If I had a restaurant, this would be my menu.

Just for Starters
Think of these as a great way to start the evening. Get your palette ready for the main course.

Shrimp-n-Grits
4 Jumbo Shrimp sautéed on fried grits

Fried Green Tomatoes
Thick-cut tomatoes coated in herbs and townhouse crackers.

Brochette
Grilled cornbread topped with grilled corn salsa and jalapeno pimento cheese

Queso Fries
Waffle fries covered in cheesy goodness.

Fried Pickles
No, really, they’re great!


Salad or soup
Not that hungry? Well then you will not want to order from here. The soups and the salads are a meal unto themselves.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
Pecan crusted chicken tenderloins on a bed of fresh greens with a honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Shrimp Bisque
A velvety smooth bisque served in a homemade bread-bowl.

Steak Salad
Grilled Ribeye on a fresh bed of greens with balsamic vinaigrette

No Kisses for You
Homemade French Onion Soup

Just a Salad
Fresh greens with tomatoes, caramelized onions, and strawberries.


The main course
I hope you are hungry.

The Little Pigs
Stuffed pork tenderloin on a bed of grits.

Palmetto Ribeye
16oz grilled Ribeye topped with homemade jalapeno pimento cheese

A USC Fan
A Cornish game hen (drunken style) seasoned with fresh herbs.

Clemson Tiger Prawns
Marinated in garlic butter and grilled

After a Clemson/Carolina Game
Grilled chicken wings and sautéed tiger prawns.

After a Clemson/Carolina Game
Grilled chicken wings and sautéed tiger prawns.

Now that’s a Pork chop
Double-thick chop butterflied and stuffed w/apple-sweet potato hash.

Sand Witches
Something –usually meat, cheese, and vegetables, or any combination there-of –all confined between two slices of bread.

Chicken Primavera without the noodles
Pan roasted chicken sliced and covered in sauce and mozzarella on fresh bread.

TLR
Grilled onions & peppers, Italian sausage split on a toasted hoagie w/spicy mustard.

BBQ
Pulled pork w/a mustard sauce on a steamed bun

The Carolina Grilled
Jalapeno Pimento cheese and sliced ham on thick-cut, buttered white bread.



By the way
On the side or by themselves, you’ll be glad you ordered from this side of the menu.

Sautéed Green Beans
Green beans sautéed in olive oil with almond slivers and Parma ham

Corn-off-the-Cob
Grilled corn cut from the cob with roasted garlic and jalapeños

Apple Wood Bacon Salad
Fresh greens with apple wood smoked bacon, with a mustard vinaigrette dressing.

Fried Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy, mashed potatoes pan fried in extra-virgin olive oil.

Not Your Granny’s Grits
Stone Ground Grits with heavy cream, cheddar cheese, and spicy tomatoes.

Just Plain Ol’ Fries
Well nor really. Waffle Fries with liberal amounts of sea salt.



Almost Finished
These are Your Just Desserts

Going Bananananas
Bananas in Rum cream sauce and a generous scoop of Blue Belle.

O-R-E-O! Cheesecake
What more is there to say?

Fruit Stewed
Fresh stewed fruit layered with 2 huge scoops of Blue Belle.

Danny Young passed away on August 20, 2008.

Danny died at age 67 from a heart attack.
You will be greatly missed.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Sayings from the TEXICALLI GRILL

Have you ever had a really nasty craving? I'm not talking about the Laverne & Shirley "Milk and Coke" or a pregnant woman's midnight urges for "Pickles and Ice Cream", but a really nasty hankering for a dish or a meal you had at a restaurant? The only thing is, the restaurant is now out of business, or maybe they changed their menu, and no longer offer that particular delicacy.

I had just that problem recently, only in my particular case it was because I moved out of state. I have had the craving for a big plate of Queso Fries and a special sandwich I have only been able to find in South Austin.

Tonight,while looking for the specific menu items, so I could list my cravings by name, I learned that my favorite restaurant in the entire world, went out of business in 2007

You see, I used to live in South Austin, TX, just West of I-35 and South of Town Lake. I know that Austin is world renowned for a lot of things (music, governors, heck, even the City Limits are famous), but what I love best about the city is the food. Austin has places like Threadgill's, Amy's Icecream, The Broken Spoke, Chuy's, El Arroyo. But First and foremost, Austin was the Home of the Texicalli Grill. The Texicalli was located just down the road from my High School Alma Mater, William B Travis High School, at

534 E Oltorf St

Austin, TX 78704-5639

The owner, Danny Young, took over the building from the Taco Bell. But when I stepped into the place, I knew I was home. The interior was decorated the way my parents would not let me decorate my room. Not one square inch of the walls or ceiling was visible. I'm not talking about the normal poster type wallpapering, there were... Just look at the picture and you will see for yourself.

I used to live at the Texicalli. Well, not really live, but I would eat there at least 3 days a week. At first I was unsure of the place - after all, it used to be a Taco Bell! But it did not take long for me to warm up to the place. It would not be uncommon to hear me say "Are you gonna eat that?" when my plate would be empty and yours would not.

The Texicalli Grill holds a special place in my stomach and Danny Young, the unofficial mayor of South Austin, holds a special place in my heart. I will miss you both. I don't know how to separate one from the other.

I don't know if I will ever see Danny again, or if I will have the heart to drive past the former Texicalli Grill, but I will always remember your bigger than life personality and your beautifully decorated, former Taco Bell, of a restaurant.

What's For Dinner? Squash Casserole

Tonight we will be trying out a new squash casserole recipe on a brand new gas range. I hope it will be good. Wish me luck.

--- Ingredient list ---
2 TBS – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup – Butter Melted
5 – med. Squash, cubed
1 – med. Onion, roughly chopped
1 clove – Garlic
1 – med. Bell Pepper
½ - Jalapeño Pepper
½ cup – Bread crumbs
¾ cup – Townhouse Crackers, crushed
2 tsp – Italian seasoning
1 ½ cup – Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

--- Instructions ---

Pre-heat your oven to 350o F

In a fry pan on medium high heat, melt the butter with the extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the squash, onion, garlic, and peppers until the squash is soft. Combine this mixture with the bread crumbs, ½ cup of the cracker crumbs, Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of the cheese. Place this in a 9x13” casserole dish and top with the remaining cracker crumbs and cheese.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

The squash is from our very own garden. To see a picture of the garden check out my other blog at the following link -- http://ejea-treehouse.blogspot.com/ --

We will also be having chicken from a Tyler Florence recipe I pulled from the Food Network website.

Now We're Cooking With Gas

Don't let anyone tell you that dreams will not come true. I have been wanting a gas range for the kitchen for the longest time, but I have been unwilling to spend the money$$$ on a new range while the old one was still functioning. My wife tells me I am a tightwad.

Well, just the other day she noticed a crack in the glass-top stove while she was cleaning it. She called me in from the garage to look at it. To my surprise the cook top was not just cracked, it was shattered. Something had fallen out of the cabinet and cracked the pyrex cook-top. I did a little checking on the internet to see how much a replacement glass would cost. With an enourmous grin on my face, I informed my wife that it would cost more to repair the stove than if we bought a new one. A new gas burning range with 5 burners now sits where that horrible electric glass-top unit stood.

I hated that stove with a passion. Now don't get the wrong idea. I did not willingly, purposefully, nor knowingly drop anything on the stove. I did not even know about the damage untill it was brought to my attention. I was not even happy that I had to go buy a new stove. But I was jumping up and down with excitement about the GAS stove that was installed yesterday morning.

NOW WE'RE COOKIN' WITH GAS, BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!