Doc’s Bar and Grill
Posted on October 2, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Pickleball, Travel.
We ate at Doc’s last year when we were in Shangri-la for their inaugural pickleball tournament. It was our first stop again this year. The menu changes on a regular basis so the list of dishes is vastly different than when we were there last year. Here are some pictures of the food we had this time.
The food was fabulous as always and the company even better. Just like last year, we were with Kumar Krishnan, his wife Sujatha, their daughter Priyanka, and Cody Kent. It is Kumar’s tournament but, if you ask him, Cody is the brains behind the operation. He single-handedly runs the tournament desk at the event. Cody’s wife Dana had to work this weekend so she didn’t come out but we gained Fernando Martinez and Amanda Ades who joined us for dinner after the Friday night open play/mixer at the resort.
There weren’t as many players from Wichita this year so I am glad that Fernando and Amanda made the trip. The tournament venue is just breathtaking and I want to be able to share the experience with as many people as I possibly can.
I’ve decided to significantly reduce the number of tournaments that I am playing in next year (seriously, as of right now zero) but Shangri-la is probably one that I will still do just because it’s more of a vacation than a tournament. It’s just so beautiful out there. Until next time. GNG.
Comment on This
Mixed Doubles Mini Tournament at the Pickle Club
Posted on September 28, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball.
I ran a mixed doubles mini tournament at the Pickle Club a couple of weeks ago. It was actually a reschedule from June and I decided to play in it because it would a good opportunity for me and Chris to practice before our Bartlesville tournament. We had six teams participate and I actually remembered to take pictures of everyone this time. Here’s all the teams:
Sarvi and Michael
Leah and Kafer
Fernando and Amanda
Jenny and Zach
Lesli and Greg
and, lastly me and Chris
We played five games to 15 (win by 1) in pool play so everyone got to play against all the other teams and then we seeded everyone based on pool play performance for the single elimination bracket. Bracket was also one game to 15 (win by 2) until the medal rounds. The championship and third place matches were best 2 out of 3 games to 11, win by 2.
We got to play a lot of games and it was so much fun. We ended up having to play against Jenny and Zach in the championship and then Michael and Sarvi played against Fernando and Amanda for third place. Their third place match was actually way more intense than hours. Anyway, everything ran according to schedule and I think we just went a few minutes past 5 pm, which is what I had budgeted.
Anyway, now that we are in the cooler months, I’m back to playing at the Pickle Club again. If you’re not already a member, I highly recommend checking out one of the open play sessions on Sunday and then eventually joining. It’s probably the best place to play in town. I love it there.
Comment on This
Waffle House
Posted on September 25, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I’m not really sure about the appeal of Waffle House. I’d never been to one (and neither has Brian) so it seemed like something we should cross off our list.
There was one by our Airbnb so we decided to go check it out before heading home. Honestly, it’s not really anything spectacular so you’re not missing one. However, I’m not one to just take other people’s word. I like to decide things for myself so check it out we did.
I’m not sure if all Waffle Houses are set up the same way. The interior is small and like a diner where you can eat at the counter. Except the kitchen is open so you can watch as they make your food. I like that part because you can see exactly what they’re doing and they can’t mess with it. LOL.
I had a sausage, bacon, egg, and cheese bowl. Brian got biscuits and gravy – his usual everywhere. I’m not sure why I didn’t get a picture of it.
I also ordered a waffle for us, after all it is Waffle House, but it wasn’t really earth-shattering. It was better than the hotel waffles we’ve been having but I’ve had better. Anyway, at least now we can say we’ve been to one.
Comment on This
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar
Posted on September 22, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Brian and I found this great pet-friendly restaurant in Grapevine, Texas with a fabulous patio. It made me kind of wish we had Saki with us. It’s called Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar and, now that I have looked it up, I guess technically Glade Parks is in Euless, Texas but we were in the area for a pickleball thing at Chicken N Pickle – Grapevine so I just assumed we were in Grapevine. It literally just a few minutes away from the CNP.
Obviously, no pets inside the restaurant but their giant patio is almost as big as the inside that’s where they seat people with pets.
At the center of it all is this massive fireplace where groups can congregate.
It was a nice day so we sat out there and enjoyed other people’s dogs.
There was a sangria flight/sampler on the menu so I went for it. I believe these are (from left to right) the white peach, pomegranate red, and raspberry rose. They were all refreshingly delicious but I liked the white peach the best.
Here are a couple of pictures of our dinner. You can probably guess that the one with a lot going on is mine and the other, very plain-looking one is Brian’s. Food was pretty good. Service was friendly. We will likely go back next time we find ourselves in that part of Texas again.
Comment on This
Chicken N Pickle Ambassador MiLP
Posted on September 21, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
I got to meet and hang out with fellow Chicken N Pickle ambassadors at the first ever Chicken N Pickle Ambassador Minor League Pickleball event a couple of weeks ago at Chicken N Pickle – Grapevine.
Brian and I got there just in time for the tail end of the free open play (practice session) for ambassadors on Saturday afternoon and so I got to hang out with the Kansas City ambassadors as well as meet a few others who I hadn’t met before. The super fun Kansas City team (KC Picklrs) consisted of Kyle VonAnh, Craig Morford, Danielle Piorier, and Suparna Garinger.
Here’s a picture of the player briefing at the start of the morning.
Noi barely made it in time for the group photo!
I got some fun team uniforms made for us just for the occasion. Nicole, my go-to person for pickleball shirts, talked me into using glittery vinyl for the text. Noi didn’t have any plain black shorts so he wore some dino shorts. All of his shorts are colorful. This is the closest to black shorts as he could get.
This next pic is of me and Kendra with Suparna (left) and Lindsey Vermillion, who is in charge of the Chicken N Pickle ambassador program.
Brian was able to livestream all of matches that day. You can find all of them here. We won all of our matches except for the first one. This team, which called themselves “Last Minute” because they were a last minute entry, consisted of four local Dallas-area players (JP Gorby, Chase Orme, Chrissie Hintz, and Jenna Rogers). They were so last minute that they’re not even on this list. They were pretty dominant and went undefeated at the event but we took them to a dreambreaker (singles tie breaker round, if you go 2-2 against another team).
I honestly think the outcome might have been different if we played them last (or at least after we’d already gotten a match or two behind us) rather than first because, not to be biased, our team was pretty amazing. As it was, we ended up taking second. In my mind I’m thinking, we really would have been the champions had they not entered last minute. LOL.
But such is life. None of my last few tournaments have really gone according to plan. In fact, I’ve had to play with a couple of blind dates for mixed doubles in my last two tournaments (PPA KC Open and Tulsa Pickleball Classic). It’s pretty much par for the course and I’ve learned to roll with the punches, and enjoy the beatings along the way. And, I keep on truckin’. Next up, NEO Shangri-la Pickleball Open this weekend. You know I’ll be writing about it. Come back soon. GNG.
Comment on This
