Texas
- bradleighmartin
- Dec 2, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2020
Do you live in Texas or visit often from out of state? Being from Oklahoma City I tend to travel to Texas frequently. Read this blog to get ideas for a "staycation" in Texas or just a quick weekend getaway!
I don't know about you, but I love finding new places to stay and new restaurants to discover, even when I am in my hometown. I tend to visit Dallas, Texas a lot so I thought I would share some of my favorite restaurants and hotels I have stayed at. Now working for Hilton Hotels for two years has made me bias towards them. I could get hotel rooms for $35-$45 a night so I took advantage of that, especially when it came to the nice hotels! I would frequently rent hotel rooms for a night or two on the weekends just so my boyfriend and I could enjoy relaxing by the pool, eating at the steakhouses inside, or discovering new places to go around town.
I booked a room at the Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront twice now this year. This hotel is located 22 miles from Dallas and overlooks Lake Ray Hubbard. It is within walking distance from shops and restaurants at The Harbor Rockwall. The first time I booked this hotel was for Valentine’s Day. I made a reservation for a room with a lake view and also a reservation next door for dinner. I booked a table at Giovanni's a week before the trip just in case we could not get in. I did research all over the internet scouring for the perfect restaurant and I found it! We both love this place so much it has been our go-to restaurant when we visit Rockwall. I always order the sirloin steak which comes with asparagus, crab-stuffed shrimp, and potatoes for less than $50. Trust me there are so many foods I want to try on their menu, but they just cook the steak so perfectly medium rare that I cannot resist! Now you can walk away from this restaurant spending at least $100 if not more so beware, but so worth it! The Harbor Rockwall is the perfect spot to take a night stroll and even get dessert, pictured right.
When we returned to this hotel it was around August so the temperature was perfect. There were plenty of boats on the lake and the pool was beautiful, not busy with guests at all. Another restaurant we love at The Harbor is Dodie's Cajun Diner. They have great happy hour deals as well as brunch. We ordered $5 mimosas and the seafood nachos which did not disappoint! We also enjoy their gumbo! I also know that on the lake you can purchase dinner cruises and sunset cruises. I have listed the links below and although I have never done this I have wanted to each time I came to visit. Spots fill up fast and are fairly priced so I would book in advance! Before leaving Rockwall we decided to visit In-Sync Exotics in Wylie, Texas, located 9 miles from our hotel in Rockwall. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to housing rescued exotic cats. Most of the big cats here were once owned as pets or badly neglected.
This rescue is completely free, they only ask for donations of $8- $12 when you arrive that will go towards the care and feeding of the big cats. The staff is friendly and informative once you arrive. You walk around the rescue by yourself so before you start they warn you of standing too close to the fences and other rules they have. We loved all the big cats we saw! They are all so beautiful and it was great to see the staff interacting with them. According to their website they are only open on Saturdays and Sundays so you will have to plan in advance. You can request special tours online, but we did the self guided tour. We spent over an hour just looking and walking around and re-visiting our favorite cats!
Another favorite hotel of mine is the Hilton Anatole located off North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. I booked this hotel in September of last year so the weather was perfect for the pool. The room cost me $45 a night and I also got half off in the restaurant located on the 27th floor, SER Steak + Spirits. This steakhouse was perfect. My boyfriend and I both ordered steaks and a bottle of wine along with two sides! The meal was very pricy, but well worth it! I believe it costs us around $200 before my employee discount. We loved the outdoor adult-only pool here as well. There were lots of people, but plenty of seating and it had an outdoor bar located in the pool. The hotel is so big that you could spend a chunk of time just exploring. It is filled with different halls and art all over the walls. It is also equipped with a spa, indoor pool, a gym, and four different restaurants.
The rest of the blog will be all about the restaurants I love to go to while in Dallas and Frisco! I will link all of the websites at the bottom of the page. One of our go-to places to eat in Dallas is Velvet Taco. They have locations all over and I always get something different every time we go! My favorite taco is the shrimp and grits! They have around twenty different tacos with all sorts of ingredients and $10 margaritas. The first picture on the left is of their " Crisp tots and local egg" loaded with goat cheese, cheddar, avocado crème, bacon, and greens. They were the perfect brunch item! The next two pictures are of Pie Tap Pizza Workshop. We went for brunch and ordered the cinnamon rolls and the mushroom and egg brunch pizza. They have great brunch prices with $3 mimosas and $4 bloody mary's. I LOVED this restaurant! From the food to the staff to the atmosphere! They even have an open kitchen where you can watch them make the dough and pizzas. The cinnamon rolls were to die for and had the perfect amount of frosting!!
My boyfriend and I love to find places to brunch so next on the list was Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, a chain restaurant located all over Texas. Everything is made from scratch with no added ingredients. I ordered the "Smashed Avocado Benny" along with a bloody mary. It was my first time trying eggs benedict and it did not disappoint. Now we also love our sushi so we always try to find the perfect spot and I believe we have found it! When we order sushi we go all out from ordering 3-4 rolls at a time plus miso soup. I found this new place, Blue Sushi Sake Grill, on Yelp. It had amazing reviews and we went during happy hour, not even on purpose! They had wine for $5 a glass and rolls decently priced as well. We were able to order four rolls, four glasses of wine, and two miso soups for under $50! We ordered the lion king, crunchy blue, crunch L.A., and the spicy gringo rolls.
One day I was craving an acai bowl so I searched all over Yelp for the best one. I read so many reviews and decided to go with Bowldega. You pick the size of the bowl, the base, granola, then you get to choose unlimited toppings. This was my first time trying an acai bowl, I just always thought they looked so good! I chose the 12-ounce bowl for $8, the acai as my base, honey granola, added strawberries, almonds, blueberries, and peanut butter! It was the perfect amount of sweetness and definitely could be replaced as my dessert for the day! I thought it was fairly priced for all of the toppings that you get to choose from and add on. The two other sizes were a 16 and 24 ounces for $11 and $14. One of our favorite seafood restaurants in Texas has always been Pappadeaux's. This pricey restaurant is well known for its Cajun and seafood options. I always order the giant shrimp and grits when I go, bottom left picture, which is around $20. I have also heard great things about their crawfish etouffee, $25. The food always comes out perfectly and the staff makes for a great environment! Now barbecue is a must try when in Texas. I found Terry Black's Barbecue on Instagram from a celebrity I follow. This walk-up barbecue joint always hits the spot. You first choose your sides, green beans, mac and cheese, and potato salad, then you head to the front to pick out your choice of meat. They give you plenty and always add a little more when you ask them to. We ordered the ribs, jalapeno sausage, and brisket for the two of us to share. I believe it was around $60 for us to eat here. It was some of the best barbecue I had in a long time and the sides were the best too!!
Last but not least are the restaurants I love when going to Frisco. We always head to The Star when choosing where to eat. This outdoor district is home to shops, restaurants, and the Ford Center. The Ford Center is a 510,000 square foot indoor athletic facility shared by multiple teams in the region. The field is located in the middle of the district so you are able to walk around and explore. Lets start with ice cream! This is beyond my favorite ice cream place in Texas and I so wish they had more locations! Oklahoma needs one!! Cow Tipping Creamery is simply just soft served ice cream, but it is the toppings that do it for me. I get the "Brownie & Cookie D'Oh", ice cream every single time. This has triple fudge brownies, cookie dough, brown sugar hot fudge, and cocoa cookie crumb in it. It's the chunks and layers of toppings that make is so great and they do NOT skimp you on them!! They give you the perfect amount and it is so hard to eat it all! They have lots of menu items as well as a create your own. I have also sampled the "Reese's Witha'poon", made with peanut butter blondie bars, peanut butter chips, peanut butter sauce, and hot fudge. It is so rich and the blondie bars are so good!
Next is sushi of course! Sushi Marquee is the perfect spot if you are looking for good quality pricier sushi. The atmosphere here is great and always feels fancy. Again we go all out when we eat sushi, but pictured below was sushi shared between four people. We always order the spinal tap, the volcano, and the Godzilla rolls when we eat here and it is always good! Last is the Trip Tip Grill, a barbecue restaurant. This is my boyfriends favorite restaurant and my first time eating here. They have great happy hour deals and their Froze is SO good. We ordered the "Feast for Two", which came with your choice of two types of meats, two sides, and cornbread for $30. I now know why this is one of his favorite restaurants. We ordered the tri tip which is the dish they are known for and it was cooked perfectly!! Our two sides were mashed potatoes with brown gravy and mac and cheese, of course! BEST mac and cheese ever because it is made with white sauce! This is fast-casual kind of dining so you walk up and order before you sit down unless you sit at the bar. But there is nothing casual about the food! It was plated beautifully and the staff was great. I will definitely be eating here again!
Hopefully, this post can give you ideas of where to go and stay when in Texas and places to eat. Everything I post in my blogs is family friendly and in safe areas to travel alone or with family. If you try anything out please let me know! I hope your experience is as good as mine! I have posted all links to hotels and restaurants below. Hope you enjoyed reading!!
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