Casa Bonita doesn’t disappoint

Firstly, I want to thank my friend and fellow PHS alum Kitty Elkins for the shout-out on her blog this week. Sorry I missed you in Denver! Kitty is known for her quick, sardonic wit, colorful expression and unabashed sense of self. I think our appreciation of each other’s viewpoints, even in disagreement, is mutual. (And I know she is an independent thinker because while she is liberal she is not someone who merely jumps on the lefty bandwagon for any given issue or personality). I think if I ever did a morning radio show I would want Kitty to be my co-host….it would be instant entertainment.

Check out The Jingle Train… “WHERE GAB BECOMES FAB! The musings of a Liberal Jewish Vegetarian Sheepherding Newlywed Nurse living in the Rocky Mountains. Care to Chug Along?” Regarding Casa Bonita, Kitty told me that “It’s like Disneyworld and Tijuana got it on and left their baby on Colfax (Street).” I’d say that was a pretty good description. So here you go, Kitty, my review of the the world’s (possibly) most famous Mexican restaurant.

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Last week I previewed my excursion to the world famous Casa Bonita restaurant in Denver, Colorado (technically, it’s in Lakewood).  My brother and I are avid South Park fans and decided we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit the Mexican establishment made famous in season seven of the show. We got exactly what we expected: cheap Mexican food, ample entertainment, and one and a half stomach aches. (Thankfully, I only had the half).

Actually – the food itself wasn’t all that cheap. But when you consider that the average entree price essentially includes your admission into an entertainment venue, it’s very reasonable. I didn’t spot the paper menus we were supposed to grab and look at during our wait in line, so when a server approached me to give me a food ticket, I asked for a recommendation and she suggested the “Gorditas.” My brother went with the taco salad, which is reputed to be among the safer menu options at Casa Bonita. I decided to live dangerously, however.

The restaurant was busy this Saturday night. It has been made famous by South Park, and we were curious as to how much of the clientele on this particular evening would seem to be people who might have been motivated to patronize the establishment by the show. While of course it would be impossible to truly tell without surveying the guests, my brother and I both agreed that the vast majority probably did not come there in the same spirit he and I had. That is, as two guys who had simply seen the show and wanted to come enjoy the ridiculous, fantastic, wonders of a themed-Mexican restaurant on the outskirts of the mile high city.

In fact, there were many families there, many featuring two over-sized parents with a couple of future over-sized kids in tow. Middle class, primarily. In short, it was basically the Wal-Mart crowd. Except instead of a shopping cart stuffed with two-liters, snuggies and a b.b. gun, customers here carried trays of processed liquid cheese, shredded lettuce and meats of unknown grade.

On the whole, the food wasn’t bad. Then again, I was preparing myself for something awful, which helps in these types of situations. We had fun watching the cliff diver, who jumped into a pool after performing in some sort of cowboy skit which I could never quite hear well enough to follow the story line. The mariachi band was actually pretty good, I thought. There was a magic show happening on the lower level (CB is quite a large place…I think a sign said the occupancy was around 900). And of course there was an arcade, a gift shop, themed photo booths, and so on.

We went through Black Bart’s Cave, and some little girl scared the living daylights out of me about two yards in. So I inched my way through the rest of the tunnel in fear, my brother letting me brave the unknown in taking the lead. Oh, yes, I almost forgot another highglight: the sopapillas were incredible! We limited ourselves to only two servings, but I could’ve eaten a lot more. These soft, fried pastries are excellent with just a bit of honey that is kept at the table.

All in all, Casa Bonita did not disappoint. I won’t go there every time I’m in Denver, but perhaps periodically, and definitely if a newbie needs a friend to join in for the fun of a first-time visit!

Post Script: Caleb, I’m still waiting on the pictures!!! Please do send.

Seven Stories Obama Doesn’t Want Told

Brilliance by John F. Harris in Politico, via RCP. The author is a longtime professional journalist and media expert, and founder of The Politico.

How do you fight a bureaucracy?

There are a few topics I’d like to catch up on – my trip to Casa Bonita, responding to a shout-out from my friend Kitty Elkins, reviewing a few excellent pieces of commentary that were linked to on Real Clear Politics yesterday and today, and offering my thoughts on the White House’s attack on my favorite political columnist, the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Harvard MD-earning, Charles Krauthammer.

However, all that takes a back seat for a moment. Because today, the behemoth bureaucracy of a certain institution of higher education has declared war on me. Long story short, they’re saying I owe something that I do not believe I owe. [UPDATE: Note: My frustrations with the bureaucracy do not stem solely from this incident, nor am I intending to refer specifically to any individual directly involved with this incident. While this episode has frustrated me, I am largely speaking in general terms here].

My question is, how do you fight against a bureaucracy? How do you overcome the inertia of an institutional system? How do you out-maneuver a mind-numbingly absurd net of incompetent or impotent administrators, impersonal or even adversarial employees, circular system loops and perpetual paperwork? Is it possible? Or, should I just remember the old adage that “you can’t fight city hall” and fork over the bucks?

If you have your own story of fighting a bureaucracy – particularly any higher education institution – I would like to hear your story. If it’s compelling and you want to spotlight the issue, I’ll consider publishing it. At the very least, you’ll have someone to feel your pain.

Casa Bonita: world’s worst Mexican food?

Today I am in Denver, Colorado. And so, like any self-respecting South Park fan, I am planning a pilgrimage to the famed Casa Bonita. The Mexican restaurant was popularized in season seven of the irreverent animated cartoon, as the fantasy destination of the childish, scheming Eric Cartman. Like others, he was lured by cliff divers, a mariachi band and other dramatic distractions.

The food is absolutely awful, apparently. This is the uniform opinion of every source I have consulted, in person and online. The “cheese” is especially bad – and there’s lots of it. So, my brother and I are needless to say not going for the food – although I’m intrigued by anything that people say is that bad – but the experience. Will have to post about it tonight or tomorrow:)

If you’ve not seen the Casa Bonita episode on South Park, you can watch it here. If for any reason that doesn’t work, just go to Episode 7-11 at www.southparkstudios.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing political today – just Happy Thanksgiving wishes!

I’m in Denver, Colorado for the holiday, staying with family. This morning, ten of us gathered in the living room to talk, drink coffee and admire the new baby in the family. It was a good time. 

This afternoon we’ll have a Thanksgiving meal, and apparently a nearby outlet mall is opening up early for Black Friday, at 10pm. I’m not much of a shopper but I did find a couple good deals there the last time I went, so perhaps I’ll join the group for another outing this year. 

This Thanksgiving, find happiness in finding things to be thankful for.

Obama slide continues

Rasmussen Reports published its latest poll results today, with President Barack Obama’s numbers continuing to slide. Only 45% of the American people approve of the job the president is doing, his lowest rating since taking office nearly one year ago.

The presidential approval index, which Rasmussen measures as the difference between those who strongly approve and strongly disapprove of the president’s job performance, now stands at -15%, also the worst figure in that category for the Mr. Obama.

Why?

President Obama bows to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Why does President Obama continue to bow to foreign leaders? To those of  Saudi Arabia, then Japan, and now China.

Did the White House not recognize the negative response that the gesture received from the American people on the first two occasions?

And if so, why does the president continue to bow?

More importantly, why is he doing so in the first place, regardless of whether it is popularly received or not?

It is not the place of an American president to bow to the leader of another country.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

The Great Awakening

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) expressed his vision for the country and the conservative movement at a dinner hosted in Washington, D.C. last night by The American Spectator. A former head of the Republican Study Conference and now Chairman of the House Republican Conference, Pence has been slowly but steadily gaining notoriety in recent years as a leading voice for the party.

I’ve felt for some time that Mike Pence is a potential contender for the Republicans. He’s got a lot of the right assets as a candidate. While I don’t know what his sense of timing might eventually be, he’s got time and I do believe that he will at some point be taking a serious look at making a run.

The politicization of pedagogy

This is a prime example of one thing that is wrong with the nation’s education system – schools of education that are highly politicized along radical ideological lines. Katherine Kersten details the story in her commentary for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Do not think this is an isolated incident, however. Colleges of Education at universities across the country are severe in their liberal, ideological approach to the teaching profession. An emphasis on pedagogy is partly what enables this focus on politics, although political bias also comes in the form of skewed presentations of subject matter itself.

The best way to maximize each child’s opportunity in life is to extensively educate him or her in the most important areas of skills and knowledge. There may be things to learn beyond “reading, writing and arithmetic,” but surely not at the cost of these fundamentals, nor in a way that undermines the core values that have enabled freedom and prosperity for this nation.

Jesse Jackson race baits CBC member

“Rev.” Jess Jackson (in quotes because he is not ordained, does not pastor a church, and as far as I am aware does not preach the gospel of Christ), is not shy to play the race card. That’s not particularly surprising.

What is raising eyebrows, however, is his racially charged attack on a Congressional Black Caucus member, Rep. Artur Davis (D-Alabama) for the latter’s opposition to health care nationalization plans. According to several published reports, Jackson said at a recent CBC function:

“We even have blacks voting against the health-care bill. You can’t vote against health care and call yourself a black man.”

While Jackson pointed out later that he had not mentioned any names, it was obvious to everybody that he was targeting Davis, the only CBC member to vote against the bill in the House.

Here’s the Wall Street Journal in an editorial on the matter.

Who’s the backwards-thinking individual in this situation? It is not Davis, but Jackson, who believes – or wants to intimidate others into believing – that every black member must, by definition, think and act the exact same way. Congressional Black Caucus leadership should speak out against Jackson. I doubt they’ll have the guts to do so.

NOTE: This has been corrected from an earlier version, which incorrectly identified Jackson as Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. I regret the error and thank the commenter for bringing it to my attention. (11/23/09)

UPDATE: Jackson has walked back his remarks…kind of. He offers a word of support for Davis, but does not explicity rescind his earlier-stated notion that there is a “correct,” “black” viewpoint on the healthcare policy issue.