A few things to remember today, on this poor excuse for a Thursday:
All images via we heart it.
Things & Stuff
Tonight we went to Gibson Bar and The Trailer to sample goodies at a food blogger event. Honestly, my expectations weren’t too high for another food trailer, this time with pub grub, next to a bar. I was so pleasantly surprised!
I really liked the interior… I loved the black cushy booths. (Look, it’s James! Everybody say, “hi James!”)
We were given wine and bubbly options, but there are plenty of beers and a full bar, too.
All the food is made in this dandy trailer, parked right outside the door. And holy moly, the food. I can’t really explain why I loved it so much — it was super-decadent… lots of fried things and things wrapped in bacon and things topped with cheese — but it was actually well-done, flavorful, and somehow fresh. Justin said it’s like pub grub, but with a lot of effort… you know in your mind that it’s decadent, but you’re not thinking “ohmyga this is so greasy I can’t eat another bite.” I didn’t mind eating fried and fried and fried, though I did really want a sno-cone afterward, you know, to round things out. Maybe a sweet cocktail or two would do the trick. Or a nice cold glass of Firemans #4.
We were able to taste lots of menu options (the photos below show what a full order would look like; we tried small samples of each, lest you think I’m a gluttonous swine):
First up, the Trailer Burger. Yep, that’s a Round Rock donut acting as the bun, stuffed with a juicy patty, bacon, and cheese. I only had a taste, and I’m not sure I could finish the whole thing, but the salty with the sweet was perfect. On the side of each dish were the Tater Sticks: hand-cut, buttermilk battered, seasoned fries. Um, battered fries? Yes, please. The Trailer Sauce on the side was a sort of barbecue ranch dressing. Mmmm.
Next up were the Dedos (chicken fingers). I have to say that I’m really turned off by the name… as a Spanish speaker, dedos just means fingers, and it grosses me out. But! These chicken fingers were perfectly fried and still juicy inside. The spicy honey mustard sauce was AWESOME. If they sell it in bottles, I’d buy four.
This is the “Welcome to Texas” Chicken Sammie. Fried chicken (really juicy, too), cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on Texas toast. A solid chicken sandwich, if you ask me, and they also serve it seared instead of fried.
Now for the hot dogs. You know, hot dogs should always be wrapped in bacon. I’m just saying.
Below is the Buenos Dias… an all-beef hot dog split and seared, wrapped in bacon, and topped with cheese and a FRIED EGG. Yes, people, I said a fried egg on top. OF THE HOT DOG. Oh, this was so good. I couldn’t believe how perfectly the egg was fried… the yolk was still a tad runny, but not so runny that it ran all over your arm when you took a bite. Did I mention the fried egg?
And finally, we tried the Loaded Baked Potato, another bacon-wrapped hot dog with a slice of crispy potato, queso, sour cream, and chives. So delicious… You know, I could do without the queso, but only because I love sour cream, and would rather have more of that any day. π
So you see how the food is crazy decadent? But somehow, I promise you, YOU WILL EAT IT ALL, AND YOU WILL LIKE IT. We’re already planning our next trip back… and we’re thinking of going this Sunday, for…
A Memorial Sunday Crawfish Celebration! With cold beer! You know, I’m iffy about crawfish in these parts, but after our meal tonight, I trust The Trailer to do it right. As my friend James (hi James!) said, “It’s all-you-can-eat! And I can eat a lot!”
So maybe we’ll see you all there on Sunday. And afterward, we’ll all go for sno-cones. π
Even though at the moment food sounds icky (it’s all soup and Gatorade at the moment… don’t you just love being sick?), I wanted to share these photos from a recent dinner at Cipollina.
Caesar salad and corn chowder…
Tagliatelle with house sausage and endive…
And white truffle pizza with rosemary.
We made this a while back… Yes, I know it’s a weird mish-mash of cultures to have enchilada soup with mai tais. Still, it was yummy. I wanted to use up the leftover cooked chicken we had, and found this recipe in my Evernote. I am currently in a Southern/Home Cookin’/Crockpot/stir-in-a-can-of-cream-of-mushroom-soup phase. As for the mai tais, we got a similar recipe from a really cool couple we met in Jamaica, and we fiddled with it until we liked it.
In other news, I’m sick. π I woke up kind of achy yesterday, and a little nauseous, but managed to forget about it. But then I woke up the same way today, plus feverish and with muscle aches X 2. I had big plans for this weekend, including a hike on the Greenbelt and swimming at Sculpture Falls, but alas, it was not meant to be.
I did watch Ironman 2 on Friday… it was fun, and I do have a crush on Tony Stark (see previous post) and a girl-crush on Scarlett Johansson, but the story was still kind of janky. And where did Don Cheadle come from? What happened to Terrence Howard? Weird.
Speaking of randomly replacing someone in a film series… I also saw the newest trailer for Eclipse, and I have to say, I’m underwhelmed. Kristen Stewart’s wig is at its worst; I am not happy with Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria (I want Rachelle back! Also, Bryce’s wig is hideous!); the vampires’ makeup looks worse than in the first film. Meh. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch it on opening night, but meh.
Wow, quite the grouch today, aren’t I? Maybe we should move on to the recipes. π
Enchilada Soup
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, chicken, black beans, tomatoes, corn, salsa, jalapeno and chili powder; heat to simmering.
Add the cornstarch to a small bowl; stir in the water until the mixture is smooth. Stir into the soup and simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk the sour cream and about 1 cup of the hot soup together in a small bowl (this step is important or the sour cream will break) until smooth; stir into the soup until well blended. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen.
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Mai Tai (our version, anyway)
Stir all except dark rum with ice in a cocktail glass. Top with the dark rum.
Makes 1 drink that will remind you of Hawaii. Or Jamaica.
Source: poco-cocoa.
I’m about to unveil to you some of my most embarrassing secrets.
Yes, I’m happily married. I do have a fabulous husband. But I am also hopelessly in love with many fictional characters. Such as:
Kartik from The Gemma Doyle Trilogy
βThis is the world we live in, Gemma, for better or for worse. Make of it what you can.β (sigh)
Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith (just before he turns EVIL)
Edward Cullen from the Twilight Saga (of course)
(although this is more how I picture him)
Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
“I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you.” (Swoon)
(Peeta!!!! Please please please let him be okay… I can’t WAIT for the third book, Mockingjay, to be released in August)
Tony Stark from Iron Man (or… maybe it’s just Robert Downey, Jr.)
Noah Calhoun from The Notebook
Aragorn, Legolas, Eomer and Faramir from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
I’m sure I’m forgetting other gallant, brave, romantic and/or tragic fictional men out there. Anyone else willing to share their hopeless crushes? π
All photos linked to sources.