Houston, TX Trip Recap

So I took a trip to Houston in April to visit my sister.  I realize this post is slightly delayed--I've been so caught up in cooking I didn't take the time to put this together!  But I had to share all the fun that is Houston, Texas, for all to enjoy. This is one cool city.  Now, being that my blog focuses on food, it only seems appropriate that this type of post focuses on food.  So here we go.

I flew in on a Thursday night.  It was a pretty short flight from Florida.  What do I see first when walking through the airport?  A gentlemen in leather boots with a nice cowboy hat on to top it off.  A real-life cowboy?  I knew I was in for a treat.

We started out with a Whataburger drive-thru.  Now if you haven't heard of Whataburger...ohmygoodness. Huge burgers topped with their basic ingredients--lettuce, tomato, pickle, chopped onion, and mustard--these bad boys rule.  We used to have them in Central Florida but they closed down a few years back, and when my sister mentioned they were in Texas this became stop #1.  I am a hamburger fanatic, and these are some of the best fast food burgers out there.

I flew in late so night #1 composed of eating and relaxing.  Day #2 though was for checking out the city.

And in downtown Houston...hello Spaghetti Warehouse!  This is one of the best chain restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of dining at.  They are relatively rare, with only 15 restaurants in 7 states.  I'm proud to say I've checked out 4 different locations, one of which I just discovered is now closed.  Oh, and their website is http://www.meatballs.com/. That's right.  Meatballs.

They have this amazing sourdough bread with this parsley and garlic butter that is just...indescribably great.  And the chicken parm?  Always get the chicken parm.  Their sauce is so thick and filling, it makes the meal just great.  The closest I have come to this was with my Homemade Marinara sauce a while back--I was really proud when I was able to capture the thick, herb-seasoned quality of their sauce.

After lunch, we checked out the Houston Zoo to wander around, check out animals, and burn off some of that sourdough bread.  That is one awesome and massive zoo, with tons to see and enjoy.

Later in the day it was time for the brewery in Downtown Houston.  My sister and her husband have raved about St. Arnold's since they moved to Houston--high quality beer with all kinds of great flavors.  Now, in addition to being a food fanatic, I am also a beer lover.  Give me a good pilsner or a black lager and my heart is content.  And I enjoyed plenty of beer in Texas.

You pay a $8 to get in, get some tokens to try a few beers, and get a brewery tour included.  Oh, and you get a glass to take home.  I've seen a few other breweries before, but nothing like this!

Here is my sister, brother-in-law, and I enjoying the tour.

Here is me enjoying some samples.  This one was a pumpkin variety, which was delightful.

And I had to share their cool wall art.

While visiting, I also had to get some Shipley's Donuts after reading about them in a magazine a while back.  Fresh, delicious donuts and hamburgers are my weaknesses, and to get a sampling of both on my trip was just irresistable.  These were some great donuts, and put chain donut joints to shame.  There were so many flavors I couldn't even make up my mind--cake donuts, filled donuts, powdered donuts frosted donuts...plain ol' glazed are my favorite, so I snagged a few of those and tossed in a couple other varieties.

My last day before leaving was reserved for checking out the Strand, one of the coolest areas of downtown Galveston, about 45 minutes outside of Houston.  There are bars and shops galore, plus the beach is right nearby.  While there, we took a ferry over to Crystal Island and checked out the stunning Bolivar Lighthouse.  I am a lighthouse fanatic, so this was a stellar part of my trip.

All in all, Houston turned out to be a super fun and exciting place.  The city is huge, and I know I only scratched the surface of all the cool stuff it has to offer.  I didn't get to check out any BBQ places during my visit, but some things you just have to set aside for next time.  The best part of it all was spending time with the people I love most, my family.