Talking Sweet About Nothing

My friend, Scott, and I have been talking about a trip that we'd like to take this year. It's a Food Vacation...a weekend dedicated to revisiting some of the finest restaurants we've ever experienced. We don't have to go trans-Atlantic to find said restaurants. We won't even have to visit multiple states. No, the underappreciated west Texas town of Lubbock is unparalleled when it comes to hidden culinary treasure, and it is our destination. As Mark Twain once said, "[Lubbock] food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin." He was actually talking about New Orleans, but I'm sure if he had ever visited Lubbock, he would have agreed.

Some of you may laugh this off as a joke, but we are completely serious. Scott and I have travelled the country with Sand Which Is and Avec for about seven years now, and while we have had more than our share of Taco Bell, Subway, and diner food, we have also had the opportunity to eat at some amazing restaurants. The kind of places that you only learn about when you've been to a city five times. The little-known places only locals patronize and we are fortunate enough to be friends with those locals. Some of my most cherished memories from touring involving sharing a meal with three of my best friends; partly for the fellowship, and especially for the chow. I love/live to eat, and I can't wait for our Food Vacation. We have started a list of restaurants to visit when we get to Lubbock. As the list continues to grow, so does the length of our stay. So far, it looks like this:

Mama Josie's (University Ave. location is a priority, but we'll try to visit others)
Abuelo's (the original is in Lubbock and it's fantastic)
One Guy From Italy
Choo Chai
Mamarita's (for late night chips & salsa and margaritas)
Thai Thai
Stein's (Ensteins revisited)
Saigon Cafe
Taqueria Jalisco
Spanky's (I might be alone on this one...it'll be a secret side-trip)

* quote courtesy of Shawna Potter