Way back in another life, my family lived in Cedar Park, Tx. Well, technically it was Leander, but it was the Cedar Park edge of Leander so all the stores and places and things were in Cedar Park. It doesn't really matter, though, so forget I said anything.
Anyway, the Costco that we usually go to is still the Cedar Park store. Now instead of being 2.8 miles away, it's 70 miles away; which makes shopping a full day chore. A few weeks ago, my husband was off from work on vacation, and we had to do a Costco shop, so he got dragged along with. Because if I have to be miserable at Costco, we all have to be miserable at Costco.
It also meant we could have a proper sit down meal!
Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla Factory! It quickly became a family favorite while we lived in Leander/Cedar Park/Soul Sucking Suburbia, and we like to go there on occasion. For the three of us- yes, we forced my son to come, too- we each got more food than we could finish and drinks for around $30. That's not bad! And the food is divine! I've never had anything there that wasn't heavenly. Although, if I had to pick just one it would be the fajita plate, but please don't ask me to decide between beef or chicken. That has to be settled with a coin flip.
The bonus, though? Tortillas! Hand made, fresh, OMNOMNOM in flat bread form. I could fill up on just tortillas and salsa bar. Oh man! The salsa bar! I'm drooling just thinking about the salsa bar and tortillas. It's almost worth the 70 mile each way trip just for those!
Since we went there for lunch and are currently attempting to pretend like we're not alcoholics, we had sodas for drinks. However, speaking from past experience, their margaritas are pretty damned good, too.
It doesn't matter if you're in a bit of a rush, either. They do take away ('to go' if you prefer), they have a drive through, and even if you do want to sit in the delightfully decorated restaurant (bordering on tacky in such a great way), the service is muy rapido! (That's "very fast" if you weren't sure.) Despite the short wait time, though, the quality of food does not suffer. It's a proper meal served quick. Actually, they're a lot fast than Carl Jr's, but that's a whole different story!
So, the next time you're passing through Cedar Park, Texas, and are in the mood for some really good Mexican food, and freaking delicious tortillas (when are you NOT in the mood for Mexican? Especially when it comes with amazing tortillas!), I can highly recommend Rosa's.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
A Better Burger
A few weeks ago I had to go into town to run errands, aka monthly Costco shopping trip. I used to go to Costco once a week when I lived in suburbia, but now living in the middle of nowhere, it's a monthly trip. Most people don't particularly enjoy shopping at Costco, but most people don't have to drive 70 miles just to get there!
It does mean I try to combine errands in town, and usually includes lunch.
With my son.
My very picky son.
Normally, we just get a slice of pizza each at Costco. Although not the healthiest option (yes, they do offer a salad), there's something about the greasy, cheesy goodness of giant pizza that I just can't resist. Lately, however, my son has gone off the pizza and wants to go to other places. Like Jack in the Box. I wasn't about to drive all the way there, though. Too far. So he suggested Del Taco and my heart sang a little.
I grew up in Southern California, and there was a Del Taco across the street from my high school. I LOVE Del Taco. Is it great food? Not really. Is it healthy? Not what I order! Red burrito, classic taco, and chili cheese fries. My mouth waters just thinking about it!
But as I drove to Del Taco, the world crashed down around me- it was gone! There's no more Del Taco. What the heck? I pulled out the cell phone and did a quick search online only to confirm that Del Taco is no longer in the Austin area. That's just crap. The closest one now is in Dallas.
Can anyone say road trip?
Now, where Del Taco used to be is a place called Taco Shack. They may have perfectly good food, but neither my son nor I were in a forgiving mood- they replaced Del Taco and that's just not cool.
So, I suggested a new place. I'd been there once before when we were moving house and had to turn in our cable box to the store which happens to be in the same shopping center of the burger joint, but we'd only gotten shakes there. But I remembered the place smelled amazing and the shakes were really good. About half way there, I realized that the Jack in the Box had probably been closer, but it was too late now.
We got to Mooyah's just in time for lunch. Now, I know what you're thinking: Mooyah's? Who in their right mind would eat at a place called Mooyah's? But stay with me.
It's one of those new styled burger places where you order one patty or two, beef, turkey, or veggie burger, white, whole wheat, or lettuce wrap. Then you can pay extra for cheese, bacon, and/or avocado. Then there's a whole list of toppings that are free and you can load your burger up with as much as you'd like. I'm not a huge fan of this style since the only one I've been to before was Five Guys, and I'm not a fan of their's (I'll discuss that some other time, though).
My son, being the picky eater that he is, ordered a cheese burger with ketchup. Boring! I ordered a cheese burger with sauteed mushrooms and onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and Mooyah sauce. The Mooyah sauce turned out to be similar to watered down thousand island dressing, but it was good. We also got a medium order of fries to share since the description of the fries said medium feeds 1-2 people.
Next time we'll get a small!
Along with two small shakes, the order total came to about $25. I was thinking that was pretty pricey for a burger meal, but food has gotten much more expensive these days!
When the food came, I realized the money was totally worth it! The burgers were huge and there was a mountain of fries on both our plates- actually trays. It's an entire tray of food. There was a LOT of food! Even better? It's good! The bun was soft, fluffy, and tasty. The patty was perfectly cooked. The fries were not soggy with grease, they were flavorful. Also, they weren't gritty with salt, you could add your own.
Even my picky son said we should come back. That's high praise!
So, although the name is a little corny, I do recommend Mooyah's. I also recommend trying new things from time to time.
It does mean I try to combine errands in town, and usually includes lunch.
With my son.
My very picky son.
Normally, we just get a slice of pizza each at Costco. Although not the healthiest option (yes, they do offer a salad), there's something about the greasy, cheesy goodness of giant pizza that I just can't resist. Lately, however, my son has gone off the pizza and wants to go to other places. Like Jack in the Box. I wasn't about to drive all the way there, though. Too far. So he suggested Del Taco and my heart sang a little.
I grew up in Southern California, and there was a Del Taco across the street from my high school. I LOVE Del Taco. Is it great food? Not really. Is it healthy? Not what I order! Red burrito, classic taco, and chili cheese fries. My mouth waters just thinking about it!
But as I drove to Del Taco, the world crashed down around me- it was gone! There's no more Del Taco. What the heck? I pulled out the cell phone and did a quick search online only to confirm that Del Taco is no longer in the Austin area. That's just crap. The closest one now is in Dallas.
Can anyone say road trip?
Now, where Del Taco used to be is a place called Taco Shack. They may have perfectly good food, but neither my son nor I were in a forgiving mood- they replaced Del Taco and that's just not cool.
So, I suggested a new place. I'd been there once before when we were moving house and had to turn in our cable box to the store which happens to be in the same shopping center of the burger joint, but we'd only gotten shakes there. But I remembered the place smelled amazing and the shakes were really good. About half way there, I realized that the Jack in the Box had probably been closer, but it was too late now.
We got to Mooyah's just in time for lunch. Now, I know what you're thinking: Mooyah's? Who in their right mind would eat at a place called Mooyah's? But stay with me.
It's one of those new styled burger places where you order one patty or two, beef, turkey, or veggie burger, white, whole wheat, or lettuce wrap. Then you can pay extra for cheese, bacon, and/or avocado. Then there's a whole list of toppings that are free and you can load your burger up with as much as you'd like. I'm not a huge fan of this style since the only one I've been to before was Five Guys, and I'm not a fan of their's (I'll discuss that some other time, though).
My son, being the picky eater that he is, ordered a cheese burger with ketchup. Boring! I ordered a cheese burger with sauteed mushrooms and onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and Mooyah sauce. The Mooyah sauce turned out to be similar to watered down thousand island dressing, but it was good. We also got a medium order of fries to share since the description of the fries said medium feeds 1-2 people.
Next time we'll get a small!
Along with two small shakes, the order total came to about $25. I was thinking that was pretty pricey for a burger meal, but food has gotten much more expensive these days!
When the food came, I realized the money was totally worth it! The burgers were huge and there was a mountain of fries on both our plates- actually trays. It's an entire tray of food. There was a LOT of food! Even better? It's good! The bun was soft, fluffy, and tasty. The patty was perfectly cooked. The fries were not soggy with grease, they were flavorful. Also, they weren't gritty with salt, you could add your own.
Even my picky son said we should come back. That's high praise!
So, although the name is a little corny, I do recommend Mooyah's. I also recommend trying new things from time to time.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Tasty tasty goodness
Well, hello there!
I bet you're wondering who I am, aren't you? Or, if you weren't, you are now! The answer is simple: I'm nobody!
So why in the world do you care what I think of restaurants? Well, because I'm nobody, silly! I'm not a food critic that has my nose so far up in the air that I can't even smell the food and only rate restaurants on how well they kiss my ass. I'm not a failed chef that's bitter at those who are working. And I'm not some sort of lofty rich bitch connoisseur of fine dining establishments. Nope! I'm just a housewife, on a budget, who really enjoys good food and good service. Now, because of that budget, I don't get to go out to eat a lot, and usually when I do it's to a humble eatery, but that doesn't mean I expect less in the way of tasty food and good service!
To begin, I will give my opinion on Panda, a Chinese and Sushi restaurant in Fredericksburg, Tx.
I first went to Panda for my birthday dinner a few months ago, and ate so much sushi I thought I was going to pop! My son doesn't care for sushi, so he ordered pork dumplings. I had one of those as well and OMNOMNOM! They were delicious!
Last Friday, my husband and I decided to stop by Panda to pick up dinner after doing the grocery shopping. We've started shopping on Friday after he finishes work to avoid the crowds on Saturday. Plus, we always have far too much work to do on the weekends, and grocery shopping always seems to take most of the day when we do it on Saturday.
Anyway, we picked up a Subway sandwich for my son because he's the world's pickiest eater, and swung by Panda on the way home for take away (to go, if you prefer). Like I said, last time we went, for the full sit down experience, we ate too much. It was stunningly delicious, but we didn't want to go over board this time. So, we ordered a 16 piece sashimi with a California roll to split between us, which came with a soup or salad- we got a miso soup. It was plenty! And not bad for $30 dinner for two!
It was going to be 15-20 minutes, because the sushi chef prepares it all fresh- of course! So we each got a Sapporo beer and sat down at the bar to chat with the hostess and bar tender. They were fabulous! Everyone is so laid back and friendly- typical Texas hospitality!
If you don't care for sushi, don't fear! They have an extensive menu with all your favorite Asian cuisine. Eventually, I may even try something not sushi- it's just I don't have the opportunity to enjoy sushi very often and I do so love it.
In conclusion, if you haven't been to Panda, plan to soon!
I bet you're wondering who I am, aren't you? Or, if you weren't, you are now! The answer is simple: I'm nobody!
So why in the world do you care what I think of restaurants? Well, because I'm nobody, silly! I'm not a food critic that has my nose so far up in the air that I can't even smell the food and only rate restaurants on how well they kiss my ass. I'm not a failed chef that's bitter at those who are working. And I'm not some sort of lofty rich bitch connoisseur of fine dining establishments. Nope! I'm just a housewife, on a budget, who really enjoys good food and good service. Now, because of that budget, I don't get to go out to eat a lot, and usually when I do it's to a humble eatery, but that doesn't mean I expect less in the way of tasty food and good service!
To begin, I will give my opinion on Panda, a Chinese and Sushi restaurant in Fredericksburg, Tx.
I first went to Panda for my birthday dinner a few months ago, and ate so much sushi I thought I was going to pop! My son doesn't care for sushi, so he ordered pork dumplings. I had one of those as well and OMNOMNOM! They were delicious!
Last Friday, my husband and I decided to stop by Panda to pick up dinner after doing the grocery shopping. We've started shopping on Friday after he finishes work to avoid the crowds on Saturday. Plus, we always have far too much work to do on the weekends, and grocery shopping always seems to take most of the day when we do it on Saturday.
Anyway, we picked up a Subway sandwich for my son because he's the world's pickiest eater, and swung by Panda on the way home for take away (to go, if you prefer). Like I said, last time we went, for the full sit down experience, we ate too much. It was stunningly delicious, but we didn't want to go over board this time. So, we ordered a 16 piece sashimi with a California roll to split between us, which came with a soup or salad- we got a miso soup. It was plenty! And not bad for $30 dinner for two!
It was going to be 15-20 minutes, because the sushi chef prepares it all fresh- of course! So we each got a Sapporo beer and sat down at the bar to chat with the hostess and bar tender. They were fabulous! Everyone is so laid back and friendly- typical Texas hospitality!
If you don't care for sushi, don't fear! They have an extensive menu with all your favorite Asian cuisine. Eventually, I may even try something not sushi- it's just I don't have the opportunity to enjoy sushi very often and I do so love it.
In conclusion, if you haven't been to Panda, plan to soon!
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