The owner of my husbands barbecue restaurant just spent a week in Texas trying out the various options for beef brisket. They had a ball. He said that the first restaurant they hit was the best brisket he’d ever had, but by the end of the week (17 restaurants later) he said that the first restaurant was the worst. I guess that explains why Texas is so well known for their brisket!

We are trying to secure our plans for our summer and after these stories, the Chef has decided that he would like to recreate the same experiment! Not that I mind, the only part of Texas I’ve been to is a night in Dallas after taking a bump on the way home! There seem to be a number of fun things to do in Texas, whether it’s visiting the River Walk in San Antonio, seeing the capitol city of Ausin, or even the Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center in Orange, Texas. You’ve got to see this place. It’s not only beautiful, but it’s also very environmentally minded. They’ve even been awarded Platinum Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Very well deserved in deed!

I’m not quite sure where our summer will take us, but I’m pretty sure we can find brisket in Orange, Texas, and we’ll have the opportunity to see this beautiful garden for ourselves. If you would like to see this beautiful park for yourself, check out their website at www.shangrilagardens.org.