Joel Frey

Giraffes, Mickey, Fabulous 40

I hate it when I absent-mindedly check my blog and realize that it's been months since I've posted. In my last missive, I incorrectly predicted a Saints victory over the 49ers in the divisional round of the play-offs. Since then, the Saints have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Smart people like Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, and Gregg Williams should know that bounties have no place in sports. As a Saints fan, Payton's one year suspension is a punch in the gut, but from what I've read, he and his aforementioned colleagues were asking for it - big time. They are lucky, actually. How many of us could lie to the CEO and not be immediately shown the door?

Another reason I'm disappointed with my output is that I've had plenty of topics not related to the Saints to tee up: our pending move to DFW, multiple sets of twins joining our extended family and Meg's ongoing adventures at Texas A&M.

I'll touch on each of those sometime soon, but I'll start with the most momentous occasion of 2012 thus far: toasting Heather's Big 4-0. The celebration came in phases beginning in Orlando in mid-February. We spent an extended weekend at Disney World and, really, where better to begin your forties than the Happiest Place on Earth?

The highlight of the trip was the Wanyama Safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We joined a few other guests and one of the resort's zookeepers and drove through the four savannas where more than 30 species native to Africa spend their days and nights. If an up-close view of a giraffe, zebra, impala, antelope and/or okapi is on your bucket list and you don't want to take an ultra long flight across the globe for the experience, than this tour will be right up your alley. Afterward, we headed to Jiko for a scrumptious four course dinner featuring "traditional African dips, breads and appetizers," along with "oak roasted filet of beef with mac & cheese and chermoula roasted chicken." Heather and I both agree that it was one of the best meals we've ever eaten.

Other Disney stops included Soarin' at Epcot, the all-new Star Tours at Hollywood Studios and, of course, It's a Small World at Magic Kingdom all of which we gave a thumbs up. If you're contemplating a Disney vacation, mid-February is a good time to consider. You'll enjoy shoulder season prices, manageable crowds, decent weather and we didn't waste too much time waiting in line though Fast Pass came in handy for Star Tours, but at no extra cost.

The other discovery of this Disney trip was PhotoPass. We received a card from the photographer at the safari and whenever we encountered one of her cohorts the rest of the trip, we simply handed him/her the card, it was scanned, the shots were taken and, upon return, we had a bunch of high-quality shots to scan through. It's  quick, easy and convenient and a must-do! Below is one of those shots from the safari. Happy Spring everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

Hotdish, Potluck, Smorgasbord

We're having potluck for today's 300 words. I hope it fills you up!

• Heather and I are slightly dumbfounded that Megan, whose great-grandparents have called the state of Wisconsin home for almost 90 years, rooted for the Steelers. It was almost as perplexing as when she painted a horseshoe on her cheek last year while we sported the fleur-de-lis during Super Bowl 44.
• Last year, we started a new Super Bowl tradition: jambalaya during halftime. Heather made a scrumptious batch on Sunday and I appreciated having a taste of the Crescent City during the game even if the Saints didn't make it back to the promised land.
• As a lifelong Star Wars fan, the VW commercial featuring a mini-Darth Vader futilely attempting to harness the Force cracked me up. On Facebook I wrote that it was "amazing that Star Wars is still relevant 30+ years after its debut," to which my friend and fellow Star Wars buff Shea replied, "Much like us."
• El Paso hasn't quite fully recovered from last week's plunge into the deep freeze.  Schools just reopened yesterday and the city finally confirmed this afternoon that it was okay to drink the water sans boiling.  Unbelievably, some homes and businesses are still without water.
• We submitted Meg's FAFSA application last night. For those of you unfamiliar with college application process that stands for "Free Application for Federal Student Aid." As I was writing this I asked Meg to recite the acronym and she rattled it off. A few seconds later she then passed the "What is your social security number?" quiz.

Like most Lutherans, I'm an ambassador of potlucks involving pots. We're having one at Trinity (3800 Hondo Pass) on Sunday. If you're on the Northeast side of town, stop by around 11:30 and fill up a plate. And should your soul need refreshing, the service starts at 10:15.

Garufa Argentinean

Last night at dinner with friends, we traded a few stories about the places we've lived and how they compare to El Paso, our current hometown. While we agreed that it'd be nice to enjoy the perks of living in a gigantic metro area, we also conceded that El Paso doesn't lack for much and the desert climate is beneficial, especially this winter.

The foodie scene, particularly, is underrated in Sun City. While Mexican first comes to mind - and rightly so - there are plenty of establishments serving steaks, chops and seafood that hold their own with hot spots we've sampled in bigger cities like Dallas. Several include 2900, Mesa St. Grill and Cafe Central.

We can now add Garufa Argentinean to this list. This was my first time to eat at an Argentine restaurant, but after a quick survey of the dinner menu it was apparent that we'd be getting our recommended daily allowance of protein. Still, if you're not in the mood for beef, Garufa offers a variety of pastas and a couple of other choices.

Heather considered the salmon before choosing the Lomo Pibe aka the seven ounce filet while I went for the rib-eye, the 14 ounce Bife de Chirizo.  Both of our steaks were cooked to our liking and easy on our taste buds though I'm not sure what spices and/or seasonings contributed to their Argentine flavor. Perhaps the portion of grilled onions played a part?  Prior to our entrees we shared a Espinacas turnover, a combination of queso freco, spinach and pecans which was also a winner. Garufa's wine list is unintimidating. We chose a 2007 Catena Zapata, a cabernet from the homeland, that meshed as one would expect with a quality piece of red meat.

We definitely felt a buzz throughout our meal and didn't notice one empty table. When we departed around 9:00, there was still a crowd at the entryway so if you go, make a reservation.

Final thoughts on Vegas

As a follow up to my last post on Vegas, I wanted to expound upon one instance of phenomenal service we experienced. Heather and I designated the trip as a belated celebration of our third anniversary which was on New Year's Eve. After mixing it up with a few of my co-workers on Friday night, we set up a date for Saturday evening at the Venetian.

After seeing the early Phantom of the Opera show (still delivers after all these years)  we had a 9:00 dinner date at the Delmonico Steakhouse, which is owned and operated by Chef Emeril Lagasse. When I made the reservation using OpenTable, I typed in an extra line about our anniversary. Seconds after we were seated our waiter welcomed us with "Happy Anniversary," that made us both light up.

Over the next two hours we had three gentlemen always within earshot of our table casually chatting with us, outlining the evening's specials and giving us their take on the menu. Always helpful and never overbearing or impatient, they made us feel completely at ease. After deciding on dinner, Heather closed her menu and before she could put it down, our waiter was there to take our order. Shortly thereafter, our meals were presented to us with the precision of a drill team. Both plates hit linen at the exact same moment.

Of course, this attention to detail would have gone for naught had our meals disappointed. But they didn't. One of Heather's three filet medallions would qualify as the standard filet at most restaurants. I went with the house specialty - the bone-in rib-eye - which was easily one of the finest steaks I've ever eaten. Our only regret was not taking our leftovers with us!

Cheers to Delmonico! Thanks for helping us make our time in Vegas so memorable.