Casa Chalupa

At the corner of San Jacinto Blvd. and Cesar Chavez St. sits Casa Chalupa. We were looking for Tex-Mex while in Texas, however, while the food was very good, found that this restaurant was more generic mexican than what we were looking for.

Again, the food was good, we had nothing to complain about. The service was, on the other hand, an atrocity. The hostess spent more time with us than our waitress. And, had our waitress just disappeared we would have not had real issues, but we witnessed her spending much more time with other tables.

The Salt Lick

About 30 minutes outside downtown Austin, in Driftwood, TX, (and worth every minute of the drive) is The Salt Lick, some of the best barbecue in Texas. We ordered a platter (The Rancher) to sample a number of the offerings and split it between the two of us (it was A LOT of food!).

Our platter came with turkey, brisket, pulled pork and sausage and ordered a rib on the side.

The ribs are double cut, so there is meat on both sides, and they are huge and full of meat. Of the platter meats, everything was delicious, we couldn't choose our favorite - although the sausage and the brisket was definitely a highlight.

For dessert, we ordered a slice (again, huge slices) of pecan pie. Best pecan pie - ever. Don't argue with me on this, just order it.

The Salt Lick offers wine at the winery next door, however, the restaurant is BYOB, so bring your own wine and beer.

Expect a little bit of a wait here. They do offer popcorn outside while you are waiting for your table, as well as live music on the weekends.  Also, be prepared with cash...they do not take credit cards.

Grape Creek Vineyards

One of the Texas Hill Country vineyards that grows their own grapes right in the state of Texas is Grape Creek Vineyards, in Fredericksburg. Of the two wineries we chose to sample, this was definitely our favorite, both in the quality of the wines and the quality of the tasting room.

When you purchase your tasting, you get to keep the very large wine glass and are assigned a space at one of the tasting tables. There is space for three to four groups at each table, which is served by one host bartender. Each taster can choose six wines to taste - we chose 12 and split the tastings so each of us had a chance to try all the wines available on the list.

Of the wineries open for tastings, we definitely recommend stopping here.

Fredericksburg Brewing Co.

Serving up German style food and German style beer, in the heart of the historical downtown of Fredericksburg, TX is the Fredericksburg Brewing Co. While the restaurant serves some Americana foods, like sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads and more, we opted to go for the German dishes on the menu (when in Rome!).

We ordered the sausage sampler, which is served with knackwurst, bratwurst and pepperwurst. While all three sausages were good, our waitress was unsure which link was which, so we were eating blind (although, you could definitely tell which was the pepper sausage - wowza!)

We also ordered the Schinken Schnitzel, a thin and lightly breaded pork cutlet (like a wiener schnitzel) which is then topped with ham and swiss cheese. Definitely a winner!

Melville Marriott Long Island

We stayed here for 2 nights for a wedding and it was a pretty typical Marriott stay.  The staff was friendly in our limited interaction with them.  The rooms were clean, and the lobby was friendly and lively for most of the hours.

The bedding was quite comfortable and the showers had very strong water pressure.  However, there were 2 negatives during our stay.  The first being parking...it can be limited if there is an event (or multiple events) going on at the hotel, so you should be aware of that. However, there is parking in the back of the hotel and a second entrance in the rear of the building that requires a room key card to enter.

The second being, when we requested a roll of toilet paper, the front desk didn't have any and they said housekeeping would bring it.  Unfortunately, housekeeping never provided it after a few hours and I was forced to just grab one off of one housekeepers cart.  That is something that shouldn't happen at a Marriott.

Carimar Beach Club

Anguilla is a very secluded island, and the Carimar Beach Club is no different.  Located on Meads Bay, this hotel offers guests privacy.  As there are only 20-something units, you are guaranteed to not have a crowded area at the beach in front of you.  The beach is extremely clean, and the water is magnificent.  The hotel keeps umbrellas and lounge chairs available for your use out during the day.  They also provide several beach towels in each room.

The room itself is exquisite.  The bedroom is quite large, along with an ample bathroom.  In addition, you get a full kitchen and living room, plus a patio area.  The rooms are very clean, and the housekeeping does an excellent job each day.  Be aware though that Anguilla does have a significant amount of mosquitoes, so be sure to use the bug repellent provided to you by the hotel.

The staff at Carimar were all very friendly, and very helpful in letting us know about restaurants and live music going on around the island.  There is plenty of parking available for guests and they even give each guest a free bottle of rum upon check-in.

This is definitely a hotel we'd recommend to anyone visiting Anguilla!

DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles - Commerce

While not in a "main" area of Los Angeles, this DoubleTree is still conveniently located within a 20-25 minute drive to most attractions of the city.  The hotel is within the parking lot of the Citadel Outlet Mall, which can be convenient for some.

The hotel itself is very clean and the staff was very friendly during our stay.  Our housekeeper was excellent and even left us notes and a few bottles of water (probably in thanks for us always leaving a tip for her).  When we had a maintenance issue, the hotel had someone up to fix it in less than 60 seconds.  I must give this staff impressive scores for their efforts.

The bed provided was quite comfortable, and of course the free unlimited DoubleTree cookies are always a plus.  The hotel also has free parking, which is a major plus and their rates are very reasonable.  If you're planning on driving to get to everywhere in Los Angeles anyway, this is a very affordable place to stay that is clean with a great staff and gets our highest recommendation.

Trio

We were looking for a good steakhouse for our first trip to Texas and came across Trio, located in the Four Seasons on San Jacinto Blvd. in downtown Austin. This much more refined steak house (think Morton's, not Longhorns) also serves seafood and has a very impressive wine list.

We both ordered the 10 oz. filet, which was moist and flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Sides, which are separate from your entree, are large enough for two to three people to share. We ordered the truffled mac and 5 cheese and the olive oil mashed potatoes. Both were delicious, the potatoes the star of the show.

The steaks were also served with three accoutrements, seasoned sea salt, Chimmichurri sauce and one other, a brown sauce that was my favorite, but I have no idea what it was (other than delicious).

Make reservations, for sure, as Trio can get full for dinner.

Wholly Cow Burgers

With so many dining options in downtown Austin, may we recommend Wholly Cow Burgers, on Congress Street. Using locally sourced, grass fed beef, the burgers are then topped with fresh tomatoes, onions, pickles, lettuce, ketchup and mayo.

The burgers were fantastic, and just the right size that we were able to finish them and our fries, without feeling stuffed.

Hog Heaven Sports Bar & Grille

A nice surprise off Overseas Highway in Islamorada, Hog Heaven has a menu that varies from (delicious) BBQ to fresh fish. They even have their own house beer.

For lunch, we ordered the pulled pork BBQ sandwich (absolutely fantastic, definitely order this!) and the fried dolphin (mahi mahi, for those not used to proper fish names). Order the onion straws, they were so very good and unlike anything we've ever had.

When you arrive, walk through the bar and indoor dining room to the outdoor patio and deck that faces the ocean, where there is patio seat (under a porch roof) and deck seating (under umbrellas).