Fall made it to New York, finally, mercifully. For at least the next seven days, according to the weather report, the temperatures will not crack 75F. Sad that that’s what passes for fall around here, but these are end days. So let’s get on with it.
D and I were in Austin recently with some of their comics friends and we had a great time. H and I swam in Barton Springs, we ate plenty of tacos, saw some of the most delightful neon signage ever, and survived a donut-eating spree during which I scarfed down three donuts in rapid succession from Mrs. Johnson’s. The shop has been open since 1948 and run since 1984 by, no surprise, a South Asian family. The first time we went was on a Sunday morning, and they were, get this, sold OUT of donuts. The floured worn wooden work tables, the conveyer belts, the tray racks were all empty. But the woman who helped us was very sweet. She told me the donut schedule so I could best time my next visit, and while D and I were outside trying to snap a photo even called out to us from the drive-thru window to offer to take a proper one for us. The donuts were out of this world fresh, super light, kissed with the perfect amount icing.
I also shopped at three different H-E-Bs. H-E-B, this Texas institution, definitely deserves its own blog post. (Did you know the “B” stands for Butt? (Thanks Timbo.)) These snacks are from there, and I brought them home to share with friends.
The chocolate in the bars is not special. You are, after all, reading the words of a person spoiled by the chic $4, $6, $10(!) a bar stuff. But it was TASTY. The heat in the Hatch chile bar built nice and slowly, and was more a quiet smolder than a smack in the face. The Kitchen sink bar was just plain fun.
And those, erm, Japanese-style peanuts? (“Wait, I need to look this up. Is this racist?” A asked very responsibly when I shared the peanuts with her.) Those were also very good. The peanuts had a light crisp shell, nothing that would break your jaw, and a full coating of electric orange spicy, fruity, even possibly cheesy dust. I was surprised at that positively Starburst-ian flavor that showed up in the peanuts. What’s all this candy sweetness doing here? was a prominent thought. But I enjoyed it. I ate enough till my tongue burned and my fingers were all stained.
Top marks for all of it. Thank you, Texas!