Food or ambiance - which do you prefer?

When you dine out, are you more attracted to the food being served or the ambiance it is served in?  Not being much of a foodie myself, I vote for the ambiance.

My husband, Wayne, and I recently went to a local restaurant in our hometown of El Paso, Texas,  Our huevos rancheros were a hearty breakfast dish.

Huevos Rancheros

But oh, the restaurant decor.  It had all of the elements of traditional Southwestern style that brought back memories of visits to our neighboring country, Mexico.

Forti's Restaurant, El Paso, Texas

Because we arrived at the restaurant just at opening time, we were the second customers of the day. We had eaten at this longtime, family-owned restaurant several times before, but because the restaurant was almost empty at this hour, it was the first time we felt free to roam around and admire the decorative touches.

Forti's is a large establishment located in an older part of the city.  A palm tree  (yes, we do have a few palm trees in El Paso!) sets a tropical mood.

Entrance to Forti's

Coffee and complimentary tostadas and salsa began the meal as we began to appreciate our surroundings.

Chips and salsa

Tiled fountains are ubiquitous in Southwestern decorating.  We have one in our own courtyard and enjoy the soothing sounds of falling water most seasons of the year.  Fountains and courtyards come from centuries of Arab occupation of Spain through Mexico as the conquistadores came to the New World.  I see many fountains in front yards in El Paso, most of them even without water, a strong statement about the place of fountains in our Southwestern psyche. 

Traditional fountain

Statues of St. Francis of Assisi also often appear in Southwestern landscapes.  St. Francis is protector of animals, which makes me covet a statue for our garden even more.  We found such a statue once in Central Texas at a reasonable price but passed it up, a lingering regret!

St. Francis of Assisi

A replica of the famous Aztec calendar in Forti's reminds me of the civilization that flourished in Central Mexico when the Spaniards arrived in the 17th century.

Aztec Calendar

A round, convivial table in the bar with a mural on the wall takes me back to my younger days

when I ordered Tecate beer with lime and salt or Cuba Libres.  Nowadays I will have to enjoy the atmosphere with club soda and lime but perhaps even more with all senses intact and no morning hangover.

Bar in Forti's

And I had to take a picture of a neon sign for Pacífico beer for old times sake. I remember when I first started trying to recreate Southwestern style and collected several colorful beer signs of different brands of famous Mexican beers.

Neon beer sign

So if you are trying to give a nod to Southwestern style in your house or yard, you may be pleased at how just one of these traditional elements will start you daydreaming about Spain, Mexico and the Desert Southwest. I'm ready to return to Forti's the next time a little escapism from humdrum life is on the social calendar.

Guests arriving soon! What to do?

Canadian friends from the province of Quebec emailed recently with the good news that they will be visiting us for a few days at the end of February.  My mind went into high gear.  Are our guest rooms comfortable?  Will spring cleaning of the yard be completed?  Will the weather cooperate?  (Late winter and spring are notorious in the Desert Southwest for gale force winds.) But, most important of all, how can we entertain our guests with new and exciting experiences?

My home town of El Paso, Texas is a mid-size town located on the United States-Mexico border. 

We are a family oriented town where life proceeds at a leisurely pace. If we lived in Los Angeles like our son, any number of great restaurants, shows, museums, and sports would be available. The entertainment problem would not be what to do, but how to choose among many great possibilities.

I made a mental list of what El Paso experiences we had offered our friends on previous visits. A picnic among the boulders at Hueco Tanks State Park came to mind. We also toured the Magoffin Home State Historical Site followed by afternoon coffee and pastries at Kinley's Coffee House.  A drive up Highway 28 to Mesilla and Las Cruces, stopping at La Viña Winery, gave our guests a taste of New Mexico.  And how could I forget the plate of shared nachos at Rosa's Cantina with Marty Robbins' "El Paso" playing in the background? Yes, that about "does" El Paso!

Maybe we can capitalize on the slogan of El Paso as the "Mexican Food Capital."  Not that I am biased as a native-born El Pasoan, but our local Mexican food is really, really good.  It is so tasty that my husband, Wayne, and I do not dare order Mexican food in any other locale because we know we will complain throughout dinner.

With these thoughts in mind, I can start listing which Mexican food restaurants to invite our friends to.  For a true El Paso experience, the L&J Cafe is tops.  Known as the "Old Place by the Graveyard" because of its proximity to a historic cemetery, the L&J has been serving authentic border food since 1927. This iconic cafe is a place where you can experience the heart of El Paso.  The large bar is often filled with patrons conversing loudly over the music.

And the food.....ahhh.. My favorite plate is Huevos Rancheros, a fried corn tortilla topped with a fried egg, topped with red chile sauce, served with sides of rice, beans, and warm flour tortillas. Service is swift and efficient.   

Another of our Mexican food haunts is Julio's Cafe Corona, which has two locations in town.  We like it because it reminds us of days of our youth spent in the original Julio's across the border in Ciudad Juárez.  The atmosphere here is quieter without being stuffy.  Service is impeccable.  My favorite dishes are nachos, made the authentic way with beans and shredded cheese, and Flautas Oaxaqueñas, an attractive dish of bite-sized flautas topped with guacamole, salsa, and lettuce and tomato. 

If everyone is not stuffed to the gills with Mexican food at this point, we have two favorite Mexican food restaurants located five minutes from our house.  Barrigas Restaurant is about as close as you can come to a true Mexican experience without crossing the border.  Beautiful Mexican music classics, friendly waiters, and an extensive menu with offerings from the interior of Mexico.  And Carnitas Querétaro, another favorite restaurant, we frequent so often that we have our favorite table, our favorite waiters, and our favorite lunch dishes (caldo de res chico for me and pozole for Wayne). We love to be seated with a view of the tortilla makers, patting out authentic corn tortillas by hand.

With all of this eating out planned, perhaps I should also be thinking about outdoor exercise for the group?  A hike in the Franklin Mountains?  A Sunday walk up Scenic Drive?  More realistic, I suppose, is a group collapsed in front of Netflix, vowing never to eat again.

The Chico's Tacos Experience

Chico's Tacos, El Paso

I had not had a plate of rolled tacos at Chico's Tacos, El Paso, Texas for probably fifty years when my husband, Wayne, suggested recently that we go there for lunch. 

Chico's Tacos is synonymous with the true El Paso experience.  Many native El Pasoans have memories of their youth eating at Chico's after carousing on Saturday night or with the family on Sunday afternoon.  Out of town college students make a beeline for Chico's on their first visit home.  And family members returning home for the holidays make Chico's a regular stop.  It's THE THING to do.

Chico's knows it has a faithful clientele.  They don't have to make constant menu changes or pamper customers to keep El Pasoans coming.   And it is important to be aware of the rituals at Chico's if you don't want to be spotted as a tourist. 

First, Chico's instructs customers to line up to order.  A large red sign directs you to one of two lines.  Chico's is ready for a barrage of customers!  

You want to make sure that you have cash in your pocket.  None of this newfangled electronic banking business.  Chico's wants cold hard cash.

The menu is on a large board.  Rolled tacos are the first item.  Reading no further, we ordered two single orders (three rolled tacos), an order of French fries to share, and two iced teas.

When your order is ready, the man behind the counter calls your number in English and Spanish.  You collect your tray and find a table.

Ah, the tacos looked just as I remembered them. Meat tacos topped with shredded cheese, swimming in sauce (more about the sauce below!)

Extra napkins are already provided at the table.  They definitely come in handy.

Finishing my three tacos, I was in the process of completing the meal when Wayne said, "Are you drinking the sauce right out of the bowl?"    "Sure, look around at the other diners," I said.   It is de rigueur at Chico's Tacos to slurp up the last bit of sauce. And, I might add,  I think it is the best part of the dish.

As we left the restaurant, it felt good that we had successfully participated in a local ritual.  

Now if I could just convince Chico's to offer a vegetarian version of the rolled taco plate.  But who would want to mess with over fifty years of success?

Southwestern Cultural Mix Has A New Player

Street side door of Salt + Honey Bakery Cafe

Happening upon a new restaurant in my home town of El Paso, Texas is one of my secret joys, bad for the waistline but great for the spirit.  My husband, Wayne, and I discovered Salt + Honey Bakery Cafe soon after returning from a trip to Ireland, when our fun meter was still going strong.

Salt + Honey Bakery Cafe is located in a restored building in what is known as the Five Points area of El Paso.  The location is in an older neighborhood which has recently begun to undergo gentrification. I have great memories of the area, which used to have one of the few department stores in town, a Sears store, and a movie theater, the Pershing, which always brings pleasant memories of childhood.  Now an upscale coffee shop and several new restaurants can be found, among them our new discovery.

As we walked into the bustling Salt + Honey Bakery Cafe, my first impression was of a well-stocked bakery case, multiple seating areas, and light colored wood. Part of the original black and white small tile floor was still in evidence in the main cafe, and a hardwood floor had been added in another area.

First impression of cafe

Ah, Toto, we were not in El Paso anymore.  I could almost imagine I was in Los Angeles near the Grove/Farmers Market area, where my son, Clayton, and his girlfriend, Melissa, live. My hipness quotient went up considerably just by being a customer at the Salt and Honey.

One quality I like about El Paso is our mixture of people of different nationalities, social groups, and languages.  I wouldn't say we have reached cosmopolitan status, but we are a border city and a bit of a melting pot. The seating in the cafe reflected the concept that all are welcome.  A counter was available for customers who want a quick cup of coffee and one of the scrumptious-looking homemade pastries.  

Counter customers

The counter seating  reminded Wayne of the old-fashioned drugstores of his youth.  We vowed to return some morning soon.

Techies are welcome.

For those of us tied to our electronic devices (and who isn't these days?) stations are available with plenty of light and plug-ins to commune with your favorite electronic friend or even human one.  

Customers wanting a softer seat and a living room atmosphere can sit on a sofa in one area of the cafe, while traditionalists can sit at regular tables.  Seating by the front window would have been perfect for me to look out on the street and watch passers-by. 

But how about the food, you may be wondering.  I found many items on the menu to try, surprising for the picky eater that I am.  The Salt + Honey offers choices for all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch. Breakfast choices include Vanilla Chia Pudding, Baklava Pancakes, and The Londoner. Some of the brunch items are Hummus Avocado Toast (my choice), East Coast Bagel, and La Huevona.  La Huevona is a egg dish (huevos are eggs in Spanish), but the joke is that huevona is a slang word for "lazy" in the El Paso area.  Lunch items include The Black Friday, Summer Burrata, and, of course, a hamburger (not your father's hamburger, to be sure). More information about the cafe is available here.

The Salt + Honey is a place where different cultures and influences come together— 

Middle Eastern, international, traditional, and modern.  I'm ready to return already!

A Southwest Christmas is almost here

Some Decembers my husband, Wayne, and I go out of town for the holidays, searching for the elusive perfect setting to enjoy Christmas.  We have traveled to several cities in Texas; Auckland, New Zealand; Melbourne, Australia; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.  This year, however, we decided to again explore holiday activities in our home town of El Paso, Texas. Christmas in the Southwest has a special flavor because we live on the US-Mexico border, where languages and cultures swirl together to create a memorable experience.

Our first stop was the newly renovated San Jacinto Plaza, located in the heart of downtown El Paso.  It was a chilly Saturday evening (well, at least 50 degrees F!)  when we joined the crowds to ooh and ahh over the holiday park decorations

and, of course, the giant Christmas tree.

And no El Paso celebration would be complete without mariachi music and traditional Mexican dances.

The visit to San Jacinto Plaza was a great excuse to break a diet regime and line up at the food truck selling churros, served warm and covered with sugar, with a delicious caramel filling. Every bite of churro was worth the extra calories.

Our next hometown holiday experience came on a tour of El Paso's Lower Valley.  We spent a few quiet moments in the Socorro Mission, a beautiful, welcoming church located on what is known as the Mission Trail. The simple exterior of the church contrasts with the ornate interior.

A few miles drive to the south took us to the historic town of San Elizario, where a traditional community celebration was in progress in the plaza.

Upon arrival, we headed straight for the booth selling homemade tamales and champurrado, a special warm drink made with cornmeal, cinnamon and brown sugar. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus arrived to greet the Amigo Man, an El Paso mascot.

I was especially impressed with the live animals that were waiting to take part in a posada, a reenactment of Joseph and Mary's search for shelter on a long ago night. The young goats gamboled as their mother watched placidly.

The San Elizario Chapel overlooking the plaza provided just the right tone for the religious celebration.

Last night, we stopped in the L&J cafe, an iconic El Paso Mexican restaurant, for dinner.  The atmosphere was lively, with a bar filled with holiday merrymakers and tables occupied with couples and families.  Waiters and waitresses rushed around, making a valiant effort to make everyone happy.

Wayne looked out at the scene contentedly and said, "I love El Paso."  Yes, I do too.  It's a great place to spend the Christmas holiday season.

One Sunday Afternoon in the Park

A lazy Sunday loomed before us.  Too lazy if the truth be known.  Where could we go for entertainment in our home town of El Paso, Texas that we hadn't been to at least a dozen times 

before?

Maybe the answer could be found in investigating a new project in our city, the revitalization of Downtown El Paso.  The renovation of the central square of El Paso, San Jacinto Plaza, had taken what seemed like ages to complete (it was really only three years).  We wanted to see if we had received good value for our tax dollars.

San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza, located at the corner of Oregon and Mills Streets, has a proud history, dating from the first part of the 20th century.  It was a transportation hub, first for horse drawn carriages, then for trolleys, and later for city buses and taxicabs, which is when my memories of the park began.  I remember the park as being leafy and green, with benches around the perimeter.  A highlight was the alligator pond inhabited by live alligators.  Later, the plaza fell into disrepair, the alligators had to be moved because of vandalism, and the park atmosphere was anything but welcoming.

How delighted I was as a native El Pasoan to experience the new and improved San Jacinto Plaza, dedicated in April of this year.

"Los Lagartos" -The Alligators

A fiberglass alligator sculpture by Luis Jiménez retains the memory of the live alligators who lived in the pool until the 1970s.

Diners at the plaza cafe

A full-service cafe serves a variety of dishes, including this cup of corn with typical southwestern seasonings.

Another nod to local culture is a court for the game of pitching washers, which goes by the name of huachas in our border region. The game is similar to pitching horseshoes.

Huachas court

Ping-pong tables are also available in the park.  Equipment for playing both huachas and ping-pong is available at the plaza cafe. You may get a sudden inspiration to try out your game skills.

Splash pond

Children cooling off in the splash pond, monitored carefully by moms and dads on benches, reminded me how much fun it can be to be a child, and uninhibited.

I took a moment to soak up the atmosphere of our urban park.  The details on a historic building visible from the park reminded me of an earlier, more elegant era in El Paso.

Historical Building

And I especially enjoyed the flora of the park and made note of which plants I could use in our southwestern style yard.  I love the hardy native and adapted plants that survive and even flourish in the Desert Southwest.  This plant looked to me like a type of bush called "Yellow Bells"or "Esperanza (Hope)" in our region.

Flowering bush in plaza

My husband, Wayne, and I sat on a bench in the park for quite a long time, feeling the excitement and pride of living in a city with a downtown park that is not only an attractive place but an exciting place as well.  Will our out-of-town visitors for Thanksgiving enjoy the park as much as we did?  We have our fingers crossed.

A hometown dining adventure

Does this conversation ever happen at your house?  "Do you want to go out for lunch?"  "Yes, but where?" And do you often end up by default at tried and true local restaurants?

On a recent warm springlike day, my husband Wayne and I agreed that we were looking for a new dining adventure for lunch. A flyer had arrived with the morning newspaper, announcing a restaurant and bar in an older area of our home town of El Paso, Texas. The restaurant had the intriguing name of  "The Frutas Avenue Fraternal & Social Club."  

The Frutas Avenue Fraternal & Social Club

The location was part of a historic property that had been established in 1904 as a brewery and had changed owners (and products during Prohibition years) until closing in 1967 as the Falstaff Brewing Company. The flyer explained that the restaurant property was a remodel of a Falstaff VIP party property created as a mock German Village.

Mock German Village

The current restaurant description included a German Beer Garden, which was a patio with shade trees and hanging colored lights.

German Beer Garden

  

 

Outdoor Bar

I was especially interested in the history of the establishment.  And Wayne checked the menu carefully, especially the descriptions of daily plate lunch specials such as Grandma's Pot Roast, Stuffed Bell Peppers, and Homemade Meatloaf.  Sandwiches and desserts were also on the menu.  

We arrived at the restaurant about 1:00 pm on a Monday. Wayne fortunately got the last available plate of pot roast with vegetables, bread and dessert.  My choice was the vegetarian sandwich. We ate a quiet lunch indoors.

Indoor restaurant

Conversations with the owner and an employee reflected a vision of what they intended the Frutas Avenue Club to be - a quiet, welcoming place (no music allowed) with home style food and friendly service.  The free pool table in a back room would be perfect to entertain a bored teenager.

Pool table in former Starting Cellar

I have already "liked" the establishment on Facebook so that we will receive future messages about the twice monthly barbecue offerings in the patio. And we will return on one of El Paso's picture perfect summer evenings. sit in the patio with a glass of iced tea, and solve life's problems with stimulating company and conversation.

Liven up Mondays with a taco

Monday nights can be a real drag.  The work week stretches out in front with the weekend in the far distance.

Recently, my husband Wayne and I decided to try to cure the Monday blues by going to a local restaurant that advertises "Taco Monday."

Tacos are an integral part of Southwest culture.  Almost any ingredient can be put into a taco shell (a corn tortilla, crispy or soft) to qualify as a taco. And tacos are the ultimate hand-held food.  No one would ever consider eating a taco with a knife and fork.

The Riviera Restaurant in El Paso, Texas has been around a long time, as you can see from the sign on the outside of this restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant is fairly typical of many El Paso restaurants, except for the original art on the walls.

A large sign at the entrance assured us we had come to the right place on the right evening for tacos.

My eyes went to the vegetarian choices - bean, potato, guacamole and avocado, while Wayne, the carnivore, focused on beef, chicken or al pastor (pork). 

Our server brought the requisite tostada chips and salsa to the table and took our orders.  You can see by the picture below that Wayne and I were in a race to see if the salsa was authentic.  (It was.)  One can usually judge the quality of a Mexican food restaurant by the flavors in the salsa. 

El Pasoans are so spoiled with free chips and salsa that any local restaurant that actually dares to charge for this dining staple is suspect of not being quite authentic enough.

The taco plates arrived, served with lettuce, tomato, and grated white cheese on the side.

The meal had been so inexpensive that we decided to top it off with our favorite dessert - flan.  Flan is a baked custard with caramel sauce, and it is truly delicious.  It was so tasty, in fact, that I forget to take a picture until we were halfway through the dessert.

Many local restaurants advertise "Taco Tuesday", but I am glad the Riviera gave us a chance to go out on the town on what would have been otherwise a pretty boring Monday night!