Jottings from the Granite Studio

We’re old. Not chronologically per se, but simply in our habits.  Nevertheless, we decided to fight the gravitational pull of our couch and go out for the evening on the town with our friends B. & V.

Dinner was at El Fogoncito over by Wanda Plaza.  I grew up in New Hampshire, so I can hardly claim to be an expert on authentic Mexican food, but I do go to graduate school in the Central Valley of California and have probably had more dinners at the local taquerias than is healthy for my cholestorol level.  I have to say the food at Fogoncitos is pretty good. The taco shells and chips tasted a bit stale, but overall the rest of the dishes were decent and the relative authenticity was a nice shift from the Tex-Mex focus of the other Mexican offerings in town.  The service on the other hand was…hysterical.  Not funny–though there were moments–but bordering on actual hysteria.  The waitress took a few tries getting the order right, she was sweet and polite, but became progressively flustered as she forgot to serve certain dishes while doubling up on others.  The much-discussed mariachi musicians (who, to debunk a rumor, are actually from Mexico and not three Uighurs in sombreros) were top-notch and a nice touch, but the music was ill-suited to the size of the venue.  There’s something about the mariachi trumpet, like the bagpipes, that does not lend itself well to small, enclosed spaces.  As they wandered too close, we found ourselves shouting above the din to keep up with the conversation.

We finished dinner and meandered down to Stone Boat to catch a bit of Woodie Alan.  The Stone Boat is easily my favorite place for live music in the city: outside, under the trees, and by the lake with the relative tranquility of the park, listening to a night split by the sounds of folk or jazz is a real treat.  Yeah, the bugs can come out and there was a light rain, but…okay, so those two things can suck, but I still love the place.

Finally, at the insistence of our wives, we ended up at Kro’s Nest for their charity bachelor auction.  (YJ asked if they would have a bachelorette auction as well.  I suggested that Beijing already has a number of establishments along those lines, much to the chagrin of BOCOG, but I digress.)  It was a lively little affair and all for a good cause, but nevertheless could have done with some streamlining.  For those of us not there to bid but simply to watch the spectacle, the decision to stall and stretch the thing out for two hours was a little annoying.  We ended up leaving well before the end, but not before a member of the Mexico Olympic Men’s Beach Volleyball team was auctioned off for 4000 RMB to a small cartel of lasses.  The applause elicited by his ripped, shirtless torso (particularly the applause from some in my general vicinity) was a strong reminder that I probably shouldn’t have ordered a second round of tacos at dinner and might want to instead start seriously considering sit-ups…Ah well, such is.

Yep, we’re a long way from South Bar Street, Toto.