Jetprop to Eat

The eating orgy continues: this latest time in San Antonio and then Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Jerry had a conference in San Antonio and I tagged along in his new jet prop. Jerry and a partner acquired a Piper Mirage converted to a jet prop, so it zipped right along, especially with the killer tail wind we had.

We got to San Antonio in about five hours flying time. We stopped in Arizona for a very undistinguished lunch, and were back in the plane in no time, getting to San Antonio before sundown. Very civilized.

Once we checked into the Crockett Hotel, Jerry and one of his coworkers and I set out to find dinner. We were really hungry so settled on a place a couple of blocks from the hotel. I ordered boneless pork chops, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The vegetables were not overcooked and the pork chops were just a tad overcooked, but we survived.

The next day Jerry had a class to teach and I went out to explore. One of my goals was to find non Tex-Mex restaurants, and I succeeded pretty well. We had dinner one night at a Mediterranean restaurant which did a good job. For the life of me I can't remember my main entree, but the Caesar salad was quite good, with a very good dressing, crisp romaine and sadly, one lone anchovy.

Another day when I wandered off on my own I hit the Blue Star Art Center, which is also home to the Blue Star Bicycle Shop and the Blue Star Brewery. At the bike shop I bought a t-shirt and checked out their stock. Lots of fixies and cruisers and nice staff.

I hit the Brewery for lunch. The food was typical pub fare, but the Brewery did their own beers, though I passed. The bicycles hanging from the ceiling added to the decor.

The eating highlight in San Antonio came courtesy of the restaurant, Feast. The restaurant was decorated very starkly, with white tables and clear plastic chairs. A glowing reviewer said he (or she?) felt they could have been in New York or San Francisco. I would have to disagree because the lighting was way too bright. That may be about the only negative thing I could say about Feast. Take it down a notch, please.

The menu, while a bit cutesy, held some real treasures. It was divided in sections with such headings as "melty" and "grilly." We decided to try something from every category except large plates, figuring it would be more fun to have tastes of a lot of different things. I think we made a good decision.

We started off with a pear and onion salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Normally I steer away from sweet food, but this was definitely a winner. We went on to Mac and cheese with garlic breadcrumb topping. Okay, but not standout. Our starchy standout came in the way of homemade Yukon gold potato chips with a bleu cheese bechamel. We also had grilled brussel sprouts and tuna tartare with pomegranate seeds.

Dessert for me were mini churros with lemon-lavender pot de creme. And good coffee.

We knew we would be flying into a headwind on the way home, so we decided we would pop in to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and visit my friend Kathleen.

I hit the internet to find a place to stay and had no idea, that I had once again, hit the jackpot. Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa is truly an oasis in what appears to be a depressed little town. The owner's son fetched us from the airport and delivered us to a very western lodge full of New Mexico and new agey touches. Included in our lodging was the opportunity to soak in one of the hot springs tub.

We met Kathleen for dinner at the local upscale Italian restaurant. All of the other diners were guests at the lodge: I have a feeling it keeps them in business. I ordered something that was unfortunately better sounding than it was: pasta with various vegetables in a cream sauce. It had far more cream sauce, which was overly gloppy and pretty well tasteless, than vegetables. Jerry seemed to fare better with a more traditional eggplant Parmesan.

But the soak made up for all of it. Kathleen had been told by her doctor that soaking was not a great idea for her, but she decided to give it a try anyway. She happily reported to me the next day that she suffered no ill effects.

We spent more than an hour lolling in delightful, delicious hot water, talking and relaxing.

We left town too early to see much of Truth or Consequences, but with the lodge, I think we hit a very wonderful highlight.

Back at home, I'm trying to eat a more reasonable diet. This whirlwind of traveling, which began in October, has definitely taken its toll on my waistline and my energy. Time to clean up my act before I hit the road in February...