Since we were already on Broadway just south of Alamo Heights anyway, I suggested to my wife that we pull into the famous Pig Stand and get some, since we had never been in before. Over time, we have been trying to hit all the famously talked about places in San Antonio, just so we know what people are talking about, and once again, I'm sorry to report that we were underwhelmed.
I used to listen to ol' Ricci Ware over on KTSA radio and for years, I heard him yammer on about the Pig Stand on Broadway. There are, in my opinion, some slight exaggerations that have been associated with this place. 
For example, they say it was the first drive-in in the world, but in reality, I think maybe the chain of Pig Stand restaurants started drive-ins, not specifically this one in San Antonio. Ditto for the invention of onion rings. None of that should matter of course, regardless of the hype, if the place is good, I'm all for it.
When we first walked in I was immediately pleased with the appearance. Think Richie and Fonzi and Potsie and Ralph Malph; the Pig Stand looks just how I imagined the diner in Happy Days. The black and white checkered floor, booths with juke boxes and a counter for folks that want to eat at the bar gives the place the authenticity of, well, a place that has been around since before the 50's. You can just imagine all the hijinks that took place inside the Pig Stand back when teenagers hung out because there was nothing to see on TV, no Internet to blog with and no cell phones to endlessly text with.
Even if the place looked a little musty, I liked the atmosphere and was really looking forward to the famous onion rings and the pig sandwich. My wife didn't seem as impressed as I did. She said it smelled greasy, but not as greasy as Good Time Charlies. I think that maybe after a place has been standing for so long, there is probably nothing you can do to get the smell out, short of tearing it down and starting over. 
Consider Earl Abel's that was once just up the street on Broadway. That place had been going non-stop for years. They sold the property for some new condos, and moved a few miles away and opened up a fresh and clean version of the diner and it smells pretty good. Sometimes, you just gotta shake things up.
On the other hand, These are actual photos taken of the vents above our eating area in - and what's in a name anyway - The Pig Stand. I think Pat Morita would turn in his grave.
We did like all the pig figurines and ceramics around the place and aside from the vents, the place was reasonably clean. Like I say, just old. And I have eaten in so many newer hole-in-the-wall type places, that really, this was no cause to lose an appetite.
The first thing we had to have was the onion rings. We weren't sure of how the orders come out, so I asked for the 1/2 and 1/2 - part fries and part onion rings. Hopefully, nothing I write here will deter you from going and getting an order of these onion rings. They were top notch - really huge and fat, and they were great. Had I realized we were only getting three to split between us, I would have gotten the full order. Having said that, the fries were okay. Not bad at all, but again, I'd take the rings over the fries any day.
My wife ordered a Club sandwich and it was also very good. I know because I helped her finish it. And of course, it would have been helpful if I had realized she was getting fries with the Club and I would have gone with the full order of onion rings. Did I mention I liked the onion rings?
Of course, being at the Pig Stand, I had to try the Pig Sandwich. The bun was very fresh and nicely grilled to get that perfect base for any good burger or sandwich situation. But when they brought it out on a full sized plate, I was a little shocked at the size (considering the price). It comes with some sauce and I think some relish on it which makes for an okay combination I wouldn't have thought of. In the end, I was not impressed at what I assumed to be the signature Pig Stand sandwich.
Here is what I suggest if you are in the area. Go to the Pig Stand and try the onion rings. Then, go back up Broadway and cut through Brackenridge Park and head over to Augies Barbed Wire Barbeque, and order up one of their Pulled Pork sandwiches. You'll thank me for it later.
By the way, I spoke with Mary Ann, the new owner of The Pig Stand. She has a very interesting story in that, she was an employee for 40 years or so. When the son of the original owner had issues with the business, Mary Ann was able to take it over and keep it going. You have to admire her love for the place. Learn more by visiting her web page here.
And you can see all the pictures on the Flickr Page.
We took a drive down Broadway this afternoon to go check out the Fiesta Store.
Of course, we have at least another month or so until Fiesta kicks off, but you can avoid the crowds and get what you need by either shopping online, or just doing like we did and going to the official store.
As you might expect, the place is mighty colorful. Lots of medals, t-shirts, of course the posters and all the official items you need. Something to think about if you like souvenirs but don't want to have to wade through the crowds to purchase them and subsequently have some dude spill beer on them.
Consider that a public service announcement!
My wife has been anxiously awaiting the opening of the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) at the 1604 and Culebra location, and when it opened last week, she was ready to go. But of course, I preferred to wait until the weekend so we could hit it for breakfast as opposed to something like early evening BLT's.
So this morning, with little or no fanfare, we made our way in to no lines, no wait for a table, just in the door and ready for coffee. Since I don't do Denny's, my only good comparison is with the new Jim's that is located just up the road on the other side of 1604 in Alamo Ranch. We have been to that Jim's several times and have had to wait up to thirty minutes for a table, so honestly, walking right in to IHOP was totally unexpected.
Something I wish Jim's would adopt is this idea of putting a carafe of coffee at your table. IHOP seems to recognize that when they serve coffee in a 6 ounce cup, you'll be wanting a refill, and you won't want to be looking around for some waitress when you could just as easily pour it yourself. Kudos.
Speaking of waitresses, there was an army of waitstaff on duty. I kid you not, it was as if it was some sort of ride-along program for waiters. My wife noted at one table, they had two waitresses handing a customer a single plate of food and a third waitress delivering a straw for a cup of OJ. Thanks, but I hope y'all don't mind splitting the tip.
We both ordered up the Sampler platter. Not because we were so enormously hungry, but because when inspecting the menu, it was obvious that for the same price (I think it was a steep $7.99) you got about twice the meat product as if you just ordered pancakes, eggs and bacon.
With the Sampler package, they bring you some hash browns, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham or Canadian bacon - I'm not sure what it was, some sort of green leafy thing, and two fluffy pancakes.
It is a lot of food to eat, but call me a complainer when I tell you that the pancakes should be bigger. They were very light and fluffy - I may have mentioned that already - and they were good but in my mind I was comparing them to what you get in the same size order at Jim's.
The rest of it was all good and our service was certainly fine. We also got about four or five people handing us our food when it was served, so we know they cared.
At the end of the day though, I have to tell you that given a choice, I'd prefer Jim's. My wife is more the fan of IHOP. I was just glad it opened so it could relieve some of the pressure off Jim's, easing the wait time for a table. But as we drove by, we noticed that in fact, Jim's was still packed. I guess not everyone fell for my little ploy.
Have you tried the new IHOP? Are you and Jim's person over IHOP or do you still put up with Denny's? Tell me about it, or leave a comment here. Need more pictures? See the Flickr Page.
My wife and I made the short trip down to the Lodge of the Great Northwest to attend the monthly Board meeting of the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association (GNWCIA). I'll keep the notes brief - because there was simply too much excitement to take it all in. Okay, that's not true, but I have to have an excuse for not taking better notes, especially on the things that didn't interest me.
Folks attending the meeting got a welcome surprise when from the get go, it was announced that the rules for comments from the peanut gallery were going to be relaxed a little, as long as people could avoid being jerks. I for one think the ability for people to be able to participate in the meeting is a good thing (if only for the entertainment value) and was glad to see things loosen up.
We only had one resident sign up to speak for the "citizens to be heard" portion, and he had a stack full of papers and spreadsheets and by-laws and minutes to use to make his multifaceted attack on the way the current board of directors handles accounting and the general operations of the association. Of course, I like and enjoy my conversations and e-mails with former board chair, Joe Martinez, and if you live here in The Great Northwest, you will be treated to another edition of his Sentinel Newsletter in the near future. During his well-mannered and respectable tirade toward the directors, he brought up repeated claims of poor accounting practices, frivolous expenditures and redacted meeting minutes.
He did in fact present to the board and the assembled audience several pages of what appeared to be meeting minutes where literally all but the headings of each paragraph were blacked-out as if they were a freedom of information request on some special project at Area 51. By any reasonable person's assessment, if you are a resident and you want to see the minutes of a board meeting, this is not what you would expect to receive.
It would turn out however, (and in a conversation with me later, Mr. Martinez refuted this claim), the Chairman upon seeing the blackened pages immediately directed that Mr. Martinez receive the correct version. Of course, there are certain things in any minutes that simply cannot be released for privacy reasons. We all understand this. If the board discusses an issue regarding an employee for instance, nobody expects every resident to be able to freely request the full details of that matter which is covered by privacy laws. But for other than things of that nature, as a resident, I'd expect to be privy to the matters that occur during the meetings without having to read my blog to learn about them.
Was the matter of the redacted minutes blown out of proportion by Mr. Martinez? Apparently, that is in dispute. I simply don't know, but at the board meeting, he was again offered the minutes and did not seem interested.
I usually make it a point to sit quietly and observe, but when the opportunity to comment was opened, I asked Mr. Martinez (while technically addressing the board of directors) if he was accusing the board or the association of anything untoward. I didn't want to specifically use the word "illegal", but that was certainly what I was getting at. And yes, he and I have had this conversation before. Of course, he is not suggesting anything of the sort, but the man simply wants things done by the book - as he reads it.
I confess, I am not a good sparring partner for my friend Joe, because I generally believe that the volunteers who participate in our board have good intentions and unless they are doing something illegal (read: kickbacks, embezzlement, etc), I want them to run the show how they think it should be run. I want them to be open to suggestions, open to complaints and open in their dealings, but aside from that, my opinion is that we leave them alone and let them handle it. Joe offered (as he has many times over the last year and a half) to teach me about proper accounting, then show me where items in Column A should actually be in Column B or some such nonsense, but I will tell you as I tell him: I don't care as long as the elected directors are comfortable with it, and they aren't doing anything illegal. I know, I'm probably short sighted. Keep that in mind if I ever run for the board. My platform would be: Let's fix this thing and as long as it isn't illegal, any idea is on the table. I suspect I won't be getting a write-in from Mr. Martinez this time around.
Which brings me to the next topic. I'm going to skip a lot of the other stuff, but we did learn who the two candidates for the next election of board directors will be. There are two positions being vacated this year. Director Steve Mifflin and Director SK Sharma have both opted to leave the board at the end of their terms rather than seek re-election. Both these gentlemen have been excellent directors and will be missed.
In what would appear to be walk-on appointments, Ms. Beatriz Dean and Mr. Mark Martinez (no relation to Joe Martinez - unless next door neighbor counts) are the only two people who chose to run this year. Keep in mind, the annual meeting must have a quorum to hold an election, so even if you don't vote for either of these folks, please submit a vote or a proxy so we can have a quorum. Otherwise, the remaining board of directors must appoint directors.
Good luck to both these folks, and above all else, I thank them for stepping up to help out the community. Now, as residents, it is time for us to step up and vote.
By the way, Director Ida Rodkey has done a lot of work on getting ready for the election and she deserves our thanks. Thank you, Ida!
Also, speaking of elections, it seems as though they have been trying to get some by-law changes voted on for years. Thankfully, the directors put this issue to bed. They voted to deep six the previously worked and re-worked by-law changes. If the next board wants to consider some changes to the by-laws, they can make motions, put it on the ballot and see what happens.
Also in the meeting, it was announced that we finally have a date for a Cellular on Patrol course. It will be held on Saturday, 21 March 2009 at the Lodge from 8am to 1PM. Free food is all you need to know. And it is open to all area residents, not just members of the GNW. Need more info? Click here.
There was a long, I mean, really, long discussion about the GNW Scholarship program. From what I could gather, there seemed to be some confusion between directors and the scholarship committee on how it is funded, who can write checks, bank fees and the like. I think about two minutes into the discussion, it occurred to most people in the audience that this was probably something that could be handled via e-mail or in a meeting with a committee somewhere over drinks. I hope it gets straightened out before Mr. Martinez seeks an audit.
Not only will we be holding an election for a community improvement association, but the City of San Antonio is getting ready to have elections for council members and a new mayor. Director Lee Besing has done some great work to arrange for "Meet the Candidate" nights. They will be as follows: April 6, the candidates for district 6. April 7, the candidates for district 7, and April 8, the mayoral candidates. My neighbor, Dr. Eric Cooper has agreed to moderate the events. More details to follow.
Do you live in Silver Creek like me? Better get your act together. There will be a sweep by the city services to round up loose animals, ticket violators of city codes and generally spiff the place up. If you have two ladders leaning up against your front porch and your garbage cans never leave the street in front of your house, my wife is going to giggle with delight when the boys form from the City come and walk past your police car and leave a ticket on the door. Not that I am talking about anyone in particular.
Have you had enough meeting minutes? There are plenty more. I could go on and on, but my wife says I am long winded and tend to explain how to build a clock when someone asks me the time of day. So, I'll leave it there.
I'm sure if you'd like to know more, you can always go down to the Lodge of the Great Northwest and ask the office staff for copies of the meetings minutes. Or you could do like we do and come out and meet your neighbors by actually attending the meetings. I promise you; they are all nice folks. I hope to see you there sometime.
I went last night to one of those clinics where they hook you up to a bunch of sensors and evaluate your sleep situation. I guess through a careful analysis of brainwaves, REM, leg movements and the all important failure to breathe evaluation, they can determine why it is an overweight guy with high blood pressure might have a problem with waking up ten times a night.
This is me last night, all hooked up and ready to not sleep. I know; it does look comfortable.
My wife has her suspicions before I even get word back from the doctor. She's convinced I have, as one of the neighbors says, "the sleep App-nee".
At just after 5am this morning, twenty minutes before my usual automatic wake-up time, the technician walked in the room and disconnected me from all wires. Thankfully, instead of pulling off 2-inch strips of hair from my legs and chest, he suggested I could gently soap them up and pull the adhesive contacts off in the shower. If you hear a really loud scream in the next few minutes, you'll know he was lying about how easy it would be.
We all have different tastes in movies or music or reading and such, so usually it isn't worth even giving someone else's opinion about something a second thought. If they agree with your view, great and if they don't; big deal. I wouldn't even bring this up, but once again, someone has publicly ridiculed one of my favorite movies, Lost in Translation with Bill Murray.
I was driving into work this morning and flipping between the usual banter on The Big 99 and the news on WOAI with Charlie Parker. Turns out, news girl Charity McCurdy had seen Lost in Translation for the first time this weekend, and she reported that it was a great movie (and, she is correct - it is a great movie). Meanwhile, Parker and Stan Kelly (of "Oowwwch" fame) can't stop talking about what a worthless and crappy movie LIT was. They went as far as suggesting she dump her boyfriend over the matter.
I will confess to enjoying movies that aren't always the top picks by critics and further, I often simply don't see the brilliance in what everyone else seems to think is the best movie ever. Like I say, hardly worth arguing over in most cases. But I have to take a stand on this one. LIT was a great flick. Years of working crazy shift work made it easy for me to appreciate the jet lag Murray and his co-star, Scarlett Johansson were experiencing.
Oh sure, it would be sorta creepy for the older Murray to actually hook-up with the daughter-aged Johansson, but thankfully, writer/director Sofia Coppola stayed clear of that and the two characters experiencing similar issues at different points (ages) in their lives become fast friends in a respectful enough manner that you didn't feel the need to take a shower afterwards.
I'm not into movies where the dialogue is so Dennis Miller smart that the average person can't get it. This wasn't one of those, yet, you had to get into the characters to appreciate their point of view. I don't know; maybe it is that I have been to places where I'm amongst only a few people who speak English (I live in San Antonio, after all), and of course, that whole issue of jet lag and going for days not being able to get the sleeping pattern right. I won't spoil the ending for you in case you haven't seen it, but I can tell you - we never learn what Murray says to Johansson at the end of the flick. Unlike the ending of No Country for Old Men (which made no sense), here, it works.
Does all this have the making of a good storyline? Maybe not for Parker and Kelly, but as someone who hates to watch movies more than once or twice, this is one that I can pick up at any point in the movie when it comes on TV and enjoy it. More importantly, with LIT we learn just how bad it can be to listen to someone attempt to sing Roxy Music's "More Than This" on Karaoke. Unless your last name is Ferry, don't attempt.
One word sums up our return trip to the SA Stock Show & Rodeo grounds Sunday: Chicken Fried Bacon.
Okay, that is probably three words, but still, it was the single most important thing you need to know. My wife had seen a story on Bob Phillips Hill Country Reporter about people eating CFB, and as unhealthy as it sounds, we just had to try some.
Apparently, so did everyone else. The line was long and people were eager to pay $6.00 for an order of the heart attack in a serving boat.
I'm not gonna lie; dipped in a little honey mustard, it was seriously good. This should be a regular breakfast item, everyday. With three or four eggs. And some biscuits. I can feel my arteries blocking themselves, just thinking about it all.
Anyway, that was the highlight. We were in and out of of the grounds in less than two hours. I've told you about the standing in line for free samples and giveaways before and all the shopping and such. Of course, if you weren't around to read about it last year, you can always go here. Or you can read about the actual rodeo and concert here. Or you can read about the Cowboy Breakfast, here. And don't forget the Rodeo BBQ Cook-off, here.
And don't forget the pictures on the Flickr page.
I used to listen to ol' Ricci Ware over on KTSA radio and for years, I heard him yammer on about the Pig Stand on Broadway. There are, in my opinion, some slight exaggerations that have been associated with this place. 
For example, they say it was the first drive-in in the world, but in reality, I think maybe the chain of Pig Stand restaurants started drive-ins, not specifically this one in San Antonio. Ditto for the invention of onion rings. None of that should matter of course, regardless of the hype, if the place is good, I'm all for it.
When we first walked in I was immediately pleased with the appearance. Think Richie and Fonzi and Potsie and Ralph Malph; the Pig Stand looks just how I imagined the diner in Happy Days. The black and white checkered floor, booths with juke boxes and a counter for folks that want to eat at the bar gives the place the authenticity of, well, a place that has been around since before the 50's. You can just imagine all the hijinks that took place inside the Pig Stand back when teenagers hung out because there was nothing to see on TV, no Internet to blog with and no cell phones to endlessly text with.
Consider Earl Abel's that was once just up the street on Broadway. That place had been going non-stop for years. They sold the property for some new condos, and moved a few miles away and opened up a fresh and clean version of the diner and it smells pretty good. Sometimes, you just gotta shake things up.
On the other hand, These are actual photos taken of the vents above our eating area in - and what's in a name anyway - The Pig Stand. I think Pat Morita would turn in his grave.
We did like all the pig figurines and ceramics around the place and aside from the vents, the place was reasonably clean. Like I say, just old. And I have eaten in so many newer hole-in-the-wall type places, that really, this was no cause to lose an appetite.
The first thing we had to have was the onion rings. We weren't sure of how the orders come out, so I asked for the 1/2 and 1/2 - part fries and part onion rings. Hopefully, nothing I write here will deter you from going and getting an order of these onion rings. They were top notch - really huge and fat, and they were great. Had I realized we were only getting three to split between us, I would have gotten the full order. Having said that, the fries were okay. Not bad at all, but again, I'd take the rings over the fries any day.
My wife ordered a Club sandwich and it was also very good. I know because I helped her finish it. And of course, it would have been helpful if I had realized she was getting fries with the Club and I would have gone with the full order of onion rings. Did I mention I liked the onion rings?
Of course, being at the Pig Stand, I had to try the Pig Sandwich. The bun was very fresh and nicely grilled to get that perfect base for any good burger or sandwich situation. But when they brought it out on a full sized plate, I was a little shocked at the size (considering the price). It comes with some sauce and I think some relish on it which makes for an okay combination I wouldn't have thought of. In the end, I was not impressed at what I assumed to be the signature Pig Stand sandwich.
