More Sweet Boys and Rusty Taco

After a fun morning spent with my sister and her two little boys, it was almost time for me to head back to the airport for work. Wop wop.

But not before an incredible lunch!

I put my sunglasses on, and Evan asked for his, too. I think that he definitely wears them better!

Evan talked the entire drive, and it was so fun to listen to him forming sentences. He has always known what he was saying, but now I can understand it, too! What a sweet little man.

And here it is…in all of its glorified glory.

Welcome to Rusty Taco.

Please allow me to say that if you live anywhere within a 1,031 mile radius of this small chain in Dallas, Texas…please go.

Your taste buds will thank you. And you will be very happy indeed when you walk through the door.

The menu is simple and delicious. The only difficult part was deciding which tacos to enjoy today! T’liese recommended the #10 Fried Chicken Taco, and I thought that it sounded like a pretty good idea.

I also tried the #11 BBQ Brisket Taco because, hey, it’s Texas.

My lunch was finished with the #2 Roasted Pork Taco, which is one of my favorite things on earth, if you must know.

I know that this sounds like a lot of food (and it was), but these cute, little, teensy tiny tacos were manageable. And I’m so glad that I got three!

Woops. We also accidentally ordered some chips and salsa to share before our real food arrived. These chips were warm and perfectly salty. And the salsa was heaven in a bowl.

I love me some chips and salsa!

It must run in the family, because Evan seems to like them, too.

Isn’t he just too cute in that little hat?!

When he saw the camera, of course he said, “Cheeeeeese!”

And then I quit taking pictures of him because this happened. Lunch…in all of its pure goodness.

All good things in life should come in warm, soft, corn tortillas.

This is the roasted pork taco with pickled beets and cojita cheese.

Yes, please! This was probably my favorite.

And I loved the BBQ brisket taco, but it was a tad too salty today. Nothing that more chips and salsa couldn’t fix!

In case you’ve never tried it, every taco is better with fresh lime squeezed on top. Give it a whirl to see if you agree.

Uh oh. This crispy chicken taco may have been my favorite, too. For those of us normal people who aren’t crazy about fish but have always wanted to see if fish tacos really were all the rage, this was the perfect solution.

It had the crunchy, healthy, crispy texture of some deep-fried chicken with a yummy slaw and creamy almost-tartar ranch.

I should have gotten a dozen of them. I’ll just leave it at that.

I had wonderful company, in addition to wonderful food. The place was packed, which allowed Evan to watch lots of fun kids enjoying their lunch, too.

Beautiful kids come from beautiful people. Plain and simple.

Always fashion-forward, Evan showed us the future of wearing plastic containers as hats.

He is so good at everything! I wonder if he gets tired of that.

It was the perfect place for lunch, and I already wish that I could go back. Why don’t they open one here in Phoenix? I promise that I’ll keep you in business, Joe!

Yes, the owner’s name was Joe. And he was here today, and I got to tell him how much I loved his restaurant.

Now move to Phoenix, yo.

It was bitter-sweet to head back to the airport. It was really hard to leave such sweet, cute boys behind.

Especially after Evan got really quiet when he realized I was about to leave. Those big blue eyes said it all, and it broke my heart!

We tried some silly faces.

James won…again.

Then we tried some more uniform posing, and you can see how well that went.

But I would like to point out that James is most definitely my sister’s baby. He can’t keep his eyes open in pictures, either!

See? It’s genetic!

Holding this sweet little man for so many shots just warms my heart. This Baby James is sure a wonderful boy.

And oh-so handsome! I just love these pictures!

Now you can start a successful weekend, knowing that such cuteness exists in this world.

Exploring and Grubbing in Woodland Hills

After last’s week visit to Van Nuys for work, I realized that I needed more pictures of all of my wanderings, and not just my eatings.

Though…don’t get me wrong. I love the eatings!

I was back at my favorite local hotel, the Woodland Hills Holiday Inn Express. I love it because of the countless eating and exploring options within walking distance.

There isn’t anything worse than being cooped up in a hotel room if I can be outside, and this location is perfect to get oot and aboot on foot.

Nice hotel room, huh? I love the space. It’s big enough for a huge couch, which I never use, and a nice chair-and-ottoman combination, which I use all the time.

My view this time was from the third floor, facing a lovely Wendy’s Drive-thru. I bet if I opened the window, I could hear what they were ordering for lunch!

I didn’t. That would be creepy.

Again, so there are pictures of more than just food, here we are on a walk towards the east from my hotel. I knew exactly where I wanted to eat lunch after I dropped off my things in the room.

I love California Chicken Café. If you’re anywhere near one, please go.

This is my walk on Ventura Boulevard. The café is only about half a mile away from my hotel, and it’s a gorgeous seventy degrees outside! Let’s hit the road!

Parking meters are everywhere here. I would hate to pay for parking. Mesa doesn’t really have that option, you know? And I’m just fine with that!

I have yet to try Doan’s Bakery, but I’ve gotten as close as peeking through the window when walking by. I know that I should give in eventually for a fun treat…especially since I saw them selling cupcakes.

I like cupcakes. Did you know that?

That’s the Ventura Freeway, the 101, in the distance. My lunch destination is just before. But look how expensive gas is in California. Yikes!

I tried a breakfast sandwich here last week, and it was delicious. But I haven’t been to California Chicken Café in a few months, and my mouth is just watering thinking about their yummy rotisserie chicken and sides!

So I waved at Leo and Lily as I walked on by.

Oh boy. Now we’re talking.

I didn’t run the last few blocks, but I seriously considered it.

I’ve been meaning to take a picture of the inside of this place, too, but it was packed with people during lunch today. I didn’t want to draw attention to the straw hat-wearing, camera-toting nerdy tourist, you know?

It’s an order-and-wait type of place, where you walk past the cafeteria line while you wait for your turn to order. Then you get a number and find a seat, and they eventually bring heaven-on-a-plate loving to your table.

I got a water. And I’m #39.

I don’t know how this happened. Maybe it’s the sticker that says, “Made with real butter.” What on earth else could be used to make such a scrumptious cookie?

I loved that I had the patio to myself for most of my meal. This place filled up pretty quickly as the lunch crowds arrived.

But enough chit chat…

Look at this!

I think we’re in business, folks.

Their hot potatoes always win out, though I am sometimes tempted to try the mashed potatoes and gravy. Obviously, potatoes are a must. Sometimes, I am adventurous in how they are prepared.

But there must be spuds.

My second side dish today was my favorite salad…a light and fresh broccoli pasta salad that is out of this world! It’s yummy and crunchy and gooey but accomplishes all of this without being drenched in unhealthy sauce.

Based on all of their butter bragging, I’m sure that their salads are all healthy. There’s broccoli in it, so we’re good.

My meal is actually the quarter chicken of white meat, which is a breast and a wing. I try to get a little bit of the skin in each bite because of the amazing flavor. Just the chicken meat on its own is a little tasteless.

Unless you eat it with a hot potato with caramelized onions. Yummmmmmmy!

So, lunch was amazing. It lived up to all of my expectations and hopes and dreams.

After lunch, I still wasn’t ready to turn in for the day. So I wandered around a little more and passed this beautiful restaurant/venue. It’s called “The Villa,” and it looks so pretty!

For a special occasion, it would be a fun place to try. I mean, have you seen their menu?!

They also had a beautiful vine-covered parking area with chandeliers. I think that they also have parties in here, which would hopefully explain the chandeliers.

I love the idea of parking underneath a chandelier, but it seems a little pricey, huh?

But it’s pretty.

I crossed the street and decided to check out the Woodland Hills library branch. I love libraries!

Isn’t it a cool, retro building?! I spent a few hours in here, reading fun books off the shelves.

My favorite was a book about how Disneyland got started. It was published thirty years ago and was missing a few of the newer rides now, but it was so much fun to read up on one of my favorite places in the world!

I didn’t know that Splash Mountain wasn’t even in existence until 1987!

The next morning, it was already time to head home. We don’t leave until around five this afternoon, but we need to return the rental car before another day ticks over.

Here I am waiting for my ride outside the lobby entrance to the Holiday Inn Express.

We opted to do an old favorite for lunch…Salsa and Beer. The Mexican food here is out of this world. We arrived just as they opened their doors for lunch. Just a few minutes later, the entire place was packed!

Don’t worry. I don’t get beer. But the salsa is something that requires lots of my love and attention.

That’s how you know that a place is good. Salsa and chips.

Lunch is really affordable, too. I love all of the options for combination platters. Cheapity cheap!

But I’m a burrito fan, so I got the Shredded Beef Burrito.

They had me at “potato.”

Are we starting to see a potato problem trend?

Everyone knows that the best part of a Mexican restaurant is the chips and salsa before the real food arrives! At Salsa and Beer, they also bring out some hot refried beans with the chips.

And by “hot,” I mean crazy spicy! These were too hot for me to even eat today! How sad, huh?

But the chips were good, and they had an entire self-serve salsa bar. Chips are just filler, anyway, until the main event can happen.

This giant plate arrived, and I was tickled. Unfortunately, these spicy beans were the same as the ones from the dip earlier, and they were still too spicy for my weak sauce tongue.

But I knew that I would only be enjoying a little of this yummy burrito today.

And Hubby got to enjoy the rest of it…spicy beans included.

The next day, when I was gone for work on another trip, Hubby texted to let me know how much he loved my leftovers. And the spicy beans were his favorite thing.

So there you have it. Lots of grub in Woodland Hills and Van Nuys, but pictures of other exploring as well. I don’t want you to think that all I do is eat! I also walk to the places to eat!

P.S. I’m in Miami today and off to explore. Apparently they like Cuban food here?

Good Grub in Northern Los Angeles

It was a few short days here in Van Nuys. I stayed at “the usual,” my Holiday Inn Express in Woodland Hills. It is about a twenty-minute drive from where we park Gladys at the airport, but I’m not about to pay $140 for a hotel just to be closer to her.

I’m stingy, you know? Sorry, Gladys.

It’s a beautiful hotel. In fact, I’ll be staying there again tomorrow!

After waiting for the shuttle for a few hours, I was ready to grab a bite for lunch after I quickly left my bag in the hotel room. I knew that I wanted to try this place just a few blocks away.

Can you see the sign for Leo & Lily?

It is indeed a cute little eatery that has my name written all over it. And, despite it being about two o’clock in the afternoon, it’s a busy little café! Let’s do this!

I had asked the hotel gal if she had ever tried eating here. She said not, but that she had heard that their breakfast was amazing.

So I was tickled when I discovered that they were still serving breakfast this afternoon!

I love reading menus, so I took a few pictures to share. As you can see, everything sounded delicious to an empty tummy! And rightfully so!

I decided to try this Left Coast Breakfast Sandwich because it had avocado, though the Americano Breakfast Sandwich was my other possible contender.

After I ordered, I enjoyed the patio seating outside. It was only about sixty-eight degrees today, but it felt so warm compared to the cold snap that I had left behind at home!

It was a lovely day to sit outside and enjoy delicious food!

Their presentation of silverware in a Mason jar was really cute, too. They thought to put some cork on the bottom so nothing broke. Brilliant!

And cute!

But then this arrived. And I forgot all about cute things. I was enveloped in the bounteous smells of breakfast. And I could hardly wait to dig in!

Believe it or not, I actually think that this meal was fairly healthy! It had turkey bacon and avocado with a well-fried egg and tomato, all piled onto ciabatta bread. The smoked gouda wasn’t the main flavor, but it hinted in every bite.

It was scrumptious!

No, I promise that I’m not eating again so soon after a great lunch at Leo & Lily! This is almost twenty-four hours later when I was searching for a place to grab my second lunch for this trip!

I decided to walk in the opposite direction of my usual exploring to see what other offerings were near my hotel. About 0.6 miles away, I found Hugo’s Tacos.

I’ve been known to like tacos, so I felt that this was very promising indeed.

Unfortunately, I paid over $9 for these tiny street tacos. They were only about three inches long each. The pork carnitas meat was good, but everything else kind of tasted funny to me. And, to make matters worse, the place was not clean at all.

I wouldn’t go back. But I’m glad to know that there aren’t a whole lot of eatery options up the road towards the west from my hotel!

For that kind of money, they could have at least given me some beans and rice, right?!

Ha! Once again, it looks like I’m eating immediately after lunch! This was dinner near my hotel at The Habit Burger Grill. I try not to eat at places that I could get at home, but this was oh-so close to my Holiday Inn Express.

And you know what? A burger sounded really good!

I never order a burger from those big chains like BK and McDonald’s. But a few places, like In-n-Out, Five Guys, and now The Habit, I will happily eat a made-to-order heavenly burger.

But I just discovered that The Habit is now in the Valley in which I live. Sounds like I need to take Hubby there, huh?

Their hamburgers are $2.89. Not too shabby!

Of course, I added some Swiss cheese. But the caramelized onions, one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world, came for free. Holy smokes, this was delicious tonight!

And the fries were so hot and fresh that I had to let them cool down. I love this place!

And every bite was heavenly. If you are near a Habit, give their burgers a try!

They also make chocolate shakes from scratch. Not that I know from personal experience or anything…

I would say that my few short days in Van Nuys for work were very successful ones. Especially since I based that judgment on how great my food was! Now you know why I love this trip so much!

And just a few of the million reasons of why I am so in love with my job!