Valentine's Day at Polvo's

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Andrew and I spent our Valentine's Day evening in Austin. We went to a local Mexican restaurant, Polvo's, at the suggestion of a friend of mine from Austin. She warned me it was divey, but I loved it. Outside, it was painted in bright colors (even the name was painted across the exterior wall), and inside, they'd hung strings of Christmas lights everywhere. the chairs were mismatched, and the paint was chipped off of the wall, but it was clean and the waiters and hostesses were very friendly. We loved it!

We sampled many different types of salsa from their salsa bar. Our waiter refilled our chips, so we ate too many. Still, it was worth it! Then, Andrew ordered the chili rellenos and scarfed it down. I ordered an enchilada dish made with vegetables. It was mostly mushrooms, and I thought it was OK. The cheeses and sauces on top were delicious, and it made me wish I'd ordered a plain cheese enchilada instead of the vegetable. I also got my own margarita, and Andrew and I toasted our night out.

Andrew's mom and brother were going to pick us up from the restaurant after they were done eating else where in town (they had Oliver). Andrew and I decided to roam the streets of Austin while we waited. Outside, however, it was bitter cold (OK, bitter cold for Texas. Maybe it was twenty degrees). I spotted a coffee shop across the street, but only after we arrived there did we realize it was closed. We'd noticed many places in Texas were closed on Sundays. I liked this; I think it's nice for a town to shut down on Sundays. Everyone's off and enjoying their time together. However, it sucked in the moment. I spotted another coffee shop about half a block down, and I also noticed their neon open sign was lit. We made our way there. Fair Bean Coffee, it was called. Andrew used their restroom as I ordered a soy mocha. She put chocolate chips in the steaming pitcher along with the soy. It was very tasty, although the espresso had a smokey flavor and wasn't as sweet as I'm used to in an espresso roast. Unfortunately, the shop was closing at 7pm, and we'd arrived at 6:50. After sipping my mocha for a few minutes, we headed back out into the cold.

At this point, we'd contacted his mom and brother, and they were going to be another hour. We didn't really know what to do because I didn't feel like wandering aimlessly in the cold. We headed back to Polvo's. When we were just outside the restaurant, my stomach started churning and cramping. Uh-oh. I ran inside to the bathroom and hung out there for about 15 minutes. It was the only women's bathroom, and I knew there were women waiting for me to leave. So I pried myself off the toilet and went back out to meet Andrew. He suggested we go next door to the Mexican bakery. There, he ordered a beer as I bee-lined it for their bathroom.

I'm not sure what upset my stomach. Was it the questionable lunch we ate? We'd ordered breakfast tacos at a Mexican restaurant attached to a gas station in Dripping Springs, but that was hours prior. Was it my dinner at Polvo's? Could that have upset my stomach that quickly? I remembered back at Hacienda Colorado last year. I'd gotten severe diarrhea almost immediately from eating their vegetable burrito. After telling my friend about my experience, she'd informed me they cook their vegetables in chicken stock. Perhaps Polvo's did the same thing. Could it have been my margarita, since I don't typically drink at all? Whatever the reason, I found myself sitting in the toilet of a Mexican bakery in Austin on Valentine's Day. I periodically came out and sat with Andrew before turning around and heading back into the restroom. I think the people who worked there thought I was mad at Andrew because they gave him some complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries to give to me. How sweet!

After a long hour, Andrew's mom and brother arrived. We made the hour drive back to Wimberley where I crawled into bed and slept until 10am (9am MST) this morning. I must say, I'm so very, very grateful to Andrew's mom for watching Oliver each morning as he got up at 5am or 6am every day. I'm really enjoying our trip to Texas, but my favorite thing is definitely the sleep.

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