Real travel is when you put yourself in a position where the unexpected happens. Which is something I sometimes do accidentally.

While driving around Dallas with the cast of “Paulie & Me” and Donna, our awesome Keller-Williams real estate agent guiding us through potential sites for a brewery, we happen by a restaurant called Sol Irelandes. The restaurant’s host runs outside to say hello to our guide and ask if she’s coming in for a bite. We look at each-other and silently agree. What the hell, it’s lunch time and the scent of chipotle wafting from the little Irish-Mexican restaurant is making my stomach ache for something with a little kick.

What I get is a whole lot better. I order enchiladas with the hottest sauce they have available. I love spicy food, but I expect at least a few beads of sweat to pop out of my forehead when eating it in Texas. Surprise, it’s not hot. Our server, JC, appears, as if out of thin air, and hears my lament about the lack of bite. Rather than my complaint causing an awkward scene, JC smiles and heads to the kitchen to get me something special.

Now I’ve done it. These guys are going to make me cry.

JC comes out with a tray loaded with many of my favorite things, including green and red salsas, pico de gallo, limes, and fresh, roasted serrano peppers. His family is from Honduras, he says, dicing a large handful of the peppers in front of us, and this is what they make. After a flourish of cutting and stirring, he hands me a bowl of chunky hot sauce. The sharp scent of the serranos burns my nose, clearing my sinuses. On second whiff, the fruity aroma of lime and tomato tempers the serranos. The scent alone stops all but our intrepid guide from tasting it. Great! More for me. I pile a tortilla chip high with the sauce and take a bite. It certainly isn’t the hottest, but it is one of the most flavorful salsas I’ve ever been lucky enough to eat. Thanks to my loud mouth and JC’s great service, I got to experience something great that most people miss.