Thorry, I hath a thickg. I hath to bwowl my nothd.

Sorry for the hiatus.  I've been sick. Not slightly sniffly sick either. But, omg-did-I-just-cough-that-up sick. It's like a very bad impression of a cat horking up a furball.  Or something. 

Since this past weekend was Mother's Day, The Lovely Spouse had Dutiful Son duties up in Dallas.  But he returned with Tacos of The Gods. 

The pict's not the best. After all it was transported over the course of a 3 hour drive.

The place is called 24/7 Tacos and is located near the intersection of South Garland Road and Miller in Garland, TX.  It's near the house of one of his family members so it's super convenient when he's (or we're) up there. I don't have any interior picts as I didn't join him on this trip, for obvious reasons.

If you go, expect no ambiance. It's located next door to the day labor center, in a gas station.  Order at the front counter. $5 gets you three tacos of your choice, rice, beans, and condiments.  I like that they have grilled jalapenos in the condiments. Super hot, but delicous with the beans. They also have red and green salsa, cilantro, onions, limes and others condiments. I usually get the barbacoa (expect it to be greasy because it's face meat), chicken and beef.  As far as I remember all are served on corn tortillas. I don't remember if flour ones are available or not.

I probably won't be posting much for the rest of this week. This illness isn't easing up as I'd hoped it would so I haven't been much in the mood for eating anything special or eating out. Generally The Lovely Spouse has been bringing me soup. I love the potato cheese soup from Cotton Patch Cafe as well as the hot and sour soup from T. Jin's China Diner.

Waller County Line BBQ

There's a BBQ place that we pass every time we head from College Station to Houston.  And until recently we didn't bother to stop and eat there.  Mostly because we had plans in Houston and/or College Station.  Well recently we had the opportunity to stop.  And boy-howdy am I glad we did.

If you've driven along Highway 6/290 between Houston and College Station you've likely seen this sign. It's a combined gas station, BBQ place, and bar. It was lunchtime when we stopped in.

 

The decor is no-fuss casual. And, yes, those are tools in the background. The bakery features cakes. We didn't save room.  But we noticed there was a good selection.

I meant it when I said no-fuss.  I went for the spicy boudin.  Luckily I got there just in time to get the last one. The Lovely Spouse got BBQ beef.

 Wait. Does that say jalapeno stuffed bacon wrapped quail??? Yes, please!

This is The Lovely Spouse's lunch. Quail on the left and beef on the right. He said the beef was slightly overcooked and dry, as though it had been sitting too long. It's possible we just got there at the end of their lunch rush. Maybe it's better earlier?

Here's the inside of the jalapeno stuff bacon wrapped quail.  This was AWESOME. Exactly what you would imagine it would be.  And totally worth stopping here again.

 

The boudin was also good.  It was how I imagine someone's grandma would make it. The spicy version was quite filling and spicy enough to leave a nice warm burn on the lips. The Lovely Spouse said it tasted "like organ meats". I didn't get that flavor from it, but enjoyed it nontheless.

Will we be back? Absolutely.  Jalapeno stuff bacon wrapped quail.  'Nuf said. And it's available in platters of 5 or more. Total cost for two, with drinks (iced tea) was around $20. No muss, no fuss, just good food. I like it. 

Fried Pies

Yup, that's the actual name for a relatively new restaurant in College Station.  Located close to the intersection of University Drive and Highway 6.

 

This used to be a Sonic Express location at the gas station.

 

The menu is very straight-forward with a selection of sweet or savory pies.  Each is available prepped on site as you order and cooked up or, for a lower price, you can take a frozen one home and heat it yourself.  The service was very friendly.

The drink selection is interesting because the majority are sweetened with sugar instead of HFCS. Diet Coke, of course, is an exception as it's sweetened artificially. 

 

I ordered the apple pecan pie, aka The Peter Griffin, and took it home. It kind of looks like a giant empanada.

 

The crust was good. Nice blend of tender and flaky. And the filling was delicious.

 

Wah-wah.  The problem was that the pie just kind of sat in my stomach. I was ill for hours after. [Image is from Google Images]

 

Will we be back?  Most likely not.  A stomachache is not a great way to make an impression. The pie was good, but...yea...my tummy didn't like it one bit.  I know others have tried this place.  How was it for you?

New Republic Brewery, revisted with directions

About a year ago I wrote a post on New Republic Brewery. As to be expected things have changed in the last year.  Instead of featuring one awesome beer, they now feature two awesome beers, with a third on the way.  And just about every two weeks they now have brewery tours.  For $6 you get a tour of the brewery, tastings, and a souvenir pint glass. An excellent deal.  Go to the website or follow them on facebook and/or twitter to find out when tours will be. Best of all, bring the glass back for following tours and you'll get a discount at the door.

The most common complaint I have heard about the brewery is that it's kind of hard to find.  Yes it is.  So I'll give directions from the Texas A&M University campus. 
1. Take Welborn Road South, like you're driving towards Houston. 
2. Turn Right onto 2818, like you're driving towards the fire school. 
3. Turn Left onto Holloman Drive. It's a new extension added to that road after the new bridge was built.
4. Turn Right onto North Dowling Road. Stay on the road for awhile, even past the really sharp turn. Everything should look residential and rural by this point.
5. When you get to the stopsign for Hopes Creek Road, pictured below, look for a stock fence on the left that has a little tiny grouping of signs.

 

This is the intersection of Hopes Creek and North Dowling. Go through the stop sign and turn left at the sign here.  Below is a closer look at the sign.

 

If you see this, turn into the driveway for the industrial park.  This sign is not visible coming from the opposite direction. So if you arrive at the stop sign turn around and look for this sign.

 When you get to the end of the driveway this is what you'll see if you look to the right. Park in any spot, just don't block any door or fire hydrants. And please don't block in any other cars.

Walk up and show your IDs to the people under the tent. They'll give you your souvenir glass and tokens for tastings.

 

Tokens. 

 

Designated drivers and non-drinkers are admitted free. There is filtered water available for those who don't drink or who want a break from it. Pint glasses are for sale without tastings/tour. And tee shirts are also available for sale. 

 

Texas laws have recently changed and brewers are now allowed to tell customers where their beer is sold (see list in background). Pretty soon Harvey Washbangers on Texas Ave will have growlers, so you'll be able to take New Republic beer home with you.  Texas law does not allow the brewery to sell beer directly to individual customers.  

As you can see above, New Republic also often has a guest beer.  Here it was Thirsty Goat Amber from Thirsty Planet Brewing Company in Austin.

So how do the beers taste?  Well, I'm still learning how to rate beers and such using a formal scale.  But from a layperson point of view I'd say Bellows Amber Ale has a mellow balance of caramel maltiness that's balanced out well with just the right amount of hops. Rate Beer gives them a 3.1 on a scale of 1-5, which I think is unfair because most of the tasters tried it at a beerfest, where conditions aren't exactly good for beer.  And most samples are too small to get an idea of what the entire glass would taste like.  Bellows doesn't taste like your typical Amber Ale but has that certain malty character that places it well within the scale of American Craft Ales.

Skylight is a German style dunkelweiss.  That means it's a wheat beer in which much of the malted barley (like you'd find in an amber ale) has been replaced with malted wheat.  Dunkel means dark, so dark wheat is used.  It was given a 3.95 out of 5 by Rate Beer.  Skylight is much lighter in flavor than Bellows, although the color is still dark.  It's extremely smooth and well balanced and appeals to many people who otherwise would never attempt to drink a glass of craft beer.  I prefer Bellows but understand why Skylight has a wider appeal to a larger audience.  They're both quite tasty. 

As always please drink responsibly! Designate a driver every time. 

Will we be back? Of course!  The beer is great and the people there are awesome.

Anyone who is interested in getting into homebrew should also contact the brewery and they'll get you in touch with a local homebrew club. These are people who love what they do. 

Note to those who were there on Saturday: the cake I brought was a margarita tres leches in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Here's the recipe with a few caveats. I added the vanilla at the same time I put the eggs, sugar and lime in the mixing bowl (it's not mentioned in the recipe). And I overcooked the cake portion by 15-20 min so that it would be sturdy enough to take up the tequila milk. I also don't have an 8" square pan so I used a 9" one, which is why mine looked flatter than the picts.  Also, I wasn't sure what was meant by "condensed milk" so I used sweetened condensed milk.

Ohana Korean Grill

It's no secret that I love Korean food. The spicy stuff, the BBQ, the soups, the rice cakes, it's all good. So I was quite happy to see one night that we have not one, but three Korean restaurants in College Station. 

Ohana is located in what was formerly the Lack's shopping center, next to 4.0 & Go and near Quizno's Subs.  It's nearly impossible to see from the road and the parking lot is covered with serious potholes and speed bumps. 

The exterior doesn't look like much because the windows are covered with paper.  But once you walk inside you'll see a clean interior and a large flat-screened TV playing Korean pop music (quite entertaining, in my opinion).  Choose a seat anywhere and a server will bring you menus in English and Korean.  The menu items are what you would expect for a Korean restaurant and prices range from $8-13 for entrees.  Appetizers, salads, and drinks, alcoholic and not, are all available.

While our order was being prepared the server brought out little dishes with condiments and accompaniments.  And, on request, kimchi. All were quite delicious.  I especially liked the super-umami clear noodles that were served warm.

 A little messy because I tore into it right away and then remembered to photograph it.

I ordered the bibimbop.  It's a traditional meal made of rice covered with veggies, ground beef, and an egg on top. What made this over the top incredible was the hot sauce (whedupbop).  It was very, very flavorful without being too, omg, hot for my taste.   I ate the whole thing, although I really should have split the very large meal in two. I'll be back for this.

The Lovely Spouse ordered the Beef BBQ.  This is the same as the beef short ribs served at other Korean restaurants. The version here was super savory and loaded full of onions and garlic, and worked well with the hot sauce. His was served with rice.  He thoroughly enjoyed it, although I can't really eat more than a sample of it. The tiny bit I had was tasty and I can see why he enjoyed it so much.

To go with our meals we both got Korean drinks.  The Lovely Spouse got a rice wine flavored with ginseng and spices while I ordered Kite (pronounced as it's spelled), a light Korean rice and corn based beer. The beer was a refreshing as it advertises and the wine was lovely.  At 13% alcohol I'll split it if I ever order it. 

In all we both enjoyed our meal at Ohana quite a bit and will definitely be back.  Entire meal, with alcohol, was around $40 without tip.  Without the alcohol it would be just over $20 before tip.  Fountain drinks and water are also available.  Credit and debit cards are accepted. The restaurant is open until 9:30 or 10 each night.

Chef Tai's Mobile Bistro

I've been meaning to post on the local food trucks in Bryan/College Station for quite some time.  A review of Madden's Mobile will come later, after I get another chance to try them out. 

 

 Chef Tai's Mobile Bistro at Blinn College in Bryan

Chef Tai's Mobile Bistro can be found all over Bryan and College Station.  Go to their website, twitter feed, facebook, or G+ page to find out what the specials of the day are and where they'll be serving.  Excellent use of social media, by the way.  Lunch is typically 11:30 am - 1:30 pm or until they run out of food. And, yes, they typically run out of the popular items fast. Dinner is also sometimes served, so check out the feeds or website for up-to-date information.  It's also worth mentioning that Chef Tai won the Food Network America's Favorite Food Truck contest.  He's hoping to be on Season 3 of the Great Food Truck Race.  Good luck to him, although I'll miss the truck while it's away on location.

The food truck has a standard menu in addition to specials.  Specials are often based upon special items off the Veritas menu. Chef Tai Lee is also the executive chef at Veritas and offers lower cost versions of many of the same menu items.  As someone on a budget I greatly appreciate this.

Usually I go for the pulled pork or short rib tacos, but today The Lovely Spouse and I both had specials.  In fact it as a particular special that brought the food truck to my attention today: soft crabs direct from The Chesapeake Bay. Yes, please!

 

That's kirin beer batter and deep fried on a bed of bacon cole slaw on an artisanal bun. I could eat about 5 more of them. Not because it wasn't filling, but because it was that awesome. And, fwiw, I had one of the last two available during the lunch run.  Soooooo good.

 

The Lovely Spouse had the Vera Cruz Burger. There's a slab of goat cheese and fried onions in there. On top of a fruit pico de gallo.  He enjoyed it. Then went back for some tacos and fried onions. He's got a very healthy appetite.

 

 Will I be back?  Of course!  The food is consistently delicious. When they don't have a special that interests me those pulled pork and short rib tacos are excellent.

Additional Notes: regular menu tacos can be ordered individually for $3 a piece or in sets of 3 for $8.  Specials are usually around $8-10.  Sodas and water are also available. They put cilantro on almost everything but will omit it if asked when the order is placed.  They also have gluten free bread and menu items on request.  Major credit and debit cards are accepted.  

Apropos of nothing: for kicks and giggles

During certain experiments I spend a lot of time at the microscope looking at fluorescently labeled cells.  Every so often something amusing will appear.  Humans recognize faces everywhere, even when context tells us no face should be there.  Like, for instance, in a cell culture. Yup, I'm a nerd.

 

These are alveolar macrophages I've stained blue with Hoescht (it stains DNA - the blue dots are cell nuclei) and my bacteria are stained green with fluorescein.  I overlayed the channels and adjusted the contrast (to make the overall image brighter) using photoshop. 

To add to my nerd cred, the camera was broken so I had to fix it to take this image.