We all have moments in life where we get talked into doing something we don't necessarily want to do, then, begrudgingly, go do it and end up having a fantastic time. That was the case here when late one evening as I was binge-watching Chopped on The Food Network while eating dinner in bed (classy, I know); one of the partners at the firm I work for reached out and pretty much strong-armed me into joining the team for 5k run in Muenster, Tx. I, after a day of deliberation, agreed. The trip ended up being a blast.
Initially, I thought that the 5k would start pretty early in the morning, so in preparation for that, we decided to stay the night before in Gainesville. I have driven through Gainesville on I-35 heading into Oklahoma wondering what actually sat behind that Quik Trip perched upon the interstate. Well, we got our answer; not much. Though there wasn't much there, what was there was impressive. And, as we heard at Boutique One Eleven on the square in Gainesville, the city is beginning to go through a revival. If more places open like that shop, Gainesville will start to become a pretty hot little spot north of the metroplex.
Boutique One Eleven offered high-end clothing, jewelry, kitchen gadgets, and other things you most likely can't live without. Given the dismal surroundings, it was a welcomed surprise.
Our hotel, The Shady Lady, was a super cute boutique hotel with 4 - 5 rooms on the second floor of the restaurant Sarah's On The Square. The restaurant (which is where you check-in) was beautiful, and the food looked good. But, we were really pleasantly surprised when we saw the upstairs B&B section and our room.
Our room was 'The Chisholm Trail,’ which adorned with handmade quilts for bedding and a beautiful copper bathtub surrounded by décor from the area. Not only did The Shady Lady deliver with the 'Bed,' but they also delivered with the 'Breakfast,’ having wonderful frittata and cheesecake bars prepped for each room, first thing in the morning.
For dinner Friday night, we checked out Dieter Brothers Pit Bar-B-Q. The atmosphere was great, the service was on point, and it was somewhere we would definitely want to hang out, knock back some beers and watch a game. Speaking of the beers, I'm pretty sure that Shiner was one of the coldest I have ever had. The BBQ though was not our favorite. The brisket seemed dry as did the turkey. We were there pretty late in the day so it may have been the timing. What was good was the German Sausage. Given we were going to a German Fest 10 minutes away in the morning, this was no surprise.
Upon returning to the hotel, Michal went back to the room to try out that copper bathtub and I went to check out a hidden gem: Krootz Brewing Company.
The atmosphere was hip, the music was on point, the food looked fantastic, and the brews were great. They offered three Pale Ales/IPAs which I tried. All were great but The Hazy Pale Ale was my favorite and something I hope to try again. I also hope to eat their pizza someday. It looked fantastic.
After Krootz, I moseyed on over to Ebb Tide Club and Sports Grill. Though very, very smoky on the inside, the crowd was incredibly diverse and incredibly welcoming. I instantly found a couple of people to talk to and was in great company until it was time to retire for the evening and get in that copper tub to wash the smoke off.
In the morning, we loaded up the car and made our way to the town of Muenster, where the 5k and the German Fest were about to go down.