A trip out to Cattleman’s

Some friends were in town this weekend which meant there was a necessary trip out to Cattleman’s Steak House.  This place never gets old…from the horse hanging out in the parking lot, the bear looking dog observing hungry patrons, sunsets on the patio, and of course, great food.

My wife got one of those ice cream drinks…pretty good actually.the ice cream drink comes in a distant second to my favorite side…the mushrooms.  That sauce they are in is fantastic.  I never knew mushrooms could be so flavorful.

When more 0f my out town friends/family come to ELP, a trip to Cattleman’s will be in store…not just for the food, but also  for the experience.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Singing and Stars in El Paso.

This past weekend  was pretty busy for me work wise, but on Sunday afternoon it was as if I had been transported to another place.  I attended the Bruce Nehring Consort and was hooked from the first note played/sung.  While listening, it was as if I was in a church in Moscow with snow falling outside or perhaps attending a royal ceremony in London….but I was in El Paso, TX at the Loretto Chapel and I couldn’t be happier.

The Church was full and the acoustics were superb.  I got chills numerous times and was so glad that my friend Bob, who sings with the group, let me know about the performance.  Next time someone says El Paso lacks a sophisticated music scene, send them to a Bruce Nehring Consort…I  hear their Christmas show is great.

Last night was also the first time I have gotten to break out the telescope in a while.  At first, I was having trouble seeing anything because of light issues…so I lowered my tripod and that seemed to do the trick.  Even though the atmospheric conditions weren’t great, it still is thrilling to be able to peer into the El Paso night sky. 

I hope everyone has a happy Monday and let’s look forward to a productive week!

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

International weekend in El Paso

A friend of mine who works downtown suggested that a few of us meet up for dinner Friday night at a newer restaurant called The Pot Au Feu.  The food was really good and the atmosphere was nice.  As with other newer developments going on in downtown, this place embodies the new confidence business owners are having in a revitalized El Paso downtown.

Here is what we ordered:

• Appetizers:
  Fried Calamari and roasted tomato aioli
  Hummus and naan flat bread
• Main dishes:
  Pot-Au-Feu
  Sea Bass
  Roasted Chicken Airliner
  Salad Nicoise

Overall, I would give the restaurant an A.  The atmosphere was perfect (in my opinion) and the food was delicious.  Next time you have guests come in town, don’t forget about the Pot Au Feu.

Location: 307 E. Franklin & Stanton…next to Big Bun
                         (915)503-8158
                         www.the-pot-au-feu.com

After our dinner, we walked over to the Plaza Theatre to go catch the last hour or so of the French Connection at the Plaza Film Festival.  After that, we headed over to the Oasis Bar and got a few drinks.  While sitting there, we ran into Eric Pearson from the El Paso Community Foundation.  Eric is a great guy who works really hard for EPCF and loves El Paso.  His efforts, along with others from the EPCF and the community have helped make the festival a huge success.

With Alfresco Fridays going on too, there were already a lot of people downtown and after the bands finished  playing around 9,  more people began to make there way in for the Rocky Horror Pictures Show that was played on an inflatable movie screen.    It was wonderful to see this little nook of downtown so active and it shows the true potential of downtown.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Chuckles and Mexican Food

So I didn’t get to get out much this weekend. Between open house and some continuing education classes, I was pretty much stuck inside.  However, I can tell you what I was going to do.  I had carefully planned on heading to the comic strip one night to go catch Tom Rhodes and Sunday was going to be Mexican World Cook-off.  A night of chuckles and an afternoon of Mexican food…doesn’t get much better than that. 

If anyone got a chance to attend any of these events, please tell me about them in the comment section so I can live vicariously through you.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Taco Tote, Harry Potter, & Meat Loaf

I love that combination, especially on a weekend.  Yes, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I plan on visiting the theme park when it opens in Florida.  Not sure if I enjoy HP because I see it as an escape from reality or for its imaginative brilliance. 

As far as the Tote goes, you can’t beat it when you are craving cucumbers and fajitas.  One of my friends, JC, introduced me to the Pork Abodado (think that is how you spell it)  and I have loved it ever since.  A Tote pack for two it was and I enjoyed every bite..mind you I didn’t eat the whole meal, I shared it with the fiance. 

To finish off a nice weekend, I went to the grocery store last night.  My sister had mentioned that Albertsons has an already prepared meat loaf that is pretty good.  As I was going towards the deli, I came across a meat loaf with my name on it.  I bought it and I loved it.  For six bucks, this piece of meat was great.  It serves six and has a nice flavor and while it might not be what mom used to make, it gets the job done; thanks Ash.

After a great and productive weekend, I am ready for a new week.  I hope everyone has a great Monday.  It’s been a while since I uploaded pictures of the new federal courthouse but I was told last time that if I took more pictures, I would have my camera confiscated.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

If you want, listen to this song by Owl City…one of those songs that makes my head go back and forth slowly and my left foot tap up and down.

 

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July this past weekend.  I enjoyed some hot dogs and hamburgers on a very nice Saturday afternoon/evening.  One aspect that I love about the desert…you can see for miles which translates to free fireworks shows from the backyard. 

I apologize for the sporadic posting the past few weeks…I’ve gotten really busy again and am trying to organize my way out of it.  Anybody go to  Street Fest downtown…how was it?

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Listen to KHRO 1150 @ 4:30 Today

If anyone is interested, I will be a guest on Paul Strelzin’s radio show @ 4:30 today on 1150 am and will be speaking about my first year in El Paso.  This weekend included a lot of firsts for me and I will be talking about them this week.  From Alfresco Fridays, to the Taco Festival, and finally Rosas Cantina. 

Click here to listen to the show online.  http://main.talkradio1150.com/?page_id=138

Happy Monday!

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

I have internet…and the weekend was great

I want to apologize for the delay in not posting the last few days.  Everything on my end is now fixed and I have access to the Internet again.  My weekend went well and I hope yours did also. 

How about Artemio De La Vega proposing his plan for the Farah site?  I like what he has to offer, but why didn’t he propose that the first time instead of complaining about how he was going to lose all of his tenants.  Even if his brother in law ( Paul Foster) decides against his idea, I would still like to see the guy implement the concept somewhere else in El Paso. 

Tell me your thoughts and what you would like to see done at the Farah site.

So I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday off of Sunland Park.  Maybe I choose the wrong time go when I travel there, but that place is packed.  It is always hard for me to find a parking space.  When I walk inside, there are people sitting on the floor (including me) reading their  books.  I have no problem with this, I love that people enjoy reading, but it is time for Barnes and Noble to invest a little money and either expand that store or move into what will be the empty Circuit City building.  We deserve the large B&N, like the one on the East Side of town.   Want to contact them?  Click here

Happy Monday and have a wonderful week.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Hiking Trans-Mountain

No better way to spend a beautiful saturday morning than going for a 2 hour hike on Trans-Mountain.  We loaded up the backpack with water and headed out Resler to Trans-Mountain road(loop 375)   As you head North on the road you will want to pull off at the second rest stop.  From there, pay $4 per person and you can begin to make your way up.  Bring a hiking stick if you have one, it is nice to have when coming down.  Here is my four step process to hiking up a mountain in pictures.

1) Begin walking up and out of the canyon

enjoy the view & watch out for rattlers

 

 2) Keep an eye out for wildlife

one of our lizard friends

3) Pose for a picture

no sunscreen = big trouble

4) Drink water, take a break, enjoy the view

enjoy the view from the top

The hike was great.  A few things to remember: Wear sunscreen, bring plenty of water, cell phones, walking sticks, and be sure to check the weather.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.