Recent Dining Escapades...

I recently had a chance to go out to eat twice at local establishments, so I thought I'd give you my thoughts:

At Buffalo Wings and Rings on Loop 337:  We went here as a treat for my 3-year old, who thoroughly loved her mini-corn dogs and fries.  And my wife totally enjoyed her salad.  And I had myself a nice pile of spicy chicken wings that did not disappoint, although I was not thrilled with the bleu cheese, which was too bland for my taste.

But the best part of our visit was the service.  I wish I could remember the guy's name that served us, but he was attentive, friendly, helpful getting things for our daughter, and he even gave her a stuffed toy that he had won from one of the games up front.  I give our visit to Buffalo Wings and Rings this past week an A.

Our next stop was a Sunday morning visit to the Red Rooster Cafe on West San Antonio street for brunch.  And although I forgot to take a pic of the food here, that was certainly the best part of our visit. 

I have to say, the place is hard to park at, especially when it's busy, and the smallness of the dining room makes it a little hard to maneuver.  But all of that is well worth the food.  My father and I had the breakfast buffet, complete with eggs, made-to-order omelets, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, fresh pastries, sauteed potatoes, and more.  But for me, the winning dish was easily the beignets, dusted in cinnamon and sugar.  My mother had the eggplant parmesan, which she said was good, but not quite what she was expecting, since it didn't have a tomato sauce with it (she said it was more like a layered eggplant lasagna), and my daughter had the spaghetti and meatballs (which I tried and it was mmmmm good!).  I give our visit there a solid A as well.

Here's to more adventures at local eateries!  Do you have a place I should try next?  Let me know below.  Until then...

Let's Eat New Braunfels!

Meat Me in New Braunfels...

It's all about the Meat, y'all!  It's a very Texan thing to imagine huge cuts of brisket, or that extra thick-cut of steak, sizzling on the hot grill, beer in hand.  And I'm no stranger to the huge cut of beef.  In fact, I've been known to gnaw publicly on the huge beef ribs over at Cooper's BBQ from time to time (I prefer to gnaw privately...but will go public with my gnashing if I have to).  But a recent change in my overall diet has forced me to eat less red meat, and go for more of the poultry and fish.  And very quickly I began to miss those huge cuts of beef that I had grown so accustomed to in my adult life.  So I went searching for better, larger pieces of meat, and was kinda disappointed in what I found...until I discovered what's been a standard...a staple, if you will...in New Braunfels since 1981. 

Granzin's Meat Market is a family-owned store (owned and operated by Gary, Mark, and Michael Granzin) that specializes in fresh cut, high quality, local MEAT!  Just look at this!

And that's only about a quarter of the huge meat counters that you'll find at their store, tucked away behind the huge car dealerships that sit on the southbound I-35 access road just north of Walnut Avenue.  In fact, this store has been so obstructed from view (and is kinda difficult to get to from my house) that when I finally arrive, by using (back roads and turnarounds) I feel like I'm slipping into the parking lot of my own little secret butcher shop. 

Of course, that's a fantasy, since the parking lot is ALWAYS full, especially on weekends, making Granzin's no secret to the New Braunfels meat shopper.  And it's not just beef they offer (although there's plenty of steaks, fresh ground beef, and beef sausage - both dried and ready to cook).  Granzin's offers a huge selection of chicken and other poultry, fish, shrimp, deli meats, and jerky.  And for all you hunters out there, they also offer deer processing at a very reasonable rate.  All of this makes Granzin's my new must-stop on my grocery runs through town...and maybe some extra stops whenever I'm ready to get my grill on!  Here's to happy grilling and ...

Let's Eat New Braunfels!

HEB's Newest New Braunfels Store Set to Open July 30th

So HEB has officially announced that they are ready to open their 2nd store in New Braunfels! I know a lot of locals are very excited about this, and not just because it means the store on Walnut Avenue will be less crowded. It also means new food and food ideas! here are some specs about the new store:

Location: Hwy 46 at Loop 337 at the new Westpointe Village Shopping Center

Size: 88,000 square feet

Hours of Operation: 6am to 1am - 7 days a week

Store Manager: Evelyn Gregorczyk

Specialty Departments: Healthy Living, Sushiya, Specialty Cheese Shop, Cooking Connection, Showtime Kitchen, Tortilleria, and Scratch Bakery

Other features include:

• a 24-foot, full-service seafood counter with weekly fish specials, whole fish cut to order, and an expanded selection of frozen, bulk-packaged fish


• more than 950 varieties of wine


• a 16-foot full-service custom meat counter


• an expanded produce section, with a larger variety of fruits and vegetables, and a fresh-cut fruit station


• an expanded selection of HEB Organic and Central Market products


• and a 2-lane drive-thru pharmacy

And here's what it will eventually look like (this is actually the Bee Cave HEB, but the New Braunfels complex is very similar):

Pretty impressive if you ask me! So, tell me what you think! Will you travel across town just to go to the new HEB? Even after its newness wears off? Are the features they are putting in enough to keep you coming back?

Happy shopping, and Lets Eat New Braunfels!

Welcome to Let's Eat! New Braunfels

Hey there! You've found my new blog about eating, cooking, dining, BBQ'ing, and food shopping in New Braunfels, Texas. Through this blog, I hope to bring you some intersting insights, the latest news, and helpful hints for your culinary adventures, and I hope you'll help me out!

My challenge: To find new and interesting ways to fill my belly, and hopefully inspire you to try out some new ways to enjoy food! And along the way, I think we'll all learn more about what does (and does not) make our pallates hit the proverbial dinner table, with knife and fork in hand, chanting, "More! More!"

So Let's Eat! New Braunfels...