Rosa's Cantina - El Paso, Texas

Sometimes it takes out of town visitors to pry you out of your comfort zone.  Our friends, Charlotte and Pierre Thibaudeau, visiting from the province of Quebec, mentioned they think of us every time they hear the Marty Robbins 1959 song "El Paso."  And can we go to Rosa's Cantina as one of our outings, they suggested? 

My husband, Wayne, and I had never been to Rosa's. although we had heard good reports recently about the quality of the food.   Taking guests to a restaurant that hasn't been thoroughly vetted can be a dangerous practice.  But the online reviews looked good with four stars, so we piled in the car and headed to West El Paso. 

A sign on the side of an old rock building announced that "Rosa's Cantina Food" adds life.  As if on cue, when we opened the front door and walked in, Marty Robbins was again singing "El Paso."  Two gentlemen who entered as the same time were discussing the history of the song.  And as we sat down, I heard two other customers exchanging information on the legendary El Paso basketball coach for the University of Texas at El Paso, Don Haskins (1966 NCAA champs).  Wow!  Were we part of a Chamber of Commerce tour?

The restaurant was spacious with ample seating at tables covered with red-checked tablecloths.

A large bar at the back of the restaurant was empty at the noon hour, but I imagined that nighttime brought life to that area.

Our table opted for iced tea all around and two orders of nachos.  Ordering nachos in El Paso is often like a role of the dice.  Too often one is served a plateful of commercial corn chips with canned yellow cheese poured over the top.  But fortunately, not this time.  The nachos were picture perfect, corn tostadas topped with refried beans, grated cheese, lettuce, and tomato, with side containers of guacamole and sour cream.  Sliced pickled jalapeños were not included, but the waitress cheerfully provided a plate of them (fresh!) on request.  Our friend Charlotte speculated on the amount of calories contained in a plate of nachos, but I extolled the nutritional value of beans, lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeños, perhaps relieving some of her guilt.

The feeling of being a tourist must have affected all of us in the group.  Yes, souvenirs were for sale.  How about a sign for a garage wall to remember our visit? Yes, Pierre thought that would be just the thing.

Wayne checked on buying a T-shirt for a friend from Virginia but decided to wait until short-sleeved shirts were available.  (El Paso springtime warm weather has only recently arrived, so only long-sleeved were on sale.)

As we left the restaurant in high spirits, Marty was again singing "El Paso."  Just in case a reader of this blog post hasn't hear the song, here is a YouTube video that will have you singing about my home town.

"El Paso"