Monday, March 21, 2005

Mundane Monday

A lot of places were closed today for some reason. I am begining to run out of bars on the south side of town, at least ones that are open in the afternoon. Tomorrow I will be making a night-time sweep to see what I can pick up.

327) Dragon Rojo

This place, on Insurgentes, has a somewhat Asian ambience, as you might gather from its name. A fairly good-sized bar with a dark-wood top resting on what looks to be cement covered with some kind of varnished cloth. Kind of like burlap but lighter and finer. The bar rail was bamboo as were the bar-chairs which had woven backs and light-tan cushions. There were two large light-pink Chinese lanterns hanging above the bar from decorative wooden cabinets with glass holders on the bottom. A couple more of the same lanterns hung from a large cement beam over the fairly spacious dining area. Behind the bar was a dark-brown cement credenza with louvered dark-wood doors. Above that was a dark-wood, mirror-backed shelf that held the liquor supply.

Several Asian-style prints, mostly of tree branches, blossoms, and birds (all on the same print) decorated the pale yellow walls. There was a small outside eating area extended in front of the place. Wind chimes hung in the three large arched doorways.

Directly behind the bar and facing the customer was a large bar-sink rimmed in bright-red ceramic tile. I got to enjoy my beer listening to the Mexican woman washing the dishes singing softly to herself.

I had a Pacifico.

328) La Fonda

Up Badillo, past Steve's (a key reference point for me) is La Fonda. It has an L shaped bar with a nice wood top that had a light and dark grain to it and was nicely finished. The front of the bar is white plaster, kind of an extension of the wall itself. Above the bar is a curved wooden rack for the glasses. The kitchen is also behind the bar. The bar stools were light wood, kind of minimal, with a small seat. Not the most comfortable.

The inside eating area had a battleship-gray floor. The ceiling was painted to look like a cloudy sky with sillouettes of birds, the kind that look like pterodactyls and ply the skys above the bay here. There were a few paintings by a local artist on the walls that were for sale (the paintings, not the walls). There was also a nice little outdoor eating area in the back that was accessible through a sliding glass door.

I had a gin and tonic and called it a day.

Two today to bring me up to 328 for the year and 672 left to go.

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