On the Road Food

So I'm traveling for business. I don't travel but maybe a couple times a year (for work). So here I am in Springfield, MO. Not a bad city, traffic kinda sucks, at least where I am. That isn't what this post is about though. It's about FOOD!

Here are my impressions:

Texas Roadhouse
The atmosphere was friendly and fun. The staff smiled and showed interest. They were also quick to help and had no problems with special requests. I needed my beer separated from my food since I wouldn't be able to expense the beer. My waiter, Derek, did so without complaint or attitude.

The food was really good but way too much. The main dish was enough for two people alone and you get two sides plus rolls with it. Some may say that's silly to complain about but I would have been happier if the portions were halved. It would have made me feel as if I got my moneys worth. Though I only paid about $11 plus tip, which isn't bad.

I would recommend Texas Roadhouse to others visiting or living in Springfield.

Mexican Villa South
In a word, disappointing. The hostess showed me to my table but that was it. She didn't tell me who my waitress was nor gave me any more attention than was absolutely necessary. I don't recall seeing a smile from her. My waitress, Sara, was trying hard but was clearly over worked and it showed. She just could not get beyond the average. Not that average is bad but quality wait staff can make or break a dining experience, especially when the food is mediocre.

The beef was greasy and the salsa was more of a spicy ketchup. My burrito was smothered with cheese and sauce. The sauce and cheese were both tasty but they simply covered the weak burrito. The lettuce was bagged shredded. That is disappointing. It's not like buying whole heads of lettuce and cutting it fresh is really that hard. The tomato looked more like a tomato barfed on the lettuce. Not appetizing at all.

The bottom line is go to Taco Bell before this place. You can get better quality, better taste and save $5. My meal was over $11 plus tip.

Goodguys 3rd Nashville Nationals Car Show

CarShow 029, originally uploaded by TNVWBOY.

This pas weekend the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association had a car show at the LP Field in Nashville, TN. Well it wasn't actually on the field, but in the parking lots and grounds around the field.

I have no earthly clue how many cars were there but it was a lot. A decent variety too. Nothing much older than 1972 though, maybe a couple of newer cars but I suspect they would have been frowned on.

There were some very beautiful cars there. Let me break it down as I saw it.
Oldies Restored: There were a number of these great old cars. They were well cared for/restored. They looked original. I personally liked that. Sure they weren't hot rodding around or anything but they were classy.

Hot Rods: This group doesn't need me to describe it for them. They ranged from super expensive custom rods to old classic rods to WTF is that? I'm not a big hot rod fan but they were fun to see.

New Restored: I say new within the context of the cars there. Like 60s and early 70s vs. the oldies. These were really fun for me. There was one particular Mustang that literally looked like it had just rolled off the factory floor it was so clean. My buddy Dave who owned cars in this time frame kept telling me about how these cost only a few thousand dollars. Wow, if they did today the dealers wouldn't be able to keep them on the lots, even if they didn't have the greatest fuel efficiency.

Customs: These were very pretty cars too. Clearly lots of love and money were put into these cars and it showed. The best ones, in my opinion were the cars that looked like they could have maybe come off the factory but were in fact customs. Like the stuff that Chip Foose does. Respect for the original car.

Restored...NOT: These cars I didn't like at all. They'd look great from the outside, like really nice restorations, and then you'd see the engine and think, what? Why?! I don't know how many new Corvette engines I saw in classic muscle cars. Why? Even a crate engine would have at least looked more original. I didn't care for these cars over all. There were a few exceptions, but those were typically dragsters or some other kind of car that wasn't trying to look original.

I had fun with Dave and his son, along with Antonin and Nicolas from France, that day. I got a bit sunburned, but it was fun seeing all those cool cars. Maybe some day when I have a garage I can consider restoring an old car, but it'll likely be a VW.

See all the pictures I took from the show here.