Food, wine and family
On Friday, Mom & Dad Fratkin, along with "Uncle" Norman, arrived in Austin. We tried to have lunch at Enoteca Vespaio on South Congress, but Dad & Norman were running a little late on the trek from Houston (too many antique stops, I suppose)... so Mom & I had lunch at the South Congress Cafe instead. Very tasty.
I took Mom to see my new office in the afternoon, and she needed to chat with some of my co-workers. We went from there to the gym, where Tina kicked my a** (mostly because I hadn't been to the gym since Monday!) and mom got a quick massage. After we cleaned up, Norman used his little Garmin nuvi to find my house, and I gave them a quick tour. [You'd think mom had never seen a car navigation system before... she was enthralled!] Dad apparently approved of my house.... he even checked out the duplex that's for sale across the street.
Dinner on Friday was at Castle Hill, one of Norman's favorites -- and now I know why! He had the Voodoo Shrimp appetizer, while mom & I tried the Chicken & Pork Dumplings, and dad had the Curried Lamb Empanadas. (There was plenty of sharing all around, everything was delicious!) and that was just the appetizers! Norman is also doing his best to convince me that red wine is just as worthwhile as white. It helps that he brings wine from his own cellar. ;)
Saturday was the button show. By East Coast standards, the show was tiny (16 tables), but it was pretty good for Texas, from what I understand. The postcards I sent out seem to have worked... we had 12 people come and look around, but I'm not convinced the newspaper ads were worth it. Next year we'll work on contacting the poli-sci professors and local high school history teachers. Maybe that will drum up some interest. (Besides, it'll be an election year!) We've definitely got our work cut out for us.
By the time nap time rolled around on Saturday afternoon, I was ready to pass out. Mythbusters was on, and as much as I luuuurve Adam and Jamie, I needed the sleep more. Dinner on Saturday was at Wink. It's a tiny little place that changes its menu daily, depending on what they get from the farmers market. Tres chic, I must say. My mom tried to sell me to the waiter (who was sort of hot, so that was ok) -- even before she got tipsy! Dinner was very good, although I liked the more relaxed atmosphere of Castle Hill better. Dad really enjoyed the lemon meringue with lemon curd for dessert. (My tongue is curling from the tartness just thinking about it!) Wink also had cool decorations: a divider made of 'flasher' eyes -- winking!
Boy, you'd think all we did was eat on this trip! Well, there's probably a kernel of truth there. Sunday brunch was at the Omelettry, a hole-in-the-wall diner that has arguably the best buttermilk pancakes in town. I did learn one very important lesson: do not follow brunch at the Omelettry with a tough workout at the gym. urp. While I was trying to digest and ride the spinning bike simultaneously, Dad and Norman were zipping back to Houston.
Remind me next time mom comes to visit, she shouldn't take a 6:30am flight -- or I should just let her talk me into calling a cab. Oy. The only reason I'd wake up anywhere near 4:30am is to take a cheap flight to California. ;) But, she made it out on time, and I made it back to my bed by 5:45am. YAWN.
I took Mom to see my new office in the afternoon, and she needed to chat with some of my co-workers. We went from there to the gym, where Tina kicked my a** (mostly because I hadn't been to the gym since Monday!) and mom got a quick massage. After we cleaned up, Norman used his little Garmin nuvi to find my house, and I gave them a quick tour. [You'd think mom had never seen a car navigation system before... she was enthralled!] Dad apparently approved of my house.... he even checked out the duplex that's for sale across the street.
Dinner on Friday was at Castle Hill, one of Norman's favorites -- and now I know why! He had the Voodoo Shrimp appetizer, while mom & I tried the Chicken & Pork Dumplings, and dad had the Curried Lamb Empanadas. (There was plenty of sharing all around, everything was delicious!) and that was just the appetizers! Norman is also doing his best to convince me that red wine is just as worthwhile as white. It helps that he brings wine from his own cellar. ;)
Saturday was the button show. By East Coast standards, the show was tiny (16 tables), but it was pretty good for Texas, from what I understand. The postcards I sent out seem to have worked... we had 12 people come and look around, but I'm not convinced the newspaper ads were worth it. Next year we'll work on contacting the poli-sci professors and local high school history teachers. Maybe that will drum up some interest. (Besides, it'll be an election year!) We've definitely got our work cut out for us.
By the time nap time rolled around on Saturday afternoon, I was ready to pass out. Mythbusters was on, and as much as I luuuurve Adam and Jamie, I needed the sleep more. Dinner on Saturday was at Wink. It's a tiny little place that changes its menu daily, depending on what they get from the farmers market. Tres chic, I must say. My mom tried to sell me to the waiter (who was sort of hot, so that was ok) -- even before she got tipsy! Dinner was very good, although I liked the more relaxed atmosphere of Castle Hill better. Dad really enjoyed the lemon meringue with lemon curd for dessert. (My tongue is curling from the tartness just thinking about it!) Wink also had cool decorations: a divider made of 'flasher' eyes -- winking!
Boy, you'd think all we did was eat on this trip! Well, there's probably a kernel of truth there. Sunday brunch was at the Omelettry, a hole-in-the-wall diner that has arguably the best buttermilk pancakes in town. I did learn one very important lesson: do not follow brunch at the Omelettry with a tough workout at the gym. urp. While I was trying to digest and ride the spinning bike simultaneously, Dad and Norman were zipping back to Houston.
Remind me next time mom comes to visit, she shouldn't take a 6:30am flight -- or I should just let her talk me into calling a cab. Oy. The only reason I'd wake up anywhere near 4:30am is to take a cheap flight to California. ;) But, she made it out on time, and I made it back to my bed by 5:45am. YAWN.
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