First up is Donn's Texas BBQ. I don't have a website or a picture for this one, let's just say they aren't that fancy. The restaurant is located on Oak Meadow Dr. near the Y at Oak Hill. The place looks a little iffy from the outside, but there were tons of cars there. I decided that since more than one person had recommended it, I would venture inside. The decor was minimal with long picnic tables and bins with forks, sauces, napkins, etc. I got the chopped chicken sandwich with two sides. If you want extra BBQ sauce, they charge you. The food was actually very good! I wouldn't say it was the BEST BBQ (I shall reserve that for 17
th street and Willy's BBQ), but it was pretty good. I tried some of C's pork and it was tasty too. My only qualm is that every extra little thing costs you more. I wanted to add more sauce, but no it would cost me. I would go back, but mainly because it is so near to C's work.
Second on the list is a fast food place that I am sure most people have been to before,
Chick-fil-A.
We didn't have any of this chain in my hometown, so it took me awhile to try it out. I have heard so many people rave about their chicken. I love chicken so I thought we would give it a try one evening. Boy was I disappointed. For starters I thought that for what it was it was kinda pricey. Secondly, the chicken just flat out wasn't that good and the BBQ sauce very lackluster. *Whispers* McDonald's is better... The only good thing that I had there was their waffle fries. How sad is that? You can't go to a chicken place just to enjoy their fries! Their chocolate shake wasn't too bad either. Overall Chick-
fil-A is VERY lackluster.
Next up is the Japanese restaurant Haiku. We randomly wanted sushi so we thought we would give the new place in South Park Meadows a try. I loved the inside, the decor was modern and very zen feeling. My favorite part was the "L" shaped booths. This way the hubby and I sat next to each other instead of across with a big table between us. We of course ordered
edamame so we could have something to munch on while we decided which rolls to get. We ended up getting 5 different rolls, I can't remember what all of them were called, but the Rock and Roll one was awesome! My one complaint is that some of the specialty rolls are huge and simply don't fit in my mouth, and everyone knows you can't really bite a roll in half, I tried it wasn't pretty. We will definately go back. Perhaps the next time Steph comes to visit ;)
I met up with some fellow nesties for lunch at the next restaurant,
Mighty Fine Burgers. It all stared out as me picking up an embossing gun from mcurban and ended up with 15 people joining us for lunch! It was really nice to get to meet some of the girls that live up north that I wouldn't otherwise meet. The place was starting to get packed when I got there shortly before 11:30! I stood in line, ordered my Jr. cheeseburger with fires and waited for my name to be called. I was very excited to try their burger, as I had heard they lived up to their name and were indeed mighty fine. This was another huge disappointment! The burger was not mighty fine! I have had FAR better burgers before! For example Hut's Hamburgers. I thought that the burger was bland and rather dry. They did have an upside though, their crinkle cut fries were delicious! Alas, you can't just eat fries for lunch though. If I ever go again I think I will try their shakes, they are supposed to be rather tasty.
Lastly, we tried out another new restaurant in South Park Meadows,
Serranos. It was a pretty nice day when we tried it, although a bit windy, so we sat on the patio to enjoy the sunny weather. The wait staff was very SLOW. I will however attribute this to the fact that they had just opened a few days before because when I went back later for a nest get together they were much better. I tried out their lunch special with cheese enchiladas and stuffed jalapenos. The enchiladas were pretty good and the stuffed peppers were great! They were a good amount of spicy, not bland at all. When I went back the second time I tried out their queso, yum! I also tried their margaritas (yay for free ones while waiting for their liquor license). They were pretty good, although rather strong. I can see why they only let you have two per visit :p
I recently read the latest addition of the Hannah Swenson murder series. I love that the books take twists and turns to keep you guessing at who done it. The main character, Hannah, owns the Cookie Jar. The cookie Jar is her bakery where she makes cookies and other such treats. The great thing about this is that whenever a new food is brought up in the book, a recipe for it is introduced. You have got to love crime solving and good food, especially if they are in the same book! You will find one of the tasty treats over on my food blog. Check it out, they are worth making! :) This was yet another great book in the series. Seriously, try the first book and you'll be hooked!
After waiting for more than a month, it finally came in!! C and I are now officially Texas residents. I have to say the quality of the licenses here are just not as nice as the ones in IL. The lady at DPS took my picture on 2 instead of counting all the way to 3, that would be why there is no smile. I guess that makes it more realistic if I get pulled over.
We went to a new park a few weeks ago when the weather was perfect. C had some time off from work so we were able to go on a Friday afternoon. The Westcave Preserve only offers guided tours to the grotto and the cave. This is because they are trying to restore the cave and grotto areas from all the trampling and damage that occured back in the 60s. They have done a remarkable job getting plants to come back and have even gotten a few new stalagtites to form in the last 30 years. It was a nce trip and a beautiful area. For those curious I will include a picture of the grotto.
The first three books were in the same novel, but since they are written by three different authors I am counting it as three books. I picked up this book because the main novel Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke is a continuation of a series I have been reading. All of her books are well written mysteries and I love the characters. Even better all of the cookies and desserts made in the book have recipes included. Yum!
I recommend that you read these books if 
you never have. It is really amazing how all of the books tie into one another from the beginning, you just don't realize it until you go back and reread. They are very well written no matter the age of the reader. A++ :)
