When we were back in my old hometown for Easter, we visited some of our favorite eating spots. With annoying road construction the last 50ish miles on the interstate, we veered off on a couple well-known FMs from my growing up days. Sure enough, there was no missing that it's crawfish season. We drove by quite a few flooded fields with traps to catch the tasty critters. Forty-ish years ago, my husband worked with a couple friends in the crawfish "fields" to make some spending money when he was in high school.
The tried and true seafood restaurants from my youth are gone, but their replacements are pretty darned good, too. We took the kids and met up with friends at Tia Juanita's Fish Camp for a couple meals. It's an interesting hybrid of Tex Mex and cajun that is quite the hit, and not just with us. Their creamy jack and mozzarella cream sauce is so rich I gained ten pounds just smelling it. They smother my favorite entree - seafood enchiladas - in it. Then top it with grilled scallops and shrimp. WOW! The rest of the menu is equally impressive, a fun collection of the Tex Mex we enjoy here in the San Antonio area complimented by the Cajun seafood standards I grew up eating in Southeast Texas.
Our other must-visit spot is Rao's Bakery. In operation since 1941, I can just about eat my weight in their iced sugar cookies. Every time I took my mother back to visit friends, we'd always hit Rao's for a sweet treat. Plus grab a prepackaged dozen to bring home. Funny thing is, only a few survived that five hour car ride!
After checking into our VRBO, while waiting for the kids to arrive from Austin, we went into a local supermarket I frequented back in the day to get some bottled waters. While there, we strolled the aisles and I had to buy some locally made roux to make gumbo. The cajun spice options on the shelves were impressive. My mother and granny had all of those things in their kitchen cabinets, and knew how to use them in the most delicious ways.
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