Reminders of the easy childhood, the sheer luck of an adventurous,rebellious teenager and finally the restless young adult that yearned to break the bonds of familiarity and set out to be the man I am today are still everywhere. A dichotomy existence within the city that embeds itself within anyone who has spent time there. A mellow and restlessness, a calm but anxiousness! Perhaps it's the high altitude or the urban legend about lithium in the water causing a feeling of calm. But there's an almost tangible tension too, I don't know I want to say a sense of apprehension. This easy and yet restlessness stay with me during my entire stay! Why I had to leave the safety and sanctuary of my home town almost 20 years ago was reenforced, why it was so hard to leave and the homesickness I eventually got over also reawakened! This was not the first trip back the EP nor will it be the last but in my short stay it may have been the most thought provoking. Change can be glacier like in Sun City, for every new bldg. or Wall-f'n-greens, a home with the 4th or 5th generation of a family living in it has not changed appearance since the 40s! More dichotomy more ying and yang, it rained one night, I had to travel 600 miles to the high desert to see my first significant rainfall in 5 months!
El Paso is well known for it's Mexican food I love it, it's what I grew up on but one non-Mex EP favorite can stand toe to toe with any pizza on the planet! The House of Pizza is run by a Greek American has been in operation since the mid seventies and has been on my family's table ever since! Both my sisters worked there in high school same bldg. same pizza, awesome!
Truly heavenly pizza! Funny how the Guadalupe does not seem out of place in EP... Anywhere else there would be a pissed somebody! Anyway...where was I .. Oh yea... Pizza so good you'll have visions! The pizza is immaculate ! I could go on and on...
Alas H o P was closed as they are every year in July, so the owner and family can recharge.. in where else Greece! I settled for Casa pizza, a family spin off and comparably good pizza! If HoP is virgin and visions then Casa is ummm..Ganesha and disappearing milk!
Note the pachyderm-deity appears to be spreading sauce on a pizza! Very interesting!
Like any central EP boy I was also raised on a steady diet of Kiki's; what once was a bar that dabbled in food transformed into a very well respected and nationally recognized dinning establishment that serves beer! Great tex-Mex! Sublime Salsa you could not serve in Austin or Dallas is so hot but so damn good! O crap I want a plate of renenos and enchiladas right now!!!! Real rellenos made with hatch long greens filled with asadero cheese and lightly breaded! No meat or cheddar or the dull and incorrect plobano pepper used so often east of Ft Stockton!
Before...
About 15 minutes, two Tecates and a Corona later!
Turns out this was just the warm up! An hour later and I was sitting in front of a home made plate of another mexican fav...
Chicharones mmmm spicy hot soft and tender with world class rice and beans!
Courtesy of Mr. 666's better half Ms. Eve La Evil ! Talk about the package, the franchise! She cooks, takes care of the hellions and most of all takes care of my brother!
Evil and tats way before every lame ass wannabe saw Miami ink and made em cliche!
Here is the mans stable of Riches..these are road warriors note the Orange and Marshall cabinets! Serious is as serious does!
Long live the True Metal King and his Queen!
Thanks for the hospitality! Jams, catching up and beer till 4 in the morning for 3 straight week day nights! That's El Paso in da summertime!
Hey hey look at the A! It rained soon after, the smell after rain in the desert mountains is like nowhere else! A torrent of memories floods the mind when it rains...memories of distant summer rains, little league, drum practice, slurpees , space invaders, Physical Graffiti, Masters of Reality, Highway to Hell and Killers! Skateboarding, my purple schwin with metal flake banana seat and mini ape hangers! My firsts..first Camaro, first doobies, first beers and first kisses...it is that powerful. I jumped these stairs on my skateboard one summer they're like 5 feet high! I fell right off on the landing, must have been about 12! Still I was the king of the 7-11 stairs for about a week until Ernie jumped and stuck the landing he was always a monster skater!
That cheesy rail wasn't there back thirty some years ago...
A trip back home would not be complete without The mother's milk EP fast foods ( drum roll)...
Chico's Tacos!!! If you don't get it you don't get it, it's ok you had to have grown up on em..ditched fourth period to walk all the way to the nearest location or crammed 10 people into someones car to make it back before lunch was over! 1 in the morning buzzing hard the ultimate drunk food or post concert munchies, mad dogging with the vatos drooling over your girl or are they staring at your double order with extra cheese!?! "Que trice whey get your own fucker!"
The way too loud jukebox playing Vicente Fernandez one minute, then not loud enough jukebox playing "Rock you like a Hurricane" or "Wang Go Tango" the next!
What is it? Well it ain't taco bell, it's a rolled taco or flauta filled with a ground meat of sorts with a piping hot purée of tomato based liquid, chiles and spices poured over them (3 is a single order,6 a double) topped with copious amounts of finely shredded cheese (most say leftover govt. cheese) it melts on contact transforming the taco and liquid into a thick cheesy paper boat of awesomeness that words fail to, fail to...oh shit they fail damn it! Put some of the signature jalapeño salsa on em and you are straight living man this is last meal shit,death row would be worth it just to tell "the man" "I want two double orders with extra cheese, fries and an orange fanta..." You'd die in peace!
No "before shot" cuz I dove right in! Mr 666 y la familia went one night it was like old times! So you see EP is were I learned to love live and eat! Still got a big soft spot for her! It's still home yet still the place I had leave in order to see what was over the mountain!
El Tank out.
p.s. Found a treasure of magazines at my moms house, Cream, Hit Parader, Circus...late 70s early 80s I swear every cover is Priest or Blondie! We'll be bringing those to ESG soon!
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