Why Quality Counts: A Lesson From a Louis Vuitton Tote

"In this world, you get what you pay for."
Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle 

"Cheap is cheap."
Inez's mother, "Midnight in Paris"

You get the idea.  I am a believer in investment purchases but I hate paying the full retail price for them.  Whether it be a better price on a Gucci bamboo shopper tote, Louboutins for less or Prada for pennies, I've blogged about my love of discounted designer goodies.  But after this weekend, I might just be changing my philosophy on certain items.

Inspired by the Rangers Road Trip to Seattle? Here are Great Places to Eat, Stay, Play and More!

It is one of the most beautiful, delectable and exciting U.S. cities you can visit.  If you have the chance to visit Seattle, do it.  It's a trip you will always recall fondly.  Plus, if you're a Gen-X Pearl Jam lover like me, it will help you re-live your early 90's grunge spirit.

View of Pike Place from Matt's in the Market

I have been there twice for Rangers baseball coverage, twice for Cowboys games, twice on my own for vacation and once as a pit stop en route to the beautiful San Juan Islands.

Driftwood on Orcas Island

If you're heading that way for a baseball or football game, stay downtown.  Both Safeco Field and Century Link Field are within walking distance of most downtown hotels.  You could easily take a cab if it's too far for you.  It shouldn't cost more than 10 bucks.

Here are some of my recommended spots and activities gathered over a decade of visits.

Where to Eat and Drink in San Antonio

Mavs/Spurs Circa 2010

I always seem to be in San Antonio for one reason or another: a Mavs/Spurs playoff series, Cowboys training camp or, most recently, Rangers spring training.  I have spent the better portion of a decade visiting the Alamo City at least once a year.

With Rangers third base coach Gary Pettis at the Alamodome

Eating well on the road is a sport, won at which I've won and lost.  While I was pregnant, covering the Mavs championship run (ah memories!) in 2011, I searched in vain for fresh, non-fried vegetables in downtown Oklahoma City.  I failed.  Trust me, this is a sport.

Fresh off a quick weekend in San Antonio, here are some can’t miss spots to try near downtown: 

  

The interior at Feast

Feast – a modern, eclectic tapas spot in the beautiful King Williams Historic District.  My photographer had lamb kebabs and corn fritters while I had mussels and brussel sprouts.  We enjoyed it on the uber-hip patio.  All of it was outstanding.  

Patio at Feast

It’s a good mix of families, the San Antonio gay fab crowd and husbands trotting out their second or third trophy wives.  Great food, great people watching, a definite must-try.

Patio at Mad Hatters

Mad Hatters Tea House & Cafe – a funky tea room in the King Williams Historic District.  A perfect breakfast or lunch spot.  I ate two meals a day here during Cowboys Camp 2011.  They do wonderful whole grain pancakes and omelets for breakfast and outstanding salads at lunch.  They also have a lovely hot and iced tea selection. This is a girlie spot that can satisfy a guys appetite with hearty sandwich offerings.  Bonus: free WiFi!

On The River Walk
I think eating on the River Walk can, at times, be a losing effort.  Most of the restaurants offer bad, overly seasoned food that have you regretting it the next day.  These, though, are some quality choices:

Wavy Gaudi iron entrance to Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas in the Hotel Contessa - hotel food in a gorgeous setting.  If you’re dying for a Catalan vibe without the trip to Spain, this is a good option.  You can find jamon serrano, paella and shellfish stew.  The décor is inspired by famed Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi.  Worth it if only for the trippy Gaudi vibe.

Exactly what you would expect at Biga on the Banks

Biga on the Banks - nothing too terribly innovative.  You will find typical spinach salads, cheese plates, steaks and fish.  It works because it doesn't suck.

Boudros

Boudros - a "Texas bistro on the Riverwalk" in a pretty setting.   A menu heavy on Gulf shellfish, quail, garlic mashed potatoes, all the stuff you would expect.  Again, a good choice because it doesn't suck. 

Starbucks - really.  I can't count the number of meals at the Riverwalk Starbucks I have eaten over the years.  Seriously, they have some healthy options: oatmeal, spinach/feta/egg white wrap, protein box, decent sandwiches, fruit and veggies boxes.  Gotta love free WiFi. 

Lagniappe

The Quarry Market is a solid retail and restaurant space north six miles of downtown that features a Whole Foods, My Fit Foods, Canyon Cafe, Piatti Italian Restaurant and much more. 

Mi Tierra Restaurant and Bakery is the popular, open-all-hours Mexican spot.  The food is fine.  The real reason to go: you never know who you will run into there at 2am.  

Menger Bar

For cocktails, one of my favorite spots is the Menger Bar in the Menger Hotel.  It's "an exact replica of London’s House of Lord’s Pub. "  Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders here.  It's a fabulous bar, full of history and interesting characters. 

The Vbar

The Vbar in the Hotel Valencia is very hip.  It's the equivalent of the Menger hotel's hot, younger daughter who just got a boob job.  It has won a couple of "Best of...." awards.

Bar Rojo the new-ish Grand Hyatt isn't bad.  

SWIG Martini Bar on the Riverwalk was a favorite spot for postgame cocktails following a Mavs/Spurs playoff game.  A tad cheesy but popular and filled with tacky tourists like yours truly. 

Hitting the Bayou City?  Check out my recent must-hit list for places to visit in Houston. 
Interested in Austin?  We just had a fabulous visit to the state capitol. 

A Delicious Baked Apple Dessert in a Snap

Actually, it's faster than a snap.  This apple dessert recipe took about seven minutes from conception to completion.

After the delicious (really!) kale, lentil and sweet potato soup I made for the main course, I wanted something sweet but not a sugar overload.

We had a bunch of apples in the house, so I pulled this recipe out of my you-know-where.  It turned out to be a winner.

Gina's Delicious Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Will she like it? 

While looking for easy ways to use some vegetables I had on hand, I found a recipe for kale, lentil and sweet potato soup on the blog Eat Live Run.  While her version is great, I have formulated my own adaptation that I think is fabulous.

Gina's Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 10 diced baby carrots, peeled and small diced
• 3/4 large onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic (garlic powder is fine in a pinch)
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, torn
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small 1/4-1/2″ cubes 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
• Mrs. Bragg's Organic Sprinkle Seasoning to taste 
• red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Once hot add the onion, celery, carrot and sweet potato and cook until softened.  Add the garlic and kale and continue cooking until kale wilts.

Transfer vegetables to a soup pot.  Add the lentils, seasoning and stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.

I served this with a warmed baguette and bit of brie.  The sweet potatoes and lentils provide a hint of sweet, the kale provides texture and the red peppers add some heat.  This soup didn't need any salt or pepper.  It's a substantial dish.

But does the kid like it?  That's the million dollar question.

Call her Mikey....she likes it! 

She dug it!  She would pull a piece of onion or kale out of her mouth if it was too large.  Otherwise, she loved it, particularly the lentils and sweet potatoes.

This recipe took about 45 minutes to make, start to finish taking into account my remedial knife skills.  It freezes beautifully.

 

So You Want to Work in Sports? Here’s a Day in the Life of Your Dream Job

I am asked some form of the following questions almost every day:

“What’s it like being a sports anchor and reporter? “  Fun but hard.

“How did you get into this business? “  Read this.

“Have you always wanted to do this? “ Yes.  This and more.

But more and more, the individuals who want to enter the sports media world think we spend our days cheering at games, chugging champagne with owners and chest bumping athletes.  Not quite.

THIS happened!

Take Easter Sunday 2013, for example.  Photographer Bill Ellis and I left San Antonio at 10:30am, where the Rangers had just wrapped up their spring training schedule with a two-game series against the Padres.  Our final destination?  Houston for the season opener between the Rangers and Astros on Sunday night.

Bill Ellis & I heading to Minute Maid Park

Here’s a typical "day in the life" that includes everything from stale hot dogs to a drunken Astros fan bum rushing our live shot:

Where to Eat, Sleep and Play if You're Headed to Houston for the Rangers/Astros Series

Visiting Houston this week or sometime this season to check out the Rangers take on the Astros?  Not quite sure where to stay and what to hit while you’re there?  Fear not!  I have you covered.  Enjoying yourself on a road trip is as much of a sport as is the game itself.  For details on our recent trip to the Bayou City, which included a fan crashing my live shot and hard press box meat, check out my diary of your dream job.

Houston is a tough city.  If you make your base “outside the loop” or outside Loop 610, you will wind up miserable, stuck in traffic and be relinquished to chain dining hotel and restaurant hell.  If you stay "inside the loop", in Midtown, Montrose, in West University or near River Oaks you will discover the wonderful diversions that made my four college years there some of the most fun I've ever had.

This is a bit female-focused but if you're a guy taking your Sig O with you, you'll score big points by trying some of these suggestions.