Day 13: Home sweet home

We pulled into the garage around 8:30, glad to be home after a fun trip, and excited to sleep in our own bed. Since the refrigerator was still nearly empty, I dug up a peanut butter and honey sandwich for myself and some frozen taquitos for him. We had a great time and ate some delicious food, but I was ready to restock the fridge and start making my own food again for a while. I'm not sure how Guy Fieri does it over and over again; I think we'll be eating salads for a month!

Day 13: Settling for Subway

Just after we crossed over the Texas state line, we made a stop in Muleshoe, Texas for gas and a bite to eat. We knew we had a long drive ahead of us, and we were ready to be home, so we didn't want to stay for a sit down meal. We turned to the GPS, which told us the options in this small town were McDonald's, Pizza Hut, a donut shop, and a taqueria. We didn't want Mexican again and figured the taqueria might be a sit down place, so we thought we might just do gas station food. Fortunately, when we got to the gas station, it had a Subway inside, so sub sandwiches it was; so much for local food. We ate on the road, trying to get home before dark.

Day 12: BBQ and homemade ice cream

It is a family tradition to have homemade ice cream for 4^th of July, and my uncle pulled the ice cream machine out of the dungeon to help me celebrate that tradition. We spent the afternoon watching movies, making French vanilla ice cream, and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers at the house. My aunt made a mac and cheese recipe she got from a family friend, and it was great with the burgers and dogs. The French vanilla was a little more work than regular vanilla ice cream, but definitely worth it. I piled my ice cream with fresh fruit and very much enjoyed it, but it was also yummy by itself. I ate way too much of it, but I don’t get it more than once a year, and I made it healthy by adding nectarine slices and blueberries, right?

Day 12: DD&D locale on a holiday...check!

Since we weren’t able to visit the DD&D steakhouse, we decided to try one of the featured cafes for lunch on the 4^th of July. We pulled up to a very small café with a couple of steps to enter, and there was plenty of parking on the street. Someone opened the door and let us know they would open the back door so that we could use the ramp. Although there was a table set at the end of the ramp, they were very nice and tried their best to accommodate us in their small space. The waitress was very pleasant and knowledgeable about their menu. She even had a special appetizer made for us when my uncle described a cheese crisp (popular in Arizona but unknown in the rest of the United States). It looked a bit more like nachos, but it was covered in cheese and green chilis just like he asked (top left below). We all ordered something different, and everything was full of flavor. I got a combo plate (top right below) so I could try a little of everything; it had a ground beef taco, a chicken enchilada, and a chili relleno filled with cheese and deep fried in a corn batter. The pintos were served whole instead of refried and covered with shredded cheese, and I was given a choice of red or green chili to spread on top of my food. Michael got the ground beef tacos (middle right below), and he cleaned his plate. My aunt got the chicken enchiladas with blue corn tortillas (middle left below), and my uncle got beans and chicharron in a burrito (bottom left below). I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a basket of warm sopapillas for dessert (bottom right below), and I’m glad I didn’t. They were definitely freshly made and brought to us hot with honey, a perfect ending to our delicious meal.

Day 11: Los Ranchos Liquors???

We wanted to go to the Monte Carlo Steakhouse that was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, but we found out it was closed for the holiday weekend, so my aunt and uncle suggested another steak place, and we agreed. As we rode to the restaurant, my uncle told me to memorize the phrase “the cat’s whiskers.” We pulled up to a parking lot with a liquor store called Los Ranchos Liquors and a big black door that was locked when you tried to open it. My uncle instructed me to knock, so I did, and a voice from the other side hollered, “hold your horses, I’m busy.” After a few brief moments, the voice again came through the door asking for the password, so I said “the cat’s whiskers” and he checked to be sure that I wasn’t a cop and wasn’t wearing a wire before letting us in. We were given instructions not to bother the other guests or ask anyone for an autograph, and we were told that if anyone bothered us, to let him know and he would make sure it was taken care of. We were then led to a fancy table and given a fancy menu for “Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse.” The prices were higher than your normal steakhouse, but the food was delicious and had definitely been cooked by a well-trained chef. I tried to get pictures of the food discreetly, but it was much to dark in the restaurant to see any of it without using a flash. I got the small filet mignon with new potatoes and shared a chop salad with my husband. The meat was tender and juicy and cooked perfectly, and the salad and potatoes were a nice addition to the meal. I was stuffed when we left. Michael ordered a ribeye with peppercorn and covered in a brandy cream sauce and served with loaded mashed potatoes, and he tried his best to finish his meal but was unable. As we left, the man that let us in the door told us to be sure to come back so he didn’t have to whack anyone we knew. It was definitely expensive, but a fun experience.

Day 11: From the road

I didn’t capture much of the drive from Havasu to Albuquerque, partly because I was sleeping or driving for quite a portion of it, but we did pass some interesting mesas with alcoves in the cliff sides just before we passed into New Mexico. Thank goodness the weather got a little cooler as we drove toward Albuquerque!

Day 11: Striking out

As we approached Flagstaff, we decided we could stand to eat, so we pulled off on the historic Route 66. The GPS directed us to Salsa Brava, a fresh Mexican grill that had been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. As we pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, we realized the local time was only 10:15am, so they were not yet open. The other DD&D location in Flagstaff was Brandy’s Bakery, and we were sure they would be open since they served breakfast. We headed that way, but much to our chagrin, there were more than a dozen people waiting outside looking at menus when we drove into the parking lot. Not wanting to wait that long, we pulled back onto the interstate and headed east about an hour to Holbrook. A dining guide we had browsed at Barnes and Noble had suggested Joe and Aggie’s Café, a restaurant that served Mexican and American food. Unfortunately, as we passed it, we found it closed. That was the theme in Holbrook with many closed restaurants, likely due to the holiday weekend.

We finally happened upon a place called Mr. Maestas that was open, so we decided it would do. We entered an old building overrun with what my husband would call kitch (decorations), including the grill frame for an old Willy’s and several old style wagons and tricycles hanging from the ceiling. The hostess greeted us warmly and led us to a table, handing us a menu that featured a list on the front called “You know you’re having a bad day when…” and a list on the back giving mileage to other cities from Holbrook (I think that's worse than the street signs in Brady pointing us to surrounding cities!). I ordered the taco salad, and he ordered the chimichanga. My taco salad did not have a bad taste but wasn’t really anything special; it filled me up, and the guacamole was fresh. His chimichanga had quite a bit of spice, but he said it tasted good. While there, a group of 4 British tourists joined us at our large cafeteria style table; they were as confused by the choices on the menu as Americans seem to be by the choices on British menus. We were able to give them a few explanations to help them with their lunch decisions (such as the difference between a burrito and an enchilada and the fact that a chimichanga is a fried burrito), but we hope Holbrook was not a major stop on their vacation and their only experience with Mexican food in the U.S.