To celebrate my birthday, Julie and I went to the Stampin’ Up regional convention for the weekend…a perfect place for us, wouldn’t you say? Here are a couple of places we explored.
West, Texas (a little north of Waco)
Most of us only know about this little Czech town because we stop for kolaches on the way north. But we decided to get off the Interstate and check out Main Street. There was a very nice looking restored railroad station and a line of shops and offices…not much else from what we could tell.
We ate at the Czech-American Restaurant, a real hole-in-the-wall. Our food was fabulous! We had the sausage-and-sauerkraut special: excellent mild sausage and amazing homemade sauerkraut. I even got a side of tasty black-eyed peas. Dessert was mixed—the apple strudel was very good, but the pecan pie was average (they were out of the coconut cream pie, my first choice).
Near West, we found a real gem: Style Station. You’ve got to see this place to believe it. It’s a converted gas station crammed full of vintage clothing and accessories and ruled by a crazy old guy who will talk your ear off about politics (liberal yellow-dog Democrat version). I scored some cowboy fashion boots from the 70s and looked longingly at the squaw/squaredance dresses. Next time! Check out the photos on their website to see how crammed full of treasures this place is.
Czech-American Restaurant: http://preview.tinyurl.com/23c7l3u
Fort Worth
We spent most of our time in the convention center and at our nice hotel (Hyatt Place in Hurst). But we did walk through the Water Gardens. It’s an oasis in the midst of concrete. We agreed we’d spend a lot of time here if we worked downtown.
The Mexican food at Abuelo’s was forgettable, but we had a nice indulgent steak dinner at Bob’s Chop House. Beware! The portions are huge. Julie had the Champagne and Brie soup special and loved it. I enjoyed the Chop House Salad which had the usual salad ingredients plus bacon and hearts of palm. We split a 12-oz ribeye and it was plenty. The steak wasn’t anything special, but the smashed potatoes were out of this world!
