Mexican night on Federal Hill

I just got back from meeting friends in Providence at a Mexican restaurant, of all things, in the heart of the Italian “Federal Hill” part of town. It’s the same restaurant I went to with my Spanish III class from the Brown Univ. Learning Community a year ago. My friends were impressed. They picked the right foods, including some delicious tamale appetizers that I got a taste of, and the right drinks, margaritas – CA had a special marg with, I believe, Herradura tequila in it. My burrito con carne was fine, mercifully light on the queso, but missing the sides because the waiter didn’t understand that I ordered the entire dinner, not just a burrito. He also forgot to bring more chips and salsa even when I asked four times, yes four. But he did manage to surreptitiously feel up KP, who is rather large-bosomed, by somehow managing to simultaneously deliver a dish and remove another from the other side while standing behind her. And CA had chatted him up on whoever the Norteño singer was on the sound system, so maybe the two of them got special perqs, I don’t know. Anyway, since I only got half my meal I decided to make up for it by getting flan, which wasn’t bad.

I filled out the experience by listening to Julieta Venegas’ “Bueninvento” CD on the rides down and back. I haven’t listened to it in ages, but I recognized her voice on the song at the end of the movie “Maria Full of Grace” so I dug it out to listen again. She also has a new album out, but the clips I heard didn’t sound as good. Apparently she’s gotten happy, nice for her, and her new album is softer and poppier. But right now I’m really enjoying the punky attitude she has on “Bueninvento” (especially combined with accordion, an instrument I find inherently funny). I was playing it at home the other day and my housemate asked me which Bjork CD it was. Bjork? Okay, she wasn’t listening that closely so she didn’t notice that it was in Spanish. But I thought about it later and Venegas’ voice quality is not dissimilar to Bjork’s and the music is also inventive. It’s just not quite so out there as Bjork – maybe it’s the difference between Tijuana and Reykjavik outer space.

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