Category Archives: Beverages

Oktoberfest, Southlake, TX

This past weekend seemed like a blur, there was so much going on and lots that I need to fill you in on, however let’s start with Oktoberfest! On Saturday, we checked out the Oktoberfest in Southlake, Texas. It almost seems like each year there is a new Oktoberfest popping up in either your own town or a town close by, here there have been at least three or four of them in the past two weeks, so we had to at least check out one of them!

The Oktoberfest in Southlake is held in the Town Square. It is actually a pretty nice area with a gazebo, small park which is surrounded by a shopping center (outdoor shops) which holds numerous restaurants. Obviously, there is a ton to do to begin with, throw in some tents in the middle of the Square and you have a party. Top it all off, the event was free to the public.

The gazebo hosted a series of entertainers. There was even a nice patch of grass in front if you wanted to bring some chairs and just hang out. A beer tent was conveniently placed nearby.

Southlake seems to show a huge emphasis on family based events, this one included. There is a section of kids games and bounce houses for entertainment. Even a rock climbing wall for the older kids, or adults young at heart. There was even a martial arts instructor teaching children how to break a board with their hands. It’s all about respect and confidence. He seemed like a great instructor and was great with kids. (I have no idea what company / organization he worked with but if I had a child, I would enroll them.) It was probably one of the biggest highlights of my day.

The center of the park was full of vendors and craft tents.

Look at these cute little guys! I love pretty much anything that has to do with fall. I could’ve bought and made a village!

I love this truck! If only I could drive around in this beast!

Food and brews?

Getting there… the event itself was free, however if you wanted any food or beer, tickets would need to be purchased. I believe tickets were $0.50 each and the amount of tickets depended on the item purchased. Numerous vendors were these selling their delicious treats (even soft serve ice cream there on the end).
Beer tents were scattered throughout the area.

This is a good family event, even to get out of the house for a couple hours on a nice day. It appeared to be more family oriented than food/beer driven. You may even see a celebrity or professional athlete as Southlake is the home to many of them. Sy is convinced he saw Jon Kitna, Tony Romo’s back-up. By the time he figured out why he looked so familiar he was walking off with his family. None the less, the man was pretty happy.

If anyone else attended Southlake’s Oktoberfest, what’d you think?!

Patra

Leave a reply

Patra – A begging bowl used by monks. a bowl, vessel, receptacle, alms bowl, dish, plate, or utensil. According to monastic rules, a monk was permitted to possess three different robes and one begging bowl. This bowl was used as receptacle for food at mealtime, or for alms received during the practice of begging.

While I was in Burlington, I met up with an old college friend who I hadn’t seen in almost four years. She had recommended that we meet up at Patra, one of the many local coffee / tea shops in Burlington.

Located in the old Army-Navy store location, and formerly Sapa, this is your go to place for privacy and relaxation. This is the kind of place that I lack in Texas. If I lived in Burlington, this is probably one of the places where you could find me writing these posts.

Patra is a sophisticated coffee shop. Although, from the outside it may not look like a large space but it opens up nicely once inside. Dark woods, brick walls and leather couches provide a cozy, relaxed and grounded atmosphere. A great place to work independently or meet with a group.

Patra hosts a variety of events each month:

Live Irish Folk- First Sunday of each month.

Open Mic Comedy – Last Thursday of each month.

Crowd Control (Three-Round comedy contest controlled by the crowd – Topics, performances, who advances and who wins.) Held once every three month.

Patra offers a variety of teas, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies and bubble teas. They also offer sandwiches, panini’s and cupcakes (even though I convinced myself the cupcakes were not really there to avoid temptation) if you are looking for a bite to eat.

I opted to try something new (at least to me) – bubble tea. A bubble tea is a combination of a tea base mixed with fruit and milk. I tried the Mango Bubble Tea (below) with Tapioca Pearls. There wasn’t a strong mango flavor however the drink was smooth and refreshing. Tapioca Pearls – I really wasn’t sure about these but amazingly enough I loved the texture (which I usually have a problem with as far as things in my drink goes) however I’ve been told the taste is aquired. I guess I’ll have to work on it. Overall, it was pretty delicious and I’d get one again.

The prices seemed to be overall comparable to the other coffee shops in the area. The bubble tea was $5 (before tip), which I thought was ok since I can’t get them daily, are made to order (and I treated myself) however on the other hand it is a little expensive for a pint sized beverage (Starbucks rate). I couldn’t justify getting one daily. The only thing that was really missing (at least to me) is if there was some music playing throughout the cafe (although I was told that there usually is something on). The atmosphere and decor of the cafe is completely wonderful.

If you are in the Burlington area and are looking for a new coffee shop to check out or even a place to get some work done out of the dorm/office – I would recommend to swing by, check it out. At least try out the Bubble Tea as I haven’t seen them anywhere else in Burlington. What’ve you got to lose?

Patra – Look them up on Facebook or check them out in person!

9 Center St
Burlington, VT 05401

(802) 318-4888