the-wall place that is a bit more reasonably priced but I'm so happy to know that I have a place to go now.

Restaurant Wars DFW - The Search For Tex-Mex

I'm on a quest. A quest for good Tex-Mex. Being from Austin, I've had access to some seriously awesome Tex-Mex. I guess maybe I might be a bit spoiled as I'm having a terrible time finding good TM. It's not bad, it's just - meh. Locos breakfast tacos - okay food, fairly decent salsa. Nothing exciting. Lupe's Cantina and Bar (Comida con sabor) - Yeah...not so much. Queso meh. Salsa ok. Refried black beanTa dip actually pretty tasty. Tacos ok. Nothing exciting. Mercardo Juarez - Salsa was cooked and tasted like Italian tomato sauce. Carnitas were tender but had no flavor. Guacamole was ok. Mi Cocina - So far this is the best place I've been. Salsas were pretty good. Chips were nice and lightl. I had shrimp and bacon quesadilla. It had some great crema/cheese in it. Still not the best but the only one I'd go to again. I was trying to not go to chain restaurants but I needed good salsa so I went to Chuy's. I'm super glad there is one up here. I'm also going to have to hit up Torchy's. Got to go with what you know. I'm still going to try new places as I'm determined to find one. There has to be one. Somewhere up here. On a different note, I did find a great Peruvian restaurant. Food was really good and had great flavor. I will definitely go back.

Restaurant Wars DFW - The first two weeks

Since I'm working and living up in Arlington in the Dallas - Fort Worth area, I get to try a bunch of new restaurants. I figured I would do reviews and pass them along to you all. But I'm only going to do the laces that aren't in the Austin area. So let's get started. I will use a scale of 1 to 5 for my ratings with 1 the lowest and 5 highest. Boomer Jack's - Lincoln Square: There are a number of locations around the area but not sure if full on chain restaurant. I sat at the bar and the bartender, James, was very nice and attentive. Good beer selection with a lot of local and other craft beers. They had the Rangers game on so I enjoyed being able to watch. Food was pretty good. I had an avocado chicken club salad. The lettuce was cut a little small but the flavor was there. Overall, I would give this place a 4.0. Will definitely go back. The Keg Steakhouse and Bar - Arlington Highlands: This is a chain restaurant but not one I was familiar with. Nice atmosphere - looks like a fun date place. Again, I sat at the bar (it's just easier when you're by yourself). Jesse was the bartender and he was super nice! Very helpful and fun to talk to - talked about the area and fun things to do. I had a very nice glass of red wine and decided steak was the way to go for dinner. And I'm so glad I did! Excellent steak - cooked perfectly medium, very tender, and loved the bonus bleu cheese crust. Jesse recommended the twice baked potato for a side and that was a great choice. This restaurant gets the top score of a 5. I couldn't find anything wrong with it at all. Piccolo Mondo - Lamar and Collins: This restaurant is in a strip shopping center with Whole Foods as the anchor store. The décor is nice but simple. They have music almost every night. I enjoyed piano and saxophone when I was there. I also got to enjoy Emily, the very nice bartender. She was very nice and helped me make my dinner choice along with letting me sample a couple of wines. I also got to talk to the owner who is from Siena which is one of my favorite cities in Italy. Really delicious food! I had orecchiette arrabiata with Italian sausage. I decided I needed some limoncello after dinner and that was good. They had my favorite Italian dessert - cannoli so I had to order one to go. Had that today and it was good! I give Piccolo Mondo 4.8. Rio Mambo - Lamar and Ballpark Way; Pretty outside of the restaurant but it is kind of bland inside. Again, went to the bar area but no seats directly at the bar so had to sit at a little table. As you can't really tell from the name, this is a Tex-Mex restaurant. I got chips and salsa quickly. The red salsa was ok and the green was much better and spicier. Service could use some help. My waitress came over and I asked for water and I asked about a couple of beers. She brought me tastes of the beer. When she returned, I told her my beer choice and asked again for water which had not come and I also ordered an appetizer. My food came but no napkin/silverware brought. Had to ask one more time for water. I finally got that and then ordered my entrée. I ordered tacos al carbon. They were pretty good. Honestly, the chips and my beer were the best part of the night. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't all that. I might try them again and sit somewhere else. However, my rating for this particular trip is 3.5. That is all for the first installment of Restaurant Wars DFW!!

Ideal Protein - Is it ideal for me?

On 2/24/16 I started a new eating plan, Ideal Protein. How did I get to this point? I tried the Whole 30 diet and I gained weight. I went to the doctor for my annual girl visit and had to do my least favorite thing, weigh. OMG! The scale reading scared the crap out of me. It was a weight I thought I'd never see and one I never had seen. This was during my whole 30 experience. So I asked the doctor what I could do as I'm at my wits end, last straw, rock bottom. Her options were surgery or Ideal Protein. Surgery isn't going to happen. Most of the people I've seen that have had it done gained their weight back because they didn't learn to eat right. So no...not for me. I said let's look at the Ideal Protein plan. I looked everything over and was a little leery as you have to eat 4 cups of veggies a day and if you know me, you know I don't like a lot of veggies. But I'm determined and I decided I had to go check it out. I went to my initial visit to get started on Monday, February 23. I met Heather, my consultant, and liked her immediately. She's nice and down to earth. We talked about the plan and what was involved. I got all my measurements done and was very happy to see that my doctor's scale was like 12lbs off. But still, need to lose!! I'm in! I got my food and supplements and made a plan for the store that evening. I started on Tuesday. I ate the IP apple oatmeal and made my lunch. I have eaten baby kale, baby spinach, cucumbers, lettuce. It was crazy but I did it. So between salads like that and zucchini, I was getting in my veggies. I had my first weigh in that Friday. I lost 4.4lbs!!! Very exciting! Then there was Sunday. I ate breakfast, a little late as I went to Carnaval the night before, and then had some lunch and went to the grocery store to stocked for the week. I'm shopping, making my way through the store. I'm starting to go to the meat dept and all of a sudden, I feel like I'm either going to throw up, poop my pants, or both right there in meat dept in front of all the poor unsuspecting people shopping there. Deep breaths. I found the closest HEB employee and asked where the bathroom was and high tailed it that direction. I parked my cart, grabbed my purse and my shopping bags, and hauled ass into the bathroom. Luckily, there was only issues from one end. But I didn't feel great the rest of the day. Today, I had such a hard time getting my lunch down...aka veggies. I texted Heather and told her that I don't think I can do this. She gave me a tip and I'll try it tomorrow and see. I'm a little worried. I'm truly determined to lose weight but I may have to find a different way to do it. I'm looking at WW, aka Weight Watchers, and I'm ready for that if I need to be. I guess we'll just have to see how things work out in the next few days. It was going to be tough...I knew that but I don't want to feel bad on top of having to choke down food I don't want to be eating but have no choice because I don't have anything else I'm allowed to eat. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted.

T-Pellets Update

So I tried T-Pellets. I got them 1st at the end of August and another dosing at the beginning of December. Well, I'm not going to get any more of them. They really did seem to help my workouts and make them better. However, I didn't feel the extra energy or any of the other benefits. In fact, I got a couple of things I wish I didn't get...acne like a teenager and excess hair on my face. Yeah, I know I'm 50 but I don't want a hairy face! Seriously...it's not fun. I was supposed to get energy and lose weight but didn't get those benefits. I will say, though, that I got what seems to be some serious benefit out of my workouts. Sean tried his best to kill me and I was dreading the next couple of days afterward but the surprise was - no soreness. I was wondering if I was really working out hard and flat out asked Sean. I felt like I was but maybe I wasn't. But Sean told me I was so that made me feel great. So no more pellets. I'll see what happens without them. I hope my workouts will continue to be as awesome as they have been. I guess we'll see.

haiku baby

Blue Bell, oh Blue Bell! You left us in despair but the clouds are lifted.

My journey with T-pellets

I know there is no simple thing to do to lose weight. Trust me! I'd have done it by now if there was. However, I do look for things that help. I heard a while back about T-pellets and decided to check it out. I'm going to see Dr. Reid at Restora Austin. I read all about the pellets on the website and heard his own story one morning on 101X. They're supposed to give you more energy, improve your workouts, and hopefully, help you lose weight due to the first 2 parts. I went in for a consultation and it seemed like this is something to try. The pellets are testosterone. They are bio-identical hormones so it exactly like the hormones our bodies produce. However, sometimes our bodies don't produce enough. To start, I had to get a bunch of lab work done. Testosterone, thyroid, glucose, blood count were done. Dr. Reid says that a woman's testosterone level should be between 100-200. Mine was 12. Hmmm?? Guess that means I'm lacking a little. Maybe that's why I don't get the workout results I want and I get frustrated and stop going. Doc says that I'm a great candidate. However, this isn't a miracle pill (pellet in this case). You have to exercise and eat right and get moving. He's done these on people who are surprised to not have any results but they aren't doing anything. He, on the other had, got the pellets, watches what he eats, exercises and he lost 60-80 lbs. Pretty cool. I went in on Monday morning and got my pellets. I have 5 all testosterone pellets placed in my right butt cheek. Yes, it does require some lidocaine with a little slit and the pellets are placed under the skin. It doesn't hurt. It's a little sore now but it's no biggie. I can't swim for a few days. That's ok. I have a dressing on and it comes off in a couple more days. Now, it's not going to be a change overnight. It takes a while. I will lab work done again in a month to make sure my levels didn't get too high. If so, then my pellet dosage will be adjusted with other hormones. This is a great place to write about this and document how it works. I'm really excited!! I'm happy to let everyone know my progress. Wish me luck!!

I'm back!

I took a little, okay a long, vacation from writing on here but it's time to come back and get something going on here. I can't wait!!!

Travel by air

After a long day of travel yesterday, I remembered why I like to travel by air. Of course, it gets you there pretty fast (5 flight hours vs. 33 hours driving to get from home to Oregon) but there is one other reason I love to fly. I love the view! I love the topography below. Leaving Austin, there is metro area with all the buildings and such. But soon, the ground turns into a kaleidoscope of greens and browns, sadly now mostly browns. Then there is the geometry of the fields - rectangles and circles with varying pie charts happening inside them. Slowly the hills begin and the trees. As the hills grow, you see the veins running down from them on all sides again with all the shades of green and brown. A happy discovery for this Texas girl - snow seen on 3 different occasions!! It is so beautiful! I'm sure it probably isn't to people who deal with it all the time but for a girl from Central Texas, it's awesome! Now I can't leave out one of the other things that is bound to be seen when in the air - clouds! They look like huge cotton balls that will catch you in a big cushion if you fall into them but of course they won't. The amount of cloud cover in this area is impressive. Again, late spring/early summer in Texas, clouds are a rarity! I know there are hassles with flying but if you think about all the neat stuff there, it helps make those hassles a lot smaller.

Epic Fail

There is a huge failure going on in our society. I have been subjected to this failure a lot recently and as I find it isn't improving, I felt the need to write about it. The parents of kids in the age range of teenager to late 20's - you have failed. (Of course this is not an all encompassing statement as there are some great kids out there.) The failure has come in the fact that these kids have no manners whatsoever and also feel like they are above reproach. I'm sorry but not even close! I have been in some places lately that have a lot of people. I find that almost consistently, the kids of this generation will shove to get past you without an "excuse me" or anything. You may get the rare "Sorry" but it is said so indignantly like it is your fault for standing there being in their way. Really??? How is this possible? I know the parents of these kids were taught manners! Is that the problem? Is it that the parents' life was SO horrible because they had to be nice to people that they just decided to do the exact opposite and exclude manners at all from the upbringing of their own kids? It sure does seem that way. Example: my friend and I are at Voodoo Music Festival. We are listening to a group play and we are standing shoulder to shoulder essentially because it is crowded. Now, there is some space to pass on the far side of my friend and on the side of me. However, this bratty girl tries to walk between us. Seriously, there is probably less than 5" between me and my friend and there is a pretty big gap on the outside of us. So in order to make a point, I hold my hand out to stop her from walking between us, tell her to go around, and she gets pissed off at me and calls me a bitch. I told her when she gets to be my age, she'll have earned being one but right now, not so much. Maybe I am a bitch but I really don't understand what the difficulty would have been with walking over 1 step to the side and being done with it. Am I being unreasonable? I truly don't think I am! I will admit that sometimes at these large public events, you may not have a choice to walk through a group of people but say "Excuse me" if you have to. It is just common courtesy!! And parents - get off your butts and teach your kids some manners! It isn't too late!

Haiku

I haven't posted a Haiku since November so I thought it might be about time. Angels or demons we are both but which one now maybe always both. Okay, yes I was just watching "Angels and Demons" so that was my inspiration. It's a fantastic book and pretty good movie.

SXSW 2012

I made an effort to take my old butt down to SXSW this year. I will say that I didn't do it up as much as last year but I did pretty good. I started on Thursday and got down to my first event at 3:30pm-ish. I went to the Filter Magazine party at Cedar Street to see Kaiser Chiefs and Keane. I got there and there was a pretty big crowd. I stood on the sidewalk and inched my way up so I could see the stage pretty well. I had a RSVP to the party but I finally saw the line for that and it was around the corner. Dilemma - Do I go stand in that line and run the risk of not hearing these 2 bands or do I stay where I am? There is a better view and free beverages if I get in but...! So the verdict is - stay where I am! I met some nice folks and had a great time. Love both of those groups! Go see them if you get a chance. After this was over, I walked over to 2nd and Trinity to get in line to get my wristband for Pure Volume house. It was loads of fun in there last year - we snuck into a VIP area and had our own bar and access to computers as well as some cool "frames" for us to take pictures with. However, it was in such a better location last year. We never ended up there this year. Friday, I went to the British Music party at Latitude 30. It was the Scottish Showcase and it was fantastic! 4 acts and every one of them was really good. First was a DJ called Jackmaster. He was super! Most of the time I get bored by DJ's pretty fast. This guy mixed it up so much, I was jammin' the whole time! After him, there were 3 bands: Three Blind Wolves, The Xcerts, and The Twilight Sad! All of them were great! I highly recommend you checking them out. After this show, I met up with my friends. We went to Buffalo Billiards to get some dinner and while we were there, things got a little sketchy!! Dr. Sketchy decided we needed to meet some Irish guys because we there was an earlier conversation about Ireland and Norther Ireland. They were nice guys. It was these 2 guys that were in a band and their handler. They were quite happy to eat our food and drink the beverages the Dr. bought them. It was fun to meet them. I wasn't able to go see them but I looked them up online and I like their sound. Their name is Viva City. We walked back to the car and were trying to get prepared mentally for a very early Saturday morning. The Dr. had made a plan for us to be at Fado at 7am to go hang out with the 101X morning show folks there and then we were going to Rachel Ray's SX party. Well, as they say, best laid plans! 3 of the 4 of us made it. If you're guessing right now, you're probably right. The good Dr didn't make it. But the girls did and we had a great time getting started at 7:30am. It was early but there were a LOT of people there. We had some breakfast and some "hair of the dog" (aka mimosas) and then we walked over to Stubb's to get in line for RR's party. The line was really long (down 9th St. almost to I-35 frontage). We thought that we might have a problem getting in but we got in 15 minutes after the gates opened. It was a wonderful party. There were lots of people and a huge line for the free food. Surprisingly, the bars didn't have lines. We hung out there and listened to some great music: Bob Schneider, Imaginary Dragons, Of Monsters and Men, Jimmy Cliff, The Givers, etc. It was super! Then we went over to the British party but it wasn't as fun as it was Friday. It was then decided to go get some dinner and then go home. It was a fun time. Did a lot of walking and a lot of beverage drinking. Heard some wonderful music and spent time with my friends. Who knows - next year might require a little more time there.

in my life

You know, in my life all sorts of things happen and all sorts of things don't. Let's compare 2 weekends - the last 2. Two weeks ago on Friday, I went with my friend to a benefit party, the New Wave Ball. It was an 80's party with dressing up and 80's music and it was so much fun. My buddy, JS, and I got all decked out in our fabulous outfits and walked over to the party. We danced and sang and had some drinks and talked to people and took pictures with some of the random dressed up folks. I had this adorable guy, dressed up as a nerd, come up and start dancing with me. We danced for over an hour straight and chatted some and it was great! I felt so young and good and loved it. I haven't had that happen to me in a very long time. We expressed an interest to see each other again and exchanged numbers. Have I heard from him? Of course not! Why should that happen? Especially to me. So there you go. The rest of the weekend was uneventful. Move to this weekend. Went to Houston to go see Radiohead! Amazing show! We stayed across the street from the venue so there was no driving (yippee) so we had some drinks before the show and took some pictures. My friend LC made me feel incredible with her very sweet comments to me. I can't tell you how nice it was to hear that especially from a gorgeous, tall woman who turns heads everywhere she goes. I think I had a little extra bit of confidence because of that all night. I met a really nice man who brought his son to the show. Then we went to a bar in the neighborhood. A nice looking guy starts talking to me. I start talking back. He is immediately Mr. Touchy Feely. Odd but I've had a few drinks, I'll play along. Then his friend comes over and says that their wives are sisters. Ok. We're done now but oh no, he just keeps coming on to me. Um, no you don't! I was trying to get away but all my friends came back in and started talking to them too. I finally got my friend SC to the side and told him to get me out of there! Thanks for the rescue!! So seriously. A married guy hitting on me. Do I look like an easy target? I'm not. This is what happens in my life. Great start but just a crappy finish. Must figure out a way to have the good finish. I'm open to suggestions! :)

Haiku time

Blah oh blah today! For I am wilting into the oblivion!

Ah the joys!

Ah the joys of being single and trying to date! Ok...far from the joys yet. However, I still hold out potentially irrational optimism or just stupidity that there will be love in my life one of these days. If only I could get to the dating part! That part is pretty easy, in its own way. What is hard is getting from the "I've found you somewhere point to actually meeting"! Seriously! I guess I'm just "old school" when it comes to meeting people, I actually want to meet them, in person! Is that weird or wrong? It is one thing to talk to or chat with a person online. It is something completely different to see a person and watch how they interact. You can't get affect, mannerisms, interest without being face-to-face. Case in point: I went out with a guy a few years ago. Seemed like a very nice guy online and on the phone. We met at a coffee shop one day. Holy Moly! The guy that showed up was not at all what I thought I was meeting. He had a totally flat affect which means there was no emotion at all when talking. NONE!!! It was like talking to a wall. Sorry! Can't do that. No emotion when talking = no personality. That doesn't work for me. I did try to give him one more chance thinking maybe it was just a bad day but no. That was all there was to that fish in the sea. I threw him back! :) So I guess it comes down to either me getting with the "new way" of trying to date or staying me and hoping there is a chance to actually meet. The end goal, LOVE, is what it is all about. The journey getting there is confusing, difficult, fun, enjoyable, aggrevating, annoying, intriguing, sweet, silly, hot, cold...well, you get the point. I'm in it for the long haul, smart or not. I'm a sap! Can't help it!

Addictions

I think I'm addicted to TV, facebook, and food. Not so good but a fact. I guess it could be worse. It could be drugs or alcohol. TV is the first thing on in the morning and the last thing off at night. It is my companion - I do live alone after all. It is noise. But that isn't the whole story. I love my shows. NCIS, NCIS LA, Hawaii 5-0, Criminal Minds, Glee, and CSI to name a few. I haven't even touched on the cable series (USA has great shows)! I do have standards though. I refuse to watch Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of whatever city, The Kardashians, Paris Hilton...well, you get the idea. I just don't get those shows! There is NOTHING real about these "reality" shows. But I'm not here to talk about that (future topic, though). It is hard to believe that I have only had DVR for about a year. But wow! It is fantastic! I love it and it allows me to watch my shows and still have a life. How did we live without this?!?! So yes, TV is an addiction but one I'm not ready to get rid of. Next time I sign in...I'll give my thoughts about my Facebook addiction. That should be interesting! Later!!

Haiku time

You know you love them!! ;)

O Texas football
Burnt was our spirit last year
Fire is good this time!

Blogger??

I suck as a blogger! 4 months since my last post! What is up with that??? I assure you it isn't a lack of things to say. Perhaps it is just a lack of time. Yeah, that's it! Ok, no it isn't. It is a lack of motivation. I'm finding that to be a problem in a lot of areas in my life, mainly sticking to Weight Watchers.

I'm not really sure how I lost motivation when I was really doing well. Maybe that was it. If I do too well, I think I've got it under control and I screw it up. Well, enough of that.

No more screwing up myself and no more being a slacker on any front. I have some things I want to do and I need to get off my ass and get it going!! So I'm going to do one of those things and that will be blogging at least once a week. You all need to hold me to it. Actually, hold me to all of it! I'm apparently not trustworthy when it comes to myself! :)

Peace out!!

Who am I?

Nah, don't be too worried! I'm not finding out who I am as a person...just what I want to look like. I'm feeling the need for a new style. My body is changing (YEA) and I think that maybe I should too.
I saw all sorts of interesting styles at SXSW and I wonder, can I pull them off? And I can do it all the time? Will the new style fly at work? That is a big challenge.
I've always liked the rockabilly look. I think it is a lot of fun. I also like a little bit more of a punk look. Short, sassy hair a big key on that one. Then there is the vintage look. Love that but that one will have to wait for a bunch more weight to be lost - those clothes were so small! :) I could go for seriously trendy. I'm thinking that one might take too much time but could be fun. Classic is always a good look and the preppie thing is coming back. I would love to be able to go for the high fashion look but I'm afraid my bank account forbids that one. One majorly important thing for me to keep in mind is that I'm a 45 year old woman...I can't and won't try to look like I'm 20.
So now my new mission - figure out who I am on the fashion/style front! If you see me trying things, be nice but be honest and let me know what you think. If it works, great. If not, let me down gently!
Be on the look out! You don't know when you'll see the whole new me!! :)

Sucker!!!

So there is a little update from my last post. Don't you hate it when you find out you've been taken advantage of? I certainly do especially when it is from the standpoint of matters of the heart. It turns out that the "guy" I thought I met is another scammer. Asked me for money after some seriously lame story about getting mugged. Did I need to remind this "guy" that I'm a nurse and you shouldn't try to get medical stuff past someone who works in the profession!!! Medical people are going to ask medical questions when there is something like that being presented to us. And don't ask for money in foreign currency! Really??? Do you think I'm going to send you pounds sterling? Right.
Well, lesson learned! Now just to get over the sting of feeling stupid. I know, I shouldn't feel stupid because that is what these people do - they suck you in and make you want to believe them. It's their job and they're good at it. But guess what? I still feel stupid! And I'm also a little hurt. As much as I try not to be, I'm a believing person. I like to think people are good. I know as a rational adult that most people probably are but there are enough that aren't that I should be on my guard. I WILL be for a while! Trust me!
I believe in love and I really want to be in love. That is why I, against my better judgement, I fell for it. I don't know what else to do but I know where it won't be happening. Cupid.com - HORRIBLE site! Full of scammers.
For the time being, I'll just be a slightly jaded hopeful/hopeless romantic! It's just who I am.