There is never a day that I am not making adventures happen or planning my next trip. This past week I was fortunate to spend 4 days in San Antonio, Texas. Kim (my business partner) and I were at a travel agent conference. As far as conferences go this one was well worth our time. We came away with a wealth of information and resources. We made some great business connections and even made a few friends. Food was continuously being served and all of it was very delicious. We were even privileged to have dinner at the Alamo.
The weather, however, was pretty chilly. We had a small window of time where we could take a walk on the Riverwalk and it was too cold for two Colorado girls. We found a cozy table at Sip, sipsanantonio.com, for a cup of tea where we could exchange notes from the morning's classes.
After our conference we took the 3 hour drive to Houston. We flew in and out of Houston, which we know is silly but we had previously purchased the tickets and they were nonrefundable, non-changeable. Sometimes that's how it goes when you buy a $70 round trip ticket. Neither one of us had spent much time in Texas before and we enjoyed the ride. We had plenty of un-distracted time to come up with our next step. So all in all it worked out.
While in Houston we ate at Ninfa's on Navigation, http://www.ninfas.com/. Don't be fooled, from the outside it doesn't look like much. I knew when we were in the parking lot that I was in for a real treat. The aromas spilling out of this little restaurant were calling my name. The decor and atmosphere is very traditional Mexican. The staff is all very polite and eager to please. The prices were average and we spent $15-20 for each diner; that's with a drink a piece and desserts to share. That's not what matters when the food is really good.
So here is where my adventure of the week comes in. When I am at a restaurant that I am not familiar with I scope out my server first. If he/she seems to know the food, and our server certainly did, I ask what they would recommend. The first answer is almost always going to be the dish that is most popular with diners. The next question that I want answered is my servers favorite dish. Chances are that if they have been around for any length of time they have tasted everything on the menu. My server, Hugo, recommended the Ox Tail. Well I'm glad I didn't order boring fajitas, because as promised I was not disappointed. The Ox Tail was perfectly tender with just a nice kick of jalapeno peppers and served with hand-made corn tortillas that I am convinced were rolled out just minutes before they were on my plate. It was one of the best meals I have had in just way too long. I followed with Tres Leches, on of my all time favorite desserts. It was nice and cold with a sticky meringue top. It was a great meal. Ninfa's on Navigation is a must go when in the Houston Downtown area.
