FW vs. RVA: Grocery Stores

Warning: If your name isn't Megan, Mandy or Lelia, you may think this post is totally lame....

The amount of grocery stores here in FW is insane, as evidenced by the amount of grocery fliers (left) that came one recent Wednesday! Some things are universal: Because of the longer grower season here and our proximity to Mexico, the fruits and veggies are really ripe and varied. For example, we hadn't been able to find star fruit in RVA for the longest time but Central Market has them. Generally, food prices are the same or cheaper (as in the case of produce), but since the sales tax is higher our grocery bill is usually more than it was in RVA.

But each store has its own draw. For example, I've gushed countless times about Central Market (about 13 minutes from our house), but it's just so awesome I have to tell you more. For starters, they have a playground outside. It's so nice to let Nigel run around a bit before we go inside and shop. Once we're inside, the produce selection is nice but kind of overwhelming; I'm pretty sure there are at least a dozen types of apples on any given day. Thankfully, they're all labeled well: conventional vs. organic, local, etc. After you bag your fruit or veg you take it to a scale to measure it and print out a barcode label. I guess the point is that if the cashier can scan the label they don't waste time looking up the countless produce barcodes. The process took a while to get used to, and it frequently causes a traffic jam. It also forces me to bag my produce in individual plastic bags, whereas I usually just let them hang loose or use a reusable mesh bag. (Central market also doesn't offer a discount for bringing reusable grocery bags. Additionally, it's kind of seen as a healthier grocery store, but they don't abide by the same rules — no high fructose corn syrup, etc. — as say Whole Foods or Ellwood Thompson does when selecting items for their shelves, so that slows me down a bit.)

The meat selection here is really nice, but of course it's pricey. I recently asked the butcher for 4 whole chicken breasts, but because I was at the red meat section of the counter I didn't see the price before ordering. It wasn't until checkout that I realized it was $15!!! That's one expensive dinner. The canned goods here are priced in line with what you'd find at Whole Foods. One of my favorite parts of the store, though, is the bulk bin section. It's huge — easily 5 times what you'd find at Ellwood Thompson (9 minutes from our RVA house). We're big lentil eaters here, so I love that they carry so many types. They also have a dozen or so kinds of trail mix, lots of dried fruits, candies and coffee. The bakery and cheese sections here are nice, but I usually bypass them because of the cost. I have gotten some good cheeses for entertaining, though. My next favorite spot is the dip/tapas/condiment bar. Here you'll find the best spinach/artichoke dip I've ever had, pickles, hummus, pesto, etc. Lastly, before checkout we pass by the prepared foods. The selection is nice, and we occasionally get sandwiches here (my favorite is the pesto, tomato and mozzarella). We actually got chopped beef brisket for sandwiches for our Super Bowl party for 3.

In RVA, our main grocery stores were Whole Foods (22 minutes from our RVA house) and Trader Joe's (23 minutes from our RVA house). Sadly, there's no Trader Joe's here (Thanks to the Cox family for our TJ care package!), but we do go to the local Whole Foods sometimes (14 minutes from home). This location is much, much smaller than our old store in Short Pump. It's less than half the size of the one we visited in Dallas a few weeks ago... more on par with the location in Charlottesville. The middle of the store is about the same, but the produce, bakery, meat, cheese and prepared foods sections are smaller. We might start going here more often since it's closer to the YMCA Nigel and I go to during the week.

There's a Kroger nearby, but Tim says it's not super great. So for quick purchases in between big shopping trips, we go to Albertons (9 minutes from home). Albertons is kind of in line with Food Lion. I would never buy meat here, and the produce can be dicey, too. For example, I recently found baby red potatoes in a refrigerated bin in the produce section that had been sprayed with water. Gross.

Next up is Aldi (16 minutes from home), which has a connection to Trader Joe's but is NOTHING like Trader Joe's. Off the bat, two interesting things about Aldi that keep costs down: You pay a quarter to get a cart (the quarter's refunded when you return the cart), and they charge you for each paper or plastic bag you use if you don't bring your own bags. The prices here are cheap, but the selection is limited and the quality is very poor. For example, canned beans were 59 cents each, but the day I went they only have lima beans. There was very little produce, and the frozen meats looked icky. The icing on this yucky cake is that as the cashier scans your goods she throws it back into your cart. After you pay for your goods you walk over to a little counter and bag your own groceries. I will not be going back.

Fort Worth is BOOMING!

Census data is in: North Texas grew like a weed over the last 10 years. 20% to be exact. And Fort Worth took in a lot of those new residents with 38.6% growth! Last week's lust, Dallas, on the other hand, grew a mere .8%. Is Fort Worth the new Dallas? I don't know, but it's certainly interesting. Check out this article for more information. My favorite quote is actually from the comments: "Today's Frisco will be tomorrow's Irving."

FW Nature Refuge

Nigel and I were so glad to have Tim home an extra day this week. Since the weather is still beautiful, we decided to head to the Fort Worth Nature Refuge. For just $10, the three of us toured the nature center and hiked two trails. We'd heard conflicting reports about the ease of seeing the animals here. Unfortunately, Tim's no-sightings report from his boss held true for us on this day. We saw some caged rescue animals, including a bobcat and two owls. But the closest we got to a prairie dog was seeing one in a cage and spotting a tunnel hole in a field (below). We saw no trace of bison. Still, the trip was very enjoyable. FW, Dallas and everything in between are concrete jungles. Even the beautiful parks are filled with concrete paths. So it was so refreshing to get out and see nature. We saw cactus growing wild all over the place (below), some ducks and some ideal alligator spots (sans gators) along Lake Worth (yes, that sign above says don't molest the gators!).

A Magical Afternoon in Dallas

We've really enjoyed spending time with Tim's great-aunt Nancy and great-uncle Dan in Plano. We've only known them for a few months, but it feels like they've been in our lives forever. They are so sweet and kind. And Nigel is smitten*.

Last Saturday Tim and I took them up on their offer to watch Nigel for a few hours so we could have some alone time. Between my mom and several trusty sitters, Tim and I were never without an opportunity to go out in RVA. But the last time we'd been out alone was July. We were overdue.

Being the planner that I am, I racked my brain and hounded Tim to come up with the perfect afternoon. We couldn't blow this opportunity. Trouble was, everything we came up with we could conceivably do with Nigel. When we left the house the only thing we knew was we wanted to go to the Ethiopian restaurant Desta in Dallas, which you can read about here.

Not having a plan was the best option, though. When Tim stayed with Dan and Nancy his first week in Texas he took the train to FW. One of the stops along the way was at a mega Whole Foods in Dallas. So of course he knew I had to go. Now I know what you're thinking. Going to a grocery store is something we could do with Nigel. True. However this was more than a grocery trip. As soon as I walked up to those giant doors I felt myself exhale for the first time since November. I felt like I was home again. Yes, I'm obsessed with Whole Foods, but I'm talking about the vibe I felt and the people I saw. For starters, Dallas has more of an East Coast vibe to begin with. If a highway speed limit in FW is 60, FW drivers go 55; if a highway speed limit in Dallas is 70, Dallas drivers do 75-80. Secondly, while FW has more blue collar companies, government agencies and cowboys, Dallas has mega corporations. So with all of that comes more diversity in Dallas. MUCH more diversity in Dallas. We saw no less than 10 Habesha people while we enjoyed our coffee on the patio, and I saw more Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese people in that one store than I have the entire time we've been in Texas. There were VWs in the parking lot; patchouli was in the air. I was among "my people."

With that recharged energy, we drove through some cute neighborhoods in north and west Dallas. Some were way out of our league, but others might be doable. We also walked a few blocks in downtown Dallas, where we saw the spot that JFK was assassinated. (Strangely enough, there isn't a marker here. Next time I'd like to check out the museum.)

After our dinner we bought some Ethiopian groceries and pastries and picked up Nigel. That's it. That was our perfect day. We both felt re-energized, but I was giddy. Not to get cheesy, but since I've had a lifelong obsession with Texas I figured that once I got here I'd see why. I mean, Texans have such strong state pride, so there's got to be something amazing about this place. Where was my "a-ha!" Texas moment? It has happened to me once before. My entire life I'd also been focused on Ethiopia and adoption, separately. Obviously, the two came together. The moment we stepped out of the airport in Addis, I felt myself exhale for the first time in a long time. I knew at that moment why I had been thinking about that beautiful country — of which I knew very little about at the time — for my entire life. It was magical. So I had assumed that my "a-ha!" Texas moment would be Texas-related... cowboys, longhorns... something to make me realize this is where I was supposed to be. Turns out, it was the big(ger) city that did it. We ended that night with our eyes toward our Texas future. We'd been planning to move to the mid-cities next fall, but now we're angling toward getting to Plano/Dallas by next spring.

Among other things, that move would bring us closer to Dan and Nancy, which brings me to smitten Nigel*. As you can see from the above picture they wore him out! They played with Play-Doh, made pudding, ate ice cream (and dinner), fed ducks and went to the playground. He honestly didn't want to come home with us. He was so tired from such a fun day that he fell asleep in the car on the way home — something he hasn't done in a long time — and stayed asleep while Tim carried him into the house — something he's NEVER done. Have I said yet that it was a magical day?

FW vs. RVA: Wildlife. Take II

I still haven't seen any of my animals on my Texas wildlife wish list, but I have seen a lot of other wildlife over the last few days. Driving into River Legacy Park on Sunday for my weekly running group, I saw a mom and a baby bobcat crossing the road in front of me. I slowed down to take a closer look and see if I could get a picture, but they ran back into the woods. (I didn't get a picture, but I did take one of the caged bobcat to the left at the Fort Worth Nature Refuge the next day.) Then, when my group was toward the end of our run, we saw a single bobcat at the edge of the trail. Bobcats are so beautiful, and since they pose no threat to humans (unless they're rabid, of course) it was a really cool find. And yesterday when I was driving to a nearby park along the Trinity River to meet a friend for another run, I saw a turkey on a trail close to the road. On that same trip I also saw 2 dead skunks. Despite a childhood in the woods, I've never seen a skunk in the wild — dead or alive — so to me that was kind of cool. Who knows, maybe I'll see a wild pig next!

Last Week's Restaurant

Last week the weather was so nice — mid-70s every day. On Friday it was actually 87 at 3:45! Since we've been told to take advantage of any day that feels like spring — because it can and will reach 105 before you can blink your eye — Nigel and I picked Tim up from work most days and we all headed to Trinity River Park. The section we go to has a nice playground and there's usually a pretty diverse mix of kids, which is rare here.

So after some playtime on Friday, we headed over to Zeke's on Camp Bowie Blvd. We spotted it a month or so ago and were intrigued since it's gotten good reviews online. For starters, it's small and the interior decor reminded me of some of the chip shops I've seen in England (a sign that read "Hippies are always welcome" made me laugh). Nigel and I washed our hands in the super tiny bathroom while Tim ordered. To get to the bathrooms, which are the size of the ones at Nile, we actually had to walk into the kitchen first. Nigel got a kick out of that.

As in a true chip shop, just about everything here is fried. Tim and I each had the fish combo — one with fried zucchini and fried mushrooms, the other with fries. The fish was very moist, but a bit overpowered by the heavy breading. The cornmeal crust on the veggies was really nice, allowing the flavor of the zucchini and mushroom flavors to shine. The fries were fries, not chips. Nigel enjoyed popcorn shrimp and the attention from our waitress. I thought the food was good, but it's not top on my "must return" list.

On Saturday, Tim and I enjoyed a Nigel-free afternoon (more to come on that later) that ended with dinner at Desta in Dallas. Nigel and I last had Ethiopian food in September when we celebrated Ethiopian New Year in RVA sans Tim; Tim hadn't had it since well before that. Sure, I've been making my ferengi versions of dishes, but nothing beats the real thing.

Desta has only been open for a month or so, but the only thing that gave their newness away was its BYOB policy and absence of Tej. The all-Ethiopian staff was characteristically kind, and the food was amazing. We started with meat sambusas (think, Indian samosas) that were served with a cold lentil dish and chili oil. Tim enjoyed an order of beef tibs with shiro. My vegetarian combination platter included the standard shiro (not too spicy), misir wat, gomen (the best I've ever had), atakilt wat (the cabbage was so buttery and smooth) and kik alicha. But my plate also included two super tasty surprises: green beans and purple cabbage. We left feeling recharged by great food and friendly Habesha people. Desta is a place we'll definitely go back to, perhaps to try the all-day breakfast!

Last Week's Restaurant

Tim was in Missouri most of the week last week, so when he came home on Friday evening, cooking was the last thing on my mind. We all just wanted to spend time together. So, we tossed our one-restaurant-a-week rule and ate out THREE times last weekend (good thing we've joined the YMCA, huh?).

After we put Nigel to bed on Friday, Tim and I had takeway from Panda Express. The restaurant is a chain, and it wasn't that good. It doesn't hold a candle to Pei Wei.

On Saturday night, the three of us dined at Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Arlington, just a few blocks from Cowboy Stadium. It's been on our radar for a while since it's been featured in Southern Living magazine and on Food Network. And I know of at least two RVA friends who've told us to try it. We got to Babe's right at 5, and there was already a line. Before we were seated we waited outside on the covered patio, where they have heaters and stools made from old tractor seats (left). The interior walls on the inside of the large restaurant are made up to look like an old Western Main Street. The tables and chairs are mismatched and kind of like you'd find in someone's home. It was a very comfortable atmosphere despite the size. At Babe's there is no menu because the selection is very limited. Each person chooses a meat (smoked chicken, fried chicken, chicken tenders, chicken-fried steak, pot roast or fried catfish), and the table shares refillable sides (cream corn, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits and salad). I'm starting to get used to the absence of green things on menus down here, but the salad actually made me laugh — it was just shredded iceberg lettuce with a vinegar-based dressing. Nigel ate some, though (above). The rest of the meal was really good. Tim's chicken-fried steak (below, right) was huge and very tender. Nigel and I had chicken tenders that I think rival the ones at our beloved Lee's Chicken in RVA (the closest Lee's to us now is Tulsa, OK). Another funny moment was when Tim asked for Coke or Pepsi, and the waitress said they only serve Dr. Pepper and RC (Texans are really big Dr. Pepper drinkers). Obviously, it wasn't the healthiest meal we've ever had, but it was really good. Definitely a place we'd take an out-of-town guest.

On Sunday evening, after a really fabulous early Valentine's Day outing, Tim and I had takeaway sushi from Piranha Killer Sushi in Sundance Square. If you'll recall, our previous attempt to discover awesome sushi in FW was a fail. Piranha made up for it. The rolls were formed really tight (I hate when rolls are sloppy and fall apart), and the pricing was fair. Everything was just very flavorful — so flavorful that I hardly used soy sauce at all. The fish in Tim's tuna roll was really fresh, and we both enjoyed some of their signature rolls, including the Forget About It Roll (scallions, shrimp tempura & ginger cream topped with avocado & crawfish). Even the disposable chopsticks were high-quality (read: we didn't get splinters in our mouths). Really excited to have a sushi spot to call our own. FW is starting to feel like home.

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing all of our friends and family much love on this Valentine's Day. We celebrated this weekend since I had a lovely root canal on the actual day of love. On Saturday, after being in below-zero Missouri for work most of the week, Tim gifted me a day to myself. It was glorious. I shopped, had lunch, browsed an antique shop and even went to the grocery store alone (if you don't have kids you can't truly appreciate the joy in that last one).

On Sunday, after I met my running group, the three of us had a picnic lunch at the FW Botanic Gardens. Tim and Nigel read a Valentine's book (above), and Nigel and I showed Tim some of our favorite spots. Next stop, the FW Zoo, where Nigel enjoyed an ice cream cone and saw a baby monkey, among other things. After an early dinner and bedtime for Nigel, Tim and I had a takeaway sushi dinner at home (again, if you don't have kids you can't really appreciate how nice it is to have dinner and conversation alone with your partner). It really was the best Valentine's I ever had. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing husband!

Need more sappy stuff from the McDonald gang? I'll leave you with this conversation between Nigel and I after we visited the mall play area on Thursday.

Me: Nigel, did you like playing with that little girl?
Nigel: Yeah, she looked like a ballerina.
Me: She sure did. I liked her tutu. How come you were hugging her so much?
Nigel: I hugged her because I loved her so much. So very much.
Me (before dinner a few hours later): Nigel, we need to wash your hands for dinner. You probably got some germs while you were at the play area.
Nigel: I got germs when I was hugging that girl.

Is This Thing ON?

Just a quick post with a quick question: Is anyone reading this space?

Our little ticker at the bottom shows that the blog is being viewed, but since we rarely get comments I'm starting to wonder if someone's cat or goldfish is accidentally logging on a couple times a day.

So, if you're a Fort Worth-Bound reader, let us know. You can also log in to become a "follower" if you scroll down on the right side of this page. Thanks in advance!

Super Bowl XLV

For the last four years, Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington have been preparing for their first turn at hosting the Super Bowl. As I mentioned before, the weather and some other unfortunate occurrences — falling ice, unsafe seating and dog killer Vick getting the key to Dallas, for starters — have left a bad taste in many people's mouths.

Because of the weather, we weren't able to get out and take in as many festivities as we would have liked, but we did see some things. Tim took the train to Dallas to take in the NFL Experience, where he saw the Lombardi trophy. As a family, we went down to Sundance Square to check out the ESPN Zone. Unfortunately, our timing was as such that we didn't see any celebrities, but it was cool nonetheless. We also snapped a quick shot of the hotel where the Steelers were staying.

Texas Winter: Part 2

As I mentioned before, last week we had snow and ice. Tim took the top picture of downtown Fort Worth from his office. On Friday, Nigel and I built a snowman family. Thankfully the temperatures climbed that day and over the weekend so everything melted, and we bolted for the science museum on Saturday.

We actually got more snow and ice this Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Fortunately, it wasn't as much as before, and most of it was in the Dallas area. Nigel and I stayed home all day Wednesday but got out of the house Thursday afternoon. We're all really excited for the weekend, which is bringing with it temps in the upper 60s!

I've seen it all...

The weekend before the Super Bowl we took Tim's great aunt and uncle to the Stockyards — their first time there. We had a great time, but I think my highlight of the outing was seeing this guy. Why yes, yes that IS a man riding on a motorized drink cooler.

Texas Winter

We all had our fill of cabin fever last winter in RVA — two major snows and lots of very cold days. I was never so happy to see spring! When we found out we were moving to Texas, we assumed we'd be putting our cold days in the past. And the numbers seemed to back us up. According to the Weather Channel, the average February high in FW is 60.4. Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday we got outside and enjoyed temperatures well into the 70s with trips to the zoo, park, botanic gardens and Stockyards. We're a far cry from that today. Temperatures plummeted, and Tuesday we got an ice storm that shut down the metroplex. We haven't seen temps above freezing since Monday. And today we got snow on top of the ice. Some spots around DFW have gotten more than 6 inches so far. It actually took us all by surprise. We're used to weather systems moving around Richmond, barely missing us each time they're predicted. But around here there are no mountains to set systems off track. Next time we'll be better prepared.

I know what you're thinking: Six inches isn't a lot. But when you consider North Texas hasn't used a snow plow in 15 years — they in fact had to borrow some from surrounding areas — nor does it use salt on the roads, it's a hot mess around here. Plus, the snow fell on top of ice that never melted, especially on the dozens of highway flyovers. Schools have been closed since Tuesday, and we've even had rolling blackouts. And it looks like the state's reaction is not impressing those who are in town for the Super Bowl, including these folks from ESPN.

So we've been passing the time inside. Unfortunately, that has meant watching more TV than is usually allowed in this house. Tim telecommuted Wednesday, but because of his upcoming trip he had to go into the office yesterday and today. We all went out yesterday for a quick trip to the grocery store. Can't wait until we can get out and burn off some of this built up energy!

The saying around here is "If you don't like the weather in Texas, wait a day," and we've found that to be mostly true except for this week. Luckily, it's going to be 40-something tomorrow and Sunday, so hopefully some of this mess will melt in time for the big game. Sadly, though, there's more snow and cold temps on the way next week — just in time for Tim's business trip to Missouri.