Valentine's Day in Austin, TX Top Restaurants and a Train Ride!

St. Valentine was executed on Feb. 14, about 270 A.D., for secretly marrying couples in defiance of the emperor. He was a clergyman in Rome. Since he is the patron saint of love and marriage, that makes Valentine's day one of the top days of the year to marry!

My husband and I decided to make this our anniversary date and we were married on the lovely island of Maui on St. Valentine's day. This was the most normal thing we had going that day.

I am a born and bred Texan, Bob is a Massachusetts Yankee. We were married by a Mormon judge in a civil ceremony. The wedding was held in a Japanese garden and Christmas flowers were in bloom all over the place. (Poinsettias). That was 18 years ago and we have since moved to Austin, TX and every year we plan an anniversary date in our adopted locale.

This year, we plan to check out the famous Fonda San Miguel Restaurant here in Austin. They are well known for their Sunday brunch and this year, Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday so we expect that the buffet will be extra special in 2010!

Fonda San Miguel is located at 2330 W. North Loop Blvd. and we plan to arrive quite early and enjoy a long leisurely brunch. Most of the items served are authentic recipes from seven distinct areas of Mexico and are lovingly prepared by the great cooks at the restaurant.

They are well known for an appetizer called "Angels on Horseback". This is a delectable item made with jalapenos, shrimp, white cheese, and bacon. I make a similar dish called Diablos which is a jalapeno de-seeded, stuffed with cheddar cheese and shrimp, then wrapped with bacon and grilled and smoked.

The Sunday brunch menu includes: large clay ollas (vats) filled with meat dishes often cooked in moles and pipians (sauces made with ground nuts, spices, fruits and seed). Several tables are filled with bowls of salads with zesty seasonings and fresh local vegetables and fruit. The dessert table is not to be missed with the likes of arroz con leche (rice pudding), capirotada (bread pudding) and flan almendrado (almond flan) [From their menu listing at their web site]

I have been waiting for a special occasion to visit this well known mexican restaurant in Austin. Mexican food is right up there with Bar-B-Que on a Texan's palate.

The Sweetheart Special Dinner Train on February 13th, 2010: "Celebrate Valentine's Day with dinner on board the Sweetheart Special and you'll have a date to remember! Lounge passengers enjoy a full service meal, while excursion passengers enjoy our fun buffet. Complimentary beer, wine, entertainment and a special gift for each passenger are all included in the ticket price."

The Sweetheart Special Lunch Train on February 14th, 2010: "Celebrate Valentine's Day with lunch on board the Sweetheart Special and you'll have a date to remember! Lounge passengers enjoy a full service meal, while excursion passengers enjoy our fun buffet. Complimentary drinks, entertainment and a special gift for each passenger are all included in the ticket price."

The train ride we took and the one these photos are from included a lunch stop in Burnet, TX. During the stop, the Burnet Gunfighters present their wild west gunfight at the train station before the trains leave at approximately 2:15 pm to return to Cedar Park, TX (gunfight events are weather permitting.) This is the weekly train ride that you can catch on non holidays!

The Hill Country Flier offers three classes of travel: coach, excursion, and lounge. I highly recommend the lounge even though it's more expensive. Somehow the lounge evokes a more train like feel.