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Why You Should Always Have Garden Furniture

Bistro Table — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:11:13 +0000

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You’ve put a lot of work into your garden, from planning to digging to weeding to all the little tasks that keep it looking beautiful. Sharing your garden with others is the next step, and doing that requires more than pretty rows of plants. You created a garden to enjoy, didn’t you? Imagine your garden in use – garden benches and patio furniture to provide places for people to sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Choosing garden furniture can be the ultimate expression of your pride in the garden you’ve grown.

When choosing garden furniture, you should take into account the kind of use that your garden will get. Is your garden meant to be a relaxing haven for just you? A place where you’ll read and sip iced tea, away from the bustle of the modern, busy world? In that case, what better piece of garden ‘furniture’ is there than a classic hammock, slung between trees or on its own stand? And of course, if you put up a garden hammock, you’ll need a small garden table close to hand to hold your iced tea and book when you pull your hat down over your eyes to snooze in the sun.

Perhaps you picture dining al fresco in your garden. In that case, you’ll be choosing garden furniture that includes patio or garden table and chairs. From beautiful white-painted French bistro sets to elegant glass and wood dining sets complete with parasol and side tables.

The garden furniture that you choose can set the tone for your outdoor space in the same way that your choice of sofa, chairs and tables defines the style of your living room. A stone garden bench with urns gives a completely different ambience than a pair of rustic, unpainted Adirondack chair with a small table between them. A pair of sun loungers (or chaise lounges) with comfortable cushions invites your guests (and you!) to relax and enjoy the lazy pleasure of the outdoors. Park benches with black cast iron accents can lend a touch of turn-of-the-century Parisian charm to a simple garden, or fit right into a smooth expanse of lawn.

When you’re choosing garden furniture, you’ll find a wide variety of styles and materials. Molded PVC furniture is a popular choice, in colors that harmonize with the natural surroundings. Wood picnic tables with benches are a standard, and classic redwood tables, benches, chairs and loungers are still one of the most chosen types of garden furniture in the world.

Whatever your choice, just remember the reasons that you grew a garden to begin with – the pleasure and beauty of nature. Choose garden furniture that enhances both your garden’s beauty and your enjoyment of nature.

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Plastic Fantastic – Consumerism In A Cashless Society

Bistro Table — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:10:17 +0000

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The drinks have been ordered, the jackets are off and the table has been occupied. All that remains is to pay the bar, and then settle down with friends and chill for the night. Except one thing; the bar can’t be paid as that all important trip to the ATM was overlooked. Cue the walk of shame back to the table to ask to borrow some money.

This is increasingly becoming less of a problem, however, as more and more bars accept plastic as payment. Coupled with the fact that more and more people choose to do their shopping online, or use “chip and pin” when they do use a normal shop, it could be argued that cash is almost becoming obsolete.

Some major retailers have even suggested recently that they would consider introducing “cashless tills”. And with pre-paid credit cards becoming an increasingly common feature of UK consumer culture, the future of notes and coins does indeed look bleak. But there are still issues that are worth considering when using cards as a primary method of payment, as more and more people are discovering these days.

For example, when checking in to a hotel, they will often ask for a credit card to “secure” payment for the room. No payment is taken from the card, but what some people don’t realise is that a segment of the balance of the card is ‘put-aside’ by the hotel as security; effectively meaning that the available balance has been reduced for the duration of their stay. So, if the customer then decides to go out shopping, or out for a meal, there is a danger the card could be rejected, as they hadn’t factored in this “secured” section of the card.

So, to avoid having to do kitchen duties in the local bistro, it’s maybe worth considering obtaining a second credit card, just for those occasions where, for one reason or another, the main credit card is rejected.

Of course, another reason why a credit card may be rejected is simply because not enough care has been taken in seeking out the best deal and the card has been “maxed out”. With this in mind, it may be worth considering a new credit card, with many offering 0% interest on balance transfers for up to 12 months. So, by doing very little, a lot of money can be saved.

For the time-being at least, cash still plays a part in UK consumer culture. But with consumer culture gradually moving towards plastic ubiquity, there may be a day where notes and coins will be obsolete. So, embrace it, and find the best deals now.

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Patio Tables – Without Them Your Space Would Be Incomplete

Bistro Table — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:08:14 +0000

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If you want the ultimate outdoor area that is perfect for entertaining a large group of people or just you and the one you love, then you need to make sure that you have everything in place. The seating, the accessories, and especially patio tables because without places to set things down, your deck, patio, or porch area would be incomplete.

With patio tables, there are a lot of selections that are available so you can find exactly what you need to create any type of space that you desire. Like, with that large entertainment area. Maybe you want a space that is not only perfect for dining, but for just relaxing and kicking back as well. Then, you will need a larger one in place where people can sit down and eat, remember to get matching chairs, along with a few smaller ones placed throughout your space for after when people are just sitting around. That way, if they want to rest their drink down, they easily can. Another great way to create the ultimate entertaining area is by having a few cocktail tables and chair sets set up throughout your space. The high tables and chairs makes talking and relaxing breeze. Or, maybe you want more of an intimate area for dining perfect for you and the one you love, then a smaller bistro table and matching chairs would be the way to go.

The thing is, these are just some of the patio table options that are available because they come in all shapes, styles, and designs. You can get long rectangular ones, small round ones, taller and shorter ones, even end tables, and ones that can fold up and be transported from place to place. For a fast and easy way to see all the options that are available, just hit the World Wide Web and browse the online stores. It makes comparison shopping a synch and you do not even have to step foot outside your home.

Along with all the different selections that are available, patio tables are also crafted out of a wide variety of materials as well. Some of the options include manmade materials like plastic, resin, or recycled plastic along with the a high amount of natural wood alternatives that include Southern Yellow Pine, Western Red Cedar, Alder, and teak. All of these materials have a fantastic look to them on their own, but they are also available in different colors and finishes, which makes them even more appealing to the eye. Plus, those different color and finishing options allow you easily give your space a personal touch if you choose to do so.

If you want the ultimate deck, porch, or patio, area, then you need to have everything in place. You need comfortable places to sit, the accessories to match, and of course, patio tables since without them, there will be no place to set anything down. So, complete your outdoor space today to make sure that you, and your guests, will be having a fun time tomorrow.

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Buying A Sauna? Read This Before You Buy Your First Sauna

Bistro Table — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:07:13 +0000

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Buying a sauna is an expensive endeavor. You will, undoubtedly be investing a good amount of money in your purchase. If this is true then you should take the time to insure that the purchase you make is the best choice available and the right choice for your needs.

Tips You Need To Know

* How Big Is Big Enough? There are many things that will help you to decide what the right size for your sauna is. For example, you need to be able to know how many people you will be putting into it. You also need to realize how much space you have. Before you can purchase one, you need to insure that the size is correct.

* Which One Is For Me? There is more than one type of sauna. The traditional sauna is one in which the air in the sauna environment is heated. The air can reach very high levels and the humidity is controllable. On the other hand, the infrared sauna heats the individual, the body, instead of the air. The temperatures are lower and humidity is not usually that much of a factor. In choosing one or the other, it is important to take note of the tolerance levels of heat of the individuals who will use it.

* Don’t Forget The Warranty. Who buys a product this large and expensive without a warranty? No one should. In fact, you should look at the details of the warranty before you choose one product over the next. Don’t forget the fine print either.

* It is also important for you to understand how this product will work in your home. For example, will your home have enough electrical power to support it or will you need to invest in the addition of amps? Will you need to install additional hardware to your home in order to run it properly?

* Where Do I Get It? When you go into a location in your local area to ask about the purchase of a sauna, they will likely tell you that the purchase of one from the web is going to result in you getting less quality products and materials. This in fact is not true. The fact is that you can find the exact same product on the web for much less. So, weigh your choices here carefully.

When it comes to buying a sauna, you really need to do some homework before making your final choice.

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Picnic Tables – How to Choose the Right One For You

Bistro Table — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:05:42 +0000

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Picnic tables, or as some call them, barbeque tables, are a must in your back garden or on your patio or deck and add significantly to your outdoor living and entertaining.

There is something about a warm summer evening, the smell of sizzling sausages, a cold beer and a group of friends that really creates an atmosphere.

The range of outdoor furniture available today to compliment your barbeque is wide an varied. You need to decide what the right look for you is, the setting it is in, and the amount of entertaining you do and the price you are prepared to pay.

Expensive imported teak or kwila lumber outdoor furniture, (made be a cabinet maker) will look absolutely fantastic on many patios, however, the more rustic look of a pine home made A frame, picnic table may be more to your price and circumstances.

The tried and trusted standard A frame picnic table has been around forever it seems and large numbers of them have been produced, all made to similar plans. It gets its name from the shape of the ends of the table. This would be the cheapest type of picnic table that you could make from a plan or purchase. They are simple to construct with the minimum of tools. You will need a basic plan to set the dimensions, as some are much larger than others and you need to get the heights of the seat and table correct. Because the table is for outdoor use the pine lumber needs to be pressure treated so that it doesn’t deteriorate in harsh weather conditions.

One of the disadvantages of an A frame is that people have to sit side by side and facing the person opposite and of course the ends are not used for seating. This makes the seating arrangement a little antisocial. It is not so easy talking to someone right beside you.

A new generation of picnic tables is becoming a lot more popular these days that fits between the classy cabinet made, table and chairs out door furniture and the A frame. These are the hexagonal and octagonal tables. They take their name from the shape that they are constructed in. The big advantage of these over the A frame is that they are much more sociable, no one is sitting right beside another person. All the space right around the table can be used and you can squeeze in as many as you find comfortable. They also come in many sizes from a standard small 6 seater hexagon up to some very large octagonal ones that will seat 16 or more.

The hexagonal and octagonal tables look modern and fit in well with even the most up market settings. There are some models which are not designed well and these ones tend to rack and move a lot. Be aware of this and check before purchasing one to see how much movement there is when you push and pull it various ways. Also be aware of the ones that have a conglomeration of lumber underneath as bracing because this restricts leg movement. Check to see if there is a hole for the umbrella and that it is big enough.

These tables are available as plans now as well and they have probably become more popular for the home handyman because of the advent of cheap woodworking tools and equipment. The tables do have a lot of miter sawing of 60 degrees on the hexagon and 45 degrees on the octagon. You will feel proud though if you actually build one yourself.

If money is no object and the setting is right and you like the factory, cabinet built furniture, then go for it. Some of it looks magnificent.

Whatever your circumstances are, with just a little thinking and planning you will be able to enjoy those mouth-watering barbeques with a table that will compliment your wallet and setting.

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3 Step Guide For Decorating a Room

Bistro Table — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:00:16 +0000

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Your home should always say something about you and your family. It is one of the most important statements that you will make, just as the way you dress and the way you come across are ways of communicating.

In the same way as the overall effect of your house or apartment is a reflection of you, your aspirations, your likes and dislikes, each room in your home will be a declaration of something about the family that lives there and about the use that room is planned to provide.

That is why home decor is so important.

It could be your bedroom or the living room It could also be your dinning room or your library. The guest room, the kid’s room, the kitchen and even the bathrooms. The house or apartment can be big or small. It can be home to one or more people.

No matter which room it is, the room in question will always have a specific reason for being, and this means that when decorating that particular room you should consider:

Step 1:

Be consistent: Consistency with the room’s use, for a example in a dinning room you will need tables and chairs; in a bedroom- a bed, a night table and so on. That is the first part, the other is that the furniture has to combine well together. This does not necessarily mean that everything has to be part of the same pattern but it does mean being consistent with the style you want. There can be, and probably will be, times when you have individual pieces of furniture or even one specific one that you just can’t live without. So even if it is hard to mix styles you can integrate colors. Also a great thing about some rules is that you can break them. In this case it can mean that the table or armchair that you want can be located in the room to stand out amongst everything else.

In short go for consistency but be open to inspiration.

Step 2:

Colors: If you look around you will notice that there is color everywhere and the colors you see will have different shades of blue or green or browns as the case may be. This is one of the secrets. Choose a range of colors and combine the shades or tonalities. When choosing strong colors (the primary colors) don’t over do it. Use the color sparingly and combine it with lighter tones and this will make that strong color stand out. Light colored ceilings make the room look larger. Strong colors on the walls will make the room look smaller. Strong wall colors should be combined with light colored carpet or hard flooring.

The color range you have in your room is just as important as the furniture you place there – and you do have a wide range of styles, picture, decorative items, rugs and pieces of furniture to play around with. Try and combine colors that go together. Complementary colors would be those that don’t clash together,and you can easily find these (there are too many options to list)with a quick search on the web. The important thing is not the brightness, or the strength of the color. What you need to focus on is the color tone that will drive the look of the room.

Step 3:

Draw A Simple Blue Print: This third step is a very simple one but many people ignore it or find it unnecessary. Draw a map of the room on a grid sheet making sure you keep to scale. Cut blocks representing the larger pieces of furniture and place them onto the drawn room. You can then move them easily around keeping in mind doorway and circulation areas, It is as simple as that.

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How To Spruce Up Your Patio

Bistro Table — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:56:05 +0000

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Tired of the same boring patio? Why not give it a makeover? Here are some tips that you can use in sprucing up your patio:

Fill it up with chairs

One way of upgrading the appearance of your patio is through the addition of chairs. Choose high-quality chairs like Adirondack rocking chairs or Amish-made rocking chairs made from the finest hard wood. These chairs will provide you with the comfort and relaxation you need while staying in your patio. Also, when choosing a rocking chair, keep in mind the type of material used. Make sure that the wood used in the construction of the rocking chair is weather-resistant and sturdy. If you’re not a fan of chairs, maybe you should buy a hammock instead. It is still comfortable to chill in, pleasant to look at, and inexpensive to purchase. Also, like the rocking chair, the hammock sways.

Put a cute tiny table

Where there are chairs, there are at least one table. Add a cute tiny table that is made preferably from the same type of wood material as the chairs. Matching chairs and tables will certainly add up to the flair of your patio. Choose a table that is simple yet stylish. Like the chairs, your table must be weather-resistant since it will be staying outdoors for a long time. The table is a good spot to place your cold drinks or afternoon snacks while you’re enjoying a little sun outside the house. The table is certainly a good addition to your patio!

Buy an outdoor whirlpool bathtub.

Why not purchase your very own whirlpool bathtub? You will have the chance to experience the soothing sensation provided by the whirlpool effects of the water. It is recommended for people who are stressed by work or school because it relaxes the muscles and cleanses the skin. Since the tub is quite spacious, you can also enjoy it with your friends. You can catch up on the latest Hollywood gossips and the recent prime-time soap episodes while eliminating those unwanted dirt and dead cells off your bodies. Now that is relaxation!

Add some useful gadgets and pretty accessories.

Decorate your patio with some useful gadgets. Add outdoor heaters or fireplaces to add warmth in your patio during cold weathers. If you want, you can also add a mosquito-inhibitor or an insect-control unit that keeps insects and other pests away from your place. For an added personal touch, you can also put in some accessories like decorative planters, wall fountains, garden bells, and outdoor umbrellas.

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Chicago for Food Lovers – Inside or Outside the Loop, Chicago is a Foodie’s Town

Bistro Table — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:50:13 +0000

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Whether your idea of a perfect meal is a melt-in-your mouth steak, main-dish veggies, Chicago-style pizza, classic diner food, or exotic dishes from another culture, you will find a restaurant favorite in Chicago.

For steaks and red-meat lovers, The Capital Grille (633 N Saint Clair Street) features the finest in dry- aged steaks and award-winning wines. Everything from the signature Veal Chop with Roquefort Butter Sauce to Steak au Poivre with Courvoisier Cream is oh, so tantalizing. Viand (155 East Ontario) has more than just red — pastas and fish are also served — but why not enjoy a great red meat dish from a chef whose family owns the oldest meatpacking company in Chicago? If you like sports served with your red meat, check out NFL Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka’s Restaurant (100 E. Chestnut), with an upstairs cigar lounge.

If you are more the veggies as a main course type, you can’t go wrong at the Green Zebra (1460 West Chicago Ave), where the emphasis is on unique vegetarian dishes, changed seasonally. Or try a different kind of diner experience, at The Chicago Diner (3411 N. Halsted Street), which claims it is “meat free since ’83.”

Locals swear by Gino’s East of Chicago (633 N. Wells Street) and Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria (439 N. Wells Street) for irresistible Chicago-style pizza. Think deep-dish with oozing cheese, rich sauce and fresh toppings. Yum!

For breakfast and more, the Bongo Room (1152 S. Wabash Ave) in Wicker Park is a unique coffee house featuring dishes with a distinctive twist, like raspberry cheesecake hotcakes. Manny’s Coffee Shop and Deli (1141 S. Jefferson St) offers classic diner food. Come hungry, leave full.

If your palate likes to venture to other lands, Roy’s (720 N. State St) offers Hawaiian with a bit of aloha. For the best of two cultures, Dee’s Mandarin (1114 Armitage Ave) offers Chinese cuisine and a great sushi bar. Wishing for a Thai kitchen? Dine at Vong’s Thai Kitchen (6 W. Hubbard St), a spin-off of New York’s Thai-French fusion Vong. Enjoy Chicago’s renowned Greektown at Costa’s (340 S. Halsted St). Try the Bistro Margot (1437 N. Wells St ) for soul-satisfying coq au vin and other French delights. Coobah (3423 N. Southport Ave) serves Latin American until late, along with a good party. Spiaggia (980 N. Michigan Ave) is a top pick for upscale Italian with a generous helping of Lake Michigan views. At The India House (59 W. Grand Ave), you can taste foods from a variety of different Indian regions.

For fabulous desserts along with your meal, try A Taste of Heaven (5401 N. Clark St), Nine Steak House (440 W. Randolph St), or Maggiano’s Little Italy (516 N. Clark St). If you are heading to a Chicago restaurant for a sumptuous meal, CRSHotels.com has the perfect hotel for you. Choose the Sutton Place, the Seneca Hotel, or the Whitehall Hotel. Enjoy the Amalfi Hotel, the Ambassador East Hotel, or the Raffaello Hotel. Stay at the Congress Plaza Hotel & Conference Center, the Best Western Grant Park, or the Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile.

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Tips To Improve The Quality Of Your Outdoor Space And Patio

Bistro Table — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:45:22 +0000

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It’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to figure out just how to bring an outdoor room together to make it a peaceful spot to relax or enjoy quality time with friends and family. But if you think of it as yet another room to decorate and furnish, the space will come together more easily.

Measuring and a simple site analysis

Just as you would for a room inside your home take the measurements of your patio or outdoor room area. This most important step is essential for scaling in comfortable sized outdoor furniture, patio accessories, planters and such. The next step is to conduct a simple site analysis. For this you will want to jot down factors such as the direction (north, south, east, west) your patio is facing, prevailing winds, if any; areas in sun or shade and any other relevant observations that will impact the quality of people spending time in that space.

Now for the fun part, create a realistic wish list beginning with how you would like to use your patio: to relax, to entertain friends, to grill/barbeque, to eat outdoors, to hang out with friends and family, to converse, etc. Now go back to your site analysis and determine, if applicable, where you can start staging the pieces to your outdoor room. But before you do so, here are some tips and ideas for you to consider.

Arrange patio furniture and elements thoughtfully

In order to create a comfortable space with pleasant atmosphere it is important to consider these details: Circulation – how will people walk through the space; Seating – where will people be sitting; Views – what will people be looking at when sitting. For circulation, you want to position a sitting area in a location where circulation will not pass directly through, making the space distracting, unless you have no choice. For creating comfortable seating for conversation, orient chairs, sofas, and gliders towards each other, 6 to 8 feet apart; this is a comfortable distance for talking without feeling too close. For views, you can create focal points with trees and shrubs in the distance, or planters and ornaments closer by.

Dealing with wind and sun

From your site analysis you have discovered information about how the wind blows. By knowing the direction of the prevailing winds you can make some good decisions about the placement of certain items. First, if you are going to include a grill or barbeque be sure to locate these accessories in a location in which the wind will carry the smoke from the cooking fire away from the outdoor space; there’s nothing more irritating than the uncomfortable sting of a smoky grill. Also, if you have an area with cold wind, you can block it by creating vertical planes; this can be done by planting trees or shrubs in the ground, or by placing them in planters within or around a part of the patio. Fences and walls can also help. As for sun, these same vertical planes can screen hot, late afternoon sun. For overhead sun, retractable awnings can be a very effective way to minimize both sun and heat. These awnings are designed to extend (open) or retract (close) to create shade or sun options. Other ways to create shade from the hot sun: patio umbrellas and trellises, pergolas, or arbors.

Creating a sense of enclosure

Creating a sense of enclosure is a great way to make your outdoor space more intimate; it is also a great way to create separation and privacy from your neighbors. Think of the walls and ceilings inside your home: the walls are the vertical plane and the ceiling is the overhead plane. Outdoors these vertical and overhead planes help create the foundations to an outdoor room. While you don’t want to overdo it or completely enclose your outdoor space, adding elements: shrubs, trees, arbors, trellises pergolas and such in a careful way can improve the atmosphere of your patio space.

Buying patio furniture and accessories

Once you’ve measured your outdoor space, done the site analysis and figured out the area where you will be putting your outdoor furniture it’s time to begin reviewing outdoor furniture and accessory options. If your patio is very small, you may only want to buy 1 or 2 chairs or loungers for conversation and relaxing, and a small bistro table with chairs for snacking. If your space is large, you may be looking for a larger seating arrangement: sofas, chairs, coffee tables, in one area and a patio set with umbrella in another. There are many options and styles available and you can learn more about the materials and brands available by visiting a local patio furniture store or by shopping online. Popular furniture materials include: outdoor wicker, teak, wrought iron, cast aluminum, recycled plastic and casual aluminum. You can buy this furniture individually or as a set such as a dining table complete with chairs. With many patio furniture options to choose from you can easily create an outdoor space that will be well used. Additional outdoor decorating accessories such as patio lamps, fire pits, garden arbors and trellises, and outdoor heaters fit in well to create a great atmosphere outdoors as well as being extremely functional. For example, outdoor heaters will greatly extend your time outside, allowing for more time to enjoy yourself outdoors later into fall, and earlier into spring. Outdoor fireplaces such as: chimeneas, fire pits or even a gas outdoor fireplace create a great atmosphere and focal point, as well the opportunity to grill, heat, or just enjoy hanging out by the fire.

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La Olla – Oaxaca Restaurant Review

Bistro Table — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:40:21 +0000

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Sit down in most small restaurants in Oaxaca, order the comida corrida (full meal, daily special) and as fast as the Flying Burrito Brothers your server arrives with a bowl of tepid soup with minuscule floating grease bubbles, a healthy portion of fried-in-oil-then-boiled white rice flecked with cubed carrot, a small piece of overcooked meat or poultry swimming in a scrumptiously tangy mole, a glass of fruity water-of-the-day (agua del día), and a two-inch slab of flan to finish … on the other hand there’s La Olla.

At popular downtown bistro-style restaurant La Olla, whether patrons indeed order the daily special, or select from the menu, co-owner-chef Pilar Cabrera offers the polar opposite — a healthy yet flavorful and traditionally herbed alternative. She and husband Luis for years have had a faithful following of tourists and residents alike. This welcoming oasis has managed to thrive without my business, I suppose because while living in Oaxaca I’ve learned to live with lard, pine for Pan Bimbo and bolillos (respectively, the Mexican equivalent to starch-white Wonderbread, and crusty Portuguese-style buns), and search out everything else sugary, processed and refined. The sixties’ all-things-good-for-you mentality had been baked out of mind forever, or so I had thought.

La Olla is a thirty-seat eatery with simple wooden tables and chairs and an adobe-brick and hand-painted tile hearth as focal point, on the main floor. A larger dining room with bar is upstairs. The restaurant is adorned with art by Oaxacan artists who exhibit on a rotating basis.

On this visit, my wife and our daughter Sarah chose from la carta, while I, daring the kitchen to even try to reduce my cholesterol level, opted for the 70 peso complete comida. Almost immediately upon being seated, a small loaf of fresh, hand-sliced whole grain bread, alongside tortilla chips, arrived in a basket, accompanied by butter, salsa and marinated vegetables. Predictably, Arlene gravitated towards the un-husked while I munched on the fried masa (corn).

I hadn’t drank anything green since listening to Deep Purple, Moby Grape and the early years of Pink Floyd, so when tall soda-fountain glasses of what appeared to be murky algae arrived, I was aghast — pineapple celery juice. I had no choice. I wasn’t even asked if I would prefer Red Bull, or anything else with first ingredient dextrose, fructose or caffeine. It was well-chilled, with just the right combination of fruit and vegetable so as to provide a refreshing naturally sweet nectar, neither ingredient masking the flavor of the other.

The psychedelia continued. Who would ever think of combining peanuts, jícama (yam bean), orange pieces and boiled beet in its juices, and then having the nerve to call it a salad? I was in a purple haze. Definitely not the limp lettuce to which I’d become accustomed, drenched in a sea of joyful oil. Crunch and munch, followed by a sunburst of citrus, then soft legume, with seemingly more flavors, textures, colors and tones than the totality of each individual component.

Thankfully my soup held no surprises, although lima beans are not normally regular restaurant fare in Oaxaca, or elsewhere in this hemisphere. They were complemented by nopal (paddle cactus), onion, tomato with seed, and cheese, chile providing the requisite bite. Once again, attention had been paid to ensuring different degrees of consistency.

The chicken fajitas, on the other hand, were not as expected. But by this time I had reverted to my former self of decades long past, and willingly welcomed a main dish lacking excess grease. The strips of chicken breast were tender. The vegetables had been prepared separately so as to maintain their individual, appropriate degrees of doneness. The liquid was more in the nature of light stew juices than canola á la wok. The seasoning was Italian, yet with the pleasing essence of fresh cilantro predominating.

Sarah’s organic salad mirrored mine in terms of flavor and texture, but was sliced baked apple, watermelon chunks, flax seed and goat cheese. Her sopa azteca was inimitably served. Most Oaxacan restaurants serve all ingredients already combined, or the potage and some ingredients arriving already mixed together with those remaining on the side. At La Olla the tortilla slivers, cubed queso (cheese), avocado and dried chile pasillo strips are presented in a bowl, over which is then poured the tomato-based broth. Unfortunately the rich and distinctive flavor of the chile is not readily apparent due to the way the soup is served, so it’s best to either stir and wait, or add some salsa and fresh lime juice to achieve maximum zestiness … unless you have a cowardly palate.

Arlene ordered the guachinango (snapper), deviating from her general rule of avoiding fish and seafood while in Mexico’s interior. This new menu item is a keeper. Two good-size portions of properly pouched pisces, each wrapped in aromatic yierba santa leaf, were offered on a plate ringed with salsa guajillo. Once again there was a healthy bit of heat, and different textures provided by plaintain, nopal and jícama.

Our only regret was not having had an opportunity to sample some of the other natural fruit and vegetable combination juices and one of the hale and hearty sandwiches, for which La Olla is known. Perhaps next time … with alfalfa sprouts on the side, por favor.

La Olla

Calle Reforma No. 402

Centro Histórico, Oaxaca

Hours: Mon – Sat, 8 am – 10 pm

Live music Fri and Sat night, 8 – 10

T: (951) 516-6668

W: http://www.laolla.com.mx

E: bbsabores@prodigy.net.mx

Tags : bistro table