Tootsie Yr2: Dallas Golden Day
Apr. 27th, 2023 08:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39I woke up at 6am. Ready for ADVENTURE dammit.
A quick breakfast and walking to pick up a rental car.
Started to drive it to the Arboretum but decided to stop at Walmart on the way for some annoying necessities: a new sponge, my protein shakes for next week, and packing supplies because I know I'll be sending souvenirs from Eataly.
That done, onward to the FUN bits!
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is supposedly one of the top in the world, so even though admission was expensive I felt it important to see it while I can.
And my! Was it worth it.
Natural spaces, wild-growing flowers and trees, and freeflowing waters are all wonderful in their way.
But when human artistry and horticultural knowledge is applied to a garden space, it is also a special kind of magic.
The landscaping here is just phenomenal. There's no other way to describe it.
Whether I was looking at a European-style lawn garden or a meticulous flowerbed or a grove of Bonsai-like Japanese maples, each plant was so, so carefuly placed, and pruned, and cared for. It was really, really impressive.
I took a lot of photos, but there was way more to see than what I got. Here are some of the highlights.
Notice the duck in this photo?
This was part of "A Woman's Garden". The sculpture looks out over a still reflecting pool, which in turn looks out over a lake.
Close-ups of some flowers that I found especially interesting and colorful.
I had planned to stick to the "main path" in order to see as much as I could, but a lot of the little offshoot gardens were so interesting that I ended up straying many times. This garden had a bubbling jug fountain in the middle, and vines climbing the walls alongside artworks, and some beautiful flower arrangements. I'd love to have a few hours to spend here reading a book.
There were also these bronze statues of historical figures scattered throughout the grounds (Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, etc). This one was of Mother Theresa. I honestly found them a bit corny (and weirdly not made to full-sized human scale), but I'm sure they make good photo ops and points of interest for the kids.
Before I knew it I had completed a circuit of the grounds more-or-less, and it was approaching noon.
Time to get going if I wanted to do all of my planned activities!
This was a beautiful way to spend the morning, and I was grateful to fill my eyes with color and beauty for a few hours.
Next up, Eataly!
Eataly is like an Italian supermarket specializing in both imported goods and house-made authentic Italian foods.
This one in Dallas opened very recently, I think during the pandemic.
It's smaller than the more established locations in Chicago or New York, but still has an awesome selection and is well worth browsing.
I started with lunch at the pasta bar, where they were making fresh pasta and either putting it in the display case or cooking it up for guests.
There were many great options and it was hard to choose just one, but I landed on the tagliatelle alla bolognese.
Ribbon-like premium Italian semolina noodles made in-house with local Texas eggs, with a delicious bolognese.
It was SO good. Chewy ribbons of pasta, the texture was insane, and the bolognese was perfectly balanced and you could see the chunks of vegetables in it along with the ground sausage. I savored every bite.
Then I did my shopping, mostly for souvenirs for select family (those with kids) and Jameson.
Everyone got some sort of authentic Italian pasta.
I added some traditional savory Italian snack crackers to the boxes for Jameson and my Aunt, and a big chunk of torrone for Jameson.
There was so much good stuff.
Aisles of dried pasta of course, all direct from Italy, but then there was the fresh pasta bar with the stuff they make in house using imported Italian semolina. I could eat this all day!
(CLICK HERE for pasta!)
Aisles of imported crackers, breads, cookies, chips, and snacks.
Here I found tarallini in cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) flavor, truffle-dusted toasted corn and nuts, and a variety of crisp breads.
There were also aisles with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomato products, fruit jams, nut butter spreads (including pistachio spread), preserved fruits, salts and seasonings, and an endcap devoted to truffles (black truffle salt was $30!!)
In other areas of the store were cheese islands with imported cheeses and house-made mozzarella and parmesan; a cured meats section with sliced and whole salami and prosciutto and all the others; smoked meats and raw beef products both imported and Texas-local.
The seafood counter had an amazing selection including a WHOLE octopus, and some incredibly beautiful (and $$$!) scallops.
There was produce as well, and imported Italian drinks (most of which you can actually buy in the US so I didn't bother with it), and a wine section, and a beautiful bakery churning out big round boules of country bread and focaccia shining with oil and dried herbs.
I didn't photograph as much as I wanted because A) camera full of flower pictures and B) there's a really good walkthrough HERE that will show you pretty much everything that I saw today :)
Highlights from the counter service end of the bakery, which had mini cakes and pastries and drool-worthy pizzas:
And more aisles and aisles of sweets, like truffles, chocolates, gummies, hard candies, biscotti, cookies, cakes, sweetbreads, dessert aperitifs, and more that I'm probably forgetting.
Here I grabbed some gummies for my sister's kids, and hard candies for my Aunt, and truffles and chocolates for everyone.
There was a full-service LaVazza cafe downstairs but I didn't even go to look...I didn't want to be tempted!
Checking out was painful for my bank account, but it makes me happy that my family can enjoy some treats "with" me!
Money comes and goes. Experiences are well worth it!!
So that was Eataly.
Next up: Asian grocery stores!
I had found out that there was an H-Mart and a 99 Ranch just about 20 minutes northwest of Eataly.
And I had a rental car for the day, so why not!
Truth be told, the H-Mart was far superior to the 99 Ranch for quantity of products, but I couldn't know that without visiting both.
Plus, I saw interesting things at both locations!
At this point I was feeling pretty dang tired, and didn't want to over-buy, so mostly just looked for the enjoyment and picked out a few things for myself.
Here are some interesting foods that I found.
A whole silkie chicken. They have blue-black skin and grey flesh, and I've heard they taste gamier than regular chicken too.
Actual white eggplants, which I've rarely seen in stores:
Fresh durian fruit! (yes, the stinky one. if it's not cut it won't stink.)
As usual with Asian grocery stores, ALL the drinks on the planet. Most of these are so insanely high in sugar, or full of powdered milk product, that I won't get to try them, but I do try to pick out one drink every time.
Some very gorgeous sashimi. I already had dinner plans or I would have bought some.
Misc flavors of Kit-Kats! Here are red bean, melon, peach, and some Halloween-themed flavor which I think was either flan or creme brulee.
Near the front of the store was this potato roasting oven!
It was plugged in and on...I'm pretty sure it's meant to either roast your own potatoes, or the store roasts them and you can buy them.
I've never seen this before. Very cool!
Just goes to show that once you've seen an H-Mart, you definitely HAVEN'T seen them all!
Now I really WAS tired, and needed to get the heat-sensitive Italian candies back to the hotel.
So I drove back, returned the rental car, and took a much-needed hour to hydrate and rest before walking to Billy Can Can, a saloon with an upscale menu featuring game meats.
I sat at the bar because it was just me, and the bartender was greeting people like he knew them.
Sure enough, the people to my right and left were both local and regulars, which was good to see (because that means this place is probably awesome).
I ordered the venison tartare, which was an appetizer, and the happy hour red wine which was a TX-local cabernet sauvignon.
Venison tartare with dried cherries, capers, juniper, egg yolk, sea salt, fried onions, and mayo served with toasted ciabatta.
It was incredible. Minced finely but every piece was still identifiable...you can see bits of onion and thyme and such in this pic.
I ate and drank slowly and enjoyed every bite, listening to the conversations around me and just appreciating the ability to be here, and to do this, and all the things that I was able to do today.
I can run around botanical gardens, and crouch to take close-up pics of flowers, and climb big hills and endless stairs, because I am blessed to have good health right now and I am still medium-young.
I can rent cars and drive through unfamiliar cities, and navigate public transit, and walk through any kind of neighborhood, because I'm old/experienced enough to be independent and rely on myself, and have had past experiences that make me confident enough to do these things.
I can buy treats for my family and for myself, and try new foods, because I've saved money, and have a good and exciting job, and because my experiences have taught me to be excited by the unfamiliar rather than afraid of it. Many people decades older than myself are terrified to drive in a new place, or eat something they've never had before, or enter a store where they don't know what they'll find. And that's understandable, but it also makes me sad, because there are some amazing, low-risk things to experience in this world, and people are missing out purely because they are afraid. There are people who'd give anything to have adventures, but can't for reasons they can't control; but these are people who COULD have adventures, but choose not to.
Sitting at a random saloon in Dallas where I don't know anyone, after seeing one of the most beautiful arboretums in the world and eating some of the best food money can buy.......it made me deeply thankful.
I tell you what...there are worse ways to have a mid-life crisis.
A quick breakfast and walking to pick up a rental car.
Started to drive it to the Arboretum but decided to stop at Walmart on the way for some annoying necessities: a new sponge, my protein shakes for next week, and packing supplies because I know I'll be sending souvenirs from Eataly.
That done, onward to the FUN bits!
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is supposedly one of the top in the world, so even though admission was expensive I felt it important to see it while I can.
And my! Was it worth it.
Natural spaces, wild-growing flowers and trees, and freeflowing waters are all wonderful in their way.
But when human artistry and horticultural knowledge is applied to a garden space, it is also a special kind of magic.
The landscaping here is just phenomenal. There's no other way to describe it.
Whether I was looking at a European-style lawn garden or a meticulous flowerbed or a grove of Bonsai-like Japanese maples, each plant was so, so carefuly placed, and pruned, and cared for. It was really, really impressive.
I took a lot of photos, but there was way more to see than what I got. Here are some of the highlights.
Notice the duck in this photo?
This was part of "A Woman's Garden". The sculpture looks out over a still reflecting pool, which in turn looks out over a lake.
Close-ups of some flowers that I found especially interesting and colorful.
I had planned to stick to the "main path" in order to see as much as I could, but a lot of the little offshoot gardens were so interesting that I ended up straying many times. This garden had a bubbling jug fountain in the middle, and vines climbing the walls alongside artworks, and some beautiful flower arrangements. I'd love to have a few hours to spend here reading a book.
There were also these bronze statues of historical figures scattered throughout the grounds (Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, etc). This one was of Mother Theresa. I honestly found them a bit corny (and weirdly not made to full-sized human scale), but I'm sure they make good photo ops and points of interest for the kids.
Before I knew it I had completed a circuit of the grounds more-or-less, and it was approaching noon.
Time to get going if I wanted to do all of my planned activities!
This was a beautiful way to spend the morning, and I was grateful to fill my eyes with color and beauty for a few hours.
Next up, Eataly!
Eataly is like an Italian supermarket specializing in both imported goods and house-made authentic Italian foods.
This one in Dallas opened very recently, I think during the pandemic.
It's smaller than the more established locations in Chicago or New York, but still has an awesome selection and is well worth browsing.
I started with lunch at the pasta bar, where they were making fresh pasta and either putting it in the display case or cooking it up for guests.
There were many great options and it was hard to choose just one, but I landed on the tagliatelle alla bolognese.
Ribbon-like premium Italian semolina noodles made in-house with local Texas eggs, with a delicious bolognese.
It was SO good. Chewy ribbons of pasta, the texture was insane, and the bolognese was perfectly balanced and you could see the chunks of vegetables in it along with the ground sausage. I savored every bite.
Then I did my shopping, mostly for souvenirs for select family (those with kids) and Jameson.
Everyone got some sort of authentic Italian pasta.
I added some traditional savory Italian snack crackers to the boxes for Jameson and my Aunt, and a big chunk of torrone for Jameson.
There was so much good stuff.
Aisles of dried pasta of course, all direct from Italy, but then there was the fresh pasta bar with the stuff they make in house using imported Italian semolina. I could eat this all day!
(CLICK HERE for pasta!)
Aisles of imported crackers, breads, cookies, chips, and snacks.
Here I found tarallini in cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) flavor, truffle-dusted toasted corn and nuts, and a variety of crisp breads.
There were also aisles with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomato products, fruit jams, nut butter spreads (including pistachio spread), preserved fruits, salts and seasonings, and an endcap devoted to truffles (black truffle salt was $30!!)
In other areas of the store were cheese islands with imported cheeses and house-made mozzarella and parmesan; a cured meats section with sliced and whole salami and prosciutto and all the others; smoked meats and raw beef products both imported and Texas-local.
The seafood counter had an amazing selection including a WHOLE octopus, and some incredibly beautiful (and $$$!) scallops.
There was produce as well, and imported Italian drinks (most of which you can actually buy in the US so I didn't bother with it), and a wine section, and a beautiful bakery churning out big round boules of country bread and focaccia shining with oil and dried herbs.
I didn't photograph as much as I wanted because A) camera full of flower pictures and B) there's a really good walkthrough HERE that will show you pretty much everything that I saw today :)
Highlights from the counter service end of the bakery, which had mini cakes and pastries and drool-worthy pizzas:
And more aisles and aisles of sweets, like truffles, chocolates, gummies, hard candies, biscotti, cookies, cakes, sweetbreads, dessert aperitifs, and more that I'm probably forgetting.
Here I grabbed some gummies for my sister's kids, and hard candies for my Aunt, and truffles and chocolates for everyone.
There was a full-service LaVazza cafe downstairs but I didn't even go to look...I didn't want to be tempted!
Checking out was painful for my bank account, but it makes me happy that my family can enjoy some treats "with" me!
Money comes and goes. Experiences are well worth it!!
So that was Eataly.
Next up: Asian grocery stores!
I had found out that there was an H-Mart and a 99 Ranch just about 20 minutes northwest of Eataly.
And I had a rental car for the day, so why not!
Truth be told, the H-Mart was far superior to the 99 Ranch for quantity of products, but I couldn't know that without visiting both.
Plus, I saw interesting things at both locations!
At this point I was feeling pretty dang tired, and didn't want to over-buy, so mostly just looked for the enjoyment and picked out a few things for myself.
Here are some interesting foods that I found.
A whole silkie chicken. They have blue-black skin and grey flesh, and I've heard they taste gamier than regular chicken too.
Actual white eggplants, which I've rarely seen in stores:
Fresh durian fruit! (yes, the stinky one. if it's not cut it won't stink.)
As usual with Asian grocery stores, ALL the drinks on the planet. Most of these are so insanely high in sugar, or full of powdered milk product, that I won't get to try them, but I do try to pick out one drink every time.
Some very gorgeous sashimi. I already had dinner plans or I would have bought some.
Misc flavors of Kit-Kats! Here are red bean, melon, peach, and some Halloween-themed flavor which I think was either flan or creme brulee.
Near the front of the store was this potato roasting oven!
It was plugged in and on...I'm pretty sure it's meant to either roast your own potatoes, or the store roasts them and you can buy them.
I've never seen this before. Very cool!
Just goes to show that once you've seen an H-Mart, you definitely HAVEN'T seen them all!
Now I really WAS tired, and needed to get the heat-sensitive Italian candies back to the hotel.
So I drove back, returned the rental car, and took a much-needed hour to hydrate and rest before walking to Billy Can Can, a saloon with an upscale menu featuring game meats.
I sat at the bar because it was just me, and the bartender was greeting people like he knew them.
Sure enough, the people to my right and left were both local and regulars, which was good to see (because that means this place is probably awesome).
I ordered the venison tartare, which was an appetizer, and the happy hour red wine which was a TX-local cabernet sauvignon.
Venison tartare with dried cherries, capers, juniper, egg yolk, sea salt, fried onions, and mayo served with toasted ciabatta.
It was incredible. Minced finely but every piece was still identifiable...you can see bits of onion and thyme and such in this pic.
I ate and drank slowly and enjoyed every bite, listening to the conversations around me and just appreciating the ability to be here, and to do this, and all the things that I was able to do today.
I can run around botanical gardens, and crouch to take close-up pics of flowers, and climb big hills and endless stairs, because I am blessed to have good health right now and I am still medium-young.
I can rent cars and drive through unfamiliar cities, and navigate public transit, and walk through any kind of neighborhood, because I'm old/experienced enough to be independent and rely on myself, and have had past experiences that make me confident enough to do these things.
I can buy treats for my family and for myself, and try new foods, because I've saved money, and have a good and exciting job, and because my experiences have taught me to be excited by the unfamiliar rather than afraid of it. Many people decades older than myself are terrified to drive in a new place, or eat something they've never had before, or enter a store where they don't know what they'll find. And that's understandable, but it also makes me sad, because there are some amazing, low-risk things to experience in this world, and people are missing out purely because they are afraid. There are people who'd give anything to have adventures, but can't for reasons they can't control; but these are people who COULD have adventures, but choose not to.
Sitting at a random saloon in Dallas where I don't know anyone, after seeing one of the most beautiful arboretums in the world and eating some of the best food money can buy.......it made me deeply thankful.
I tell you what...there are worse ways to have a mid-life crisis.
