Contemporary essays, fiction, and opinion offered regularly by author Anne Brandt.






Question for the week
How might I punctuate the following sentence? Students, stop cutting in line(?)stop throwing food(?)and stop leaving trash.
Ten minutes to
write.
Less time to
read.
El Rodeo
Posted: 02/26/06
It’s one of Benton Harbor’s best kept secrets; judging from its storefront appearance, maybe the owners want to keep it that way. But this weekend, El Rodeo took the gold medal for dining at a Mexican restaurant.

Earl usually doesn’t like Mexican food; he claims that no matter what you order it all tastes the same. Why he suggested we go there for dinner still remains a mystery. Nevertheless, we found ourselves ordering Margaritas at El Rodeo a couple nights ago.

Our waiter’s command of the English language was limited, so we didn’t get the type of Margarita we thought we’d ordered. But that was a good thing, as the ones we were served were absolutely delicious. We had the 12-ounce size, but El Rodeo also offers a 24-ounce and a bathtub 46-ounce. How you get into your car and drive after this last one is probably a strong argument for the designated driver.

Anyway, we drank our Margs and ordered our food and waited until it appeared on plates so hot we couldn’t touch them. I stared at my tacos while Earl prodded his chimichangas with a fork. When their heat subsided, we dug in; and I must say the food was excellent. The rice was fresh; the refried beans had no canned taste; the meat was juicy.

Maybe you like your Mexican food hot, as in spicy. I think the only way you’d like it at El Rodeo is to slather your entrée with the hot sauces on the table. But that is a viable option. At least underneath you have basic good food. I don’t bill myself as a restaurant critic, but the next time Earl gets a hunger for Mexican food, I know where to go.


Click here to send this
mini-essay to a friend.


Previous entries
Due to the volume of entries, Anne's Ten Minutes A Day are now categorized by date and by topics. Some essays are found under more than one topic.

Click here for a chronological list.

Otherwise, select from the categories below.

2004 Election2008 ElectionAnnoyances
Changing SceneDining/FoodFlora/Fauna
Me/FamilyNostalgiaPersonal Pleas
PoliticsSmall Town LifeSpecial Events
TechnologyThings to PonderTravel
Writing