Luis in the Tropics...

I had the pleasure of spending my early years in a beautiful Central American country known as Panama.  I was there long enough to enjoy Panamanian food and still remember and long for it.

One of the things I love about being Latin American is my constant nostalgia for dishes of my childhood.  carimanholas, empanadas, ropa vieja, etc.  The list can go on for pages.  I tend to place Panamanian cuisine under Latin Caribbean.  Basically we have very similar dishes to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic.  (This is just my opinion, nothing I say is cross checked with any references.  I love a generalization.)

One of my favorite dishes growing up was Arroz con Pollo.  In my opinion, my grandmother who did most of the cooking growing up, had the best Arroz con Pollo.  My grandmother hasn’t passed away, but as life turns out, recipes get forgotten, people get too old to stand over a stove, and my mother and sister never paid much attention to her cooking to remember how she made it.

Luckily for me, I have a Dominican friend by name of Mariand.  Mariand in my opinion makes the best Arroz con Pollo I have had since my childhood.  We had the luxury of touring this country together for a year and a half.  A few months ago, nostalgia hit, and I contacted her to get her recipe.  Best move I ever made.

So, with her permission, here is her recipe.

1 1/2 lb.. of chicken breast cut into chunks and lightly seasoned with Adobo, salt, and pepper (if you can’t find adobo, poultry seasoning will suffice, I highly recommend adobo though)

Dice 2 tomatoes, 1 onion, and 1 bell pepper

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 10oz. bag of frozen peas

2 cups long grain rice

2 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of white wine

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. saffron

1/2 tsp. paprika

Salt and Pepper

I like to prep everything I could possibly ever need before getting started.  I personally think it makes everything significantly simpler in the long run.  You save time, it makes cooking cleaner, and you don’t constantly trip over yourself, dogs, children, or whatever else you may have laying around in your kitchen,

In a large 4 quart pan heat 1/4 cup of olive oil until it shimmers (high heat).  Place the chicken into the pan and brown on all sides.  Do not worry about it cooking all the way through, it will fully cook later on.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken onto a plate with paper towels in order to drain some of the grease now attached to the chicken,

Using a tablespoon of whatever renderings are left in the pot, sautee the onions, peppers, and garlic, until fragrant.  About 3-5 minutes depending on your stove.  Make sure the onions don’t brown.  Add in the tomatoes, all of the spices and 2 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil.

At this point I suggest getting a glass of wine.

Once the pot is boiling add in the cooked chicken and cover and bring the flame down to medium low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Have another glass of wine.

After 30 minutes have passed, and your buzz has kicked in, add 2 cups of rice, the peas, and the wine.  Mix the ingredients and cover once more until all the liquid evaporates into the rice.

Finish the rest of the wine.

My family always made the dish for parties.  It’s hearty enough to be eaten alone, but in typical latin style it is served with more meat (either lechon, ropa vieja etc) a side salad, and of course plantains and yuca.

This brings me back to a simpler time.  Mariand, if you read this, thank you for the smile you just brought to my face.

For my grandmother.

Mexican Terrain...

So.. I dropped the ball.  As it turns out having a blog is time consuming.  Not to mention I can be a bit...lazy at times.  Oy.

Recently, I’ve been using TripAdvisor to determine what restaurants I should check out while I am in a city.  I recently went to Puerto Vallarta and decided to check out it’s number one restaurant on TripAdvisor.  Ocean Grill.

According to TripAdvisor, this restaurant opened about 5 months ago.  It is a simple lunch spot with great ambiance as well as delectable food.  Located about 15 miles south of Old Puerto Vallarta. I figured this would be an ideal place to take Bud for lunch while we were on vacation.

Our day began with a cab ride from our hotel to a town called Tomatlan.  How anyone drives stick shift is beyond me.  How anyone drives stick shift in the mountains of Mexico is unfathomable.  But alas, 30 minutes later we were dropped off in the middle of a Mexican fishing village.  Here we were greeted by stray dogs (at least they seemed stray) roosters, and Mexican men, women, and children with looks of judgement.  I don’t know if it was the fact that a cab had come into town, or the fact that here was a grown ass man standing before them in booty shorts, red converse, and a t-shirt with a giant Snoopy on it.

According to Ocean Grills website we have the option of calling a water taxi for a quick 5 minute ride or we can be adventurous and do the sensible 45 minute hike to Playa Colomitos where the restaurant is located.  Having been slightly judge by my poor choice in wardrobe for the days adventure, I insisted Bud and I do the sensible hike.

Sensible my ass.  I am a pretty active person.  Take an active person, throw them in a middle of a jungle, with two mountains to climb over (I use the word mountain loosely), and on top of all this improper footwear and 95 degrees Fahrenheit and 99% humidity.  Bud didn’t speak to me the entire hike.  I didn’t speak to me either.

30 minutes into the hike, we reached the point of no return.  Here we were in the middle of a Mexican jungle, no cell phone service, no one knows where we are, when suddenly there it is.  The cove we have been searching for. There was a moment where I felt like Brooke Shields in “Blue Lagoon” as through the shrubbery there lay a secluded beach with untouched sand and a calm ocean hum.

As we descended down the mountain we finally came upon Ocean Grill.  The restaurant doesn’t seem like much at first.  Just a small home on the side of the cliff.  As we approached the main entrance we quickly put on our shirts which we removed at some point during the hike in order to be presentable.  Two seconds later our shirts were soaked with sweat as well as our shorts, underwear, socks, backpacks, and dignity.

We sat buy a giant fan on the edge of the cliff, ordered two margaritas and whatever she suggested to start with.

The next hours feast made everything worthwhile.  We started with one of the best fish ceviches I have ever eaten.  For those of you that don’t know, fish ceviche is usually mahi mahi, tomatoes, jalapenos, and red onion soaked in lemon juice.  garnish with cilantro and an avocado wedge you are good to go.  The balance of flavor in this was exceptional, not to mention the consistency of the fish, there was still texture to it, it didn’t just dissolve in your mouth.  Add a generous amount of black pepper and I was in heaven.

Along with the ceviche, we were treated to Smoked Marlin Tostadas.  This was a treat.  To me, Marlin is similar to Tuna in taste, its a little denser, but full of so much flavor.  According to the waitress the smoke their marlin daily to keep their servings as fresh as possible.  There was a sweet and sour taste to it that still tickles my tongue as I type.

For our entrees, I ordered the grilled Octopus.  Not chewy at all.  In fact, it was the most succulent and tender octopus I have ever had.  With an olive tapenade to accompany as well as a pineapple compote it was heavy enough to fill me up, yet light enough to not add to the heat that the Giant fan was still not eradicating.  Bud ordered the catch of the day with was a Red Snapper.  Grilled and topped with lime juice and topped with smoked red chili peppers, the fish just fell apart and melted in your mouth like butter.   Served with char grilled vegetables, both meals were light, filling and in my mind low calorie.

We didn’t save room for dessert.  We did however safe room for a few more margaritas.

All in all, if you ever find yourself in Puerto Vallarta, Ocean Grill is worth the trip.  However, I recommend the water taxi (you better believe we took it on the way back).

 

 

Mile High Club...

Greetings from Denver, Colorado.  If you have never visited Denver, you are missing out.  Lots of blue skies, beautiful views of the mountains, bike shares, tons of restaurants, and an oxygen tank on every corner.  That last one is not true.  But do not forget, Denver is known as the “Mile High City”, which means the air is thin, especially if you have an active lifestyle.

Having been here three weeks, I have been to several places that stood out to me.  Given the schedule I have had recently, by the time I ate something and decided to write about it, I had already forgotten to take a picture of it or I had already forgotten what it was I just inhaled.  Oh well!

I tend to do research on restaurants using the same websites and apps on my phone.  Funny enough, I feel like I dropped the ball in Denver, but I'm here 3 more weeks, so there will be more to come.  I promise.  Most websites (Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure) and Apps (Best New Chefs, Eat & Drink) keep pointing me to Boulder.  Now I have never been to Boulder nor did I have any clue about where it is.  I soon discovered it’s  a college town.  It’s also about a 20-25 minute drive just north of Denver.  I am fortunate enough to have two girlfriends that agreed to make the journey with me.  I couldn’t drive myself.  My license has expired and of course in typical Luis form I am waiting way past the last minute to do anything about this.

The drive to Boulder is beautiful.  Here I was with blue sky, at the foot of the mountains in a yellow VW Beetle.  Quite honestly, this is probably one of the prettiest drives I’ve ever been on.  As we descended into the town of Boulder, a modern day “last stop before you head into the mountain” type of town appeared.  Cute shops, bike shares (this is huge in Colorado apparently), marijuana dispensaries, college students, and the ever popular Pearl Street promenade.  And most importantly Pizzeria Locale, the reason for this arduous trip outside of Denver.

Pizzeria Locale was the one common restaurant that seemed to be the talk of the Denver/ Boulder area.  I tend to gravitate towards this type of cuisine.  Who doesn’t love pizza?  Who doesn’t love a twist on what we consider to be conventional pizza?  Most importantly, who doesn’t love the items other than pizza at these type of restaurants?

Upon arriving we are told about the experience we are about to have.  Inspired by the cooking techniques and recipes of Napoli, Italy, Locale has beautifully blended old world with new world techniques and ingredients.

As a starter we jumped at the sight of an “amuse bouche”, mozzarella-risotto balls with a touch of saffron.  Fried, gooey, and delicious.  One wasn’t enough.  The menu is divided into  4 different sections, salads, small bites, white pizzas, and red pizzas.  Luckily for me, my friends Lauren and Adea were more than happy to allow me to commandeer what we would eat this afternoon.

We began with a “Frutti di Mare” salad.  Octopus, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, artichokes, capers and potatoes.  Quite honestly one of the best Frutti di Mare I have ever had.  A hint of lemon and Italian parsley to top this off.  Served cold, with a cold beer or a sensible glass of prosseco could be the perfect pairing on a hot summer day or a cold spring day here in Boulder.

We followed this dish with an order of Polpettine (pork meatballs with a walnut pesto).  You would think pork and pesto would be a bit too salty to pair like this, but it wasn’t.  There was a balance in each bite, and I would recommend getting an order of focaccia to soak up the remainder of the pesto.

Pizza time.  Of course with a white and red pizza options, I had to get one of each.  Ortolano is the name of our red (rosse) option.  A blend of pecorino, mozzarella, eggplant, zucchini, and peppers.  None of the were roasted which in my mind made them stand out beautifully.  What impressed me the most is how simple yet extremely delicious their marinara sauce is.  Bold tomato flavor with yet subtle enough to allow the vegetables to come forward with flavor.

What truly stood out to me was our white pizza (bianche).  A sweet corn, creme fraiche, mozzarella, and prosciutto cotto.  For those who don’t know (myself included) prosciutto cotto is boiled prosciutto.  Boiling it brings out the flavor and makes it a little more salty.  Mix this with the sweet corn, and creme fraiche and you have something extremely unique.  I’ve never had corn on pizza.  I’m sure most people haven’t considering that corn isn’t an Italian ingredient.  This is by far one of the most unique, and delicious pizzas I have ever had the pleasure to taste.

So, in conclusion, Boulder does not disappoint anyone.  Neither does Pizzeria Locale.  If in Denver, hop on your rent-a-bike, grab your oxygen, and pedal you way to Boulder.

Portland Soup Company

I must admit that I am a fan of the Pacific Northwest.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I am in Portland, Oregon.  I’ve been having a bit of writers block here.  You would think with the vast amounts of food, both restaurant and truck, I would be inspired and inundated with edible options to discuss.  One minor detail.  It rains...all...the...time.

After canoeing myself around for a week, I was able to figure out where North and South were, and which streets ran East to West.  As silly as it seems, as much as I love Google Maps on my phone, I seem to get more lost using these devices.  Eventually, my caveman instincts (stomach and nose) tend to lead the way.Prior to arriving here I had started doing research on food trucks.  Food trucks here are like coffee shops and drifters.  There is a gaggle of them every two blocks in Portland.  This, to me, became an issue.  All of the trucks look the same.  All of them seem to serve up Mexican, Gyros, or Asian cuisine of some sort.  Nothing stands out and nothing seems to be special about what is being served up.

It took about two weeks, but in the SW region of downtown Portland, alas... The Portland Soup Company.  Portland Soup Company is a food truck and like most of the food trucks here, they are all congregated in a parking lot.  Much like drifters.  Portland Soup Company (PSC)  serves soups, salads, and sandwiches.  The food is delicious, creative, and extremely affordable.

I stopped by for a quick bite before work one afternoon. The menu is ever changing, both seasonally and for creative purposes.  This particular day, I arrived towards the end of the lunch rush, which meant that some items were no longer an option.  Disappointed and all, I still had my option.  I settled on ordering a cup of soup and half a sandwich.Todays’s soup was a Hungarian Mushroom soup with dill and cream.  Absolutely delicious, and perfect for the dreary cold day in late March.  The soup was not to creamy, which in my mind means its a “lite” option to a cream of mushroom soup.Now the best part -the sandwich.  Roasted Pork Butt with a red cabbage and apple slaw.  I need to find a way to make this at home.  It was like eating the world's best pulled pork sandwich, minus the heart burn and the calories.  The Pork Butt was seasoned to perfection and was literally pulling apart bite after bite.  It was insanely tender and savory.  The cabbage apple slaw served almost like a BBQ sauce, adding a nice level of sweetness, without the guilt, and a fun crunch that made me forget the sandwich did not come with chips.  All of this goodness on a sensible crunchy cibatta roll. All of this for about $7, what a bargain!!!

Farms, Roosters, and Jazz...

Well, here is my attempt to sum up my 4 weeks here in Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale.  After accepting the fact that I had gained a little bit of weight, you can imagine the shit show that ensued.  However, a few more miles on the treadmill never hurt anyone.  Along with this I decided to limit my search for food to doing Internet searches and word of mouthinstead of eating my way through town.  After all, isn’t that the whole purpose of the Internet?  Doing research on food?

In the past three weeks you can say I have become a “Real Housewife” of this region of the country.  My mornings consist of waking up, going to the gym or yoga (I went to yoga twice, a yogi I am not), and then eating at home the majority of my meals.  Not only does this save money. but it helps in maintaining that 20 something figure.

Don’t get me wrong, I still had a meal out, just not as often so here goes....Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale though the stomach of Luis Augusto Figueroa.  

My friend Lizzie recommended a restaurant to me after reading my last blog, The Farm at South Mountain.  I went to the website and tried to figure out exactly what it is.  After two minutes of staring at the screen, I was overwhelmed and came to the conclusion that I should just go and hope for the best.  The Farm is located in Tempe.  Doesn’t seem like much from the road, but once you park you enter a place that is so unique that I have not been able to get it out of my head.  The Farm is a community of privately owned restaurants and little shops.  From an art studio, to a spa, to a wellness center, it’s easy to forget why I came here.  I am a sucker for art supplies, not to mention a homeopathic remedy to help with my recent fluctuation in weight. There are three restaurants here.  Unfortunately, I haven’t made it to the breakfast place nor the dinner restaurant.  Breakfast ends at 11 and dinner begins at 5.  The Farm Kitchen however, is open in between.  If you crave great sandwiches, or soup, fresh teas, or anything else that constitutes lunch on the farm this place has it.  I have been here twice. The first time, I got a pulled pork sandwich to go.  The pork, cole slaw, and bread were all package separately in order to ensure freshness and a non-soggy sandwich.  The pork was sweet, and cooked with love (cheesy, I know, but its how it felt with every bite).  As for the slaw, it had the right amount of tang to create a perfect bite every time.  I ended up eating this over the course of several hours, a fork full of pork followed by a fork full of slaw and eventually a bite of bread.   One of the great things about this place is the size of the portions.  They are huge, and can make up two meals if you so please.  My second visit here I ordered to halves.  The first was a Chicken Salad sandwich with pecans (come to find out they have tons of pecan trees on site, more than likely I sat beneath one as I inhaled my food).  The second half was the Farm Garden Sandwich.  Sprouts, cucumbers, avocado, tomato, all on 9 grain bread.  I recently have gotten into veggie sandwiches, they are refreshing, especially in Arizona winter heat, not to mention they are guilt free in my mind, AND the textures are fun.  According to this months Food and Wine Magazine, textures are part of the reason we are addicted to junk food.  Yet we always forget the vegetables and head for the chips.  Just some food for thought.   

If The Farm is a little to hippie for your taste, you’re in luck.  On one of my days off, I decided to visit a restaurant called Gallo Blanco inside the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix.  I came about this place thanks to my waiter at Le Grande Orange (see previous blog entry).  If you’ve ever stayed at the Ace Hotel in either New York or Palm Springs (and apparently Portland and Seattle), this is Phoenix’s equivalent.  From the outside, the building looks a like a nothing hotel.  Once you walk through the doors, it’s almost like stepping back in time to a more retro era.  This funky hotel is home to Gallo Blanco, which (surprise) is a Mexican restaurant.  Don’t be fooled by the queso and enchiladas, this place has burgers, salads, and most importantly, breakfast all day. I came here for brunch with a couple of friends.  I ordered the “chilaquiles”.  Chilaquiles are traditional Mexican breakfast consisting of eggs, at times chicken, and some sort of chile sauce.  Gallo Blanco’s take on this dish is pretty impressive.  Instead of it being presented as a scramble, I got a layer cake of chilaquiles.  Pulled chicken between two crispy corn tortillas and topped with to sunny side eggs and plenty of cilantro.  I was in breakfast heaven.  I tried to eat it as fast as I could in order to prevent the tortillas from getting soggy.  The chicken was smoky and juicy (half way through I found out it was dark meat, usually I would cringe, but what I choose to not know isn’t going to hurt me).  Add in the chile sauce and cilantro, it left an oh so good bitter/sour/spicy taste in my mouth that left my taste buds asking for more.  Half way through, I threw in the towel.  Turns out restaurant portions are obscenely huge compared to what I am cooking at home now. To wash this all down, a pitcher of Prickly Pear Margaritas.  This is native to this region and quite delicious.  Worth every calorie and an hour on the treadmill. 

The last place that stood out to me, Kazimierz World Wine Bar.  This place is located in Scottsdale, and was also on the list from my friendly waiter friend.  I gave myself permission to indulge in a flight of red wine (a Bordeaux blend stood out to me, but not enough to remember it’s name, ish!) and chocolate fondue.  I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, but giving the surrounding environment and the fact that I haven’t drank in a while, I needed something in my stomach.  What better than melted chocolate and fruit to accompany the wine.   I work with musicians.  One of the perks of traveling with musicians is that every once in a while they will decide to play a set at a local bar.  Kazimierz is also a jazz bar, and my friends happened to have a gig there on this particular night.  What are the chances?

Add live music to flights of wine, fondue and incredible musicians, and you are thrown into an era we tend to forget about.  This place is perfect for a date, a group of friends, or even on your own to enjoy the sounds, the ambience, and treat yourself to a night cap.  

 

Why I am 192 lbs...

So I am in Tempe: Tempe/Phoenix/Scottsdale.  It’s all the same.  Welcome to the Southwest region of the US.  This is my third time to these cities.  The first trip was in 2003.    I am beyond happy to be back.  Especially with respect to the hunt for exceptional food.

I started doing research for somewhere noteworthy and came across two places.  This is the first -Le Grande Orange Pizzeria in Phoenix.  Le Grande Orange started approximately 10 years ago as a coffee shop, which eventually started selling gourmet pizzas. It later grew into a pizzeria, then expanded to a grocery store which has now morphed into a ‘strip mall of dreams’ for this traveler.

I debated for a few days whether to write about this place or not.  I have already mentioned two places with similar cuisine, which then made me realize that gourmet pizza’s are everywhere.  Not just LA and NY, but throughout the country.  What I predict will be fun  is seeing different cities approach to this trend, especially since different regions have different local ingredients, and most of these places do buy locally.  (that was a generalization, whether this is true or not I don’t know, but we'll go with it for the time being).

I went to Le Grande Orange Pizzeria not knowing what to expect.  Imagine my childlike wonder when I pulled into the parking lot and saw everything I previously mentioned.  As I sat in the dinning room, I was pleased at how laid back the atmosphere is.  Our waiter, whos name I wish I could remember, was more than happy to give me information about the place, his favorite dishes and also other restaurants, bars, and live music clubs in the area.  

The menu consisted of sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, and breakfast till 5 in the afternoon.  A late breakfast is always a plus.  I came for the pizzas, so lets focus on that.  

I came here for a pre Valentine’s day dinner with Bud.  Upon sitting we immediately ordered their Avocado Pizza with Prosciutto.  I’ve never had avocado on a pizza.  Here is why it works... Avocados have a light flavor.  I feel we can all agree on that.  It’s a mild taste, with the salt the cheese and prosciutto provide, all ingredients compliment each other extremely well.  To top this all off, lemon zest.  I love lemon anything, so imagine my excitement to have this added to this already light and refreshing dish.  Pizza, refreshing?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  At least this one.

They have a limited bar here, but why order hard alcohol when you have a wall of wine, and a freezer full of beer at the adjacent grocery.  The prices for the wines are reasonable as is the bottled beer.  Also with this economy, just buy the bottle, if you don’t finish it they will gladly re cork it for you.  Don’t like their selection?  Bring your own, because guess what?  There’s no corkage fee.

I had to come back here one more time and try one more thing to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.  In the day time this place is just as busy as it was in the evening.  This time around, instead of ordering from a waiter, its a walk up counter.  Le Grande Orange began as a coffee shop, so I order an iced coffee (they have almond milk so this already made me happy), I got their version of a cobb salad to go for later that day, and I ordered their Rocket Man Pizza. Roasted vegetables, broccolini and spicy red fresno chiles.  I ordered this pizza in a rush, there was a line, I hadn’t really paid attention to the menu, and honestly, I am not a fan of roasted peppers on anything (roasted vegetables on their own, period) unless I grill them myself.  Most restaurants tend to drown their vegetables in olive oil prior to roasting, which leaves them soggy and end up over powering any other flavor they are being served with and a slug like consistency.  I don’t know how they cooked them here, but they were a fantastic addition to my pizza.  Perhaps, peppers are a plenty in the southwest so it wouldn’t surprise me that their freshness is why they added a sensible flavor to this pizza instead of what I feel they usually do.  The broccolini added texture and the chiles added a nice kick. THANK GOD for the pizza crust to ease the fire in my mouth.  

I ate the whole pizza.  I have a problem.  I’m off to the gym.

Deep in the Heart (more like hip bone) of Texas.

Here's a confession...I had no expectations of El Paso, Texas.  I truly had no idea where in Texas it was located.  You can imagine my surprise when I became aware of the fact that it's a border town.  Not a border town like San Diego, but a border town in which stray bullets from the infamous Ciudad de Juarez are not as uncommon as you would think.  Alas, work has brought me here for 12 nights.  

Now, a few days into El Paso, I have come to appreciate this city for what it is: a modern day border town where both American and Mexican cultures have found balance and coexistence.  

My experience with the residents of this city has been excellent.  Everywhere I have gone I have felt welcome, and people are more than happy to share their thoughts on the city, and again more than happy to share their favorite local spots in town.  So here it goes.

I went to a restaurant called Crave Kitchen and Bar my first couple days in town.  Not expecting much, imagine my surprise when I entered an uber trendy restaurant with an extensive beer and wine selection and a fun menu that experiments with what we as Americans consider traditional Mexican cuisine infused with items you would find at any local gastropub, AND TONS of Mexican/ American hipsters wearing Tom's and indulging in artesian beers, from Magic Hat #9, to a sensible glass of Cakebread.  I however did not order wine or beer this particular visit.  But from the looks of it, there is plenty to choose from, whether you want bottle or draft.  Red or white.

I was so impressed with this place I brought about 10 friends a few days later for brunch.  I haven't eaten like this in years.  After all, we are in texas, everything is much bigger, including the portions at Crave.  With every breakfast entree comes a side.  I ordered the "Biscuit and Green Chile Gravy" and a side of tomatoes.  The plate was about the size of my torso.  Two perfectly cooked eggs sunny side up sat on top of a mountain of biscuits, mouth watering sausage and green chile gravy which had enough heat but not enough to over power all of the other flavors.  I tend to not always order biscuit and gravy because they tend to just end up in a big pile of mush.  These however did not.  The biscuits were so soft and flaky on the inside but crunchy enough on the outside to keep the gravy out.  I ate about half before I had to take a break.

One of the perks of bringing friends to a place like this is trying what they ate as well.  From a Monte Cristo, to just plain old eggs with sausage, bacon (which was peppered to perfection and oh so crispy), and hash.   And of course I cannot forget the blueberry pancakes with a lemon curd.  YUM!

All of us were stuffed.  We were also very appreciative of the server and the friendly staff that was more than accommodating and willing to give their own personal input on menu choices.

After shoveling this delectable food down our throats we continued on with our day.  If you ever find El Paso, take the 90 minute drive into New Mexico to the White Sands National Monument.  Words cannot describe how incredible this place is.  

Picture driving through what seems like the background to the movie "The Hills Have Eyes", which eventually turns into an oasis.  Once you turn into the National Park, the brown of your traditional desert disappears and you are surrounded by miles and miles of white sand dunes.  I don't think words do justice to what this place actually looks like.  It looks like a winter wonderland in the middle of New Mexico.  What is fascinating to me is that this beauty exists in only one other part of the world, Africa.  

Take time to stop by the gift shop, pick up a sled and find a place to plop down, sled down a dune, and just take in the beauty that is around you.  Also, take as many photos as you possibly can, this is a place you want to remember.  If you happen to go during summer or on a full moon, prepare to experience something you would think would only happen on a movie set.  This is truly a miracle of nature.