Cocaine Princess here.
.
Last week I took the 3 older boys out for lunch. I said to them in a really giddy way:
ME: I’m taking you guys out to a really lovely restaurant for lunch!
The very moment I uttered those words problems began or to be more specific the groaning and eye rolling began. The Non Freckled Twin {NFT} stated:
NFT: If “really lovely restaurant” equals one of those stuffy places you like, I pass.
His twin and the 12 year old were in agreement and protested against the idea.
I then let out a groan. I ask you my lovelies, what's so wrong with eating at a lovely restaurant? I questioned where they wanted to go and what they were in the mood to eat. The 12 year old was very quick in giving his answer:
12 YR OLD: I really don’t care where we go or what we eat as long as I’m able to keep my shoes on.
The NFT patted him on the back and said:
NFT: Good one man.
Okay even I will admit what he said was funny. Very funny. They presented me a list of several restaurant names including Carl Jr. Unfortunately I had to shoot each one of them down since none of those franchises have made their way up here. The freckled twin {FT} suggested another place. I paused for a moment from shock.
ME: That’s a strip joint.
He then shocked me even further with the following statement:
FT: It's classier to call it a Gentleman's Club.
And he said it with a devilish grin too! I made it clear to them we would not be having lunch at a “Gentleman’s Club.” It was definitely out of the question. I was curious to know how he was even aware of that place.
FT: We saw the huge billboard coming out of the airport......Wait, how do you know about it?
I gave him the same reply as he did. Trust me it’s one of those billboards that really stand out.
NFT: According to the billboard they serve the best steaks in town. We wanna see if that’s true or not.
Sister who was hobbling around in the kitchen spoke:
A: If it's steak you want there are plenty of other steak houses.
FT: But we wanna go there. What’s wrong with having a little shaking and jiggling action as we carve into our steaks?
I couldn't help but giggle quite hard. I said it before and I’ll say it again: The boys of summer are very cheeky. I reminded them of their ages: 14 and 12.
ME: You’re all underage.
FT: Yeah but you’re not. You can go.
ME: Good grief! What am I going to do there?!
NFT: Besides giving us an honest review on their steak? You can take pictures of the entertainment for us.
Again, cheeky.
The 12 year old mentioned another restaurant he had seen coincidentally located in the vicinity of the airport. A restaurant that claims to be “Canada’s Only Authentic Texas Restaurant.” I had only seen the outside of the restaurant but had never actually gone inside to eat but “A” had and gave a glowing review.
ME: When did you eat in there?
A: We had a dinner meeting there in the spring.
A dinner meeting? Seriously? I hardly doubt they were discussing "school~related" items. I’m truly beginning to question these meetings of hers. I do believe they're nothing but an excuse for her and her colleagues to kick back and have a couple of drinkies after work. I absolutely love Tex~Mex food. Hey the spicier the better! I questioned my sister why she never suggested the restaurant to me.
A: Because of its’ atmosphere: It’s modeled after a saloon. It's a lot like Montana's where you eat on wooden tables and sit on wooden benches. The servers are dressed like cowgirls and cowboys and they permit their customers to wear jeans. Darling, does that sound like someplace you would eat in?
The answer is of course no but when you have house~guests staying with you, you do whatever you can to make your guests happy, and to make their stay as pleasurable and memorable as possible. So for the boys of summer I was willing without any hesitation {okay in the beginning there may have been a brief hesitation on my part} to have lunch on wooden benches.... and besides they all put up a united front and insisted I lunch with them there. How could I have possibly said no to my dear guests?
As we piled into the car they all agreed on one thing: The only place to eat authentic Texas cuisine is in the state of Texas.
Here are some pictures from the restaurant:
The patio section was full so we ate indoors. Sister was not kidding about it resembling the wild, wild west. The only things missing: a bale of hay and cattle. It was quite busy with the lunch time crowd. After a 20 minute wait we were taken to our table.....
.......Our oh so elegant decorated table. Somebody call up Decor Magazine!! {The salt and pepper shakers were cute I thought}
We received complimentary nachos:
Appetizers:
2 orders of Texas Taquitos {One pic was taken}
“Southern-style spring rolls stuffed with Jack cheese, grilled corn, onions, black beans and cilantro in crispy wrappers served with a zesty chipotle plum dipping sauce.”
Main Course:
Chicken Enchiladas {NFT}
“Three fresh-baked flour tortillas stuffed with Mesquite-grilled chicken, topped with our own Ranchero sauce and Jack & Cheddar cheese.”
Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich {I ate this}
“Mesquite-grilled chicken breast served on Cheddar jalapeño flatbread with Jack cheese and brushed with garlic and fire-roasted pepper mayo. It came with a side of Chicken Tortilla soup.”
Famous Chicken Fajitas {FT & 12 YR OLD)
“Loaded with all the good stuff including grilled peppers & onions, Mexican rice, saddle beans and of course, plenty of fresh-baked tortillas. Fajitas also come with sour cream, Cheddar cheese, our own home-style guacamole and Pico de Gallo.”
Mango Margarita
By accident I deleted the picture of what we had for dessert. We all shared:
Texas-fried Ice Cream--
“A traditional Texas favorite! Vanilla ice cream dusted with cinnamon sugar, rolled in toasted corn flakes and deep fried. Served in a pool of chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream, crumbled pecans and a cherry.”
All I can say is, mmm and yum.
Music was also served with lunch. Over and over again songs by those famous guys with the long beards who happen to hail from where else but Texas played at high volume much to the delight of the Houston brothers. I was told ZZ Top is not considered “old people’s” music either.
Truly I had an awesome time lunching with the Houston brothers. The food was without a doubt what I like to call a triple threat: delicious, hot and spicy. But my opinion didn't matter. The boys of summer are Texans at heart and I was very interested in what they thought of the food.
So, did the restaurant live up to doing their job by serving authentic Texas food?
The verdict: Close, very close but no cigar.
To quote the Boys of Summer: The only place to eat authentic Texas cuisine is in the state of Texas.
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Whatever your plans are have a superb weekend.-x
XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess
