San Antonio, Texas

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

     Last week I took a trip to San Antonio, Texas. I only spent two days there but managed to get in as much as I could about this city. There are not many straight flights from Maryland to San Antonio so I ended up taking a connecting flight. I had a connection in Charlotte, NC. I decided to take a carry on bag only on this trip which was a first for me. I did my research and then decided what I could take on a plane. As far as toiletries go, I took the following:

This travel bag of toiletries can be easily found at Wal-Mart for about $5.00 

It includes toothpaste, floss, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, deodorant, a toothbrush and comb.

 I also bought travel size hairspray, foundation, body spray, and face moisturizer.

 









   For those of you who have never been to the airport in NC it is not small at all. I almost had to sprint to make onto my next plane, luckily I only had a carry on because it took about 20 minutes to get to the gate. I call it the food mecca airport because they have so many food and drink options!!

Reaching my destination!!








  I stayed at the Doubletree Hotel in Downtown, San Antonio. It was located about 20-25 min from the airport and 10 minutes from the Riverwalk.

The view from my room which was located on the 2nd floor.

A few things to keep in mind if you have a pool view, If you have the air on automatic, every time the air goes off you will hear noises from the cars and the doors slamming in the hallway.
  






  The hotel offers free shuttle service to any area downtown and will pick you up exactly where they drop you off. The hotel staff were very friendly. I decided to go to the RiverCenter Mall and go to Johnny Rockets for a bite to eat.

I decided to start off with a Deluxe Oreo Cookies and Cream Milkshake which was thick and creamy and good.

I ordered the Bacon Cheddar Burger made with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, and Special Sauce.





I was not impressed by this burger, it wall all over the place. Some parts of the burger was well done and other parts of it was medium rare.
The service was good at first but then the server kept asking me if I wanted a to-go box when I wasn't even half way through the burger yet which began to annoy me!!.


 The next day, ,my son and I headed to the famous RiverWalk. It was a beautiful day to enjoy it.

The ducks and pigeons are so used to people that they will walk right in front of you or even come up to you.

It also has RiverBoat Tours which will take you around the RiverWalk and the driver will explain a bit of history about it.

We decided we needed something sweet and cold to eat so we headed to Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop.

We ordered the  Crissy Field Cookie and Bits Sundae-made with Vanilla ice cream between Cookies 'n Cream ice cream, smothered in hand made hot fudge, topped with whipped cream, Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumbles and two Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Caramel Minis.

                                             
                    Creamy and delicious!!

Best Sundae I've ever had!!












We could not experience a whole lot because we had a very busy schedule, but my son and I do plan to go back soon and experience all that San Antonio, Texas has to offer!!

Chili's Restaurant

 My family and I love coming here at least twice a month. It has a nice atmosphere and great staff. I always try something new from the menu, and a lot of the times I end up really impressed. Today wasn't any different.

 

Tito's Punch

I started off with a cocktail. This has not been on the menu for long, but it has become one of the favorites in a short period of time!! 

It's made with Vodka, Malibu, house made sour, pineapple juice, and grenadine. It has the right amount of sweet and it's also very refreshing!!

 Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole

This is the best choice if you don't want to fill up before your entree. I always go for the guacamole. It's always perfectly seasoned.

Sunrise Burger 

I was a little scared to try this burger but I'm so glad that I did!! This is one of the best burgers I have ever eaten!! It's made with a farm fresh, cage-free fried egg, pepper Jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, red onion & tomato with Chili's own signature sauce.

Perfectly cooked fried egg.

 
 Perfect seasoning.

No need for ketchup!!










                                  Perfectly cooked burger, juicy and moist. 
                                  Warning: You will need a lot of napkins!!

  and of course, you cant forget dessert!!

Skillet Toffee Fudge Brownie

This is an oven baked toffee brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with toffee pieces. This dessert contains nuts. Fudge brownie is nice and warm, and ice cream is rich and creamy.

 We always have a great time at Chili's!!

T.G.I. Friday's

T.G.I. Friday's

I know many of you have been to T.G.I. Friday's and are familiar with their menu, but for those of you 

who don't or have not been there in a while, here's some of the favorites and new items on their menu.

I'll start by featuring one of their famous entrees, their baby back ribs.

               BABY BACK RIBS

Slow-cooked, tender baby back pork

ribs basted in Tennessee BBQ sauce.

Served with seasoned fries and coleslaw.

It comes in either full of half rack. The meat completely falls off the bone!! Also, nothing beats their Jack Daniel's sauce!! Perfect combination.

Frozen Lava Flow

This is one of their new featured summer drinks. It has 2 kinds of rum, Malibu Rum and Spiced Rum, fresh pineapple and strawberry, and cream of coconut. It's light and refreshing. Perfect summertime cocktail.

Frozen Blue Hawaiian

This frozen cocktail contains Bacardi Rum, Blue Curacao, fresh pineapple, and cream of coconut. Also a perfect choice for a summertime cocktail.

 Mozzarella Sticks

 Mozzarella blended with Asiago then topped with

 Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Served with Marinara

sauce. One of their top 10 especially with young kids.

WARM PRETZELS WITH

CRAFT BEER-CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE

Garnished with crispy applewood-smoked bacon and green onions.

This by far our favorite go to appetizer. The pretzels are warm and soft and the cheese dip is delicious!! 

 Here are some of T.G.I. Friday's new items: 

 Pain Eraser Cocktail-Rum, fresh pineapple, orange juice, cream of coconut, nutmeg, and frozen coconut.

Key Lime Pie or Dreamsicle Shooters.

                                        

                                      Ravens Camp

  
 This past Saturday we had the opportunity to attend a Raven's open practice. For those of you who don't know, the Ravens are the official NFL team of Maryland. In case you have ever felt skeptical of attending one of these of events, don't be, you will have a great time!! You will be surrounded by Ravens fans of all ages!!

They make it fun for the whole family. They have friendly competitions such as who has the best beard in the crowd? (they compare it to one of the bearded players), who has the best team sign?, and who can do the best dance in the crowd? (this is also compared to one of the players on the team). If you have kids that range in ages 5-14 an get there early enough, your child will get a special wristband and when practice is over they will call the kids to the front row so that they can get autographs from the players. Keep in mind it is a big stadium, so the player your child may want an autograph from may not be the player he gets one from. Either way all the kids seemed excited to get an autograph from any player on the team!!

They save the best for last!! Do not leave before the firework show!! It's wonderfully put together and you will enjoy every minute of it!! It was a perfect ending to a perfect afternoon!!

Birroteca 

Craft Beer, Wine, and Artisan Pizza

 Last Friday I had the opportunity to go with my wonderful husband to this Italian restaurant. They are located in Bel Air, Md. It;s a small place with a small amount of parking space but that didn't seem to stop the locals from coming in.  Employees are very polite and friendly and our server was excellent!!

I started out with a beer. I'm usually a frozen cocktail girl but they don't serve any frozen drinks here. I decided to go with STRONGBOW Hard Apple Cider, Gold Apple. I absolutely loved it and will continue to buy this brand.

Next, we ordered an appetizer. We decided on Arancini which was Parmesan encrusted balls stuffed with tender wild boar and provolone. When we first ordered this we were a bit worried because we had never had wild boar before but we were truly impressed!! All the flavors complimented each other and the meat was juicy and tender.

Onto our entree, we decided on the Double D Pizza. A wonderful and tasteful meatball, mozzarella, and basil pizza.  The crust had just the right amount of crispiness to it. We will definitely be ordering this again!

and of course, everyone's favorite, dessert! My husband decided on a funnel cake topped with strawberries an a scoop of creamy Broom's Bloom Vanilla ice cream. Broom's Bloom is a local family farm in Bel Air that specializes in light fare and homemade ice cream.  He said it was one of the best funnel caked he's ever had!

I went ahead and ordered the Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake. This had the perfect amount of chocolate and espresso and it was as creamy as you would want a cheesecake to be. It was the perfect ending for a perfect dinner!!

We will definitely be going back again soon!!  If you're located in or around the Bel Air area this is a place you need to try. Even if you're not, it's worth the drive from wherever you are located!! The people, service, and the food are excellent!!