Girl’s Weekend 2
05.19.10
With my trusty navigator, Linda at the ready, we set out to find the Hula Hut. We found it pretty easily, it’s located on Lake Austin. We valet parked, cause parking was impossible. Walk up was amazing. There was a beautiful patio overlooking the lake. We walked in to put out name on the waiting list and found out, to our dismay, that it was at least a 1 1/2 hour wait for a table. Needless to say, we were starving and that just wouldn’t do. Shame on us for trying to eat dinner at dinner time! We decided to just drive around and pick a place. We got onto Congress Ave. and saw that there was a row of food trailers and decided to check that out. Turns out that a Cupcake stand and BBQ place were the only things open, so our trek for dinner continued. We just walked up the sidewalk and noticed Guero’s Taco Bar across the steet and that was one of the restaurants on Linda’s list to we headed over, only to find another hour + wait time. That again, would not do. Down the sidewalk we trudged. Just about a block down, we happened across a little “diner” of sorts. The Woodlands. Their menu was in the window and they had Chicken Pot Pie – one of my favorites! We decided to give it a try. Walking in, it looked like a dimly lit diner with booths on one side and tables and chairs on the other side. There was a big display with an array of freshly baked pies…PIE! I love PIE! We grabbed a booth and noticed that not only did they have fresh PIE, but they also had a full BAR…Did I find heaven? Pie, Booze AND Chicken pot pie? I was feeling a bit like a drinky-poo, so I ordered their Ginger Cherry Lemonade and it was yummy. I ordered the Pot Pie and we just couldn’t pass up an appetizer of Fried Oysters. Linda ordered the Macaroni & Cheese and an order of Green Beans. The Fried Oysters were huge and amazing! Now, I make a mean Chicken Pot Pie and for the first time, I think I found a rival. The Woodland’s Chicken Pot Pie is out of this world! The crust was so flaky and was seasoned so perfectly…my mouth is watery right now with just the memory of it. Don’t you hate it when you scarf on something, just loving it so completely and there’s just that bite or two left…you want it soooo badly, but you know if you eat it, the scarfing will turn to barfing in the blink of an eye. That was the case with me and my luscious pot pie. So sad. Linda and I sat back from our amazing dinner and we both gave each other a nod of approval. We had lucked out and found an outstanding restaurant on our quest for dinner.
Linda and I checked out of the hotel around 9:30-ish and headed to Kerby Lane for breakfast. It’s the one place that Clay and I always go when we are in Austin. Man, we lucked out with up front parking and only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Usually I get the Gingerbread Pancakes, (outta dis world) but one of the specials was Orange-Spice Pancakes and I just couldn’t resist. One of the other specials was Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes and that is what Linda got. The Orange-Spice was just okay but the Lemon-Poppy Seed were fabulous! I felt kinda jilted, but I noticed on our way in that they were selling their Kerby Lane Gingerbread Pancake Mix, so I walked out with a coupla packages. We decided to hit the Austin Museum of Art, so we headed downtown. Turns out that the museum was closed as they were installing a new exhibit. The State Capital 
was just down the block so we decided to have a look. What’s funny, is that on the walk up the street, I joked that “wouldn’t it be great if there was a protest going on?” Well, falling in line with our trip thus far, lo and behold, a protest on the steps of the State Capital! The group “American Atheists” and “Texans for Truthful Textbooks” were holding a rally while we were visiting the State Capital. It was peaceful, no firearms were visible. It always floors me to see young children with pickets. Children who can’t even re
ad. It was interesting though. I have not really been keeping up with the issue, so the incident has sparked my curiosity. Anyhoo, the State Capital is just beautiful. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, so access to most of the areas of interest were closed. Of course the gift shop was open…
On our way back to the car, we stopped in at Starbuck’s to rest my aching feet for a bit then decided to grab a bite for lunch before hitting the road for Dallas. We headed to one of the restaurants that had a long wait time the night be
fore, Guero’s Taco Bar . There was still a wait, but my feet were tired and we weren’t gonna walk around no more. They seated us in the bar area, which was cramped and loud. Linda and I shared an appetizer Botano Plato, which consisted of two different kinds of tamales (black bean & beef and pork), two quesadillas and queso with chips. It was very good. On my way back to the restroom, I traveled through the main restaurant and it was really nice. I was wondering where the “taco bar” came from in the name and now I know, they have a bar filled with different types of picos, salsas, sauces and onions and peppers. Pretty cool.
After a scrumptious meal, we were Dallas bound. I really had a great weekend. It was quite mild and by no means anywhere near wild. I actually saw more of Austin than in my previous 4 trips. Clay and I tend to like to kick back and enjoy the peace and quiet that a hotel room at the Omni affords you.
Fin
Tags: American Atheists, Austin Texas, Guero's Taco Bar, Hula Hut, Kerby Lane, Linda, loli, lori, State Capital of Texas, Texans for Truthful Textbooks, The Woodlands