Oregon Vacation Day 1 - Travel and Time

We have arrived in Oregon safe and sound. Our trip was long and uneventful. Thank God.

We were on the ground, changing planes in Denver, when we heard about the shooting at LAX. We were not able to get any details at that time. When we arrived in Portland, there were three local news stations trying to interview arriving passengers. But none of us knew anything about what was going on, so they weren't having any luck getting an interview.

It was cold in Denver, we could see a few snowflakes falling, but it wasn't cold enough for the snow to stick.

We drove out of Portland toward Mount Hood, less than an hour away. This was our view from the highway.

We are ensconced in a lovely condominium in the shadow of this beautiful mountain. Today it was in the upper 50s and mostly sunny. They are expecting a winter storm tonight which will last the next few days with high gusty winds and a wintery mix of precipitation including snow at the higher altitudes. The locals tell us that we shouldn't have any trouble driving back towards Portland and over to the coast because the weather is expected to stay above freezing. If it's too bad, we'll just cuddle up in front of our wood-burning stove and watch movies over the weekend.

Speaking of the locals, we took the advice of the front desk clerk and went to dinner at a local place called The Rendezvous. It was great! I started with the soup of the day which was a harvest squash soup. It tasted like Thanksgiving in a bowl. I had Grilled Trout Almondine which was served over jasmine rice with a delicious mix of root vegetables on the side. Patrick had grilled local salmon in a white wine sauce with chanterelle mushrooms and the same mixed root vegetables and jasmine rice.

The food was outstanding, but the people there were what made it so special. We arrived at 5 o'clock local time and we were the first customers of the evening. Everyone went out of their way to be friendly, to recommend the best dishes, and to give us tourist advice. Even the chef was out in the dining room checking on customers. After we settled our bill and went out to the car, the host came running out and tapped on my window. He just wanted to be sure and thank us for coming in and to wish us a great vacation. How nice is that? I think were going to go back for dessert and coffee one evening. It should be wonderful.

I'm having a little trouble staying awake tonight. The local time is 9:35, but in Texas it's 11:35. I'm afraid it's going to get even worse tomorrow night when the time changes back to standard time and the clocks "fall back" an hour.

I'm not sure what's on tap for tomorrow. We had planned to drive to the coast, but we'll have to see what the weather is like before we make a final decision. If it's rainy and cold, it might be a good day to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory or we may just hunker down and cuddle up.

I'll let you know what we decide.

Restaurant Review - Fajitaville Grille

Grandad and I dine out regularly, usually 2-3 times a week. We go out every Friday night and frequently on Thursday or Saturday. Our Friday night dinner group, which includes my mother-in-law and our next-door neighbors, tries to "mix it up" by going someplace different on a regular basis. We eat at chain restaurants as well as local places. We are not picky eaters, we like good food and a quiet atmosphere. And, we're almost always willing to give a new restaurant a second chance. If we try a place and don't really love it at first, we'll wait a few months and then go try it again, especially if it's a new restaurant. Corpus Christi is well known for mobbing a new place for the first few weeks, making it difficult to get a table. Then business slows down and it gets easier.

This past Friday night, we went to a fairly new restaurant located on North Beach. Fajitaville is a three-story restaurant that sits right on the beach. In fact, the first floor Bamboo Beach Bar is an open-air bar where you can have your cocktail while you enjoy the ocean breeze and the rhythm of the nearby waves. You can also opt to enjoy your dinner there with a variety of choices including appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

We opted for the second-floor grill which offers an extensive menu including all kinds of fajitas, seafood, steaks, and Mexican food. Three of us ordered beef fajitas and one ordered chicken fajitas. They were served in a sizzling skillet with sauteed mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, and onions with sides of pico de gallo, shredded cheese, Spanish rice, refried beans, and your choice of flour or corn tortillas. The portions were extremely generous. Each skillet would easily have served two people. The fajitas were well-trimmed and perfectly cooked. We brought home enough to have dinner again last night and there is still enough for one more taco tonight.

My mother-in-law had the fried shrimp, which was the special that night. It came with seven large fried shrimp and a side salad. I didn't notice what other side came with it, but she also took a to-go box home. She said the shrimp was good.

We ordered one dessert which was split among the five of us. The Caribbean Bananas were really, really good. Warm bananas simmered in orange and brandy sauce served with vanilla bean ice cream. YUM!

The second and third floors are easily accessible by elevator. In fact, the hostess greets you as you walk up to the restaurant, joins you in the elevator, and escorts you right to your table. It was a nice touch.

Our waiter was helpful and friendly. The only complaint I have was that several of us tried to order pork medallions, then pork fajitas. Neither item was available. The waiter explained that they were in the process of changing their menu this weekend. I hope the new menus arrive before we go back. There is little that irritates me more than ordering something off the menu that is not available.

Perhaps the best thing about Fajitaville is the view of Corpus Christi Bay. It's nothing short of gorgeous. Sadly, they have chosen to install large televisions in every dining room and the bar. I could see three large flat-screens from where I was seated. When you have a gorgeous view of the ocean, do you really need the distraction of television screens? Keep your televisions in the bar, but leave them out of the dining room.

The addition of multiple televisions seems to be a trend in all the restaurants around Corpus Christi and it's a trend that I really hate. If I want to watch television while I eat dinner, I'll order my meal to go and pull up my own tv tray at home. When I'm dining out with friends I want to enjoy the conversation and the ambiance of the restaurant.

The food was definitely good enough to warrant a return visit. Next time my kids are home, we'll take them. I know they will enjoy the open-air bar right on the beach.

You can visit Fajitaville Grille at 221 South Hotel Place, Corpus Christi, Texas. They are currently undergoing some renovations. We found the parking lot somewhat tricky to navigate. The three-story building is brightly colored and stands out so it's easy to see, but you have to go around a hotel to find the parking lot. They could use some additional signage on the corner.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this restaurant review. We paid for our dinner. All opinions are my own.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Grams was one of those students who always dreaded the first day of school because every year the teacher had us write that essay "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." The problem was, we never took a summer vacation. While my friends went to Disneyland, Disney World, New York City, etc., we always went to the exact same place. Every June, as soon as school was out dad took his two week vacation we drove eight hours to North East Texas to visit my grandparents.

My grandparents lived about 30 minutes apart. So during the two weeks were were there we spent plenty of time at both places. Granny, my paternal grandmother, lived way off the beaten path in a tiny house nestled in the piney woods. My maternal grandparents lived near Lake Texarkana (it's now called Lake Wright Patman) where my Grandaddy ran a bait shop.

Those summer visits were so routine for us, that I didn't realize then what wonderful getaway vacations they actually were. There was lots of time for us to just do nothing, which I now know is what my parents loved about it. There was also lots of time to visit with the myriad of aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived nearby. Daddy usually went fishing at least once, which I know he loved.

This summer, we used our vacation budget to go to my niece Andrea's wedding in North Carolina. I've already written about the wedding here.  But as long as we were in North Carolina, it was a must to take a side trip over to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate.

I've seen the Biltmore Estate on television for years and wanted to visit the house that's described as America's largest house. When they call it that, they're not kidding. I knew it was big, but really I had no idea how humongous it is. Seriously, it's bigger than most hotels. Think about it ... 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. There's a swimming pool, bowling alley, and gymnasium in the basement. In addition, the basement also has servant's quarters, kitchens, pantries, walk-in refrigerators, guest quarters, changing rooms, and even unused rooms.

Sadly, I have no beautiful photographs of the interior of the home to share with you, because photography is not allowed. Only a small portion of the home is open to visitors. The family has not lived there since the late 1950's so much of the home has fallen into disrepair and is not safe for tourists. But let me just tell you that it's HUGE. Even the parts that are open to tourists are unbelievably large. I knew the Vanderbilt family was wealthy, but until I saw the Biltmore Estate, I had no concept of how wealthy they were. It was so big that I got tired of walking through it long before we finished the tour. Their website has a short video that shows some of the rooms that are open to the public. I was very interested the displays they had that show how they are recreating the fabrics and wallpapers that were original to the house. They are beautiful and I wish I had photos to show you, but here are some exterior photos that will give you some idea of its grandeur.

After touring the house, we moved on to the gardens where I was able to take pictures. The gardens are spectacular. They were my favorite part of the visit. The house is surrounded by a huge grassy lawn, but the rest of the estate is all gardens and forests. We were very interested to hear that, when the house was built, the entire property was clear cut and all the trees were planted. The forest is beautiful and was amazing to this coastal plains girl. The knowledge that the estate was planned right down to the trees in the surrounding forest really made me understand what an undertaking the Biltmore Estate was and how much attention to detail there was.

I've never seen such beautiful gardens. These photos are from the "walled garden." The prevailing scent when we were there was lavender which I love. I could have just sat in the garden and smelled the lavender forever.

We also enjoyed the rose garden which was also in beautiful bloom. As you can see, some of the rose bushes where as tall as me.

If you have the opportunity to visit Biltmore you should definitely go. But be prepared to walk a lot. Lots of stair climbing is also required. There is an elevator available inside the house, but it's very small and you'll have to wait in line for it. Even the gardens are up and down flights of stairs (not just a few steps). We were all exhausted from the stairs and the walking. 

So, unlike the vacations that my parents took us on, this vacation was in no way relaxing. It took about a week for my knees to stop hurting from the stairs. But Biltmore House really is something to see. I had no idea what the term "gilded age" really meant until I saw this house.

On the day after the wedding, we arrived in Greenville a couple of hours early for our return flight. We decided that we should venture into Greenville and find something good to eat to finish off our trip to the deep south. We searched for nearby restaurants using our navigation system. We knew that Carolina barbecue has a reputation for being different from Texas barbecue so we chose a barbecue place that was highly rated on the navigation system.

The Tom-Tom directed us to Smokin' Stokes. It's such a small place that we drove right past it and had to turn around and go back and look for it. It was kind of funny that once we got there, they offered "Texas beef." The barbecue was excellent. I tried their Cheerwine Barbecue Sauce which was really good. Apparantly Cheerwine is a burgundy red soft drink that's made in North Carolina. The one thing we found consistently everywhere we ate in North or South Carolina is that you have to order your iced tea unsweetened or you automatically get Carolina Sweet Tea. The owners greeted us, took our orders, and served our barbecue. These guys learned to barbecue on the contest circuit. It was delicious. If you're ever in Greenville, SC find this place and eat some Carolina style barbecue. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

La Fogata Grill - Corpus Christi Restaurant Review

Our Friday night dinner group chose La Fogata Grill for our weekly dinner. La Fogata is located at 6644 S. Staples St. in Corpus Christi. We arrived around 6:15 and our party of five was seated with no wait. As a matter of fact, I don't believe there was a wait for anyone the entire time we were there even though there were a couple of large parties.

Mary Lou and Grams started with the Friday night special $1.50 frozen margaritas. They were delicious and very generously sized.

As soon as we were seated, the waitress immediately served complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa is mild and tasty. If I had any complaint at all, it would be that the chips were not overly fresh and were unsalted. We also ordered chili con queso which was served with an order of flour tortilla chips. The queso and chips were exceptionally good. In fact, the queso was so good I was tempted to eat it with a spoon.

Each of the five members of our party ordered a different entree. So, while I didn't taste everyone's food, I think I got a good idea of how good a variety of their meals were.

Grandad had the beef enchiladas which arrived on a large rectangular plate. The plate had three enchiladas which were served with rice and refried beans. Grandad said the beef enchiladas were very good and he liked the rice a lot too. He thought the beans needed more seasoning.

Mama Ruthie had the Camarones a la Parilla which is grilled shrimp with tomatoes, onions and peppers served with a side of avocados and sour cream. It was served with homemade flour tortillas and looked delicious. I didn't really get her opinion about how she liked them, but I'm pretty sure they were good. She took a box of leftovers home.

Mary Lou had Shrimp Crepes which came with zucchini and rice. She reported that they were rich and tasty. This was also a large serving and Mary Lou also took a box home with enough food for lunch today.

Ron ordered beef tenderloin which was served with potatoes, beans and rice. His tenderloin was ordered medium rare and was done to perfection. He said it was the best piece of steak he had eaten in a restaurant. He did not have leftovers, so it must have been good. I will admit, sitting across the table, I kind of wished I had ordered the tenderloin. It looked that good.

I had Pepita Crusted Mahi with Tomato Butter and sides of sauteed spinach with cherry tomatoes and rice. I loved the pepita crust. In case you don't know, pepitas are pumpkin seeds. It was delicious and again, a very large serving. I have enough leftovers for lunch today.

We finished the meal with capirotada which is bread pudding. This dessert is served on a sizzling skillet and was a cut above any bread pudding I've ever had. The sizzling sauce with cranberries produced delicate strings of sugar on the fork. And the bread was deliciously crispy on the edges. The five of us split one order and it was enough for everyone to have several bites.

Everything we ordered was professionally prepared and artfully served. This is not your usual Tex-Mex fare and it's a bit pricier than the Mexican food places you'll find in large supply in Corpus Christi. Meals range from around $9 to $21 per person.

I regret that I did not think of taking pictures of the meals. They truly were beautifully plated.

Since I try to blog with integrity, I should tell you that our waitress was our niece Camey, so our service was exceptionally good. But, I'm willing to bet everyone gets the same good service.

Next time our kids are in town, we are definitely taking them to dinner at La Fogata. I highly recommend it.

40 Things To Do in Corpus Christi recommended trying new restaurants around Corpus Christi. This is the first one we've tried. More to come.

Black Diamond Oyster Bar & Chef Josh

This week our Friday Night Dinner Group went to dinner at Black Diamond Oyster Bar. Black Diamond is one of Corpus Christi's old-time seafood restaurants. I don't know how long they've been in business, but I know it's somewhere in excess of 35 years. It's a little bit off the beaten path for restaurants and it's not fancy in any way.

We've eaten there a couple of times a year since we got married back in 1975. As a matter of fact, when I was pregnant with our first child I craved seafood, specifically fried shrimp. Almost every Friday night we would go to Black Diamond Oyster Bar where Grams would order the seafood platter. It was a huge platter of fried oysters, shrimp and fish topped with a big pile of fried clams. Seriously it was a pile of fried seafood and potatoes about six inches high on a big platter. Grandad would order a more modest portion of fried shrimp. Usually the waitress would bring the huge platter and set it in front of Grandad and she would give me the shrimp. We would immediately swap plates and chow down. Thank God it's not on the menu any more.

If you were looking for good old-fashioned fried fresh seafood, Black Diamond has always been one of the best places to go. The food has always been good, but in recent years it was not spectacular. Recently, however, one of our son's best friends has started working there as a chef. On Friday afternoon, he posted on his Facebook page that they had fresh Texas oysters on the half shell. Knowing that my mother-in-law really loves oysters on the half shell, I suggested dinner at Black Diamond.

There were five in our party. When we arrived at about 6 o'clock, there was no waiting; we got a table right away and ordered our drinks. Black Diamond has a full service bar. We told the host who seated us that Chef Josh was a friend of ours and we would like to say hello. He came out to greet us and gave us his recommendations from the special menu. 

As expected, my mother-in-law and our neighbor, Ron, split a dozen oysters on the half shell, They reported that they were delicious and very fresh and they actually polished off 18 of them. We all had salads which came with delicious homemade salad dressings. The bleu cheese dressing was outstanding with big chunks of cheese. Grandad had ranch dressing which he said was also excellent. For our entrees, Mary Lou and I both had the spicy fried shrimp which were on Friday night's specials menu. The shrimp were really large with just the right amount of batter and very lightly spiced. Grandad had the regular fried shrimp which were also large and tasty. Ron had grilled shrimp and grilled mahi-mahi; he said both of them were really good. Mama Ruthie had fried shrimp and oysters which she really liked too. Each of us left the restaurant with a to-go box full of food. The portions were very generous. All in all, the quality of Black Diamond's food has increased a lot.

Now that I've told you about the restaurant, I want to tell you about Chef Josh. Josh grew up on the street right behind us. He and Nick were about the same age and were always in the same grade. They are lifelong friends. When they were little, any time I couldn't find Nick, I would call Josh's mom, Lisa, and she would send him home. When they were little they could definitely get into some trouble together. As teenagers, I sensed that Josh kind of wanted to be a hell-raiser and that made me very nervous. Nick could get into enough trouble on his own. For a while I tried to discourage the friendship, but to no avail. They remained fast friends all the way through high school, college and now adulthood.

After high school graduation, Josh went to college locally, first studying business and then switching to culinary school where he studied hard and became a chef. While working his way through school as a waiter, he met and married a lovely young woman named Brooke. I'm as proud of Josh as I would be if he were my own son. I consider him one of my boys and I'm proud of how he turned out. He's worked hard and he and Brooke are building a good life together.And, I have to tell you, in spite of what I thought of him as a teenager, he's turned out to be one of my favorites of all Nick's friends.

So, if you're in Corpus Christi, go by the Black Diamond Oyster Bar and let Chef Josh cook something delicious for you. He may not deserve all the credit, but the quality of their food has improved significantly. You won't be disappointed.