San Antonio, Bigfoot, Castroville . . . and Moldavian Potato Salad

In San Antonio, we enjoyed the Riverwalk and a BIG used bookstore where we found a Haruki Murakami for Nicole.  

Drinks at Esquire on the Riverwalk were great and we ate there, too.  Just a really great place on the balcony; no other tables near us!

                                                    En Pointe, Wanderlust King, Last Word

                                                                   So we ordered another round :)

                               Camparinha Preservada, Texas is the Reason, and Texecutioner

After San Antonio, we had a fun day of exploring the little towns on the backroads south of San Antonio.  We were surprised to find a charming little restaurant in the tiny town of Utopia -- but only had coffee because we had just eaten breakfast an hour before. 

We saw quail, a roadrunner, and lots of turkey vultures.  

The most surprising find was BIGFOOT.  It's tiny, but it's on the map and it has two dark, log frontier-style buildings -- one is the Bigfoot Wallace Museum which was closed, but I'm guessing was his home.  The other was a replica of where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed March 23, 1836.    

The museum is open the 2nd Saturday of every month or by appointment:  phone 830-663-2532 or 210-275-3748.  

A monument outside the school informed us that William Alexander Wallace, known as Bigfoot, was a "defender of Texas and Texans as Soldier, Ranger and Mailrider.  He protected the advancing frontier."   Died Jan 7, 1899.  

I hope we'll go back sometime . . . with a camera.

Castroville's about 20 miles outside of San Antonio.  Sounds Cuban, right?  It's actually named after Henri Castro (Portuguese background) who brought families here from Alsace in 1843.  It's the only Alsatian community in Texas and we stayed in the historic Landmark Inn Bed and Breakfast.  There are two buildings with rooms and a huge grounds with a dam.   The bedrooms only hold one double bed each.  Our bath is across the hall but there's no one else in our building and we have free run of a large living room area.  $120.00 plus tax.  

We enjoyed walking around the old town and there's an Alsatian bakery.  The brioche are delicious.

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 When we got back to Laredo, Bryan immediately was challenged to a duel  and Maybelle insisted on playing ball even though it was super hot out and she was panting so I didn't throw it as often as she wanted.  

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MOLDAVIAN POTATO SALAD

          From PLEASE TO THE TABLE: THE RUSSIAN COOKBOOK 

 

2 ½ lbs red potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp to ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

8 Black olives for garnish

*Boil unpeeled potatoes in salted water until tender.  Then peel.  Cut into ¾ inch dice.  While still hot, toss with olive oil and garlic.  Set aside to cool.

*Add feta, green onions, vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper.  Toss gently. 

*Garnish with pitted olives. 

*Refrigerate until serving.

*This is soooo good!