A Flat Tire and a Five-Star Detour

You may have noticed I missed a weekend recently here at Dolliciously Me. I had every intention of getting something out to you, but life, as it occasionally likes to remind me, has no respect for my carefully laid plans.

Dave and I have had some long days lately. Between preparing for some upcoming changes and juggling everything else that comes along with them, we've been running on fumes. You know those stretches when your to-do list seems to multiply overnight, and every time you cross something off, three more things appear? We've been having a one of those.

So we decided to get out for a minute. Nothing fancy, nothing planned. Just a drive, a change of scenery, and maybe a good meal somewhere along the way. A few hours away from everything sounded heavenly.

Fate had other ideas.

We were crossing a bridge when something that looked like a stick came flying out into the road. Before we could do anything about it, we'd run right over it, and whatever it was, it destroyed our tire.

Not a little puncture, either. The tire was shredded.

I don't know about you, but changing a tire on the side of the road isn't high on my list of relaxing weekend activities. Dave wasn't exactly thrilled either. (I know it's widely believed that he's perfect, and he almost is... but not when he's hangry and stranded on the side of the road. Just sayin'.)

By the time the ruined tire was off and the little donut spare was on, he was covered in grease and oil. We could drive again, which was something, but neither of us would have called the day a success at that point.

Fortunately, we were only a couple of minutes from the historic downtown of Wimberley, Texas. The town had been hosting some sort of market-day festival, and things were just wrapping up when we arrived. Which meant there was plenty of parking available and more importantly, there was a public restroom where Dave could wash up and hopefully get some of his grumpy out.

While he was cleaning up, I chatted with a few of the vendors who were packing up their things. I asked about their day, whether they'd had a good turnout, and at some point I mentioned our roadside adventure. They were all extremely sympathetic (it would seem grumpy men are a universally understood plight.)  At some point, I mentioned we'd originally set out hoping to find some place good to eat.

Their recommendation was unanimous, which really caught my attention.

They suggested Longleaf Craft Kitchen and Bar, right there in downtown Wimberley. They described it as a local favorite, with a real chef in the kitchen, a seasonal menu, and food worth going out of your way for. That's the kind of inside information we love from people who actually live and work in the area.

It was only about a three- or four-minute walk, which sounded like a pretty good way to rescue the afternoon.

So off we went.

And I have to tell you, that meal was hands down one of the best Dave and I have had in a very long time.

We started with a potato and goat cheese tart. It was magnificent. Special, truly. Imagine paper-thin potato wrapped around a wheel of goat cheese, basted and roasted until the cheese is creamy and the potato is crisp. With an interior base of marinated peppers and pine nuts. It was unique, savory and a complete hit with both of us. 

It was absolutely delicious, and if Dave had suggested ordering a second one (which he is notorious for), I wouldn't have argued.

But we still had dinner coming.

I ordered the roasted quail stuffed with wild mushrooms and apples, with maple bourbon Brussels sprouts finished with aged balsamic. 

Everything about my dinner was exactly the kind of thoughtful, unexpected dish I love discovering. Nothing about it was ordinary, and I was so glad I ordered it.

Dave, of course, went straight for the filet mignon. His was bacon-wrapped, served with grilled shrimp and pumpkin purée, and presented so beautifully it almost seemed a shame to disturb the plate.

Almost.

It tasted every bit as good as it looked. His dinner was immaculate, and yet we both agreed mine was the clear winner. (Someone kept sticking his fork into my greens.)

After dinner, we wandered around downtown and browsed some of the little shops. We'd come this far, after all, so we might as well explore. Somewhere along the way, we found a walking path that led right into the woods.

This was my favorite part. We were still close enough to hear live music playing outdoors downtown, but once we were in the trees, you'd never have known there was a town nearby. After a few minutes of walking, we couldn't see a single sign of civilization, and yet the music kept drifting through the woods.

One minute we were browsing shops in a small Texas town, and the next we were hiking through the woods with live music as our soundtrack. I loved that.

And to think, a few hours earlier, we'd been standing on the side of the road staring at a flat tire.

Remember the lore-tripping I mentioned in the last post? Finding the unexpected, taking the back roads, and discovering places through the people who know them best?

This was a perfect example.

Wimberley wasn't where we'd planned to go. We certainly hadn't planned the unexpected expense of purchasing new tires, but a few friendly locals pointed us to a restaurant we would have otherwise missed, and a little wandering afterward led us to a path through the woods we didn't know existed.

If you ever find yourself in Wimberley, do yourself a favor and look up Longleaf Craft Kitchen and Bar. I can't promise you'll find the same dishes on the menu, but I can tell you our meal was worth every minute of the detour. A big thank-you to the kind folks in Wimberley for turning a rather unfortunate afternoon into a delicious memory.

Of course, I wouldn't recommend roadside drama as a way to find a restaurant. It's an expensive way to get supper, and I suspect Dave would have a few choice words about making it a habit.

The whole experience reminded us of another adventure we had that's considerably more interesting than this one. Stay tuned next week for another tale of roadside woe, unexpected detours, and a few wild critters.

Back roads. Good food. Stories the pictures can't tell.