Puffy Tacos, Pot Brownies, and lots-a Meatballs

Well, after 3 days in the family truckster we made it to San Antonio!  Our trip went pretty smooth....and the only real melt-down happened when Kiddo A wanted to listed to Hakuna Matata...and Kiddo B thought it would be HI-larious to download the Chinese version of the song.  So of course, he freaked out, the harder we laughed, and then the more he freaked out some more.
So, let's get to the tasty portion of this blog post!
Road food highlights include:
This SERIOUSLY cool Coke Freestyle machine.

It had so many phenomenal flavor combinations and add-ins.  We enjoyed Peach Sprite, Raspberry Sprite, and Grape Sprite.  You MUST click HERE to find a machine in your area....it is really so cool! We also enjoyed some Jack in the Box tacos and egg rolls.  Of course I had to eat a Breakfast Jack for my Dad....those were his FAVORITE!    We were also able to hit Steak and Shake for kids-eat-free weekends as well.
No trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, and Austin would be complete without some Ikea Meatballs!

Ok, well maybe we only had them in Charlotte and Austin, but I waved lovingly in Atlanta and Houston, lol!
On Sunday night, we went to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse

Which was really like the Old Spaghetti Factory, but not.  In all honesty, it made me miss the Old Spaghetti Factory.  Not that we ever really went all that often, but I have lots of great memories of the OSF in Seattle and Denver....plus when I eat in a bed, I expect to eat pasta with Mizithra Chesse and Browned Butter...and they did not have it (((sniff, sniff)))  As it was, the hubs and I spilt one of those ultimate feast plates that had a little bit of everything.  Their 15-layer lasagna and Chicken Parmesan was tasty!

Monday for lunch, we stumbled upon a uber-cool place called FREEB!RDS World Burrito. 

It was a totally funky joint with a hippy/free lovin' type thing going on.  They had a great Taco Special....$5.00 for 2 tacos, chips and salsa, and a drink.  I enjoyed one Steak Taco with pinto beans and Spanish Rice and one Carnitas Taco with Black Beans and Cilantro-Lime Rice.   Then I totally devoured a Pot Brownie!

They were scrumptious, baked  in a pot, lol! 

Last night, we went to dine at the beautiful La Hacienda.  This was the same place that was on Throwdown with Bobby Flay when he took on the ever-famous San Antonio Puffy Taco as well being featured on  Food Nation, Good Morning America, and Emril Lagasse.

It is truly a magical place.  FULL of outdoor seating with live music and TONS of twinkle lights hung on the trunks of these amazing trees.  We sat down at our table and ordered.  I of course ordered the famous Puffy Taco filled with chicken.  It was not like anything I had ever had before.  It wasn't a fried flour based dough like a Navajo Taco...it was a corn base, but thick and puffy with a crispy outside.  It was a textural delight!

photo courtesy of culinary.net

Louis Barrios (the owner) came to our table and introduced himself.  When he found out we were from out of town, he went and got us even more food to try and sat there smiling while we groaned in delight with each bite.  This is one of those restaurants that the service and management truly infuse their food with love and respect for the ingredients, and that makes it taste even better!
Louis had us try this amazing green sauce that he described as an Argentine Pesto (I think).

It was AMAZING!  He first sprinkled it in our rice, which was amazing, but I loved the garlicky/cilantro love on their ridiculously thick, hot, and homemade tortillas best.  This is one I will be trying to replicate FOR SURE!
Well, thanks for indulging me in this on-line travel diary of sorts.  I don't want to forget any morsel that made me smile on this trip :)