Burgers 101

Bernie's Burger Bus
5407 Bellaire Blvd, Houston

I'm a reformed vegetarian who loves burgers -- preferably medium rare with a slice of Vermont cheddar or other artisanal cheese. I'm a mustard not mayo kind of gal. Hot sauce or jalapenos are welcome as is guacamole or maybe even a fried egg. Bacon is always appropriate. Living in DC, I was surrounded by fancy burgers (my favorite being the au poivre burger from Ray's Hell Burger). Though Houston is a burger town (my well-worn copy of The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide to Houston lists over 20 burger-friendly restaurants excluding food trucks), we had yet to explore the burger scene. But, a rainy Sunday when the temperatures dipped into the 40s seemed like the perfect day to start.

For our first burger adventure, we selected Bernie's Burger Bus in Bellaire. Bernie's started as a food truck/bus business and opened a brick and mortar location in the summer of 2014. Bernie's has won many accolades in the four years it has been in business, including best french fries in Houston (Houston Press 2012) and Top 100 Restaurants by Alison Cook (Houston Chronicle 2012 and 2014). In 2012, Bernie's won the Best Burger and Best Food Truck in My Table's Houston Food Awards. So, this place has some serious chops. But, could the burgers stand up to all the favorable press? The answer, in a word, is YES.

Two Top/School Desk

Bernie's brick and mortar is located in a small strip mall off of Bellaire Avenue. The restaurant has a school theme that is brilliantly executed. Upon entering the restaurant, I immediately noticed the giant, yellow school bus towards the back of the space. That's the kitchen. My 4 year old just had to know, how did they get that bus in the building? Our waitress advised that they just pushed the bus inside the restaurant. The next thing I noticed were the adorable two tops situated around old school desks. A row of lockers stands against the back wall of the restaurant. It's super fun and creative decor without being over the top.

The menu.

The menu is made to look like a black and white composition book. It's the interior of this well written menu that really makes the school theme come alive. Each burger has a school themed name -- there's The Cheerleader (she's hot, featuring fried jalapenos and pepper jack cheese with slow roasted garlic tomatoes), there's The Firedrill (guacamole, salsa verde, and pepper jack cheese), and there's The Recess, which is billed as a break from burgers -- it's a grilled cheese. There are also smaller burgers such as the Preschoolers and the Kindergartners. Want to customize your burger further? Add an "Elective" -- burgundy mushrooms, tipsy onions, a fried egg, or chili to name a few. And, don't forget your extracurriculars -- the side dishes including the heavenly french fries.

The options are almost overwhelming. But, wait -- there are also specials. The "special" burger

Peppermint Milkshake -- a holiday special

during our visit included unicorn meat (that's pork and bacon) served with a slab of mac n' cheese on top. There are also milkshakes -- and special milkshakes. Since we happened to hit Bernie's a few days after Christmas, the special milkshakes included pumpkin, gingerbread, peppermint, and chocolate peppermint.

The Cheerleader

Hubby opted for the Cheerleader and I ordered the Preschoolers. I also had a Peppermint Milkshake because 'Tis the Season. The kids enjoyed Mac N' Cheese and some french fries. Hey, don't judge. Every so often, you "need" fries to go with your mac n' cheese. And, that night, I tried to force them eat vegetable soup to make up for their starchy lunch (I failed).

The burgers were perfect with great flavor. All the toppings and cheeses were fresh and tasty. The fries lived up to the hype, salty and crisp. Even the aioli served with the sweet potato fries was awesome. The buns had been well-buttered and the flavor of that butter

The Preschoolers

blended into the rich beef of the hamburger (hey, why not, I was already drinking a 1500 calorie milkshake). Yes, this was artery clogging goodness at its best. We have found our H-town burger home -- fabulous burgers, creative decor, and super friendly staff. Now, the challenge will be forcing ourselves to try other places, because nothing is going to compare to this.

Road Trip 4: Galveston Day Trip -- Jalapeno Hush Puppies, Poisonous Snakes, and a Shell Shop

For Christmas, Hubby received a book entitled 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Houston. The book provides detailed descriptions of a wide variety of hikes, from urban to remote woodlands, all within 60 miles of the Bayou City.  On the Saturday after Christmas, we decided to give the book a test drive and head down to Galveston for a little nature and a little fried food.

Depending on traffic, it's about a hours drive from Houston to Galveston. Located on a barrier island, Galveston has a long and interesting history -- settled by a pirate, served as a major port and the capital of the Republic of Texas, and decimated (twice) by major hurricanes. Today, Galveston is a major tourist spot for Texans featuring a State Park along the Gulf and an historic downtown. 

Shrimp and Stuff

We happened to arrive in Galveston around lunch time and started our day in the Oleander City at Shrimp and Stuff on Avenue O. Shrimp and Stuff is a quintessentially beachy casual dining venue serving a plethora of fried seafood. They have both indoor and outdoor seating options. Since it was a pleasantly cool December day, we opted to sit outside in the little courtyard. The courtyard is filled with palms and other shade plants and a decorative fountain that the kids really enjoyed. For lunch, I followed one of my favorite menu strategies and ordered the restaurant's namesake dish -- shrimp, specifically fried shrimp. Hubby had a crawfish tail po-boy. We had coleslaw and hush puppies on the side. My land lover children, stuck with chicken fingers (the Tidewater gal was a little saddened by this), but they both tried (and enjoyed) the shrimp. The food at Shrimp and Stuff was solid and delicious. I really enjoyed the hush puppies, which had tiny pieces of jalapeno embedded in the fried cornmeal. This Texified twist on an old classic worked well.

Crawfish Po-Boy

After lunch, we consulted Hubby's new hiking book, and drove to Galveston Island State Park. On our way to the park we passed lots of new development and also two fields of cattle grazing. I was surprised to see the cows grazing on the barrier island only a block or two from the Gulf. But, I realized that this is Texas, and cows are everywhere. In a way, the cows grazing adjacent to the enormous pastel beach McMansions, were the perfect example of new encroaching on old.

Arriving at the State Park, we checked in at the visitor's center (a small beach outpost). The cost to explore the State Park was $5 for each adult (age 13 and older). After checking in and receiving a trail map, we moved the car across FM 3005 to explore the wetlands. There are numerous trails on the wetlands side of the park. We started with a short walk to an observation platform that gave us a great view of the marshes below. The children really enjoyed climbing the observation platform. After our panoramic view, we climbed back down and took a short hike along the trails. There were two long bridges that allowed us to walk across the marshes and to get a close view of the tidal waters. We observed pelicans, mockingbirds, and the holes of crayfish or crabs. Our hike was cut a bit short when I started being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Texas hiking lesson #1 -- Just because it's December doesn't mean there aren't mosquitoes. Fortunately, I had some Deep Woods Off in the car -- because in Texas, Deep Woods Off is as necessary as a spare tire and jumper cables.

Galveston Island State Park Trails - wetlands

We drove back across FM 3005 so that the children could take a walk on the beach. Not deterred by the signage warning us of dangerous waters and poisonous snakes, we pressed on to the sandy shores. Since it was a little chilly and gray, we almost had the beach to ourselves. I really enjoyed my first walk along the Gulf. The kids loved splashing barefoot in the waves and observing the variety of shore birds that gathered at the water's edge. The tide was going out, so there were some interesting seashells for the kids to collect. The kid's would have happily played on the shore for the rest of the afternoon. But, once my son's  pants were completely covered in wet sand, we decided to call it a day and head back into town for some sugar.

Dunes en route to the beach.

Signage at the entrance to the Gulf side 

Cacti in the dunes. Something I've never seen at the beach!

Parking near The Strand, we walked to La Kings Confectionery. La Kings uses old time candy making techniques to serve a wide variety of sugary treats to Galveston's modern visitors. The store features a 1920s soda fountain serving a plethora of ice cream concoctions. There's a large section of salt water taffy, a counter of chocolates and truffles, and another case of hard candies. They also have a coffee bar providing moms and dads with the caffeine needed to keep up with the sugar highs their kiddos are sure to have upon leaving La Kings. Treats and coffee in hand, we walked back out onto the Strand to stroll a bit before heading back to the car.

Before driving back to Houston, we had one more stop -- Murdoch's Bathhouse. In the 1800s, Murdochs was a bathhouse. In 1910,  Murdoch's added a gift shop and restaurant that still thrive today. Hubby and I had discovered Murdoch's on another brief trip to Galveston several weeks prior. Having been disappointed by a lack of shell shops at VA Beach several years ago, we were thrilled to see that the shell shops of our childhood still exist in Texas. We wanted the kids to experience shell shops as we remembered them -- dried out invertebrates, dead sharks floating in glass jars, shark teeth, conch shells, sea glass, and beach-themed trinkets. Murdoch's provided all of this and more. Not surprisingly, the kids loved it. 

Souvenirs in hand, we said goodbye to the Gulf and drove home to Houston. The kids were both asleep before we crossed the bridge to the mainland, my four year old daughter clutching a dolphin shaped magnet. This gray day, filled with sand, shorebirds, fried food, and beach kitsch had been perfect. Texas forever.

Will Wake for Donuts

Christy's Donuts Kolaches
1103 West Gray Street, Houston

On Saturday mornings, Hubby frequently wakes before the sun and heads out for an insanely long run. Meanwhile, I keep the home fires burning. This means forgoing a Saturday sleep fest and waking up whenever the kiddos do, which is usually also before the sun. Since I like to sleep in, I'm usually less than enthusiastic about this plan. But, I'm much less grumpy if I'm rewarded with some sort of breakfast treat upon Hubby's return.

Since arriving in Houston, we've been searching for good kolache places within the city limits. Kolaches, as you may recall from previous posts, are Czech pastries that are stuffed with either fruit filling or a variety of meats (technically, the meat variety are known as klobasnek, but most folks in Texas don't distinguish between the two and call all Czech pastries kolaches). So far, the best kolaches we've found have been on roadtrips in the Hill Country. But, we always remain hopeful that there might be a hidden kolache gem somewhere in H-town. This past week, I learned about Christy's Donuts Kolaches in Houston's Montrose neighborhood. The reviews of the kolaches looked promising. Plus, Christy's also features donuts. I love donuts. So, on Friday night, Hubby promised to return home Saturday morning with donuts and kolaches from Christy's. He also agreed to snap a few photos for blog purposes. Thanks, Hubby.

Christy's is your quintessential old-school donut shop -- formica tabletops, yellow and brown color scheme, and a menu board where the offerings are displayed using those little individual black letters. Hubby arrived early and ordered 3 varieties of kolaches - ham and cheese, sausage, and boudin.  Boudin is a Cajun thing -- essentially a sausage made of pork, onions, and rice. He also ordered a few crumb donuts. As is custom at Christy's, they included a few complimentary donut holes in the bag.

By the time Hubby arrived home, I'd been up for a while managing the early morning kid chaos. I'd coaxed our black lab off of an Ethan Allen chair where she was curled up sleeping contently. I'd built a pretend campfire for the kids and mediated when my 3 year old son opened my 4 year old daughter's doll closet and started removing the clothing. I'd suffered through the horrendous Caillou Musical Christmas Special for at least the seventeenth time this holiday season. I'd located markers and paper so that my daughter could create invitations to the performance she was planning for later this weekend. I'd also had a fair amount of coffee and no food. I was more than ready for the arrival of breakfast.

Crumb donut. Delish.

As is always the case when we try kolaches in Houston, I was somewhat disappointed in the kolache quality.  The ham and cheese tasted like it may have been made yesterday. Hubby confessed the workers had to go in the back to get the ham variety. They hadn't been displayed in the bakery case -- a tell tale sign that they were yesterday's offerings. I also wasn't a huge fan of the boudin, but that's not Christy's fault. Boudin just isn't my thing. Hubby, on the other hand, thought it was good. What I did enjoy, however, was the crumb donut. It was like eating a combination of coffee cake and donut -- how can you go wrong? The kids enjoyed the donut holes. But, in our short time in Houston, they've become Shipley's fans. They were sad that Hubby hadn't brought home their favorite Shipley's varieties.

I'm glad we tried Christy's and I would consider doing so again. I've heard the blueberry cake donut is good, so I would like to try it out. And, I would happily eat the crumb donut again. But, as for kolaches, our quest continues. I'm starting to think this just isn't a kolache town. Hmmm...maybe I need to quit my day job and start a kolache business.

Texas forever.

Horsing Around at the HPD Barn

The Houston Mounted Patrol Stables
5005 Little York Road, Houston

Horse statue outside the stables. 

For as long as I can recall, I've loved horses. I grew up riding and I'm always happiest when I'm in a barn. My kids are also interested in horses, though still a bit young to start riding. They are also interested in police officers. As a former prosecutor, I've told them a lot of stories about police officers and have tried to instill in my children a respect for law enforcement. Given our love for horses and our interest in law enforcement, I was thrilled to learn that you can tour the Houston Mounted Patrol Stables. Since the day after Christmas fell on a Friday and we were all off for the day, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to meet the horses and tour the barn.

The barn tour is free and very casual. Visitors are asked to sign in on the visitors' log in the office. You may bring apples, carrots, or peppermints to feed the horses. Visitation occurs from 8:00-4:00 on weekdays excluding city holidays. You can also arrange for a demonstration tour, but in order to do so you need to call in advance.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly off-duty officer. He told us we could walk around the barn at our leisure and that we could give the horses some treats. Fortunately, I'd packed a bag of carrots. Unfortunately, I was ill-prepared for the number of extremely friendly horses who would hang their heads over their boxes. Most of the horses were allowed to have a piece of carrot or part of an apple, but one horse had allergies, so we couldn't share our treats with him.

The barn was immaculately clean. All of the horses were eager to meet the children and to have their noses rubbed. We also met several barn kittens. The kids enjoyed seeing the bathing stalls, though none of the horses were being bathed during our visit. After walking up and down the long hallways, we walked out back to the training arena behind the barn. In the distance we could see all of the horse trailers and tractors, the perfect added bonus for my 3 year old son.

This is the perfect activity for kids and adults alike! I can't wait to return in the future with my kids. They are already planning our next trip. Next time, we'll bring more carrots! Texas forever.

Arena behind the barn.

Someone Had to Order the Naughty Santa

Torchy's Tacos
350 West 19th Street, Houston

Torchy's Heights Location

(multiple area locations)

I love tacos. In fact, one of my greatest guilty pleasures when living in DC was taking the Metro to Union Station on Friday afternoons for a Taco Bell lunch in the food court. There's just something about that special Taco Bell beef that is addicting. But, I digress. Living in Texas, there are a plethora of taco options. Though I explored Austin's breakfast taco scene a bit last month, I'd yet to try some of Houston's taco offerings. This past Sunday night, we returned from a weekend away. Since our refrigerator was bare and we didn't want to fight the holiday grocery store crowds, we decided to get take away from Torchy's Tacos in the Heights.

Torchy's Tacos -- wrapped up and ready to eat

Torchy's is actually an Austin institution that migrated to H-town a few years ago. There are four Houston area locations including one in the Heights. At Torchy's, they serve "damn good tacos." The menu is broken into breakfast tacos and non-breakfast tacos (aka "tacos"). Breakfast tacos are served all day. Of particular note is the Monk Special which includes potatoes, bacon, green chiles, and cheese. The non-breakfast taco menu is filled with so many diverse and unique taco varieties that it's almost overwhelming. I ordered the Mr. Pink which consists of guajillo [that's a type of chili pepper] seared ahi tuna, a cabbage slaw, cilantro and queso fresco with a slice of lime. Mr. Pink is served with a tasty chipotle sauce. Delish. Other interesting combinations include the Fried Avocado taco and the Trailer Park which consists of fried chicken and green chiles and can be ordered "dirty" meaning they add queso.

Delectable Torchy's guacamole

In addition to the standard taco offerings, Torchy's also features a Taco of the Month. The featured taco this month? That would be the Naughty Santa. Really, can you go to Torchy's during the month of December and NOT order the Naughty Santa? I think not. Thankfully, Hubby agreed and ordered it (though he maintains he wasn't aware of its name at the time). The Naughty Santa includes grilled shrimp and chorizo served with pickled onions, jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, and cheese. Hubby said it was okay, but he wasn't a huge fan of the chorizo-shrimp combination.

Prior to trying Torchy's we'd heard that there

were two must order sides -- guacamole and the queso dip. We ordered both. After all, it's the holidays, and I am a huge fan of pretty much anything into which I can dunk a tortilla chip. The guacamole was excellent. It was filled with intense citrus flavor and very fresh. The queso was also quite good and traveled well since we were getting take away, but it was definitely on the spicy side.

Overall, I really enjoyed my Torchy's taco meal. The ingredients were fresh and the menu was adventurous. I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to try a larger variety of tacos during my first visit. I'm looking forward to future visits and I'm hoping to check out the breakfast menu in the not too distant future. And, all this writing about tacos has me thinking I might just also need to make a Run for the Border soon as well. Feeling nostalgic.

Texas Forever.

Road Trip 3: Navidad in San Antonio

Years ago, long before I was a Texan, I read an article in Southern Living about the San Antonio Christmas parade. I knew I had to go. You see, I love Christmas and the holiday season. I mean, I really love it. I also love San Antonio, specifically the River Walk. Yes, I realize it's kind of a touristy area, but I can't help myself. There's something so wonderful about the water taxis coasting down the snaking river bordered by beautiful landscaping and lively restaurants. I've been a huge fan ever since I first saw it, several years ago, in one of the hottest Texas summers on record, when I was massively pregnant with my second kid. If you can fall in love with San Antonio under these circumstances, you are probably a true fan.

But, I digress. Back to the Christmas parade. Hubby's family frequently attends this event, and our first holiday season in Texas seemed the perfect opportunity to join them. When asked to describe this event, I tell people that it's basically like the Macy's Day Parade, with boats.  The parade has been held for 30 years and it proceeds rain or shine. You can purchase tickets to reserve seats along the river. The boats are brightly decorated and were themed to represent different countries and cultures. There were also some Christmas themed boats. As with any good Christmas parade, the event ends with the appearance of Santa on a boat, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as elves throw candy canes. It's a magical night for kids and adults, and one that I strongly recommend for anyone who finds themselves in Texas the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The morning after the parade, we gathered for a festive breakfast at one of my favorite places, Mi Tierra. Dating back to 1941, Mi Tierra is a San Antonio institution serving fabulous Tex Mex food 24 hours a day, every day. The front of the restaurant features a Mexican bakery (panaderia) that usually has a pretty lengthy line for the pralines, cookies, and other sweet treats. The entire establishment is brightly decorated. Basically, every day looks like Christmas Day at Mi Tierra, so it's especially fun to go at the holidays. Mariachis wander offering to sing your table a song for the bargain price of $7. There's nothing like being serenaded by the Mariachis and Hubby always requests Feria de las Flores (less touristy than requesting La Bamba). Breakfast, which is served all day at Mi Tierra, is fabulous. I had the Chilaquiles served with the best Ranchero sauce you can imagine.

Chilaquiles!

The staff members are very friendly and are nonplussed by large families with tons of children (we had 7 kids at our table that morning).

After breakfast, we walked across the courtyard to the San Antonio Market Square. The Market Square is a Mexican shopping market consisting of 100s of Mexican shops. You can purchase everything from colorful sarapes, maracas, and toy guitars (we picked up 2 guitars) to jewelry and leather goods. This particular shopping trip was a focused mission to pick up a few more Mexican tin Christmas ornaments (to add to our collection which already featured an Alamo -- nothing says Christmas like an Alamo Christmas ornament) and a small, South American style nativity.

Mexican tin ornament -- this one happens to be the Alamo.

The Market is overwhelming, but a must see. You can easily spend hours perusing all the vendors. Many are cash only, so come prepared. Once you've had your fill of shopping, you can always head back to Mi Tierra's bakery counter for sweets to boost your blood sugar (we did). If you do hit the bakery counter, I highly recommend the Mexican hot chocolate. Or, you can also refuel at the various street vendors who sell everything from roasted corn to horchata.

Our stomachs full of Mexican goodies and our arms full of shopping bags, we walked back to the car, started the Christmas music, and turned the car home to Houston. Our first holiday celebration in San Antonio had been a huge success. I look forward to incorporating this event into our annual holiday traditions and hope that some of my family and friends from the East Coast will join us in the future. Feliz Navidad to all! Texas forever.