Maria Chuchena

I have discovered yet another classy restaurant in El Paso (I feel as though I'm turning into a food, or, at least, a restaurant, critic). This time, my friends and I visited Maria Chuchena, a restaurant which serves gourmet Mexican food, at its new location on Mesa Street in El Paso. Our hostess was very kind, although I was glad to have my Spanish-speaking amiga with me (the hostess and waitstaff do ask if you prefer English or Spanish, so the place is welcoming to non-Spanish-speaking customers).

The appetizers were excellent - small dinner rolls filled with cream cheese, tostadas, and salsa. The salsa is prepared at the table by the waiter or waitress, and it's custom-tailored. Onions? Cilantro? You can have as much or as little as you desire (we went with the medium blend, light on the onions).

The main dishes were excellent as well. I ordered "Carlitos," which consists of beef tacos and a side of guacamole. The food was delicious; the beef was tender and had an excellent flavor due to the peppers and onions (and other spices, I'm sure). After the meal, our waiter asked if we would like to order dessert, but, of course, we didn't save room. I guess I'll have to return to Maria Chuchena to try their pastries...

Quieres Bailar?

Shundo Dance Studio is one of my favorite places in El Paso. From the classes offered during the week to the socials on Fridays and Saturdays, Shundo is an excellent place to meet new people (I met one of my best friends during a beginner's salsa class) in a friendly and safe environment.

I first started going to Shundo last summer because I was interested in swing dance. After two weeks, though, curiousity got the better of me, and I started going to the beginner's salsa class. I felt completely inept, but I was having fun. Although I spent much of the classtime laughing at myself, in a couple of months, the dance instructor told me to try the intermediate class.

I tried the class, and, while the class was extremely challenging, it was a lot of fun. I stayed in the class for several months and finally felt that it was time to try out my dance moves (such as they were) at one of the socials. The guys at the social were perfect gentlemen (my friend and I call it the "Shundo Air Effect"), and even the best dancers were willing to dance with novices. The nice thing about the social is that a class is held prior to the social, so, even if you don't know very much about salsa or other Latin dances, you can still learn a few steps that will allow you to dance the night away.

Quieres bailar? Si, quiero bailar!

Vamos a Comer!

A few weeks ago, my friend and I found a new eatery, called Ripe,  in El Paso. The restaurant is kind of eclectic, with artwork and small lights bordering the dining area. Music: oldies, but goodies (I remember hearing several songs by the Beatles). Food: excellent. I had a Florentine omelette, which consisted of eggs (of course), spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and feta cheese. The omelette came with taters (delicious!) and black beans (Beans aren't my favorite vegetables, but these had an excellent flavor.). Our food also came with homemade biscuits with a hint of cinnamon (They were so good that they almost melted in your mouth.). To end the meal, we were given small cookies (I wish I could remember what they were called...). They were the perfect complement to the meal - they cleansed the palate, without making us feel that we'd eaten an entire dessert. The waitservice was excellent, from the host to the waitress. Our glasses were always full, and our stomachs, well, let's just say that our stomachs were completely satisfied. Bon appetit!

Hello, February!

I can't believe that it's the first day of February. It seems as though it should still be December. I ask you, "Where did January go?" The truth is, the month went by in a blur of work, interviews, Bible study, and hanging out with mis amigos. I'm sure I wasted a good amount of my time as well, which is an area in my life that I'm addressing. This month, I want to be more aware of how I'm spending my time. I'm not saying that we can't have a lazy day once and again; I do know that we all need days where we chill. After all, we wouldn't be able to function without a day of rest (which is why God created the Sabbath). Yesterday is the perfect example of "rest": I went to church, which was followed by lunch (more about the restaurant later - delicious!) and a visit to the art museum with one of my girlfriends, and more fellowship (several hours, actually) with her and another friend. If I could make a comparison, it was a sort of spa treatment for the soul. Lol.

Ephesians 5: 15-7 (NAS) tells us, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." I want to challenge myself and you to evaluate how we're spending our time. Are we wasting our time with idle thoughts? Are we constantly busy? Neither way of spending time is correct; we need to have balance - enough work and enough rest - so that we can walk wisely, making the most of our time.