The Oregon Coast...Google, the Internet and Garmin

This week I don't have anything to post about a recipe from my Grandma's Recipe Box because we took a break and went to the Oregon coast.  We hit the weather just perfectly and saw sun the entire 2 days we were there. Now if you haven't been there, it is a beautiful place when it isn't raining. Both Bubba and I have been to Oregon before, including one really great fishing trip in Central Oregon. This was our first trip to the coast (together).  We flew in to Portland mid morning on Friday and made our way to Corvalis to hit a 5:30 baseball game.  Which means 4:00 pm batting practice.   As we drove from Portland to Corvalis, I was amazed at the wineries...I knew Oregon wines were becoming popular, but I am even more aware now,  having driven past what must have been at least 20+ neatly marked wineries.  The vineyards seem never ending as they are just beginning to show signs of life.   The sky was incredibly blue and the trees were in full bloom.  The colors were bright, from reds, to pinks and white.  Cotton was floating in the air and the fragrances of all these trees were everywhere.  Allergies were alive and well.  I might also mention that it seemed that the coffee in Oregon was better too! (I know...that's supposed to be Seattle...but Portland has Dutch's).  We did take a slight "food" detour, based on my Google search for Mexican food..on my I-phone.  I found this place called Su Casa.  OK...good thing our Garmin was working because this place was somewhere we would never have found without it.  Now the write-up about the restaurant said it was "out of the way" but that the food was authentic and it was well worth it. As we wound our way through several quaint neighborhoods with very fashionable restaurants and bars, we got more and more excited about Su Casa.  We discussed how we could see ourselves sitting outside at one of these places and enjoying the evening.  We pressed on, the Garmin continuing to steer us to the address we had entered.  We crossed railroad tracks, drove through industrial areas, passed abandoned cars and houses with bars on the windows.  We were ready to go back....back to one of those quaint places we had passed.  But Bubba suggested we keep going...so we did.  And then we found it...a lime green building...Su Casa.  We pulled in to the crumbled parking lot and looked in the window.  There was one other couple in the restaurant so we kept going.  As we walked in, I could smell a faint musty smell, but it was quickly forgotten when the friendly waiter greeted us with one of the most welcoming smiles I have experienced in a long time.  He left us with the menus and took our drink order. The other couple had these really great looking strawberry margaritas...so I had to have one.  We asked about one of our favorites...the chile relleno.  He told us it was authentic..not a fluffy/eggy one...he was right.  As we waited, people came in and picked up their call in orders and the tables began to fill up.  Before we left, the place was actually kind of busy.  We fired up the Garmin and headed to our hotel...it wasn't quaint the way most would describe quaint, but it was different, it was out of the way and the food was good.  Google, the Internet and Garmin....they open you up to all kinds of possibilities. It was short and sweet...we got to smell and feel an ocean breeze...not something you get much of in Texas.  We enjoyed baseball, saw some great college ball parks and had dinner with some old friends.  My Grandma would approve!