Vonlane

*Note: this is to a paid advertisement nor did I receive any compensation;  the opinion expressed here wholly owned by me*

Not sure if I'm the last person to know, but riding on Vonlane is kinda fun.

For those who are not familiar, Vonlane is a fancy bus that commutes from Houston to various cities in Texas.  Nice seats, you can stretch out.  Of course, they have blanket, lap desk, charger and pillow too.

When you first sit down, they bring a basket of Tylenol, Dramamine, ear plugs, tissues, toothbrush. 

Then, they serve drinks, you can obviously do soda, coffee/tea, juice, high brew, and sparkling water.  They have alcohol for purchase if you so oblige. 

They bring the snack basket by, there was slim jims, various kinds of cookies, chips of several kinds, different kinds of nuts the fancy kinds. 

For breakfast hours, they serve muffins, oatmeal, yogurt.  For lunch, there are choices for sandwiches, salads, and wraps of different kinds. 

For me, I go the Caprese Sandwich in Ciabatta bread with dressing.  It was still a bit cold from thawing.  But I appreciated the offerings.  On the trip back, I got a salad, and that worked out very nicely. 

While I started to dig into my sandwich, the snack basket made its appearance again.  Which at the time, I was thinking, that makes sense, since chips goes with sandwiches... Pretty good service.

An hour outside of the city, the snack basket came back around again!  That basket has showed up 3 times in a 4 hour ride.  For drinks, they come by and check on you and refill.  

Truly, overall, the service was great, since the bus seats 24 max, it was very nice to have them so attentive.   You don't even get that kind of service when you pay more than that for a flight.  This is definitely worth checking out.   And yes, even the bathroom is nice.

Vonlane

https://vonlane.com/

 

Braum's

I pulled my kid into my childhood favorite.

Keep in mind, it is a childhood nostalgia thing, not it's the best in the world thing.

We ordered meal for both of us.  It came with a sandwich and fries with a drink.  We upgraded one to a shake and just regular drink for the other. 

Yep, nothing spectacular, it's just something I used to have when I was a kid.  Cheeseburger... of course, if you finish your meal, you get an ice cream (read: reward, not free from the place).

I got me a scoop of Rocky Road, my go-to.  Super creamy, super flavorful.  Mainly because they are a diary shop and ice cream parlor. 

I was surprised to see they have a mini market.  They have their own bread & brownie on top of ice cream, sorbet and the like.  

They have regular groceries too. 

If you're ever in a pinch, you can really just hop in, grab a meal or an ice cream and get what you need, so you don't have to haul yourself to the store and get lost strolling around.

Growing up, friends had worked at Braum's after school.  So we would go to hang out with friends and buy an ice cream (or two).  I did know they sell food, maybe have gotten fries, but I don't often eat there.  They do serve alot of breakfast food, but otherwise, burgers, chicken sandwich, or chicken tenders. Not too many choices to pick from.  Again, this is just a nostalgia stop and showing my kid where we hang out after school. 

Braum's

518 Centennial Blvd

Richardson, TX 75081

972-783-9945

https://www.braums.com/store/518-centennial-blvd-richardson-tx/

 

Cafe Brazil

When I go to Dallas, I go to my old haunts. 

Even though, technically, I didn't come to Cafe Brazil until after I've moved away from Dallas. 

My favorite item to get: Coffee... we'll talk more about that.

For my main, I got the Fruit Pancrepes.  There's 4 big crepes with cold fruit and puree.  That combo of hot and cold is so good, and I just love that so much.  I come back for it year after year.  

Mind you, for their other food offering, there's decent about of omelets and egg dishes, or migas or tacos.  So this is a great place to bring friends because it has a little bit of everything. 

Another good thing about this place, they are opened 24/7, so you can come anytime and breakfast is served all day.  

When you walk in, especially if it's busy.  Head over to the coffee bar and get yourself a cup and pick your coffee.  Or, mix your flavors, I do.  

Cafe Brazil

2071 N. Central Expressway

Richardson, TX 75080

972-783-9011

https://cafebrazil.com/

 

Maru Ramen

You know when you're on the road, too busy to look for food, you have to take some risk.

Sometimes they paid off, sometimes they don't...

Got the Veggie Tempura - I would say, I do appreciate the squash and beans to the mix.

I got the Unagi Ramen, because it looked good.  I was surprised to see that the unagi came separate, it's almost like why did I bothered.  I'd rather them keep the unagi with the rice than with the noodles.  It came with Tonkotsu Ramen, and add the fish if you wish.  The type of noodles I got was the Sapporo type which is yellow curly egg noodles.  It has more elastic and chewier than the regular ones.  The broth base is fine, not as thick as some base we've had, but it did what you need it to do.

The place was not not-busy, but it's more like an easy dinner thing than coming here because it's so good, we must come back repeatedly. 

Maru Ramen

400 N. Greenville

Dallas, TX 

972-792-8888

https://www.maruramen.com/