Everyone has a favorite go to restaurant, dessert or meal that makes you say ahhhh……

I have a variety depending on the situation, time of day or activity I am doing.  After a run, I like breakfast.  I normally run early in the morning, so that’s easy to find.   There are several favorites that serve breakfast.  I have a hard time only picking one.

When we travel, we almost always treat ourselves to a DQ blizzard.  That’s a tasty helping of soft-serve ice cream with blended mix ins, usually candy, nuts, or sundae toppings for those of you who don’t have a Dairy Queen nearby.

But when I am having a really stressful day at work, I go for Garden Enchilada’s from Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd in Austin Texas.  I work about ½ mile from the restaurant, but anyone who has ever visited Magnolia Cafe knows it is always busy.  I rarely try to make it because I don’t have enough time to wait.  The sign in the front window proclaims “Sorry, We’re Open” and the lines to eat can be long.

Last week, I called my husband to lament a very stressful, meeting filled day and said I need to step away from the office for lunch.  His response was how about enchiladas?  I assumed he meant spinach enchiladas at La Feria, another favorite restaurant, but when he picked me up he said, “Garden Enchiladas?”

Sometimes he can melt my heart!  We drove the short distance to the restaurant, found a car backing out of a parking spot and swooped in to grab it.

So far so good!   When you get to the front entrance, you can go to the right or to the left.  There are two sections and you have to step outside to go between the two.  They are joined by the kitchen.  We stepped to the right, but didn’t see any tables available.  As we stepped into the left side, the first booth was available.  Hurray!  No waiting!  I did actually look at the menu as a courtesy since the waitress took time to bring it, but no change.  Garden enchiladas, please!

Garden enchiladas are corn tortillas filled with steamed spinach, roasted red bell peppers, onions ,and jack cheese.  They are topped with a lemon sour cream sauce, verde salsa, and chopped pecans.  Yes, my mouth is watering as I type!  Since I only get them a few times a year, I never get tired of them.  They are served with rice and black beans, also delicious but the enchiladas steal the show.

I’m not sure why munching on these yummy veggie filled corn tortillas melts stress for me, but it does.  I went back to work and started fresh.  I’m sure everyone at work really appreciated my relaxing lunch date.