NOLA to the Big D

August 9, 2010

Miles: 570 miles

Our most serious travel day so far.

We made an early plan to getting rolling, starting with hotel breakfast and retrieval of our car from the valet. While it rained, Mandy expertly guided us out of the French Quarter and onto I-10, then I-49 heading northwest across Louisiana.

McP's

The scenery was ho-hum, but the interstates are a great way to cover miles. A possible lunch stop peaked our interest, one called Bistro on the Bayou. We risked a 2 mile side trip to check it out, only to find a sanitary-looking eatery tacked onto the side of the Alexandria airport, without a single patron. Nix.

Bistro on the Bayou in Alexandria, LA

No character, no patrons

We finally took an exit for Natchidoches, LA, then a 3 mile drive past pretty Northwestern State University seeking out the center of town. Down the historic riverfront, we finally located Antoon's Riverfront Restaurant and decided to give it a go. Real friendly service and so-so food. My club sandwich was good but could have dropped the cheese whiz. Linda's sweet potato fries were the hit for sure.

Food critics at Antoon's Riverfront Restaurant

Good fries, OK sandwich, but lose the Cheese Whiz please

Back in the SUV for the remaining 280 miles in to Dallas. The conversations were lively but with so many miles to cover, they eventually tapered off, leaving just the drone of satellite radio. One brief stop for gas and McP, then in to Dallas. We talked to Mike on the phone who gave us a restaurant destination in Grapevine, TX.

Nice place, Bob's Steak and Chops. The bar looked especially good to me, and $16 later we were looking at 1 margarita and 1 gimlet. Hmmm... We all felt underdressed, and I eventually did a quick-change in the car, both for appearance and for warmth in the A/C. Both Janel and John did the same.

Betsy, David, Abby and Mike soon arrived! It was great to see them all. Abby especially is growing up so fast - the boys will be interested in her all too soon.

Seated, we were presented a menu with, well, whopping prices. In retrospect, at that point we should have headed to a nearby pizzeria, but we instead started the selection process. The steaks (and duck and lobster) were truly wonderful, aged, cooked and seasoned to perfection. An Estancia meritage went with everything very well. Service was ho-hum, adequate, indifferent, not fitting for this place.

Fun time at Bob's, with a few hitches

I admit I did not stomach the whopping bill very well. Neither Abby or David ate their pork chops (David proclaimed his "disgusting" before even trying it.) It is not a stretch to say that our talkative party did not fit very well into the high end scene. Hmmm...like I said, the pizzeria...

Mandy again showed us the way to Betsy's house in Keller. Abby painted a beautiful sign for us that was posted by the sidewalk. Nice! Mike and Betsy had already thoughtfully prepared the bedrooms for our arrival, and we had fun with the kids selecting which room we'd each sleep in.

We're really glad to be here!

Extraction from our packed SUV

Who's going to sleep where?

We get a well-needed good night's sleep after a long travel day. It is great to be here with my sister and family and we're looking forward to more good visiting tomorrow.