Austin's Park N Pizza

While down in Austin, Texas to visit family, we decided to take the nephew and nieces to Austin's Park n Pizza. The game room was really fun (I wish I owned the Jurassic Park video game at home), and although the rides outside were pretty outdated, the kids didn't stop smiling, which is all that mattered. We needed to grab something to eat, and since we were the only people in the bar/restaurant area we figured it would be a pretty quick meal.

For an appetizer, we ordered the fried mozzarella and green beans. They were cooked to a perfect crunchy brown and came with a side of "boom boom" sauce (whatever that is) and spicy marinara. The green beans dipped in the marinara were a great pair, as both fried foods needed some added salt.

I ordered the Blind Side burger. The 1/2 lb. burger was topped with thick cut smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and a sunnyside up egg. The egg was cooked perfectly. The bacon, well, i'm going with the theory that since it was thick cut bacon they needed to cook it low and slow. It was cooked a little bit longer than I think was expected as the consistency was like shoe leather. I love a good crunchy piece of bacon, but I don't want to spend 90% of my time trying to chew it. The burger was cooked more at a medium rare, instead of well, like I had asked for. Let me say, this burger had SO MUCH potential! Had the bacon been cooked properly and everything had salt (or seasoning in general) it would have been a killer burger. The fries that came on the side were fantastic, and had plenty of seasoning.

If you get hungry after a day of playing games and racing go-carts, I suggest you pick up the family (especially if you have kids with you) and head to a restaurant. The prices aren't terrible, but for the quality of food you get in return, it isn't worth it. And the number one thing as a cook that you would think would be obvious is that you need to properly season, or season in general, everything. Maybe it was a fluke and the cook just wasn't paying attention back in the kitchen, but for us being the only table ordering anything, it sure took a long time to get simple food delivered to the table.

Austin's Park N Pizza, Grill Menu

Texas Roadhouse, in Texas, like it SHOULD be experienced!

I am well aware that Texas Roadhouse restaurants are scattered everywhere. In fact we are going on a trip to lower Michigan soon and there is one in the town we are headed to. However, why not experience your first time here in an actual Texas location? We did just that, in Austin, Texas.

For an appetizer, we ordered the cheese fries. Now, I was a little bit disappointed, but only because I am a major fan of the runny liquid cheese. The amount of cheese on these potatoes was definitely impressive. And who doesn't love bacon?

For dinner, I ordered the special that they were having which was steak and shrimp. I always order my steak in a restaurant to medium, or medium well depending on how many times I've eaten there and know their cooking, but I just want a tiny amount of pink in the middle. My steak was cooked perfectly, along with the shrimp. I didn't even bother with the toast that it came with because I hate when they toast it on the flat top with the grease and butter. I would have preferred naked toast.

I didn't get a picture of my favorite thing, even above my perfectly cooked steak. It is all about the rolls and honey butter people. Had I known they were that amazing, I would have ordered my meal to go and just sat and ate 3 baskets of those. The honey butter is to die for!

My first experience at a Texas Roadhouse was amazing. Since it was in a Texas location, there were cowboy boots and southern accents, it was perfect. Definitely try a steak if you have the opportunity to eat here, and don't forget the honey butter and rolls!

Texas Roadhouse

Chau's Cafe

While visiting my sister-in-law in Killeen, Texas I needed to find somewhere that served bubble tea. I had been dying to try it for years but they don't have it in my hometown. Out of all of the places in the area that served bubble tea, Chau's Cafe was the highest rated on Trip Advisor and was already on my top 10 list of places to stop at while in Killeen.

The Boba flavors we ordered that are pictured above is Almond Chocolate with Strawberry tapioca pearls, and Chocolate with Blueberry pearls. I also ordered my husband a Pineapple smoothie with the Mango pearls. These, are some of the coolest smoothies I have ever had. Starting off by being entranced with the machine that they had to seal the tops of the glasses (I am easily amused....), the tapioca pearls were absolutely delicious. I was a little bit nervous of how they worked, and no one else that I was with had ever heard of bubble tea so it was very hard to explain, but the sensation when they pop added a completely new flavor to the drink and made it fun. 

Had we not just eaten lunch at a different restaurant, the food on the menu here looked delicious. I haven't had Pho in a long time and if I am ever back in the area, this will definitely be on my list of stops.

Chau's Cafe, Facebook Page

Earl Campbell's in the Austin Airport

My husband and I have recently been lucky enough to visit his sister down in Texas twice in the last two months. Some of the best bites of food that we had on our trips were consumed before we even left the airport. So good in fact, that we ate at the same place both times that we needed to stop somewhere for lunch.

While waiting for our food and absolutely starving, we ordered the chips and queso with added pulled pork. The cheese was good, pretty salty, but the added pork helped on adding another flavor profile to the cheese.

The first time we stopped here, I ordered the BBQ street tacos. These two tortillas were stuffed with pulled pork, a housemade slaw, red onion marmalade, and a bourbon BBQ sauce. These are the best BBQ street tacos, hands down, that I have EVER had.

This past weekend when we stopped here again, the waitress had misheard me and instead of a chicken sandwich, I ended up getting the Cowboy Philly. In this case, I can't complain about the mix-up because I probably would never have tried it otherwise. The poppy seed bun was stuffed with chopped up brisket, which was a refreshing take on the shaved beef version of a Philly. The brisket was smothered in jalapeno and red onion rajas, and a decent slather of the delicious queso cheese sauce. The scoop of potato salad was also very tasty, as it was more of the mustard vinegar base rather than loaded with mayonnaise.

If you get the opportunity to stop here while in the Austin airport, you should definitely take the advantage. Nothing we have ordered has been what you could remotely consider bad. Next time we find ourselves down there again, I will probably be ordering the street tacos! I'm not joking, they are amazing!

Jimmy John's, and why I will never eat here again...

I am not even warranting a long blog post about this one. I ordered the Veggie Sub from Jimmy Johns. Not that anything makes any of their sandwiches special, but this one I've had the two other times I've ever had to order from here, and it was never terrible. Not only is Jimmy John's overly underwhelming as a sub place, and the owner of the chain an absolute (pardon my language) ass, but I didn't order any hair in it. And no, to those who are reading this, it was most definitely not my hair. It was tucked into the sandwich between the mashed avocado and cheese, and also not my hair color (and my husband is bald....so it was definitely not his either! haha). I know accidents happen, but by now I will know better never to order from here again. I will always be disappointed and underwhelmed, and it is much cheaper to buy all of the ingredients and make it from home. 


The links below are two out of many articles pertaining to why many don't eat here, regardless of the underwhelming food in itself:

Jimmy John's and the non-competition clause

Jimmy John's owner hunting extremely endangered female black rhino

The Green Mesquite BBQ

While we were staying in Austin, Texas I looked up places that were highly suggested to eat at, and the Green Mesquite happens to be one of the restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. They have been open since 1988, serving some amazing BBQ, and have live music playing from Thursday-Sunday. We had three tired children with us so we decided to get takeout. 

I ordered the 2 meat BBQ plate. My meat choices were the pulled pork and chicken. For my two sides I ordered mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. The gravy for the mashed potatoes was delicious. The pulled pork was my favorite. There was a great layer of smoke in the pork, and when dipped into the tangy BBQ sauce it was amazing. You also get served white bread, which is perfect for adding the pulled pork, BBQ sauce and pickles to make a small sandwich. I can definitely see why this restaurant was chosen to be on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. This is definitely some good eats, and great BBQ!

Green Mesquite, Facebook Page
Green Mesquite, Main Page
Diners Drive-ins and Dives

Jasper Ridge Brewery

Jasper is one of those hit or miss restaurants. I have eaten here on and off since I was little because my grandparents, before they passed, lived in Ishpeming. Now I currently live fairly close, but I still have only eaten here about once a year.

If you do find yourself stopping here while in town, there are a few suggestions that I would definitely make. First of all, it's a brewery so even if you aren't a huge fan of beer, like myself, you still need to try the blueberry beer. It has a great fruity flavor and they actually float fresh blueberries in the glass.

The soups here are fantastic. Beer Cheese soup is my favorite, but a close second is the French Onion. If you get a batch that isn't way overly salty, the broth is always packed with caramelized onions, loads of bread and lots of gooey cheese on top.

Some decent choices for appetizers and meals in my onion would be the homemade mac and cheese wedges, and the taco salad. Although the mac and cheese wedges don't look really spectacular when you receive them, they are the perfect greasy and cheesy bite to go along with that beer or sports game you came to watch. The mozzarella sticks are also pretty decent, as long as they get cooked through to the center. Although I don't have a picture, the taco salad has been my favorite here since I was little. If the shell isn't burnt, and the waitress actually writes down the correct toppings, it is absolutely delicious.

Although the pictures probably make this sandwich look amazing (and it was so underwhelming I can't even remember what it was called), that is only because I take pretty good pictures after rearranging things on the plate sometimes. What you probably cannot see in the picture is that the sandwich is literally sitting in a pile of grease. I have no problem with the fact that they butter and toast the bread on the flat top, or maybe just use oil. Personally, I would rather not have extra grease added onto the sandwich, but every sandwich I have ever ordered here is swimming in grease. On top of the saturated bread issue, the chicken when I get it in a sandwich, is nine times out of ten as fatty as it gets. I have a downfall when it comes to chicken fat, one bite of it and I'm done. After the first bite I continued on hoping that was the only piece with a large chewy fatty area... but unfortunately that didn't end up being the case.

To sum up my opinion of Jasper, come here for the sports bar ambiance, for the brewery, and for some delicious soup. Leave the rest of the menu to be. It isn't worth it.

Jasper Ridge Brewery, Website