#41 Brunch at Hotel Drover

Even though I've lived most of my life in DFW, I don't know Ft. Worth very well, but my #50by50 challenge is the perfect opportunity to explore the city where I live.  The Stockyards are perhaps one of the most well known attractions of Ft. Worth.  While I have been to Billy Bob's for a few concerts over the years, I haven't really spent much time down there. When I read about the Hotel Drover, I knew it would be one of my #50by50s.

      

Sunday brunch at 97 West Kitchen & Bar at the Hotel Drover is an absolute must!  For an appetizer, we started with the giant cast iron skillet, complete with candied pecans.  Piping hot and so so delicious!  You will definitely want to order one to share, although you may want to order it at the end of your meal for dessert.  It was super sweet.

I splurged and ordered the crab cake benedict.  OMG!!!  Incredibly decadent and scrumptious.  An English Muffin with spinach, Roma tomatoes, poached eggs, crab cakes, and hollandaise sauce.  There really aren't the words to describe how amazing this dish was.  I've ordered it many time before at all sorts of places, but this was the best.

After brunch, we walked around Mule Alley a little bit and discovered the Cowtown Winery tasting room.

There's so much more to explore down there, so I plan on visiting again (when it's a bit cooler) for a part 2.  Hopefully when I return to the Stockyards I'll also get a chance to see the cattle drive.

#40 Cabo!

Turning 50 is the perfect reason to schedule a girls' trip and I knew it had to be someplace gorgeous and new to me.  A beach was a must and I wanted it to be a quick plane ride away.  I've always heard great things about Cabo, so it was off to Baja California with some of my most favorite people!

Four days at Zoetry in Cabo is just what I needed.  Lounging on a beach bed, relaxing in the pool while sipping on pina coladas, leisurely breakfasts watching the whales . . .  it was an amazing week with friends!

If you are looking for a beach vacation, I would happily recommend Los Cabos.  It's gorgeous and temps were in the mid to high 70s all week.  The views are spectacular.  It would be super easy to stay on the resort all week, but with both San Jose and Cabo San Lucas just 15 minutes away, I would suggest "going into town" at least once for a change of scenery and to experience local culture. 

#39 Goldee's & Lost Oak Winery

 In 2021, Texas Monthly published its 50 top BBQ joints.  Because there are so many new places on the list and because I 💓 BBQ, I knew, visiting the number one spot, Goldee's, had to be on my #50by50.  We got there a few minutes before they opened and had to wait a couple of hours.  It was worth the wait!  We decided to get a little bit of everything in order to sample it all which is definitely the way to experience Goldee's.

  

Out of the meats, turkey, brisket, pork ribs, and sausage, the pork ribs were my favorite.  The meat just fell off the bone and the seasoning was next level.  The turkey and brisket were pretty amazing as well.

When you're talking BBQ, there are some sides that are staples.  But it seems like most places have a couple that are specific to them and Goldee's is no exception.  Their pork hash and jalapeno cheese grits both stood out as excellent and unique sides.  The jalapeno cheese grits were so creamy and cheesy, not too spicy either.  The pinto beans and potato salad were really delicious, too.

Things I learned from my visit to Goldee's - 

1. You will wait.  Take a chair and drinks.  Pay attention to the weather and dress accordingly.
2. Get there early and don't be in a hurry.
3. Order a little bit of everything and share.
4. Get some to go so you'll have lunch for the next couple of days.
5. Go with people you enjoy hanging out with.  

After our bellies were full,  we headed southwest just a bit to visit Lost Oak Winery in Burleson.  It's a beautiful and expansive property with some really fabulous wines.  

Another great #50by50 adventure!

#38 Time to Get a Little Artsy

Even though it may seem like my #50by50 adventures are all food based, that's not my goal.  I also want to learn and experience new things.  I used part of my Winter Break to channel my inner artist and experiment with pouring.  Paint pouring is just that . . . pouring acrylic paint on a canvas to create art.  I was surprised to find a lot of different resources online, but this is the one I relied on before beginning my art project.

I found my paints at Hobby Lobby.  They were made specifically for pouring.  And of course, I couldn't help but add some sparkle to my supplies.

This style of painting is an exercise in patience and being ok with how it turns out.  I am sure with practice and studying I could plan what my final product would look like and pour the paints accordingly.   I'm not sure that I knew quite what to expect and there were times I thought, "What a hot mess!"  But I continued to pour and turn the canvas a variety of ways and eventually I ended up with something I'm really proud of.

#37 Southern Eats

One of my favorite things about Winter Break is having extra time to spend with friends from different parts of life.  The first week of the my break was meeting up with some friends at new to me restaurants, both of which feature Southern cuisine, one of my favorites.

My first adventure in Southern eats was Tupelo Honey at The Star in Frisco, celebrating Christmas with Anita & Mitzi.  

We started with appetizers: fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, and biscuits with blueberry jam.  Yes, they were all amazing!  The tomatoes were some of the best I've ever had; definitely the thickest.  And the blueberry jam on the biscuits . . . I would have ordered it a second time for dessert if I hadn't been distracted by the banana pudding.  

For my meal, I went with one of my all-time favorites . . .  chicken and waffles, but with a twist.  Mac and cheese was baked into the waffles.  Yes, you read that correctly - mac and cheese waffles, and yes, you are right, it was delicious.  And it made for a fantastic lunch the next day.

I couldn't leave without trying the banana pudding; luckily they serve these mini versions of their desserts which is all I needed.

A couple of days later, I found myself at Roots Southern Table in my hometown of Farmers Branch, with two of my oldest friends, Kim and Becky.  If the name of this restaurant sounds familiar, that's no surprise.  It's been featured in D Magazine, Texas Monthly, the Dallas Observer, and oh, yeah, the New York Times as one of their top restaurants in 2021 . . . in America!  And yes, it is all that and more.  It's a different Southern eating experience than Tupelo Honey and just as yummy!  We skipped the appetizers and went straight for their signature dish - Duck-Fat Fried Chicken served family style with biscuits.  If you're wondering if Duck-Fat Fried Chicken is any good, the answer is a resounding yes.  It was unbelievably delicious.  And even more delicious the next day for breakfast. The meat was cooked to juicy perfection and the skin was crisp and full of flavor.  Since it felt weird to get a platter of chicken without any sides, we decided to try the Gruyere Potatoes as well.

We ended dinner with the Orange Juice Cake, the perfect size for three people to share.  Our server said it was the most popular dessert and I believe it.  Had it been acceptable behavior, I probably would have picked up the bowl and drank the orange sauce that the warm warm butter cake was doused in.

If you're a fan of Southern eats, then I can't recommend either of these establishments enough.  The food is fabulous and the service was amazing at both places.  If you're going to try Roots, you definitely need a reservation and it wouldn't hurt to have one for Tupelo Honey either.

Cheers to good food and even better times with amazing friends!

#36 Campo Verde

Last Christmas, Anita & I tried to visit Campo Verde, but the timing just didn't work out for us.  Our goal was to make it happen for Christmas 2021 and my #50by50.  If you're not familiar with Campo Verde in Arlington, it's been around for almost 40 years.  It is Tex-Mex and American food, but the food is not what you go for.  A trip to Campo Verde is all about the Christmas experience.  They start decorating in October and leave everything up through March.  And the decorations are intense!  Tinsel and lights and all sorts of Christmas goodness all over the place.  Clark Griswold would love Campo Verde!  

Campo Verde is a holiday tradition in North Texas and it gets bigger every year.  They don't take reservations and it's likely you'll have quite a wait; we waited almost 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.  Be sure to go when you have plenty of time and you aren't hungry before you even get there.  It's not the most amazing food, but it is definitely a experience you will want to add to your bucket list.

#35 A Day in Denton

Even though I'm a UNT alum (MS in History), I didn't really participate in UNT life like I did in Austin.  I didn't experience a football game or even local eateries.  Most nights I was lucky if I had time to go through a drive-thru before class.  Thanks to Caitlin and Russell Andrews for letting me tag along to the UNT/UTEP Homecoming game this past weekend.  

We had lunch at The RG Burgers & Grill.  Even though they have all sorts of fun gourmet burgers, the cheeseburger came highly recommended so I ordered that.  I opted out of the lettuce because it's shredded and shredded lettuce has no place on a burger.  Other than that, the burger was great!  The bun reminded me of Hawaiian rolls, a touch of sweetness and beautifully grilled for just a bit of golden crispiness.  They use cheddar cheese instead of American and it was perfectly melted over the top of the think meat patty.  This burger was delicious!  It's always a good sign when you have to cut your burger in half in order to manage it.  The burger comes with bottomless steak fries which were good, but nothing to write home about.

After lunch, we headed over to Voertman's to get some UNT gear and Insomnia to satisfy our sweet tooth.  I sampled the S'mores and Snickerdoodle, both of which were super yummy!

The game had a slow start, but ended with a bang.  Unfortunately we missed the most exciting part of the game as the temperature was dropping and we were getting a bit chilled, so we left at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.  The Mean Green won, 20-17, even though UTEP has the better record.  Being Homecoming, there were quite a few festivities, including an amazing performance by the marching band, which has over 400 members.  They took up the whole football field and were fantastic!  Such a joy to watch them and listen to them . . . so much talent!