I did lots of research on places to eat, fun things to do and cool places to hang out and relax. We achieved about 85% of places to eat, 40% of fun things to do and 100% of places to hang out and relax. I was really excited about the challenge of trying to stay Primal throughout my vacation, especially since my research found TONS of restaurants sporting local, organic produce and meat. I did let some less-than-Primal foods sneak in here and there (mostly corn and potatoes) but I probably was about 75% successful in my attempt to stay Primal, which I am definitely happy about. The longer I eat this way, the easier it is to maintain and the more joy I get out of the TASTE of food.
Thursday, August 30
6:30am - After arriving at LAX, I purchased and Odwalla "All-Natural" (who knows what THAT means, nowadays) Orange Juice and Resource "Natural + Electrolytes" (whut?) water. I snacked on mixed nuts (raw almonds, walnuts and pecans) that I brought from home along with a banana and a clementine. I'm optimistic that hunger will not be a problem today, especially since flying makes my stomach a grumpy asshole.
4pm (2pm, LA time) - My (hopefully) one cheat meal of the week: Spring Creek Barbecue in Houston, Texas.
not pictured: delicious, buttery dinner rolls (I had already eaten them before I thought to take a picture)
While the meat may not be cheating, the devilishly sweet barbecue sauce and melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls definitely are. I've been going to this chain of barbecue restaurants since I started frequenting the original Spring Creek in Richardson, TX at age 7. The taste of the food immediately reminds me of my childhood and eating here is my way of signifying that I have, indeed, arrived home. I loaded up my plate with brisket and (mild) sausage, one small container of barbecue sauce, half an ear of corn (which isn't Paleo, but doesn't seem to have a negative impact on my digestion), green beans, two dinner rolls and a bottle of IBC root beer. I was, at least, mindful of all my food choices: I grabbed the green beans instead of the gooey mac and cheese and I showed IMPRESSIVE restraint by limiting myself to just two of the ridiculously addictive dinner rolls. I even managed to stay away from the Blue Bell Ice Cream being advertised all over the restaurant. It didn't take long for me to feel the weight of my decision in the form of a dull, persistent stomach ache but fortunately, it did not keep me up all night, which is what usually happens when I eat wheat. So, I'm counting that as a success.
9pm - I snacked on more mixed nuts and clementines (oh, and one oreo).
Friday, August 31st
1pm - After a 2.5-hour drive from Houston, we were starving. As soon as we arrived in Austin (before even checking in to the B&B), we stopped to eat at Wholly Cow.
After passing the location twice we finally spotted the tiny sign on the storefront of a strip mall. Once inside, I realized that this was THE perfect first stop in Austin. The general store, independently-owned vibe was characteristically Austin, and everything about the place made you want to slow down and chill out - from the super-friendly waitstaff to the relaxed bench seating to the large selection of Artisan and Gluten-Free Beers, Organic/Local Wines, Organic/Local Fresh Produce and All-Natural/Local Bath Products.
I ordered the Fit Cross (Paleo) Burger and a small basket of sweet potato fries. I grabbed a Ginger Brew while I waited for my burger. First off, the burger LOOKED amazing. While I'd seen lots of recipes for burgers with portabello mushrooms as buns, I'd never eaten one myself. It came with a grass-fed beef patty, lettuce, pickles, tomato, grilled onions, bacon and the most delicious mustard I've ever had. The portabello mushrooms did make eating a lot more messy than a traditional burger - especially since mushrooms retain a lot of water - but it was completely worth it. The meaty taste of the mushrooms with the juiciness of the burger was so satisfying that I barely touched the sweet potato fries (which weren't the best and probably would've benefited from time in the oven rather than the fryer).
7:30pm - After checking in at the Star of Texas Inn and taking a short nap, my mom and I were ready for dinner at the newly-opened "head-to-tail" restaurant Salty Sow.
The place was surprisingly big and sprawling with two complete dining rooms and two areas of outdoor seating as well. It was fairly crowded inside but thankfully we had a reservation so we didn't have to wait. The overall mood of the other diners was fairly relaxed and most people were dressed casual. The service was excellent, attentive and very friendly. After glancing over the menu, I was reminded of my birthday dinner last year at LA's Animal restaurant. The portions were small but packed with some of the most mind-blowing flavors I've ever tasted. My mom and I ordered several small plates and shared everything. We started with Roasted Bone Marrow with a parsley salad (I set the toast aside). We then shared a refreshing Arugula Salad with Pecorino tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. Next, we ordered some Crispy Brussel Sprout Leaves with golden raisins and paired that with Petite Bone-In Filets with the best mushroom sauce ever. Not wanting to leave without having tried a little of everything, we ordered a Mexican Vanilla Bean Pot Du Creme with biscotti for dessert. The final bill came out to about $70 which isn't the cheapest, but certainly worth the experience and flavors and would be a perfect location for a special occasion.
Saturday, September 1st
8:30am - I worked up an appetite doing my bodyweight workout on the balcony (a combination of Nerd Fitness's Beginner's Bodyweight and Mark Sisson's Grok Workout). My mom and I discussed plans for the day over some Green Chile Egg Casserole, Texas-sized bacon and green grapes.
9:30am - We drove into downtown to check out the weekly Farmer's Market in Republic Square and it was a delightful experience. The farmer's market was spread out over the entire park and didn't feel nearly as crowded as the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. There was also lots of live music, areas for kids to play and local merchants selling everything from t-shirts to soap to compost bins. I munched on some complimentary toasted hemp seeds and washed that down with a Cantaloupe Rosemary Agua Fresca. I also picked up some jerky from locally-raised Bison.
1pm - We had planned to spend the afternoon shopping and people watching on South Congress but after 2 hours of walking in the blistering Texas heat we decided to stop for lunch despite not being very hungry. There were two places on South Congress I wanted to try: Hopdoddy Burger Bar and South Congress Cafe. Hopdoddy had a line out the door (with no shade) and while South Congress Cafe was equally crowded, at least we had access to seating and air conditioning while we waited about 30 minutes for a table. The restaurant was actually quite small but worked like a well-oiled machine - constantly stream of busboys and waitstaff cleaning off tables and seating hungry customers trying to escape the heat. I ordered some Texas-Raised Quail wrapped in bacon and served with a blackberry gastrique and habanero jelly. Thank goodness I wasn't all that hungry because, despite the lovely presentation, the portion size left something to be desired. The menu mentioned that the quail would come with watercress and radishes but these ended up being more of a garnish than a salad. It didn't even seem worth mentioning on the menu.
9pm - I met up with an old college friend downtown and we stopped in at the Texas Chili Parlor before heading to a concert. One of the things I miss most about Texas is the chili. I've tried several times to recreate the tastes of authentic Texas chili in my own kitchen in LA but I just can't seem to get it right. I ordered a small bowl of mild Texas chili (or "bowl of red") topped with diced onions. The beef was so tender and saturated with chili sauce that it almost had a creamy texture. It was definitely one of the most definitively Texas meals I had on the trip.
Sunday, September 2nd
8:30am - Our courtesy breakfast consisted of Eggs Florentine, more bacon, grapes and strawberries.
1:30pm - After catching a matinee at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz downtown, we ventured into East Austin for lunch at Blue Dahlia Bistro. The restaurant was a cute little cafe tucked in between boutique shops. It was overflowing with people and after waiting half an hour we were crammed into a space hardly big enough for two people to stand in, let alone sit and enjoy a meal in. The restaurant was incredibly noisy (it wreaked havoc on my mom's hearing aid), making it almost impossible to have a conversation. Ten minutes after we were seated, our waitress arrives and takes our order (two entree salads). While we were waiting for our lunch, we tried desperately to ignore the big and tall server for the next table over whose rear end hovered over our table on multiple occasions. 40 minutes after ordering, we finally receive our salads. Our waitress never came by to check on us and I practically had to tackle her in order to ask for the check. After receiving the check, I informed the waitress that my mom never received the bowl of soup she ordered or the dressing for her salad. The waitress muttered "I'll take it off" while hurrying away to deal with other customers. This whole experience was the only unpleasant dining experience of our entire trip. What was most disappointing was that the food was actually really tasty but the terrible service and atmosphere almost made that a moot point. I ordered a flavorful Black Bean Salad with corn, onions, avocado, bell pepper, cilantro and lime (not 100% Paleo, but no unwanted side effects, nonetheless). Their sustainable pedigree was also impressive (making it the primary reason I wanted to eat there to begin with). It's a shame that all of those benefits were completely overshadowed by poor customer service.
7pm - Another college friend of mine joined us for dinner at 24 Diner. This place was such a welcome change from our lunch locale. The place was spacious and much less crowded (although we still had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated). While ordering drinks, my friend mentioned something called a "Doppelganger" and proceeded to fill me in on Dublin Dr. Pepper's sad conclusion and how a local Austin company made "Doppelganger" as an homage to Dublin Dr. Pepper. I had a taste - it was pretty darn close, but alas, not the real thing. We started off by ordering the Market Plate (local, seasonal vegetables, chef's choice of preparation) for the table: Golden Tomatoes and Zucchini with oil and black pepper. For my entree, I had an inspired Charred Bitters Salad with radicchio, mixed greens, mushrooms, gorgonzola, walnuts and a roasted shallot vinaigrette. I added chicken to it for an extra protein boost. I enjoyed the charred radicchio so much that I'm already looking at recipes to recreate the delicious taste at home.
10:45pm - While attending a special screening of "True Romance" in honor of the late Tony Scott, I succumbed to the influence of my favorite libation (Jameson on the rocks) and ordered 3 giant peanut butter and caramelized banana cookies with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I only ate 1 and 2/3 of the cookies but I devoured all of the ice cream. I was rewarded the next morning with a crippling stomach ache and absolutely no appetite for breakfast.
Monday, September 3rd
10:15am - Since my inebriated dining decisions of the night before were currently wreaking havoc on my digestive system, I decided to forgo the complimentary breakfast and opted for lighter fare. We found a smoothie and juice bar called Food 4 Fitness. I ordered a smoothie called "The Greenland": coconut water, mint, coconut oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, spirulina, pineapple, mango and banana. It was exactly what I needed.
1:30pm - Fearing that this may be my last opportunity for Texas barbecue before heading back to the West coast, we grabbed lunch at Lambert's Downtown Barbecue.
We called ahead and made a reservation about an hour before showing up and we were seated right away. The place was spacious and relaxed and the waitstaff was wonderful. I started off with a Yucatan Burro cocktail: Wahaka Mezcal, Tenneyson Absinthe, Pineapple, Lime, Cointreau, Ginger Beer. For our entrees, my mom and I both ordered the Two-Meat BBQ Lunch Plate with different sides and meats so we could try a little bit of everything. I ordered the pork ribs and chicken with sides of carrot and jicama slaw and spiced waffle fries. The barbecue was solid, but not spectacular, the tastiest meat being the Jalapeno hot link.
11pm - Having overdone it a bit at lunch, I wasn't hungry for dinner until quite late (luckily I was out fairly late so I didn't go to sleep right after eating a big meal - never a good idea). After enjoying a Jameson Gold at The Highball, a fantastic vintage bowling alley and live music venue, I knew I should eat something so as not to become overwhelmed by the alcohol. Since my partner in crime this evening was an Austin local who was intrigued by the notion of a hearty 24-hour restaurant, I was happy to return to 24 Diner. I had a perfectly delicious, light and flavorful Pork Belly Salad with spinach, radicchio, green beans, new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and an herb-lime chili vinaigrette.
Tuesday, September 4th
9:30am - After a late night out, I crawled out of bed at 9am and sleepily scarfed down a plate of complimentary breakfast my mom brought up to the room: a gluten-free pancake, bacon and grapes.
1:30pm - We once again traveled the 2.5 hours back to Houston and once again, we arrived at our destination completely famished. We headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Pappasito's. My mom and I decided to share the "Pappasito's Grill": Grilled skewer of steak, chicken and shrimp, served over grilled onions and pineapple pico de gallo. I left the tortillas, beans and rice untouched but I did have quite a few corn tortilla chips with salsa.
7:30pm - Stuck with the bland choices available in the airport, bummed to be leaving Texas and my mom, and frustrated by the increasingly delayed flight, I guiltily snacked on Doritos Cooler Ranch chips and an Izze Blackberry Soda. I arrived at LAX a little after midnight and thus ended my Texas adventure.
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