When Kevin came home last night he wanted to relax for a while before dinner and had a few beers. I had two with him, flavored with the juice of an orange I had plucked from a Tucson street last week.
It was cold outside and the dogs didn't want to be outside. Drizzle started up again as well.
His first choice of restaurant was Ricardo's down the street, but that was closed.
"Let's try that place in Palominas" he then said, referring to The Bright Spot, a steakhouse that four years ago was shut down because of unsanitary kitchen conditions; about 30 people had gotten food poisoning from salads that weren't properly cleaned. Kitchen workers did not understand English well enough to know how to wash the lettuce. Although that restaurant was reopenened and has gone through two more owners since that incident, I haven't had a desire to eat there. With all the bad press illegal immigrants are getting these days (most of which is justified) I don't feel comfortable to eat at a place where the kitchen help does not understand even basic English.
The Bright Spot was also closed. I was silently relieved.
"How about that Mexican place in Bisbee?" he then added, meaning Mexico Lindo, a small restaurant in Bisbee-Warren which serves the best plates around. The owners had recently opened a second store in Old Bisbee across the Stockyard Saloon in Brewery Gulch.
Banditos and Lawmen, aother pricy steakhouse off the highway, was also dark. Finding a nice place to eat was turning into an adventure. It looked like the only place open was the Pizza House in Bisbee-San Jose that had several cars in its parking lot. The pizza there is Kevin's regional favorite, but I wasn't in the mood for pizza.
I will always enjoy the drive to Bisbee from our house: the distant lights of Naco and other valley illuminations, the dark silhouettes of the nearby mountains, and watching for animals crossing the roads near the border. The two-lane road ascends and descends along the curvy stretch with a vast view toward the vallies of northern Sonora. Border Patrol vans were in dark crevices along the road, their radars pointing southward toward the border. (The BP has recently made big drug arrests along this stretch)
Mexico Lindo was open, with most of the cars in the parking lot for the bar next door, The Hitching Post. The bar and restaurant share a bathroom. One other couple were in the dining area when we walked in. The atmosphere was quiet. There were no holiday decorations in the dining room. The main cook wore a knit hat to keep warm.
Sergio, the young Mexican man with braces, was our server. He was my server last time and had done a good job. Again, he was very attentive.
Kevin ordered a chimichanga enchilada style stuffed with carne asada. I had a green chile chicken enchilada plate with sour cream sauce. The plate didn't look big when compared to Kevin's dish but boy was it delicious and more than enough. Although a bit expensive, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We hadn't eaten out in months, and this was a real treat.
The bill came to $27.31. I tipped Sergio $10. This was a Christmas tip. The restaurant food tastes so authentically Mexican; except for the Bud Light wall decor the place could look like a real Mexican bistro south of the border. The only thing missing would be a color TV playing the latest Cruz Azul soccer match. I have never been to a restaurant in Mexico without a TV on playing the latest futbol match.
Kevin briefly talked to a couple who were wintering here from Alaska. She was a life-long Alaskan with a home there, but who recently started wintering here to ease her arthritis. She and Kevin were outside smoking.
"The first time I came to Bisbee I stayed at the Bed and Breakfast down the road and they recommended this place" she explained, "and I've been coming back ever since." Her husband nodded in agreement.
We drove to Old Bisbee to see the Christmas lights decked across Main Street. The rain clouds and near new moon made the sky especially dark.
There wasn't much going on and Kevin was tired (as he normally gets tired after a filling meal) so I turned around and drove home. As soon as we got home at 8:30pm he went to bed.
http://www.palominas.com/gallery06.htm
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/01/07/news/doc4781c23901f34433395571.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/12/23/20081223weather1224.html
It was cold outside and the dogs didn't want to be outside. Drizzle started up again as well.
His first choice of restaurant was Ricardo's down the street, but that was closed.
"Let's try that place in Palominas" he then said, referring to The Bright Spot, a steakhouse that four years ago was shut down because of unsanitary kitchen conditions; about 30 people had gotten food poisoning from salads that weren't properly cleaned. Kitchen workers did not understand English well enough to know how to wash the lettuce. Although that restaurant was reopenened and has gone through two more owners since that incident, I haven't had a desire to eat there. With all the bad press illegal immigrants are getting these days (most of which is justified) I don't feel comfortable to eat at a place where the kitchen help does not understand even basic English.
The Bright Spot was also closed. I was silently relieved.
"How about that Mexican place in Bisbee?" he then added, meaning Mexico Lindo, a small restaurant in Bisbee-Warren which serves the best plates around. The owners had recently opened a second store in Old Bisbee across the Stockyard Saloon in Brewery Gulch.
Banditos and Lawmen, aother pricy steakhouse off the highway, was also dark. Finding a nice place to eat was turning into an adventure. It looked like the only place open was the Pizza House in Bisbee-San Jose that had several cars in its parking lot. The pizza there is Kevin's regional favorite, but I wasn't in the mood for pizza.
I will always enjoy the drive to Bisbee from our house: the distant lights of Naco and other valley illuminations, the dark silhouettes of the nearby mountains, and watching for animals crossing the roads near the border. The two-lane road ascends and descends along the curvy stretch with a vast view toward the vallies of northern Sonora. Border Patrol vans were in dark crevices along the road, their radars pointing southward toward the border. (The BP has recently made big drug arrests along this stretch)
Mexico Lindo was open, with most of the cars in the parking lot for the bar next door, The Hitching Post. The bar and restaurant share a bathroom. One other couple were in the dining area when we walked in. The atmosphere was quiet. There were no holiday decorations in the dining room. The main cook wore a knit hat to keep warm.
Sergio, the young Mexican man with braces, was our server. He was my server last time and had done a good job. Again, he was very attentive.
Kevin ordered a chimichanga enchilada style stuffed with carne asada. I had a green chile chicken enchilada plate with sour cream sauce. The plate didn't look big when compared to Kevin's dish but boy was it delicious and more than enough. Although a bit expensive, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We hadn't eaten out in months, and this was a real treat.
The bill came to $27.31. I tipped Sergio $10. This was a Christmas tip. The restaurant food tastes so authentically Mexican; except for the Bud Light wall decor the place could look like a real Mexican bistro south of the border. The only thing missing would be a color TV playing the latest Cruz Azul soccer match. I have never been to a restaurant in Mexico without a TV on playing the latest futbol match.
Kevin briefly talked to a couple who were wintering here from Alaska. She was a life-long Alaskan with a home there, but who recently started wintering here to ease her arthritis. She and Kevin were outside smoking.
"The first time I came to Bisbee I stayed at the Bed and Breakfast down the road and they recommended this place" she explained, "and I've been coming back ever since." Her husband nodded in agreement.
We drove to Old Bisbee to see the Christmas lights decked across Main Street. The rain clouds and near new moon made the sky especially dark.
There wasn't much going on and Kevin was tired (as he normally gets tired after a filling meal) so I turned around and drove home. As soon as we got home at 8:30pm he went to bed.
http://www.palominas.com/gallery06.htm
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/01/07/news/doc4781c23901f34433395571.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/12/23/20081223weather1224.html
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