HOURS
Mon-Thur 7am-10pm
Fri 7am-11pm
Sat 8am-11pm
Sun 8am-10pm


This is my second tour of living in Austin. I'm not sure what year Torchy's started, but I can tell you I had heard a lot of good things about it and never tried it until now. I had a friend visiting in January 2012 and I wanted to take her to some "local" food joints so that she could experience some of the flavor of Austin. We went for breakfast and loved it SO MUCH that we decided to go there a second time before she had to leave town.

Torchy's Tacos is a quirky, eclectic taco restaurant that originally started in a trailer. Now, in addition to the trailer park restaurant, Torchy's also has 7 other locations around the Austin area. So if you are needing your Torchy's fix you will likely not have to drive too far.

Both of our visits were during the breakfast hour...however I "believe" the menu is available all day. The first time I ate there I played it safe and went with a basic bacon, egg & cheese taco. BUT my friend ordered a taco named "The Republican". She shared a bite with me and it was AWESOME!!!! So needless to say I ended up ordering "The Republican" the next time we visited Torchy's. My friend branched out and tried "The Dirty Sanchez" and she loved it too. There isn't a taco priced over $4...so it is a VERY reasonable meal.

We also took my 4.5 year old with us. She is SUPER picky. I didn't see PB&J on the menu so we ended up just ordering her dessert (Love Puppies Brownie). We took a taste too and YUM-O!!!

I also noticed that the restaurant seemed to practice "green" initiatives. The plastic utensils and to-go containers all looked like they were either recyclable OR biodegradeable.

This is a fun restaurant, the food ROCKS! and it's affordable. SO DON'T WALK...RUN to any one of Torchy's Taco locations.

My 2 little girls (ages 4.5 & 6) and I stayed at the Hampton Inn Lubbock the first week of February 2012. We used to live in Lubbock and had to return for a Memorial service for the dad of a very dear friend. My husband had stayed at this particular hotel several times when he was in town on business...so he recommended this hotel to us.

STAFF
We arrived at around 6pm on a Thursday night. We were greeted at the registration desk by a very nice and friendly man. He gave us our key and told us how to get up to our room. This isn't a 5 star hotel...so I didn't expect him to escort us to our room and take our luggage. Speaking of luggage and getting up to the room. The hotel has 2 luggage carts for guests use to take their own luggage to their room.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The hotel has 81 rooms available with some rooms having 2 queen size beds and some with King size beds. The nicely decorated rooms were very clean. The beds were extremely comfortable with soft sheets and great pillows. The bathrooms were nicely decorated. My only negative about the bathroom was that the counter height was a little too high. My two little girls were not able to reach the sink without either climbing up on the shelf below the sink (see photo) or me holding them up. I can imagine a short stature adult would also have an issue with the counter height. Another positive is that if you have an infant or small toddler they do have cribs and high chairs available (according to their website).

AMENITIES
This is a nice, basic hotel. It's great for the family or business traveler.
FOOD
Guests have access to a complimentary beverage bar (coffee, tea etc) located in the main lobby and connected to the breakfast area. Included with your room is also a complimentary breakfast with a nice variety of breakfast selections. My girls LOVED getting to choose from cereals, muffins, fruit, milk, juice. And I like the hot oatmeal (although little runny), eggs, sausage, coffee etc. The lady servicing the breakfast area was VERY nice and extra friendly to my little girls.
FITNESS
The hotel has an indoor pool that seemed pretty nice. However, the hot tub was empty and looked like it was in the middle of repairs. I didn't notice if the hotel had a treadmill or other exercise equipment and checked the website and it only said "pool".
BUSINESS/PERSONAL
The hotel has an on site business center including a fax machine, computer/internet access and photo copying. I also had wireless internet in my hotel room (not sure if it's complimentary...my husband is a gold member).

LOCATION
The hotel is in a great location just south of loop 289. It's a short drive to/from the airport and Texas Tech. It's also located just across the parking lot from several restaurants (Jason's Deli, Cheddar's...).

OVERALL
I would definitely recommend the Hampton Inn Lubbock for both families or business travelers. It's clean, it's comfortable, great location and a great value.

I had the pleasure of spending 3 days and 2 glorious nights at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas over this past weekend. One of my very dear girlfriends turns 40 tomorrow and her husband treated her and 3 of her closest friends to a weekend of pampering. And although this wasn't a "family" or "kid" trip...I did do some investigating to see what was available for kids/families.

Four Seasons is a luxury resort with outstanding full-service at every turn. This particular weekend was not during peak season, but they didn't pull back on the staff as a result of fewer guests. The resort offers activities for every member of the family. Guests and members of Four Seasons can enjoy one of four pools, swing a golf club on their TPC course, play tennis, racquetball, squash, half-court basketball, catch a workout in their state-of-the-art fitness facility, enjoy a spa treatment or participate in numerous complimentary family fun activities. With all the activities available no one will leave the resort saying they had nothing to do and that they were bored.

STAFF/CHECK-IN
I noticed immediately at the registration desk that the resort was/is very family friendly. Right to the side of the check-in/out area was a small child-size table/chairs, an easel, some coloring pages and a wagon (see attached picture). I thought this was a great idea to have some entertainment for the little ones right there so that the adults could check-in and kids were not running all over the place and being disruptive.
The staff from the moment we drove up to the time we departed were very friendly and attentive. Upon arrival we were given a map of the resort and escorted to the door that led to the villas where we were staying. A bellman brought our luggage to our room and went over all the features of the room and also offered to bring ice, press our clothing or help with any other requests or needs.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The resort has 431 guest rooms (26 of those being suites). These are located in either the 9-story tower or low-rise villas. We had the pleasure of staying in one of the beautiful decorated villas situated right between the main resort pool and the TPC golf course. 3 of us had views of the golf course and one of the pool (not a bad view on either end). The rooms were very spacious. Each room had a king-size bed, a desk, sitting area with couch, a coffee/mini bar station with refrigerator, large flat screen TV, DVD player, CD clock radio with docking station for an iPod/Phone, wired or wireless internet (for a fee) dresser, in-room safe, spacious closet, iron/ironing board and a beautiful bathroom. The bathroom had double sinks, a large glass shower, separate soaking tub and a private toilet room. Also in the bathroom were toiletries by L'Occataine en Provence, a super soft and plush bathrobe, a glass scale, magnified and lighted make-up mirrow and hair dryer. The beds were extremely comfortable with high quality linens and down pillows (hypoallergenic pillows were available upon request). Also available upon request were cribs/rollaways, wheelchair accessible rooms and fax machines. And I'm sure if you needed something that wasn't in the room that the hotel staff would be more than happy to help with special requests. Our rooms had twice-daily housekeeping service. And one of the other perks is that children 18 and under are not charged an additional fee for occupying an adults room (space permitting).

AMENITIES
FOR CHILDREN: If you let the resort staff know before arriving the ages of the children staying at the resort they will have complimentary child-size robes placed in your hotel room. Also available are nightly milk/cookies. Babysitting services can be arranged with 24 hour notice. Also on the property is a program provided by "Kids for All Seasons". This is a 2,000 square foot full-service childcare facility located in the fitness building and available to guests and members of the Four Seasons. The resort hires CPR certified and qualified childcare providers for this facility. The program offers fun scheduled daily activities for children ages 5-12 (see website for a sample of daily activities). In addition to the scheduled program, "Kids for All Seasons" also has child/baby sitting services (for a fee and a max of 4 hours) for ages 8 weeks-13 years. They are well equipped with an infant nursery, toys and age appropriate activities. During peak summer season there are two other kid programs available called "Kids' Night In" and "Summerfest" (see website for more details).

FOR TEENS: Located inside the fitness facility is an area just for "teen" (ages 13-16) entertainment (see attached photos). It has lounging couches, TV's, music, internet, video games and a foosball table. For an additional fee private instruction in tennis, golf, racquetball or squash is available. Or they can play half-court basketball. Check with the fitness facility desk for other equipment available to teens.

FAMILY: The resort has a list of complimentary family-friendly activities available on the property as well. Included (according to their website) are air hockey, arts and crafts, board games, books, foosball, jogging, movies, playground, Seasonal sports clinics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Video Games (including Game Cube, Xbox and Playstation2), Volleyball and Wallyball.

FOR ADULTS:
TENNIS: For a fee the resort offers 12 state-of-the-art Tennis courts (8 located outdoors and 4 climate controlled indoors). In addition many weekly tennis clinics are available.
FITNESS FACILITY: The resort has a 6,000 square foot fitness facility located a short distance from the main hotel. It's many features include cardiovascular and weight-training equipment, a variety of fitness classes (including yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Spinning, water aerobics and several others), indoor and outdoor tracks for walking, running or jogging; indoor and outdoor pools, racquetball and squash courts, half-court basketball, tennis courts (as mentioned above) and the "KIDS FOR ALL SEASONS" is also conveniently located in the fitness facility.
GOLF: For a fee play one of two beautiful golf courses located on the resort property: TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas is where the PGA tour plays the Byron Nelson Golf Championship or also available is the Cottonwood Valley Course. Private Instruction, Pro Shop, Rentals, Driving Range, Putting Green also available.
SPA AND SALON: The four of us girls had the pleasure of spending a glorious 5 hours in the Four Seasons Spa and Salon. As soon as we walked in we noticed the pleasant and subtle spa fragrance...very calming. The front desk staff were all very friendly and checked us in quickly and walked us to the woman's locker/changing area. The ladies locker facilities were beautiful, relaxing and quiet. We changed into comfy robes and slippers that were provided by the spa. We were able to sit in a relaxing waiting area and sip peach tea, cucumber and lemon water before we were escorted to our private treatment rooms. All 4 of us enjoyed a 1 hour massage, a 1 hour facial and a pedicure. We all loved the staff who performed the services. They were very attentive to our needs the entire time and didn't rush to get us in/out. After our massage/facial all 4 of us were able to get our pedicures in the same room at the same time. This was a fun time to visit and talk about how wonderful we felt. In addition to the services we received the spa and salon also offers numerous other services. The spa has a sauna, steam room, whirlpool, cold plunge pool and a variety of other treatments available (see website). The salon offers a variety of hair services ranging from color, cuts, styling, extensions; Make-up services; Nail Services include pedicures, manicures (a variety of pedi/mani packages) and artificial nails; and last but not least Waxing (see full waxing menu on website). In a nutshell...I HIGHLY recommend a girls weekend at the Four Seasons to include the Four Seasons Spa and Salon.

DINING OPTIONS
The Four Seasons offers several onsite dining and beverage options.
CAFE ON THE GREEN is there main restaurant, but it was relocated for remodeling. We didn't have the opportunity to eat there, but I'm quite certain it would have been fabulous. It serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.
MEMBERS LOUNGE is for Four Seasons Members only restaurant. We did have the opportunity to eat here and we had a lovely dining experience. From the service to the food it was top-notch. The four of us girls really enjoyed our cocktails, dinner, dessert and most of all conversation.
RACQUETS is a casual dining experience with limited days/hours for breakfast/lunch (see website for hours). We also didn't get the opportunity to eat here, but we did get to walk in it and take a picture (see attached). It's a super cute restaurant located next to the fitness center/outdoor pool and tennis courts. Starbucks was also located inside of Racquets Restaurant.
IN ROOM DINING is what we took advantage of with most of our meals. We LOVED the idea of not having to dress up and stay in our comfy sweats/pj's and just hang out and visit. We received excellent, timely service and the food was fresh, hot and made to order. Room Service was available 24 hours a day and there was a nice variety of foods for any time of day. (attached are some pictures).
TERRACE LOUNGE was a resort casual lounge located just off the main lobby. It was BEAUTIFUL! It's a great place to enjoy a cocktail and a light appetizer after our day at the spa. We enjoyed key lime martini's, skinny margaritas, wine, hummus and pita chips. All were delicious. We did have a little bit of an issue with getting someone initially to service our table, but once we brought it to their attentions that we were there...they were most attentive.
BAR 19 is resort casual dining off the main lobby overlooking the resort pool and cabana.
CABANA is a casual outdoor dining area with limited summer hours.


LOCATION
Four Seasons Dallas at Las Calinas is located in Irving, Texas between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. A great central location and not far from DFW International airport. Also a short drive to downtown Dallas, many shopping areas and lots of local entertainment.

OVERALL
Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas caters to a variety of guest types: Business, Family, Sports/Fitness enthusiasts, Romantic getaway or even a girls/guys getaway. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing girls/moms weekend at Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas. We felt pampered and relaxed our entire visit. I highly recommend you stay here with or without kids.

Noble Pig Sandwiches is a wonderful hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Some friends visiting from out-of-town had done a restaurant search and came across Noble Pig Sandwiches. Based on their positive reviews they decided to try it for lunch and they LOVED it. Because of this...one of my friends took me back for their breakfast. Can I just say...this is going to become one of my FAVORITES?!?! I'm so glad my friend introduced me.

HOURS
MON-THUR 7am-3pm
FRI-SUN 7am-5pm

ATMOSPHERE
The restaurant is located in a stripe center. It's small, casual and quaint with only a few tables inside and a few picnic tables outside. It has a walk-up counter with menu board where you order and then they bring the food out to your table. It was clean and comfortable.


SERVICE
The staff was very friendly, courteous and delivered food in a prompt manner.


FOOD
The food is YUMMY!!! Since we were there for breakfast I chose the Milk Biscuit with Country Sausage and Black Pepper Gravy. Now the description does not state so...but it does have scrambled eggs on it too. And the coffee was delicious too.

AND...they have a great kids menu (see attached photo). Any restaurant that has PB&J on the menu gets extra brownie points from me. :-)

PRICE
There are not any items for breakfast that were over $5 and looking at the menu there the lunch menu is $8 and under. I think very reasonable...especially for made to order food.

IN CONCLUSION: GO, GO GO!!! I can't wait to try lunch.

OH...and next door to the restaurant is a deli where you can buy their fresh baked breads, meats, pastries etc.

ON A SIDE NOTE:
Even if you don't need to go...go in the bathrooms. They have the worlds cutest and tiniest sinks. And for the record clean!

My dad started taking me to City Market when I was a teenager in the 80's. I was able to take my kids (along with about 30 other family members) for their first trip to City Market over the Christmas holidays last year. We actually caravanned the hour-and-a-half trek from my mom's house to City Market in Luling, Texas...just for this FABULOUS BBQ. And it was well worth the trip.

LOCATION

Luling, Texas is not necessarily a place you would seek out unless you were looking for some GREAT Texas BBQ. The City Market is located in downtown Luling on East Davis Street.

FOOD

If you are a meat-eater and love some great BBQ...then City Market is the place for you. You name it they probably have it. Brisket, Sausage, Chicken, Ribs and all the fixings. It's smoked in a big pit room in the back of the restaurant. The ribs are so tender they fall right off the bone.

Don't look for plates in this restaurant...they serve their BBQ wrapped in butcher paper and it's designed to eat with your hands.

ATOMOSPHERE

Nothing fancy, but clean. VERY casual family-friendly atmosphere. We ate in a back room with a LONG wooden table and folding chairs. Be prepared to smell like BBQ when you leave. To order your food you have to go INTO the pit room where they smoke all the meats...and it's a pretty strong smell.

STAFF

This is not a sit-down table service restaurant. You have to stand in two separate lines to get your food. Everyone was down-home friendly. The guys in the pit room are passionate about making great BBQ and we were greeted with smiles. The ladies in the main dining room where we got drinks/sides were also super sweet and friendly.

COST/VALUE

The meats are priced by weight...so you could spend as little or as much as you want. We spent about $10 per adult with meat/side/drink (which I think is very reasonable).

BUT DON'T PULL OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD...because they don't take them. Bring CASH!!! I think I remember seeing an ATM machine in the restaurant too.

OVERALL

If you are anywhere near Central Texas...make the trip to City Market at least once. You may even want to bring an ice chest with you so you can buy some extra BBQ to take home with you (it's that good). My family really enjoyed our time together at City Market and the food was SUPERB!!! SO GO!!!