Round Rock Day

Today is Memorial Day. I always get a bit weepy this time of year because way back in 2004 I was in Iraq in the Army with the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division and my battalion lost 10 heros. I considered two of the guys good friends. I miss my Army Brothers. So while this weekend no longer just means the unofficial kick-off to summer to me as it did before 2004, I do believe they would like us to take a moment to remember them, the good times we shared, and then get on with it.

Visiting my Army Brother's final resting place in Arlington, Memorial Day 2013, pictured with my oldest daughter. 

This morning I had to get my 2007 minivan it's 100,000 mile service! Yes, this military life has moved us coast to coast and now in the middle. My mom-van has served me well and is still going strong. As a reward for having to get up early on a no-school/work day, we decided to play tourist and head to Round Rock Donuts.

Round Rock Donuts neon sign by the registers.

I first heard about Round Rock Donuts when I attended a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show in Austin this March. Then my spin instructor brought up that she got a "Texas Sized" donut from Round Rock Donuts for her birthday and she made us burn the calories for her. So today was the day to try these world famous donuts.

We drove up and were a bit surprised that the road was a weird left turn that kinda looked like a fork in the road, the road less traveled because just beyond the shop the road was blocked due to road construction. It didn't slow the traffic down at all. The parking lot is miniscule, with maybe 20 parking spaces. There is a drive thru that constantly has at least 10 vehicles waiting for their orders.

We parked and walked in. Amazingly we started to wait in line inside the doors. The good news is that the line moves quickly. The line moved so quickly, we didn't have much time to ogle the variety of donuts. We decided to get everyone a maple glazed and a chocolate glazed donut. The girls each got a chocolate milk that I wish we had glasses to share one, because neither one of them finished their milk. Tim and I got coffee.

The selection of donuts in the case with the Texas sized donuts. *They were similar in size to the Monterey Donuts which will be an upcoming Throwback Thursday post.

After placing our orders, there was barely any room to wait to pick up our orders. I'm not a fan of crowds, so I sent the girls and Tim outside to get a table while I waited for the donuts. It wasn't an overly long wait, but still felt long since I constantly felt I was in the way, but then again, so was everyone else.

Our family with our donuts. A nice lady who was sitting in that empty chair didn't want to photobomb us, so she volunteered to take our picture!

I finally got our order and joined the family outside. The donuts were obviously made fresh. They were very doughy and soft. Even under the chocolate and maple glazing, there was an odd orange colored glaze. They were a bit messy, especially the maple glaze. Their website says the orange or yellow color is because they use fresh eggs while hand making these donuts.

Six getting really messy with her maple glazed donut, plus some of the road construction equipment behind her.

While the donuts were delicious, I don't know if we'll be back any time soon. We have a few donut shops a lot closer who also make fresh donuts daily, with a lot less traffic and crowds. We might be back to order the Texas sized donuts for birthday breakfasts for the girls.

As we left, the traffic was just as bad and the line of people to get in the donut shop was even longer. Since it started to rain, we were happy to make room for others.

A horrible picture of the lines of vehicles coming and going from Round Rock Donuts.

As an added bonus, when we had to pick up my minivan from it's completed service, we decided to have burgers for lunch. So we headed to Mooyah.

We had decided not to review chain restaurants, because we usually avoid chains in favor of supporting local restaurants and businesses. Someday we may own our own restaurant or business, and we'd like all the support we can get! However, we didn't realize this was a chain, because it's only a Texas chain, like HEB the grocery store.

The burgers and hotdogs can be ordered with all kinds of toppings for free. Only cheese, bacon and avocado costs extra. You can also order salads here.

The rain was coming down hard and the restaurant was loud, so I had to repeat myself a few times. We did have a friendly chat with the gal working the register about Jimmy Kimmel and Vulcan Video that her friends own, and was featured on the episode I was there to see taped in person.

The girls were entertained by the big wall of chalkboard and chalk.

Our shakes came out first and mine was missing. Eight got cookie dough, Six got peanut butter cup and Tim got chocolate. I ordered an Oreo shake, but when it was delivered to me, it was peanut butter cup. Good thing I'm not allergic to peanut butter. It did have candy crushed on top, so I was warned it was not what I ordered, but I decided I didn't care enough to send it back. I was disappointed that the last third of my shake had no candy blended in, just vanilla ice cream.

My very disappointing and completely wrong milkshake.

Our food came out and it reminded me of Five Guys burgers. Five Guys happens to be my favorite fast food burgers, so this is a glowing review of their burgers from me! The one thing this place has over Five Guys is Sweet Potato Fries! Six was apparently not in the mood for her hot dog. She called it "spicy" but Tim tried it and he said it was delicious. We were filled, mostly enjoyed our food and didn't mind the wait as a huge storm moved through the area.

The rain falling in sheets as we waited to find a good time to drive home.

It was a blessing in disguise that we were stuck at Mooyah for awhile waiting out the storm. We drove home in the thunderstorm and torrential rain. A few minutes before we got home, a funnel cloud was spotted near our house. The storm has passed by now and we are all fine, still in our watertight house.

Someone shared this on facebook - the funnel cloud we missed as we were driving back from Mooyah, as seen 3 miles from our house.

As an added bonus, here is a link to the episode of Jimmy Kimmel I watched on March 16, 2015! Here's what I wore, matching my sister so we could find ourselves in the crowd. Amazingly Jimmy talked to us during a commercial break and we became known as "The Sisters" and got called out all evening walking around Austin that night! There's my 15 seconds of fame!

Throwback Friday

Okay, so I know that "Throwback Thursday" is more traditional, but I'm typically a day behind.  Plus, I happen to have today off, which made Kyla and I nostalgic over the Fridays we had together while I was in grad school in Monterey - when the girls were in school and we had the morning and early afternoon to ourselves.  Those Fridays typically resulted in some sort of gastronomical adventure in the Monterey area, often ending with us walking the kids home from school with wine on our breath.

This week's memory posting is one of our favorite little cafe's in Monterey, Louolu's Griddle in the Middle.  I say little because the restaurant is easy to miss being near other larger establishments, and the indoor seating could barely fit twenty people.  Despite the diminutive size, Loulou's is still a local favorite and a must visit for any closet foodie looking for a good meal in a quirky environment.  Part of the quirky charm is Lulu's location, which is right in the middle of the Municipal Wharf adjacent to Monterey City beach.  For newcomers and visitors to Monterey, do not confuse the Municipal Wharf with the Fisherman's Wharf.  The Municipal Wharf has working fish vendors at the end, and you could often see trawlers offloading their catch of calamari or sardines that will end up in markets or restaurants within the day. Fisherman's Wharf, on the other hand, is a tourist trap with a bunch of crappy, overpriced places to eat and souvenirs shops devoted to separating you from your money.

Loulou's Griddle in the Middle - Better than any tourist trap on Fisherman's Wharf

Most of our trips to Loulou's involved a wait for a table, owing to the restaurant's popularity and small size. With its location, we'd often walk along the wharf, watching people fish, or watch the numerous birds, harbor seals, sea lions, and sea otters play in the surf.  Since there isn't a whole lot of room to sit and wait at the Loulou's (have I mentioned it's a small cafe?) the staff will take down your cell number and text you when your table is ready, giving you plenty of latitude to walk on the pier or even get your toes wet on the beach while waiting for a table.  If you're not into waiting, I recommend going during an off peak time, but not to wait too long.  The restaurant is closed from the mid afternoon until the dinner service to allow the chef to prepare his nightly dinner special.  And if you plan on dinner at Loulou's you can call ahead for your table.

Sea otters near the pier

Once seated, you're in for a treat from chef Benito.  I highly recommend getting a seat at the counter where you can watch Benito work and interact with the kitchen staff, who are very friendly.  I don't think I ever ordered straight off the menu, since Benito's specials were always the most intriguing offer of the day.  On "normal" days, the special was often a specially prepared fish with salad, with the fish coming straight from the bay to the table.  Our favorite times to head to the pier were the special theme nights Loulou's would have, such as Buffalo Night, Crab Night, or Abalone Night - with the themed nights normally coming on a Thursday or Friday.  These evenings were definitely a treat, with generous portions of buffalo ribs and chili, steamed dungeness crab, or fried abalone sliders expertly prepared and filling my belly.  Our oldest child was a fan of Benito's specials, whereas our youngest was a bit pickier.  Even though Loulou's does not have a dedicated kids menu, Benito was more than happy to prepare a hot dog, grilled cheese sandwich, ladle a bowl of his award winning clam chowder soup, or make sure the kids mugs were always filled with the locally produced Sparky's Root Beer for children of more discerning taste (i.e., picky).  Aside from the adventurous cuisine, the breakfasts at Loulou's were also a hit with the kids, especially the pancakes that were as big as the plate.  Finishing the pancakes was always a team effort for the family, but well worth it.  

Oldest daughter with the dungeness crab special  - and yes, she finished it!

Loulou's isn't special for the great food, local ingredients, or generous portions though.  What kept us coming back was the welcoming atmosphere and friendly service.  We were always greeted by the same people, who were always happy to see us, and especially happy to see our girls.  When we were fortunate to get a seat inside, Benito would pay special attention to the girls and make sure that their dining experience was special.  We did eat outside fairly often since those would be the only tables available, and with the central California weather being what it is, the staff was always prepared with a blanket for patrons who hadn't figured out that sweaters and/or jeans were a necessity during  a Monterey summer.  If you happen to find yourself in the beautiful Monterey peninsula, there are a plethora of dining options available.  You would do yourself a favor by going slightly off the beaten path and taking a stroll to Loulou's Griddle in the Middle on the Municipal Pier.

We have arrived!

Really, we've been around, but figured it was time to make a food (etc.) blog. What makes us qualified to write a food review blog? We have taste buds and opinions. Isn't that enough?!

A little background: we are a military family. Hubby (Tim) is still Active Duty. Wife (Kyla) completed her obligatory time in the Army (yes, that's where we met) and decided not to continue, instead becoming Household 6. We have two beautiful daughters whom will be referred to as their ages. So Eight and Six, along with a polydactyl cat round out our family. As a married couple, we are living in the 7th state the Army has deemed worthy of us living in the past 11 years.

We had a fabulous date night dinner tonight and after two glasses of wine each, we decided to write a blog. We'll try to post twice a week. Once will be where we went out to eat that week, because let's face it, we do. The other post will probably be a memory of somewhere we've eaten before.

We will review anything. We've lived the gamut from the fine dining known as Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to The Penrose Room at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and from Ramen noodles to The Sardine Factory in Monterey, California.

So far, no one is paying us to do this. We're writing this because it's fun! Enjoy the ride!