Our second day in Mount Pleasant was a short one. We all woke up a little on the late side and had pan dulce with coffee for first breakfast. Then we slowly, but surely, got ready for the day. We packed up our bags and started discussing our food options before having to start our drive back home. My dad and brother went downstairs to make some final adjustments to one of the trucks they had been working on the day before while we all debated where we’d be headed for second breakfast. The toss up was between IHOP, and a local family restaurant. And let me just say that it was a bit of an ordeal when it came to deciding. I made two circles before we finally ended up at Herschel’s Restaurant.
After having a little freak out moment, sorry Kim, we all made our way inside. And it was a cute little restaurant that had a diner feel to it. We ordered off of the breakfast menu and I totally recommend the Royal Breakfast. This bad boy comes with two extra-large eggs, short stack pancakes, a sausage patty, two slices of bacon, and breakfast potatoes. And you can bet your sweet cheeks that I ate ALL OF IT. Well, minus the bacon because my daughter asked if she could have my slices. OH! And definitely ask for them to throw in some chocolate chips for your pancakes if you ever visit one of their locations. It’s the bees knees! And the next time we go out there I definitely want to try out their lunch menu. Because the burgers that were rolling out as I stuffed my face with pancakes looked pretty mouthwatering. Once we finished up with our food we made our way back to the apartment in order to load up our bags, say our goodbyes, and head back home.
Fast forward two weekends later, and we managed to squeeze one more trip in. And on this one we actually ate more and were able to visit a few other locations. As usual, when we all woke up that Saturday morning coffee was first. Once everyone was ready we made our way downtown to a local pizza tavern. Now, originally, I thought this was going to be regular pizza joint like the one we ate at in Sulphur Springs. This was so not the case. Nardello’s Pizza Tavern is on the fancy side, y’all. The pizza is gourmet, the dinnerware looked pretty expensive, and the prices were on the higher side. Now normally, when I order a single large pizza I’m expecting it to feed three of us in the price range of $10 (Little Cesar’s) to $15 (Pizza Hut). If you’re on my same level then just know that Nardello’s isn’t going to do that for you. There were seven of us so I get that we were a decent size group. And man can we put it away so you’d expect us to have to pay a good bit for some grub. I get it. However, at this place we had two pizzas (medium size option only), a kid’s personal, and one small appetizer plus drinks. The total bill came out to $100. I their defense I will say that the pizza was pretty yummy. They make it in a brick stove right in front of everyone, and the ingredients seemed very fresh. However, if you’re on a budget, or you’re expecting some pizza and wings action this is not the place. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I was still hungry after we left.
This is where we parted ways with the boys. They went back to the apartment to work on a vehicle while we hit up the local thrift store. They had a decent size selection of clothes, home goods, and furniture. Keep in mind that this is a second-hand store though, and sometimes that’s where you find some of the coolest stuff. And the lady who was working there was really sweet! Once we were done looking around my sister-in-law asked if I was ready for coffee. I mean, is that even a serious question? She didn't have to tell me twice. We left my mother at the thrift store to happily continue browsing while we walked across the square to a coffee shop. And I’m just going to go ahead and say that this was the highlight of all the places we went to that day. Jo’s Coffee Shop is pretty much perfection. The layout is exactly what I always pictured one day running myself. Though, in m shop, I’d have a bookstore/lounge area on the second level. Still, this place was fantastic! They offer coffee, lattes, drip coffee, non-coffee options, and some food. You have plenty of places to sit, a few couches thrown in, and a little stage for when they have musical guests playing. Then the back door opens up into a large deck with tables in case you want to be outdoors while enjoying your coffee. Or non-coffee. I opted for the “Daydreamer” latte which had lavender in it, and oh my sweetness. Y’all I fell in love with that coffee. They next time we go to MT. Pleasant you better believe I’m getting myself as much of that coffee as I can consume. I don’t care how many trips I have to make! Take all my money, Jo! JUST. TAKE. IT. So, if you couldn’t tell by now, Jo’s was a hit for me. The barista was really nice, and the other customers were really friendly. Side effect of drinking coffee, obviously. And you’re looking at Starbucks pricing for coffee that was waaay better. So, if you’re ever in the area just do yourself a favor and stop in. You won’t be disappointed.
And this is when we started to see the rain headed towards us. We made our way back just in time for me to squeeze in a nap during yet another thunderstorm. I find that this is the best time to sleep, read, or binge on Netflix. And since I still had to drive back home that afternoon I decided to get some sleep before it was time to go. When I woke up an hour later we had more coffee. Are you sensing a theme yet? The majority of our group were watching TV and discussing politics in the living room. Once the rest of the sleepy heads got up we all loaded up our cars, and then headed out for dinner. The burger joint we had originally decided on was closed so we quickly made our way across the street to Jorge’s Mexican Restaurant. It was pouring outside so we were the only ones there. It smelled like Fabuloso, carne asada, and tortillas. A slightly odd combination when you write it out, but this is seriously the only way you can tell if your in a REAL Mexican restaurant. And maybe it's because we grew up with it, but that smell always makes me feel at home. With Spanish music playing in the background we all talked, shared food, and laughed. This would be the last time we’d ALL be together for a while, and you could sense it. None of us really wanting to rush with eating or leaving the restaurant. But after an hour it was time for us to say “See you later” and hit the road. And that was the end of our adventure that weekend.
