Dinner Destination: Riven Rock Ranch, Fredericksburg Trip, Part 2

We started out the day, Friday, with a stop at the Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, right outside Fredericksburg.  We've been buying their wines for years and even belong to their wine club and get new wines shipped to us every few months.  I wanted a bottle of their Vintage Port to make some port wine caramelized pecans.  Steve wanted to get six bottles so he could take advantage of the 10% discount for 6 bottles or more.  He really liked the 201l Albarino, a white wine made from Albarino, native to northwestern Iberia.  Apparently this was a very popular wine and supply was low.  He also got a couple bottles of the...

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Fredericksburg Trip, Part 1

Giant Pyramid Candle in the Marketplatz We set out for Fredericksburg on on Thursday, December 1st, to stay at our favorite B & B, Cottages at Limestone on Main, and relax a few days, shop, go on the annual Christmas Tour of Homes and enjoy the local cuisine, of course.  The drive to Fredericksburg via state highway 16 seems short and pleasant since Steve does the driving and I catch up on reading.  A stop in San Saba at the Oliver Pecan Company is always a must this time of year when pecan season is at its peak.  We buy bags of cracked pecans after sampling the season's choices.  This year we bought...

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Izakaya Event, Fort Worth Japanese Society, November 20, 2011

 Fort Worth Japanese Society Izakaya Pub Luncheon Menu Yakisoba Takoyaki with Octopus, Shrimp, or Cheese Sunomono with Wakame Spicy Stir-fried Edamame Regular Edamame with Sea Salt Yakitori Yaki Onigiri We had the above menu at a recent lunch event for the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  I am on the board and the events committee so earlier in the year when we were thinking of monthly lunch ideas I mentioned the Izakaya Pub.  In Japan an izakaya is typically an establishment where people stop for drinks (place for sake is the literal meaning of izakaya) and food.  The food varies but you might compare it to Japanese...

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Santa Fe in the Fall

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Tomatillo Papaya Salsa Day 1, Tuesday:  After a very long drive from Fort Worth we arrived in Santa Fe.  Our only food stop along the way was at Red Robin in Amarillo.  I happen to like their chili and there is not much to choose from in Amarillo, unless we wanted to stop by the Big Texan Steak Ranch and try the 72 ounce steak dinner.  When we arrived in Santa Fe we checked into our hotel, The Chimayo De Santa Fe Hotel on the Plaza.  Tune Up Café was our destination, a place we saw on a DDD episode a couple years ago.  Former Café Pasqual chef, Jesus Rivera, started it in an old...

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