Sunday Relaxation

"New Water Fountain" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO320
“New Water Fountain” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Another nice Sunday! The big thing Koa and I got accomplished was replacing our old kitchen faucet with a brand new one. The old one, an eBay purchase from a few years ago, was leaking a little bit and also the aerator nozzle was broken so the stream didn’t come out straight. I think it was pretty good, but the replacement faucet (a Kohler from Costco.com) is so much nicer! Of course, being brand new, the stream is nice, smooth, and well-aerated. But what’s really cool is that the pull-out nozzle has a magnet in it, so it snaps back into place when you are done using it as a hose. Really neat! And as you can see from the photo above, the kitties approve as well.

After that, I went grocery shopping and then prepared carnitas burritos for dinner. I used the Instant Pot again, and the meat turned out great – I cooked it for 35 minutes, but it wasn’t as tender as we’d like it, so I cooked it for 20 more minutes, and it was perfect! The meat shredded easily, and then I put some under the broiler to crisp up.

Instead of the usual tacos, we made burritos using extra-large flour tortillas, with beans, rice, avocado, lettuce, onion, jalapeño, salsa, crema Mexicana, and cheese. They were really good!

"Burrito Time" Cedar park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800
“Burrito Time” Cedar park, 2018

After dinner, Koa and I watched Paddington 2, which I had seen before and absolutely loved. Koa enjoyed it as well, and it was a perfect way to end a very nice Sunday.

I hope you had a nice weekend!

またね~

Poké Dinner

"Poké" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
“Poké” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today after work I went to Costco to buy some butter and pizza but came across some poké! I knew the other Costco location sold poké but this is the first time I’d seen it in our store. So I had to buy some and have it for dinner. It was pretty good! I haven’t had poké and rice in a while now so it really hit the spot. 😊

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Early Father’s Day

"Oyster Appetizer" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1000
“Oyster Appetizer” Cedar Park, 2018

So Father’s Day is actually next Sunday, but Mariko will be in Europe, Bay will be in Los Angeles, and I am taking Koa up to Baylor for Band Camp. Which means I’ll be alone that evening so… we decided to celebrate Father’s Day today. And of course, that means I get to choose the dinner (or brunch). 😀

So after much thinking (I am so indecisive), I decided on a local casual restaurant, CR Surf & Turf. This place is neither fancy, nor expensive, but it’s popular and they have some delicious seafood. It’s a lot of Southern-style food, which means plenty of fried goodies, but what Koa and I like to get is the surf & turf: a meat choice and a seafood choice. I opted for the flat-iron steak and grilled scallops, while Koa got the steak kabobs and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Meanwhile, Bay decided on the shrimp brochette. Mariko didn’t order anything but shared what we had. In addition to the entrees, we ordered a basket of fried oysters, six oysters on the half-shell, and jalapeño shrimp. It was all delicious, but so much fried food leaves you feeling a little uncomfortable later.

"Scallops and Steak" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Scallops and Steak” Cedar Park, 2018
"Beef and Shrimp" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
“Beef and Shrimp” Cedar Park, 2018
"Shrimp Brochette" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Shrimp Brochette” Cedar Park, 2018

I really like CR Surf & Turf and so do lots of other people. We arrived shortly after they opened at 4:30 pm and the place was already half filled up! The prices are reasonable, the food is good, and the service is solid. Plus it’s close to our house so it’s very convenient. If you’re in the mood for some Southern-style seafood like crawfish, po-boys, oysters, and even frog legs, give CR Surf & Turf a try.

"Appetizers" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO640
“Appetizers” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Sunday!

またね~

Walburg Biergarten

"Beautiful Day" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO200
“Beautiful Day” Walburg, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This evening we went to the Walburg Biergarten for dinner and drinks. Walburg is about a half hour drive from our house but the journey is worth it. Although there’s also a restaurant, we went straight to the biergarten right when it opened and ordered our food and pitchers of beer.

The food was ok, but the atmosphere was wonderful. Plenty of picnic tables and a band providing musical entertainment made for a nice evening. I heard that it can get pretty crowded, but tonight was not too busy. And the weather was perfect!

Someday I’d like to come back to try the restaurant, but I’m happy we got to spend the evening with good friends, laughing, eating, and drinking. Good times for sure!

Here are some more photos from the evening.

"Pitcher and Dinner" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/300 sec, ISO200
“Pitcher and Dinner” Walburg, 2018
"Texas and German Treats" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/140 sec, ISO200
“Texas and German Treats” Walburg, 2018
"First to Arrive" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/320 sec, ISO200
“First to Arrive” Walburg, 2018
"Biergarten Entrance" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/450 sec, ISO200
“Biergarten Entrance” Walburg, 2018
"Arcade" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/800 sec, ISO200
“Arcade” Walburg, 2018
"Evening at the Biergarten" Walburg, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/90 sec, ISO6400
“Evening at the Biergarten” Walburg, 2018

I hope you also had a nice Saturday!

またね~