Friday, March 12, 2010

Bowl of Steamed Crawfish, Pat's Fisherman's Warff

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Red Wine & Burritos in Ballmorhea, TX

I'm on a road trip from Manhattan Beach, Ca to Tampa, FL with my friend Michi. Today we stopped in Ballmorhea, TX to find lunch. It was the first market we had seen off Highway 10E in 100 miles. It was clean and neat inside. Somehow Michi knew they would have wine. I was doubtful and then blown away by the sparse but worldly collection of about 50 bottles available. I asked the clerk if the locals were wine lovers. He assured me that the local woman wine lover bought it in the box. He explained that he and his wife belonged to a few wine clubs and they don't drink them, they resell them in the store! I took a good look before selecting a 2006 Pillastro Primitivo from Puglia, Italy. Before leaving I made one more round through the store looking for something local to eat. I found some Beef Jerky made by The Lights Jerky Company of Alpine,TX. and was slightly encouraged. By the exit I hit paydirt, eight varieties of tiny homemade burritos, made by the proprietor's wife. We picked out our four favorites and the nine fingered lumbering proprietor was kind enough to warm them up and pack them to go. We ate the burritos for lunch on the road. Thick 8" tortillas filled with fresh ingredients and spicy sauces. The best was the green chile beef - fiery green jalapeno sauce, tender potatoes, slow cooked beef. We popped open the wine at the cheap motel we stooped in for the night. Its smooth berry-full flavor went a long way in healing our travel weary palates.
Sometimes really good things are found in really strange places.