Zoo Brew!

Brew at the Zoo, Year 1

(They took down their webpage for it)


                I love the Waco Cameron Park Zoo; I take my friends and their kids there, I’ve taken dates there, I visit there just to clear my mind and walk around. This year I finally became a Member and take full advantage of it. When I heard that they were planning on hosting a Beer Tasting Event there, I jumped at the chance and bought my ticket as soon as I could and tried to get as many of my friends and family to join in as well. It sounded great- Could try 20 out of 50 available beers, snacks, live animal encounters and live music, and all for a great cause… it doesn’t get much better than that.

After a bout of month of waiting, the big day finally came! It was a big day in general; Baylor vs TCU home game, Baylor Parents Weekend, and it was a tad cloudy outside with a slight chance of rain. After work and feeding a couple hundred Baylor student and family, I went home got cleaned up and grabbed dinner with some friends before heading to the Zoo. 

It started at 7:00pm and we arrived a little past 7:30pm, already getting a little dark and the parking lot was pretty full. Did I mention they sold out nearly a week ahead? Ya, they did. So they had a pretty big group of folks here, all of drinking age. We head up, turn in our tickets and in return they hand us an awesome miniature beer mug and a “beer passport.”  The mini mug was for us to drink our tasting beer out of, and the “passport” was to be used as a record for the number of beers we tried- every time we tried a beer, they would stamp the passport with a special stamp. Was a pretty cool idea, and everyone loved the mini mugs.

So far so good… but now it starts to become a tad shaky. As we are walking toward the sound of music, we start to see this large, long, winding line. We have no idea what is going on, where it’s going, or what it’s for. So we hopped in line anyway and go along with it. It is slowly moving, and we ask some of the people that are volunteering there, no one really knew what was going on. After waiting in line, we finally figure out that we are in the first line for beer tasting. Really? This is really long line! The whole deal was this; Apparently due to the weather, the lines and table set-ups were moved around. There were 3 tables serving samples of beer… 3 tables for 50 beer samples. That’s what, roughly 16 beers a table and you are getting one sample at a time. Doesn’t exactly sound like a smooth train, huh? 

Because of this chink, the lines weren’t moving and people were getting tired of just standing in line. People weren’t able to fully enjoy the full experience, the live music, the animal encounters, etc. Speaking of animal encounter, we met a couple of reptiles and an opossum (something that sneaks in my yard almost every night, the sneaky b@stards). We also met a corral snake that my cousins fiancé was slightly obsessed with.

                So we decided to stick with a simple game plan; get in line, sample a beer, go chill listening to the band for a while, then start it back over again. But even after a while, that was tiring so we just bought some beers and drank those. Through the whole night, we left just trying 6 beers. I know others tried all 20, but they had to have waited in those lines for quite a while, and I know we could’ve snuck in a few more that last hour since the lines had shrunken so much. It really seemed that people were leaving early and no one seemed to be having a great time; which was really disheartening. 

                They had a nice beer selection, they had nice snack foods, received a nice Brew at the Zoo shirt upon leaving, and they had great local music. But with all the other problems they were having, it really was disappointing. I would really love to see them put this on again next year. If they do put it back on though, they really need to make some changes;
1) Spread the beers out over more tables; ex, 50 beers spread over 10 tables.
2) Have the Volunteers a little more informed
3) I would’ve liked to see more live animals out and about.

4) Keep the awesome mini mugs, passport idea and shirts.

                           Over all, my friends and I had a good night, but it could’ve been much better. This was their first year, so leeway is to be given and understood. I can’t wait for them to host this again next year, I will be one of the first to purchase my ticket and I honestly encourage you to buy a ticket if you like some beer.

And I guess I should mention the actual beers I tried, well I never really found on I liked. I am really picky when it comes to beer. I suppose the one I like best, out of the 6, was Magic Hat #9. It had a definite bite to it, a tad sweetness, with a slight bitter aftertaste.

Time fo Froyo!

Oso’s Froyo

215 Mary St., Suite 101
Waco, Texas 76701
254-752-OSOS(6767)
Mon - Sun:          11:30 am-10:00 pm

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                I’ve never been much for desserts like cakes, cookies, pies, etc. That has never stopped me though from chowing down on some Ice-Cream, Sherbert, Gelato, or Froyo (Frozen Yogurt)! Waco has a couple of different joints that provide Froyo, and so far the only one I have bothered to try is Oso, due to their location and are locally owned and are active in the Waco Community. 

                Twice now I have stopped by and snagged a quick snack after lunch at the Olive Branch (great combination FYI), and I am getting ready to stop by for my third or fourth time so I can try their Pumpkin Flavored Froyo. Oso’s has a variety of flavors stocked and rotate them monthly, along with a wide variety (over 50) of toppings including; Fresh fruit, candy, granola, nuts, cereal, sprinkles & sauces. And I must say, both times I’ve stopped by their fruit looks and tastes very fresh.

                You head in and grad either a paper bowl or a waffle bowl, decide on your flavor(s) and fill your cup to your heart’s content, top that sucker with all the goodies you can squeeze on, then weigh, pay and enjoy! 

 

                The first time I stopped by I went with a simple flavor and build; Cake Batter Froyo topped with black-berries, raspberries, sour gummy worms (that’s right), and caramel sauce. The Froyo tasted remarkably similar to actual cake batter, was pretty impressed. The fruit was nice and fresh, the gummy worms were good, and the sauce added a nice finishing touch.   I also got a wicked case of Brain freeze the first go around, got too excited. The second time around I went with Georgia Peach, M&Ms, and some fresh fruit. Once again, the flavor was pretty dead on, the fruit was fresh, and M&Ms are M&Ms.  Besides the flavor, the Froyo was nice and creamy and smooth, perfectly chilled and fresh.

                Tomorrow or Saturday after dinner I am hoping to try their Pumpkin Flavor, as mentioned early, and will post my thoughts on that ASAP.

                Oso’s also offers fresh fruit smoothies ranging in flavors, and I plan on trying one of them soon too. I drink smoothies and shakes quit often, since I can always fit full meals into my day. This is a great place for studnets on the go, a nice calm place to take your children after visiting the zoo or for a simple treat, and a great way to finish off a meal from Olive Garden, Bangkok Royal or whatever.

                Something that many women and some men might find beneficial; Oso lists the Weight Watcher Points for many of their products, which makes it easier for one to keep tabs on their meal plan.

                Over all I am impressed with the place, and not only the food. The place is very clean and tidy, fairly self-explanatory, they have indoor and outdoor seating and friendly staff. If you haven’t tried them out yet, now is definitely a good time with their fall season flavors. I will also try my best to keep y’all to date on their new flavors & specials as well.

Smorgasbord Orgasbord

A fair is a veritable smorgasbord: Waco's Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo

HOT FAIR

              So after 2 years of only going to the Waco HOT Fair for just the concerts, I finally went this year just for the Food. There was plenty of that, actually a lot more than I expected.  And maybe I’m crazy, but I’m sure we used to be able to buy the food with actual money and not tokens….. hmmm. But that’s beside the point.


                Today I got up early enough to get in to the fair grounds for free, always nice to save 10$ even if I means getting there before most of the attractions are even open and its 55F degrees outside. While there I wandered around the place, reading all the menus and looking at all the rides and other attractions.

                I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, so I chose wisely what exactly I wanted to try. There was deep fried gator, chicken on a stick, pie, roasted corn, burgers, nachos and much more…. But I went with some of the classics; The Funnel Cake (but with a twist), The Foot Long Corn Dog, The Deep Fried Twinkie, The Turkey Leg and a big ole bag of Cotton Candy.

The first thing I HAD to snag was a Foot Long Corn Dog. I love corn dogs; homemade ones are fantastic, but something about grabbing a fresh one out on a cool day at the fair or after a few drinks at Margi Gras….. Those you can’t be beat. The corn dog at this stand was pretty awesome. The batter was sweet, buttery on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Still hot all the way through from a perfect oil bath, it didn’t take me long to finish it off, even the crust at the end that is on the stick. This is always a solid choice, cost 4 tokens.

 

                Finishing that off I walked around a bit more looking at the tractors and imagining what I would do if a super villain attacked. After that I decided to snag a Funnel Cake. While in line, I noticed that the 3 women in front of me all ordered “Red Velvet”… I was curious as to why they were ordering cake of all things. Then I saw this magnificent red colored funnel cake pop out of the window. My mind was blown; I knew I had to try one. I handed over the 7 tokens and gladly received my Red Velvet Funnel Cake topped with powdered sugar and some frosting. They’re cooked to order, steaming hot, soft and with a light crunch. It was almost too much, extremely dense and filling, the sugar and flavor added a nice amount of sweetness. It tasted exactly like a cross between homemade Red Velvet cake and the classic funnel cake, due to its fast cooking. Definitely worth a try if you like Velvet Cake.

                That Funnel cake put me in a slight food coma, so I had to grab a bottle of water and work it off.  During that time I had to make a tough decision on what to get next; Fried Twinkie, Fried Snicker, Fried Oreos, or something more down to earth like an Angus burger, Nachos or Fried Gator. After much self-debate, I decided on the Deep Fried Twinkie! I like Twinkies, I was afraid when I heard their parent company filed for bankruptcy, but luckily they survived. This was the first time I ever ate one deep fried, and covered in powdered sugar and caramel syrup. It was pretty freaking fantastic. The whole thing was on a stick, making it truly American. The Twinkie was fried to order, creating a soft, slightly crunchy and moist batter. The inside was still around room temperature, which lent itself to the over-all experience of enjoying this sucker. The powdered sugar and caramel syrup added a nice touch. Cost of 4 tokens.

Last but not least I snagged a Freshly smoked Tureky leg and a jumbo bag of cotton candy; the Cotton candy if for a friend so she can make some Cotton Candy Martinis… but that stop me from scarfing nearly a third of the bag down. The turkey leg was alright, it lacked pop and flavor though. You get the turkey and some light smokiness, but It could’ve used a little seasoning (if only salt and pepper). It had good texture, slightly crispy skin and still fairly moist inside.  Worth the 8 tokens? Not really in my opinion…. Then again I’ve eaten some fabulous smoked turkey legs in my life time.

There are still plenty of things I wanted to try, like the Fried Gator (10 tokens), or the Angus Burger (8 tokens), some curly fries, freshly roasted corn, fried Oreos, Jolly Rancher Icee, I could go on. But I kept myself to a budget this time around.

If you make it out to the fair this year, save some space in yo belly and plan on trying at least a couple of the varying menu items offered up. They might be a tad on the pricy side, but you know that going in, it’s part of the Fair Food Experience and it only comes around once a year… so splurge a little.

               


One of my favorite Food Scenes