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Mexico Lindo, a closer look
Aloha!
2/12/09 - Anyone unfortunate enough to have gotten caught in the traffic jam this past Monday morning? Perry and Price had no idea what was going on, and neither did thousands of morning commuters, until someone finally called to inform everyone that those full-page ads in the paper, along with a hefty dose of television and radio time, were enough to coax a whole lot of people out to the Blaisdell that morning! The Get Motivated seminar was a pretty big bash, I'd say, with speakers like Eli Manning, Kurt Warner, Rick Belluzzo, Zig Ziglar, Greg McMackin, and more, all speaking live and in-person. Pretty good crowd, ey? And this was right after an intermission, when a whole lot of people were still outside!
No wonder the streets were so packed! I can always hear a good, positive, up-lifting message any day of the week, but the real reason I went was to hear Rudy Giuliani, the man I really, really wanted sworn in as our next President. Whaaa...???
"You mean you didn't want Barack Obama? What's wrong with you!!!"
Easy over there... Don't stone me alive, allright, and I won't tell you all the reasons I didn't vote for President Obama, even though, believe me, the reasons are a-many! What I will do, however, is stick with the positive's, and tell you why I wanted Rudy in, and it ain't only because of his leadership after 9-11, either. Actually, it's much more about what he did before that.
I believe there are two unique positions that prepare a person to govern more than any others, and Mr. Giuliani happens to have both. First off, to once be at the helm of a successful business, especially as CEO of a huge, publicly-traded company, is to be counted as among the most competent people in the world. They don't have the luxury of just looking good, making excuses, or talking their way out of anything (in other words... typical politician???) - they either have to run a tight ship and produce results, or get the boot! And the second best position for anyone to have acquired, in my opinion, is some degree of successful Executive Governmental experience, where responsibility for everything in your City or State fell squarely upon your shoulders. I'm sorry, but one of the biggest jobs a Congressmen has is to pull pork into their own State! There's very little accountability there, and they don't even have to vote on bills they consider too tough! What kind of leadership prep is that when they can simply turn a blind eye to whatever issue they choose to run away from?
Rudy Giuliani's strong, decisive leadership took New York from being one of the most dangerous cities in America and a cesspool of corruption and criminal activity, to a complete, 180-degree turn into one of the safest! I don't think there's ever been such a dramatic change in the history of American politics! As a result, New Yorker's took more pride in their city, the people felt safer, and the economy roared back to life! Criminals suck, brah! Take these low-life's off the streets and we'll all be the better for it!
Talk about change! This man standing here is actually the proven leader for real, dramatic, and lasting change, that's for sure! You can love him or hate him, and agree or disagree with his policies, but there's no doubting that he will produce results!
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He and another speaker, Krish Dhanam, were by far the best speakers of the day. Mr. Giuliani was serious-minded and intallectually stimulating, while Mr. Dhanam was fun, witty, and super-clear on his message that if we think we have it hard in America, we simply haven't seen the rest of the world. As an Immigrant who arrived here from India with only $9 in his pocket, he said that if America were to accomplish absolutely nothing more for the next 50 years, we'd still be the greatest country on the face of the earth, ever! Amen to that! If you're not thankful for being here, honestly, I think you should move overseas and get a healthy dose of reality. That's why, as Mr. Dhanam said, the entire world is trying to get in, not get out! We just don't know how good we got it, is all!
All things told, it was a great conference, with just about every speaker coming with a positive emphasis on God, country, a hefty thanks to our proud military, and goodwill to our fellow man, along with an encouraging message that we can and will succeed in everything we set out to accomplish. Double Amen to that!
Wifey and I left on a high note, and headed out to Kailua for dinner. Our sights were set upon a bustling Mexican restaurant called Mexico Lindo, at the Kailua Shopping Center.
This was our second visit here, and each time we were met with a pretty good-sized crowd, with a large contingent of Military personnel, most likely from nearby Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Base. Don't let the few open tables fool you. This animatedly-designed restaurant was packed soon after I took the shot, and a line began forming right outside the door. Folks were busy throwin' down margarita's and Corona's, and the atmosphere got even more festive with the addition of a single performer belting out up-beat Spanish tunes.
And easy it was getting into the spirit of it all, especially after a couple of Mexican beers, the first being a really smooth Pacifico, which I preferred much more than the other, a Dos Equis lager, both of which came with a slice of lime. Wifey's giant margarita sits in the background.
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The complementary basket of chips seemed home-made, coming thin and crisp but also looking like someone sat on the basket, with lots of tiny, cracked pieces on the bottom. The salsa came with some fresh ingredients, but I can't say it was 100% fresh, if you know what I mean. Hey, you can't always expect it, at least not in Hawaii.
The menu here is reasonably large and varied, with many types of salads, appetizers, seafoods, meats, and desserts. There are burritos, tamales, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, chimichangas, and more. The decision was not an easy one, but I settled upon three appetizers instead of a full plate - only, it was more like two, because wifey needed her ceviche. Me, I really don't care for the stuff too much, and this one didn't do much to change my mind. I dunno, maybe I'd have liked it better if it weren't soaked in the lime juice for so long - it just seemed like the acidity of the citrus cooked the fish so thoroughly, it almost tasted as if it were thrown in the oven, then chilled. If you do like ceviche, however, you'd be fine here, as even this regular order (there's also a large) came in very liberal portions, which wifey and I never came close to finishing. I would've preferred more of that delicious avocado, though, which tasted mighty fine in all that citrus/fish sauce.
As for the next appetizer, I thought about shrimp, but aaah, what kind? Shrimp cocktail, garlic shrimp, chorizo sausage w/shrimp, shrimp in chipotle sauce, shrimp in diablo sauce, shrimp in a taco, burrito, enchilada.....??? It all just got me confused, so I ditched the choices altogether and went with scallops sauteed in a mellow chipotle sauce, instead! These plump, pretty pieces came in generous portions, and were fresh and perfectly cooked - just ever-so-slightly past raw and with a soft, tender, succulent flesh. The smooth taste of chipotle, which is a smoke-dried jalapeno, was not overpowering at all, perfectly complementing the subtle taste and delicate qualities of the scallop. See those dark-looking things? I always taste them in Mexican dishes, just like in the next dish we had after this...
Our final appetizer was an order of champinones, or mushrooms, which were served fresh, whole, and beautiful, coming sauteed in a garlic butter wine sauce. Sound Mexican to you? Well, it actually did taste the part, with those little bits of something-or-other that were similiarly found earlier in the scallops, looking very much like the drippings of a sizzling steak in some type of Spanish seasoning. I don't have any clue if this is the case, but whether it be scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, or whatever's, they often come out in this type of rustic, though delicious, method of preparation. Someone please let me know what this is, as you can probably tell by now that I'm not the greatest expert on Mexican cuisine!
Anyhow, just like the scallops, these mushrooms were perfectly cooked, not over-done, and bursting with the natural flavors of the main ingredients, themselves. Both dishes came heavy on the oily side, but boy, were they tasty and delicious, both making perfect appetizers or even whole meals.
Despite all these heavy starter's, we actually did end up ordering a full plate, which came in the form of a carne asada plate with side's of salsa fresca, Mexican rice, beans, and a single tortilla wrapped in a foil pouch. I don't know why, but I didn't even bother to ask what kind of cut it was. For some reason, I just assumed it would be rib-eye, probably because I've had rib-eye cuts at the last two Mexican eateries we visited.
No, no, upon the very first glance of our last order, I knew I made a miss-steak. In fact, I didn't even tell them to cut the flame upon reaching medium-cooked, and it arrived well-done! What was I thinkin'? It wasn't a complete loss, though, as the side dishes were all great, and the steak did come with a nice, well-seasoned flavor. It's just that there's not much you can do with a well-done cut that must have been round or sirloin, or at least something comparable.
I'm really interested in trying a few more of the appetizers here at Mexico Lindo, such as the nachos and pork taquitos, which our kind waitress said were both very popular, as well as the shrimp dishes I mentioned earlier. The meals here, both times we came, were all well-seasoned and robust, and when combined with the casual, boisterous, up-beat atmosphere, allowed for a fun, drink-friendly environment that makes us wanna come back again. So yeah, go ahead and Get Motivated to check out Kailua town and this happening Mexican restaurant!
Hope you're all having a fabulous week, and please forgive me if I've upset your political views. Hey, you already know I talk about every subject under the sun on this, the blog-side of my site. It just tied in so much to the Seminar, is all! I know, I know, I'm making excuses for the shameless use of this bully pulpit. Well, feel free to let me know if you disagree, and maybe I'll post up your counter-points - as long as it's done in a respectful manner!
So take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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