The Lowdown on H-Town, Part II

This is part of a series that begins here.

After returning from Galveston, we made off for dinner at Magnolia Bar & Grill. This was my second trip to this venerable Houston establishment. The last time I was in town, the weather was great and we ate outside. This trip, temperatures dipped into the 40's, so we decided an indoor table was in order. Magnolia has a large and varied menu, but their specialties include a lot of creole seafood. First up on my agenda was this stellar bowl of shrimp gumbo. The picture, as usual, does not do this bowl of spicy goodness any justice. You could not dip the spoon into the bowl without pulling up three shrimp per spoonful. The broth was spicy, but not distractingly so.

My dinner entree was another Texas gulf specialty, stuffed redfish. There were three of us at the table, and two of us ordered the redfish. My other dining companion (the artist formerly known as "Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick") went with the stuffed shrimp, which were also described as excellent. The redfish came with a lump crabmeat stuffing (like the shrimp in the gumbo, you could pick out the large chunks of crabmeat in the stuffing). The mashed potatoes that accompanied the dish were some of the best I have ever had.

Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick also grabbed a piece of their key lime pie, and put away the whole thing. Personally, I liked the fruit garnish, but I am not a fan of key lime pie - and can I just tell you how hard it is to live in Florida and not like key lime pie?

Breakfast the following morning was at the Avalon Diner, which earned a prominent spot on my Best of 2006 list. You can follow along after the jump...

Before departing Houston, "wanderingjew" and I planned to meet up for breakfast at the Avalon. Unfortunately, he ran into some car trouble and had a rough go getting to the restaurant. We ended up in slightly more of a rush than we had anticipated, but the Avalon is a worthy stop for some pre-road trip grub. Located in a non-descript strip mall in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, the Avalon Diner doesn't look like the kind of place that would normally attract my attention. But, one step in the door, and you immediately feel as though you have taken a step back in time. The decor is retro - the traditional 1950's diner feel. I love the oversized soda caps hanging on the wall.



To be honest, my breakfast was unexciting - I ordered the old-fashioned, thin, small-tread waffle, based on a Michael Stern recommendation. It was good. But, just good. Wanderingjew ordered the chicken fried steak (sorry, I didn't get a photo), and I have to admit - he won. This is definitely an instance of "when in Rome..." and when in Texas, chicken fried steak is usually a pretty good option.

The real reason I added Avalon to the Houston recap, though, was to add the photos and the full attention that my previous visit deserved, but was never written. On my last visit, I sat at the counter and observed the inner workings of a tradtional diner from a cat bird seat at the counter. There is nothing like getting the first-hand view of the interaction between the cooks and the servers at the counter. On top of the ambiance, the thin-patty burgers at Avalon are delicious. The crinkle-cut fries are the ideal accompaniment.



The burger, fries and a shake was a great meal, but on my next trip through town, I want to check out their fresh-squeezed lemonade (they also do limeade). This machine makes the magic. You can see the fresh limes and lemons in the background. I watched as they created each glass, as it was ordered. Each lemon squeezed on the spot, a little syrup and sugar added and blended perfectly and served in an old-style fountain glass.



Well fed, we departed for Shiner, Texas, the home of Spoetzel Brewery - the makers of Shiner Bock beer. More on that in the next installment.

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RIP: Tony's Restaurant; Bridgetown, MO

I hate for this news tidbit to get buried in the comments section of a months-old post, but a commenter posted today that Tony's Restaurant, which lured me in with their "Missouri's Largest Omelet" sign is no more.

I have not been able to find a news article that substantiates the post (not that I am doubting, but I do like accountable sources). In the meantime, I am going to assume that the story is true and I will mourn this omelet (a true bargain at around 5 bucks!) and the pancakes, too.


UPDATE: I have been contacted by the owner of Tony's Restaurant's granddaughter, and she tells me that the fire was attributed to an electrical fault in the kitchen, not a grease fire as the original poster had mentioned. She also tells me that the restaurant will not reopen in its previous location, but that her father is planning on opening a place nearby sometime soon. So long as that omelette makes the transition to the new place, I am there.

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Trip Log, Day 2; St. Louis

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

Waking up to go stand in line is not usually the first step to a happy day for me. But, it is the day we are headed to the new Busch Stadium, and tickets are tough to come by. Our best chance for tickets was what they call "First Pitch" tickets. Considering that all tickets have been sold for the whole season at the new Busch, this is a really good deal -- two tickets, randomly selected anywhere in the ballpark (including SRO) for just $11 - and an hour or so wait in line. The time passed along quickly enough, and we exchanged our $11 for a voucher, which we would later need to bring to the gate, where we will pick up our tickets. On the surface, it seems like a convoluted way to distribute tickets, but the locals tell me that the series of events are in place to ensure that these tickets are not purchased by those looking to scalp them for a profit.

After securing our tickets, three of us adjourned for breakfast at Tony's Restaurant (12246 Natural Bridge Rd, Bridgeton, MO), which proudly advertises themselves as the "Home of Missouri's Largest Omelet." I think I have mentioned before that I am a sucker for this type of marketing. I always want to see "the biggest," "the best," "the tallest," etc.

Tony's did not disappoint. The restaurant is not large, and well off any kind of beaten path that anyone but the locals would find. It is, however, near the airport, so it is an easy stop on your way in or out of town. Specials were listed on a board near the kitchen, and a sizeable menu exists, but when a place advertises that they are "Home of Missouri's Largest Omelet," why would you order anything else?

The three of us -- all healthy adult males -- split two dishes. One bacon and cheese omelet and a stack of apple pancakes.



I can only tell you that this picture doesn't do this omelet justice. Realize that the omelet is the same size as those pancakes, and about as thick as a stack of five! Maybe this close-up does it better...


Not only was the omelet ENORMOUS, but it was also delicious. It fed THREE of us, and we couldn't finish the whole thing. I can only imagine how many eggs it took to make this -- my guess is 6 or more. There may have also been about 1/3 of a pound of bacon in there. To top it all off, the omelet runs about five bucks. As a matter of fact, the whole check for the three of us was about $15, including tip. If you are looking for a place to grab a good, filling, hearty, inexpensive breakfast, Tony's shouldn't be missed. Bring a defribulator, though, it may come in handy.

Afternoon activities included a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden, specifically to see the Glass in the Garden exhibit by Dale Chihuly. I had previously seen a similar exhibit in Chicago a few years ago, and subsequently became a Chihuly fan. For one thing, the guy wears an eye patch, which is kind of pirate-ish. Extra points, for sure. On top of that, he has figured out a way to earn worldwide renown and make a ton of money, as an artist, while alive. Imagine how many folks aspire to any part of that! I won't bore you with a ton of Chihuly photos here, but I will add some below the fold for anyone who wants to catch a peek.

The Gardens were cool, but I think I liked the Chicago exhibit a little better. It seemed that these sculptures were a little more random, whereas at the Chicago exhibit, the sculptures took on more of the personality of the gardens. Either way, it was good to add a little culture to the baseball and red meat trip!

After Chihuly, we needed a little time to regroup before heading out to the ballpark. I will continue there in the next post, and, as promised, throw a few glass pictures up below the fold. For full visual effect, you should probably click on the pics to see the larger and more detailed versions.

This was probably my favorite piece. The illusion of flamingos in the garden is what appealed to me.

Many of the glass sculptures interact with the light in beautiful ways.







OK...I suppose you have had more than enough by now. Neat stuff, though, and if you get the chance to see a Chihuly exhibit in your neck of the woods, you should try to check it out.

Edit: Tony's Restaurant was featured in the Dining Out: Best of 2006 post.

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Stuff You Oughta Know...About Stuff That Fascinates Me

Inspired by a post by Madame X, I have always been curious how some people found their way here. There are a handful of people who know me in real life who know that I write here. That number will likely grow soon. There are people who follow links that I post on some "foodie" web sites. But, the real curiosities are the people who find me through a search engine.

So, what things to those in cyberspace want to know that I know? The following is a list, chronologically, of the last people to arrive via a search engine:

free pass to universal studios (these exact words were used twice)
how to get RJ Gators VIG card
understanding fafsa efc computed
hertz five star status
what i wish i knew in high school
fafsa strategy parents
round rock donut calories
how many calories in krispy kremes blueberry cake donut
monument cafe chocolate cake
round rock donuts ingredients
free meal on birthday miami fl restaurants
travel whore
universal studios, "free pass" mail
jewish ramiken
continental elite seating
"Continental Confirmation Number
olin mit admit
living wage uva
travel with kids
Ed Glaze “Gary Larson”
round rock donuts nutritional info
early withdrawl retirement penalty ca pers
doughnut cake tower

The only one that I can't quite figure out on my own in "jewish ramiken", but google clearly knows more than I do.

A few things are plainly evident -- other people are just as baffled as I was when they received a free admission ticket to Universal Studios; people are always on the lookout for a free meal; and I am, in fact, a "travel whore" (easily my favorite of all the search terms that brought folks to my blog).

I wonder about the people searching for the nutritional value of donuts. Donuts have no nutritional value -- THEY'RE DONUTS. For that matter, if you are concerned about the nutritional aspects of donuts, the simplest answer is to not eat them. I don't think we need a Surgeon General's warning here to know that donuts are not health food. How many calories are there in a donut? A LOT! That said, Round Rock donuts are some tasty little morsels, and I don't care about their lack of nutritional value.

I am also more than just a little curious about the those folks who are searching for FAFSA information and filing strategies at this time of year. Please let all of these people be parents of high school juniors. I guess that is way too much to ask. If you are the parent of a senior, FAFSA filing strategies are not likely to help you now -- unless you are being a little proactive and starting on next year. It blows my mind how little information is passed along from most high school guidance offices to parents. I realize that due to my job, I should know more than the average person about this, but it is staggering to think of how much misinformation is out there.

I hope that the folks who searched found what they were looking for....well, except for the guy who was looking for a travel whore.

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