Historically known as the first restaurant in the country to incorporate live mariachi musical performances with sit-down dining while simultaneously revolutionizing the genre in Los Angeles, La Fonda is back with the same spirit. Founded in 1969 as the home for the best mariachi music in Los Angeles, La Fonda reemerges with its original recipe: enchanting mariachi productions and mouthwatering dishes. Reopening at its original Wilshire Boulevard location, this L.A. landmark remains a nostalgic reminder of the fusion of classical Mexican folkloric music and a tantalizing dining experience.
Rick...I found this, but I read and heard that the La Fonda closed this year or was it last year,
anyway its was a nice place to go and listen to mariachis. used to go there after the fights with some of the Olympic crowd.
Mariachi, Flemenco? I'm a gringo and don't know much about it, but I like it all. I passed by "La Fonda" a few weeks back when we were filming in the area and couldn't tell if it were open or closed. The sign's still up and their are no signs of deterioration yet. If it's closed I'm not surprised, but I'm sorry, as well. Believe it or not, it was once a favorite watering hole for the great Ruben Olivares, when he should have been focusing on his opposition. It was also a favorite of my father.
Historically known as the first restaurant in the country to incorporate live mariachi musical performances with sit-down dining while simultaneously revolutionizing the genre in Los Angeles, La Fonda is back with the same spirit. Founded in 1969 as the home for the best mariachi music in Los Angeles, La Fonda reemerges with its original recipe: enchanting mariachi productions and mouthwatering dishes. Reopening at its original Wilshire Boulevard location, this L.A. landmark remains a nostalgic reminder of the fusion of classical Mexican folkloric music and a tantalizing dining experience.
Rick...I found this, but I read and heard that the La Fonda closed this year or was it last year,
anyway its was a nice place to go and listen to mariachis. used to go there after the fights with some of the Olympic crowd.
Mariachi, Flemenco? I'm a gringo and don't know much about it, but I like it all. I passed by "La Fonda" a few weeks back when we were filming in the area and couldn't tell if it were open or closed. The sign's still up and their are no signs of deterioration yet. If it's closed I'm not surprised, but I'm sorry, as well. Believe it or not, it was once a favorite watering hole for the great Ruben Olivares, when he should have been focusing on his opposition. It was also a favorite of my father.
Historically known as the first restaurant in the country to incorporate live mariachi musical performances with sit-down dining while simultaneously revolutionizing the genre in Los Angeles, La Fonda is back with the same spirit. Founded in 1969 as the home for the best mariachi music in Los Angeles, La Fonda reemerges with its original recipe: enchanting mariachi productions and mouthwatering dishes. Reopening at its original Wilshire Boulevard location, this L.A. landmark remains a nostalgic reminder of the fusion of classical Mexican folkloric music and a tantalizing dining experience.
Rick...I found this, but I read and heard that the La Fonda closed this year or was it last year,
anyway its was a nice place to go and listen to mariachis. used to go there after the fights with some of the Olympic crowd.
Mariachi, Flemenco? I'm a gringo and don't know much about it, but I like it all. I passed by "La Fonda" a few weeks back when we were filming in the area and couldn't tell if it were open or closed. The sign's still up and their are no signs of deterioration yet. If it's closed I'm not surprised, but I'm sorry, as well. Believe it or not, it was once a favorite watering hole for the great Ruben Olivares, when he should have been focusing on his opposition. It was also a favorite of my father.
-Rick
Read my later post on the La Fonda
Got it, Frank. Monica and I are going there in the new year.
I'm probably the only American that goes Christmas shopping in Tijuana. I don't do all of it down there and I don't shop much,but there's always a few things I pick up in the town south of the border that's slowly becoming a very lonely spot on the map for tourists. i like to be alone sometimes so I went Christmas shopping in TJ today.
Most of the shops on Revolution Street have cheap curios. Black velvet paintings,chalky pottery,and T shirts with a lot of profanity . However there are some shops that have a delightfull array of hand crafted art representing the various Republics. Leather boots from Sonora. Black pottery from Oaxaca. Multi colored shawls from Vera Cruz.
My sisters are into horses so I know of a little shop that has many figures of horses in various styles. The owner was standing in front. He was dressed in a nice sweater,patent leather shoes. He was smoking a cigarette. I said good morning as i walked past him to enter his store. He didn't reply.
A heavy set woman wearing blue jeans was inside the store dusting off a counter.
"Meester,Everyting on sale today."
Me and her were the the only occupants. The owner stayed outside smoking.
"Do you have horses?" I asked.
"Of course. We have many horses. All on sale."
She showed me several until a big tan leather horse jumped out at me to catch my eye,
"How much for him.?"
"On sale today. 60 dollars."
The horse was beautifull. Leather with a leather saddle. The importers on the U.S side would have charged 200 easy. I probably could have got her down 10 bucks,but at that price I didn't want to come off looking cheap.
"I'll buy it,"I told her.
As she was wrapping it in newspaper,I thought about a gift for my grand daughter Amanda's Flamenco teacher in San Diego. Her name is Paloma. Dove in Spanish.
"Senora,you have palomas?"
"Of course. We have many palomas all on sale."
She walked my over to a corner of the store and opened a glass case. Inside was a figurine of two doves sitting on a tree.
"That's beautifull. How much?"
The woman looked over her shoulder towards the door.
"Give me 20. I put it in your bag."
I opened my bag with the horse and she put the doves inside with it. She looked outside again.I put a twenty dollar bill in her hand.
"Don't tell on me."
"Don't worry"
As I walked out the door past the owner who didn't look at me, the woman said,"Gracias senor."
i headed back to the parking lot. What had just happened in that shop was very common on Revolution Street. Workers stealing from their bosses. American money coming in. Workers being paid 4 dollars a day to work in high end reastaurants,bars,and stores. Everyone in TJ wants to land a job on Revolution so they can steal.
As I was immersed in these insights knowing exactly why these things happen,the bag I was carrying bumped into the side of a wall. I heard a crack. When I got to my van,I opened the bag. One of the doves wings had broken off. I thought for a moment. Yes,I could go home and glue it back on and give it to Amanda's teacher. After thinking about it again,I decided to hide it in our vanity. I'll give Amanda's teacher one of my paintings instead. I'll make sure not to give her one of Rocky Marciano.
Last edited by dagosd2000 on 22 Dec 2008, 21:17, edited 1 time in total.
Historically known as the first restaurant in the country to incorporate live mariachi musical performances with sit-down dining while simultaneously revolutionizing the genre in Los Angeles, La Fonda is back with the same spirit. Founded in 1969 as the home for the best mariachi music in Los Angeles, La Fonda reemerges with its original recipe: enchanting mariachi productions and mouthwatering dishes. Reopening at its original Wilshire Boulevard location, this L.A. landmark remains a nostalgic reminder of the fusion of classical Mexican folkloric music and a tantalizing dining experience.
Rick...I found this, but I read and heard that the La Fonda closed this year or was it last year,
anyway its was a nice place to go and listen to mariachis. used to go there after the fights with some of the Olympic crowd.
Mariachi, Flemenco? I'm a gringo and don't know much about it, but I like it all. I passed by "La Fonda" a few weeks back when we were filming in the area and couldn't tell if it were open or closed. The sign's still up and their are no signs of deterioration yet. If it's closed I'm not surprised, but I'm sorry, as well. Believe it or not, it was once a favorite watering hole for the great Ruben Olivares, when he should have been focusing on his opposition. It was also a favorite of my father.
-Rick
Read my later post on the La Fonda
Ah Rick
Ask Monica if she's ever been to the tapas bars in Spain. They open around midnight. The good ones are in the old sections of the city. Maybe the Gypsy quarter.The buildings are 500 years old dating back to the Conquistadores. Even further back to the Moors. The stone streets are narrow. Lanterns give a bronze hazy . Mostly shadows in the light. Tapas bars with names like "El Rinconcillo" and "La Casa De Anselma." Around midnight the Flamenco crowd gathers out side. They've been eating and drinking and now they want to dance Flamenco. All the dances. Sevillanas,Bulerias,Tangos. They wear their street clothes. Flamenco is the street. Traditional,emotional. Yes,you must dance Flamenco with emotion. You can know all the steps,but dancing without feeling,you are not a Flamenco dancer. The bar full of smoke and glasses filled with Miura. Shouts of "Ole!". The rhythm of the men beating on the drums called 'cajones" Guitarists strumming the beat of the steps of the dancers. Virtuosity as each person goes out to the floor ,alone ,absorbed in the music.A pretty girl dances . If she has the feeling,the men want to dance before her. Shouts and shouts. They know when there's a an emotion building between the sexes. The heat of all the people inside. The heat of the music. The heat of the passion felt between men and women. It goes on like this till dawn. It goes on like this every night. Flamenco.
raylawpc wrote:Sadly, no. A cow's stomach is decidedly unkosher, so I understand.
Tom
A pig's stomach is unkosher. Rog
So is a cow's stomach. That's why kosher cheese taste like crap. The enzime that creates good cheese comes from the cow's stomach (the third stomach, if I remember correctly.) Jews can't use enzimes that come from the cow's stomach because its not kosher.
(BTW, Jewish cheesemakers has discovered a synthetic enzime that has been approved by the religious authorities, in the hope that the taste of Jewish cheese will improve.)
raylawpc wrote:Sadly, no. A cow's stomach is decidedly unkosher, so I understand.
Tom
A pig's stomach is unkosher. Rog
So is a cow's stomach. That's why kosher cheese taste like crap. The enzime that creates good cheese comes from the cow's stomach (the third stomach, if I remember correctly.) Jews can't use enzimes that come from the cow's stomach because its not kosher.
(BTW, Jewish cheesemakers has discovered a synthetic enzime that has been approved by the religious authorities, in the hope that the taste of Jewish cheese will improve.)
I don't care what kind of cheese it is or from how many stomachs it come from, you can keep it, because I'm not going to eat it that stinking crap.....
raylawpc wrote:Sadly, no. A cow's stomach is decidedly unkosher, so I understand.
Tom
A pig's stomach is unkosher. Rog
So is a cow's stomach. That's why kosher cheese taste like crap. The enzime that creates good cheese comes from the cow's stomach (the third stomach, if I remember correctly.) Jews can't use enzimes that come from the cow's stomach because its not kosher.
(BTW, Jewish cheesemakers has discovered a synthetic enzime that has been approved by the religious authorities, in the hope that the taste of Jewish cheese will improve.)
I once went into a Jewish deli and asked for a ham sandwich. i think they thought I was insulting them. i just didn't know.
Hey I just read Frank's post about the stomach thing. He said it better.
They used to have a Vietnamese super market near us. Talk about people who ate everything that moved including every part of the things that moved. Eye balls,spleens,glands. Health Department finally closed the place down. Too many cockroaches. The Vietnamese should have sold the cockroaches as a gourmet delicacy. They'd stlll be in business.
I stand corrected. I've done some checking, and it appears the cow's stomach is kosher (if the cow was killed correctly). The problem with cheese is that the enzime in question comes from the cow's stomach, and it is impermissible under Jewish law to mix meat (even of kosher animals) with milk (even though cow's milk is kosher) [Exodus 23:19 et. al.]. I thought the problem was that the stomach was not kosher. But it’s the preparation of mixing something which is a by-product of the stomach (“meat”) with milk that’s unkosher.
That said, I am reasonably certain that Jesus and the disciples did not eat menudo con pata at the Last Supper.
kikibalt wrote: "Zale had nothing but his heart left..."
Nat Fleischer
Just as the eleventh brutal round came to an end Cerdan landed
a two punch combination and as if in slow motion Tony Zale began
the gradual forward descent to the canvas. The bell sounded ending
the round and Ray Arcel and Al Winch rushed to help the fallen Champion
to his feet. But all the fight was gone from Tony Zale and his corner
informed Referee Paul Cavalier that the Champion was unable to continue.
Tony was a great fighter.
He was always real good with the kids at the CYO gym in Chicago after his career was over.
He would come around , give a few pointer, offer lots of encouragement to the young fighters.
I have the tape of the Cerdan fight.
Marcel really put it on Tony that night. Hit him with combinations round after round.
But , in the end , and , it was a dramatic end with Tony hanging on the ropes and his cornermen almost carrying him back to his stool, it always stood out that he went out like a champion.
He gave it his all.
That said, I am reasonably certain that Jesus and the disciples did not eat menudo con pata at the Last Supper.
They don't know what they missed..... DD
Frank
If you read the Gospel,Jesus liked to hang around poor people. I'm sure he ate menudo con pata somewhere along the way. i know a lot of people refer to him as a Jew. I don't want to start a religous controversy on the thread,but going to Catholic school and living in Mexico,I've never heard Jesus being called a Jew. Keeping that in mind,I could see Jesus today sitting in front of one of those carts in TJ with a bowl of menudo con pata in front of him with plenty of Kosher Korn torillas.
kikibalt wrote: "Zale had nothing but his heart left..."
Nat Fleischer
Just as the eleventh brutal round came to an end Cerdan landed
a two punch combination and as if in slow motion Tony Zale began
the gradual forward descent to the canvas. The bell sounded ending
the round and Ray Arcel and Al Winch rushed to help the fallen Champion
to his feet. But all the fight was gone from Tony Zale and his corner
informed Referee Paul Cavalier that the Champion was unable to continue.
Tony was a great fighter.
He was always real good with the kids at the CYO gym in Chicago after his career was over.
He would come around , give a few pointer, offer lots of encouragement to the young fighters.
I have the tape of the Cerdan fight.
Marcel really put it on Tony that night. Hit him with combinations round after round.
But , in the end , and , it was a dramatic end with Tony hanging on the ropes and his cornermen almost carrying him back to his stool, it always stood out that he went out like a champion.
He gave it his all.
Brian
Mentioned this before about my dad knowing Tony Zale. My dad said he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. Wrote a column for Ring Magazine at one time. When they were petitionong for Championship fights to be reduced to 12 rounds,Zale remarked,"I wonder what kind of nylons these guys wear?"
That said, I am reasonably certain that Jesus and the disciples did not eat menudo con pata at the Last Supper.
They don't know what they missed..... DD
Frank
If you read the Gospel,Jesus liked to hang around poor people. I'm sure he ate menudo con pata somewhere along the way. i know a lot of people refer to him as a Jew. I don't want to start a religous controversy on the thread,but going to Catholic school and living in Mexico,I've never heard Jesus being called a Jew. Keeping that in mind,I could see Jesus today sitting in front of one of those carts in TJ with a bowl of menudo con pata in front of him with plenty of Kosher Korn torillas.
Explain to me how you correctly kill a cow? I bet Tom knows.
Rog, as your father mentioned, Tony really was a nice guy.
As you know, he came from Gary Indiana. That is one hell of a tough town.Tony was the toughest guy ever to come out of there.
Thats saying alot!
In an era of candy ass gentrification, Gary Indiana has remained a place that nobody seems able to gentrify.
Ah Rick
Ask Monica if she's ever been to the tapas bars in Spain. They open around midnight. The good ones are in the old sections of the city. Maybe the Gypsy quarter.The buildings are 500 years old dating back to the Conquistadores. Even further back to the Moors. The stone streets are narrow. Lanterns give a bronze hazy . Mostly shadows in the light. Tapas bars with names like "El Rinconcillo" and "La Casa De Anselma." Around midnight the Flamenco crowd gathers out side. They've been eating and drinking and now they want to dance Flamenco. All the dances. Sevillanas,Bulerias,Tangos. They wear their street clothes. Flamenco is the street. Traditional,emotional. Yes,you must dance Flamenco with emotion. You can know all the steps,but dancing without feeling,you are not a Flamenco dancer. The bar full of smoke and glasses filled with Miura. Shouts of "Ole!". The rhythm of the men beating on the drums called 'cajones" Guitarists strumming the beat of the steps of the dancers. Virtuosity as each person goes out to the floor ,alone ,absorbed in the music.A pretty girl dances . If she has the feeling,the men want to dance before her. Shouts and shouts. They know when there's a an emotion building between the sexes. The heat of all the people inside. The heat of the music. The heat of the passion felt between men and women. It goes on like this till dawn. It goes on like this every night. Flamenco.[/quote]
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Roger . . . Monica said she has been to Seville, Madrid and Jijon (Asturias). Yes, she remembers the bars in the south of Spain exactly as you described them. She said she was last there in the summer of '94 and it was very hot, one of the hottest places she had been in her life. She said she was surprised that after lunch everything closes for siesta, everything closes for a couple hours. One thing Monica loved most about Spain was the Queso Cabralles, a type of cheese and an alcoholic apple cider? Thanks for the info on Flamenco as well. Your descriptive skills put me in the bar, I could almost feel the beat of the drums.
Expug wrote:Rog, as your father mentioned, Tony really was a nice guy.
As you know, he came from Gary Indiana. That is one hell of a tough town.Tony was the toughest guy ever to come out of there.
Thats saying alot!
In an era of candy ass gentrification, Gary Indiana has remained a place that nobody seems able to gentrify.
Brian and Roger . . . Ironic, just last week at a WBHOF meeting I sat next to the late ref George Latka's wife, Trudy. Trudy talks a lot about George and was telling me that George was from Gary, Indiana was best friends with Tony Zlae. Trudy has many pics and correspondences between her late husband and Zale. She invited me to their home in Huntington Beach, where the upstairs office is a small boxing museum. When I go, I look forward to learning a bit more on Tony Zale.
Hap mentioned La Especial Restaurant in Tijuana. An eatery he used to go to when he lived in San Diego. It's beside the stairs leading down to a large arcade that has different shops that sell stained glass,leather goods,blankets,paintings done on black velvet and onyx. Junk, and some pretty nice stuff.
The rain was coming straight down. Not hard,but steady with no let up. My hands were in my pockets. It was cold. I pulled the hood of my sweat shirt over my head. It was early. !0 o'clock,but I thought one of the shops would be open. The metal doors were all locked up. Cold drops drizzled on the floor of the arcade from the holes in the plastic roof.I saw a guy pushing the water with a wide broom out to the side walk.
As I walked down the stairs past La Especial a waiter saw me .He stuck his out from behind the door.
"Pasale,"(enter) he said and then shut the door. It was like he knew I wasn't interested.
I wanted to buy some stained glass. There's a real nice shop inside that arcade that has some great stained glass at bargain prices. The metal door was locked up. Everything was locked up. I asked the guy pushing the water with the broom when everything opened.
"Maybe doce(12 noon)."
It was 10 o'clock.I wasn't going to wait around.I took a short cut by the side to exit the arcade. I heard some people talking. Ahead I saw one of the store fronts open. I got closer and saw it wasn't a store. A meeting of Narcoticos Anonomos was having a meeting. There must have been 20 to 30 people huddled together sitting on wooden benches. I didn't want to stop and stare,but out of the corner of my eye I saw men,women,and even some kids that looked like teenagers. Their clothes were dirty and torn. The men all looked in need of haircuts and shaves. I couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices echoed through the arcade behind the rain splattering on the pavement.
kikibalt wrote:Photos and caption courtesy of Roger
Amanda dancing at Casa De Anselma 3 in the morning in the Gypsy Quarter in Seville,Spain. She was 9 years old.
Once again, very impressed! Between Rog and Monica, I'm taking a quick stroll thru the South of Spain. I just had to open a beer . . . I'm in a shadowy bar, the music is great, people are dancing . . . "Ole!"
First break I get, were outta here . . . ready to jump on a plane.
