I'm a web developer, and I work from home. Working from home is great, but every now and then it's good to be around other professionals who do what I do, or at least something similar. About a year ago, my friend Derick and I formed a coworking group. We meet (almost) every Wednesday downtown at Dichotomy to enjoy a mocha and mooch their free WiFi and get work done in the presence of other professionals.
It was this Wednesday that I noticed via the Hippodrome's Instagram account that they were offering a lunch special: chicken fried steak, buttermilk whipped potatoes, sautéed green beens, cornbread, and a drink for $8.99. I ate at a food truck recently and ended up spending about $12, so $8.99 seemed like a great deal for all that they were offering.
Maybe one of these days Pappas Restaurants will announce plans to put a Pappadeaux and Pappasito's complex somewhere in our town. Ideally, we'll hear the news first and a post a blog that will get 10,000 likes on Facebook and as many retweets.
That would be fantastic. But maybe not for the obvious reasons.
If you like Texas, food, and Texas Food, then mark your calendars for this FREE event!
Food writers, historians and chefs will gather for a panel discussion about Texas food and cuisine, followed by reception with regional cuisine prepared by the TSTC culinary school.
I received a heads up over the weekend the some of you high-end WacoFork foodies will want to make an effort to attend.
Sarah Blocker from 135 Prime alerted me to the Scot Dinner the restaurant will be hosing next month.
Happy new year, everyone.
Not like "Happy New Year" with capital letters, but I just wanted to wish everyone a good first working week of 2015. I, for one, need the encouragement. Is anyone else having trouble finding their rhythm this week? The weather isn't helping, I'm afraid. But here we go anyway.
I love soda.
I know it’s bad. I know it’s REALLY bad. But I love it. I don’t want to fight about this. I just want you to read this piece and know that I am doing my darnedest to give you an insight on soda in Waco from a place of deep care and affection.
This is not a restaurant review. It's not an advertisement either. Nor is it a news item. This is just me, Chad, telling you, WacoFork friends, that Manny's on the River just might be a game-changer here in our humble burg.
I began to see this coming when I did a little Manny's Uptown Tex-Mex research last week and spoke with the Manny's folks at the MLK location. Having dined there this week with photog Chelsea Santos, I'm pretty much sold on it.
EAT FOOD!
Burgers, Texas BBQ, Mediterranean cuisine, tamales and gorditas, brick-oven pizza, homemade pasta, soup, popcorn, award winning cheese, desserts, ice cream, specialty coffee drinks... Also free samples!
I tasted:
Soft taco - pretty good but not amazing. Except for the salsa: delish.
Homemade eggnog latte - sweet for me, but tasty.
Green chili mac & cheese - excellent & unique flavor, but expensive and rather cold since it was pre-prepared.
Mediterranean chicken sandwich with roasted red papers & feta - tasty but a bit greasy.
Horseraddish pecan cheddar - yum.
Schwarma with lamb & chicken - awesome awesome awesome.
BUY FOOD
Homemade jams, local honey (I recommend the lemon honey), baking mixes from the gristmill, including gluten-free options. They have the best grits around!
LEARN ABOUT FOOD
I highly recommend the cheese making demonstration! The bread making seminar has interesting info, but presentation was rather dry.
For food growers: there are heirloom seeds for a sale, and a seminar about why preserving them is important. Get info about aquaponics & sustainable agriculture.
There are also booths and demonstrations on pasta making, beekeeping, food preservation, and distilling essential oils.
FAIR HOURS THIS WEEKEND
SATURDAY 9am - 9pm | SUNDAY 12pm - 5pm
Go here for $3 off a parking pass. Admission is free.
And now, the dramatic conclusion to the blog I just typed 20 minutes ago.
Previsouly on The Hippodrome: Dine-in Theater: I mused what it would be like if Katniss Everdeen could just have a chilled-out normal life, which was really just a literary device to brag about my own Thursday.
I wish Katniss Everdeen could experience days like the one I enjoyed on Thursday.
I wish she could just piddle around most of the morning before meeting a friend for a late lunch that also involves taking some pictures of the food for a blog to be written later. Then she could go home for a nap, since she ate a burger (with a fried egg on it) and french fries and pizza and, oh yeah, washed it down with Guinness and finished with apple pie. When she woke up, she could do a little writing and then go back downtown for the premiere of a hot new movie at the cool renovated downtown theater.
