I’ve driven past La Cita more times than I can count but have never looked into eating there. After finally deciding to check it out, I’m just sorry that I didn’t go years ago. It’s a very small place, so I highly recommend making a reservation. We did and when we walked in, they had a table ready and waiting for us. It’s nice to see a restaurant that honors it’s reservations and doesn’t just treat them like call-ahead seating requests.
After you sit down, they bring you some tortilla chips with beans on them and 2 thin salsas, one hotter than the other. This was my one disappointment since I don’t like beans. I would have preferred chips with the beans on the side. However, for free, I can’t complain too much.
We ordered a tamale and empanadas for an appetizer. The tamale had nice size chunks of pork in it. The empanadas aren’t on the menu, but were a special the night we were there. They were cheese filled with the lightest empanada dough I’ve ever had. I hope they’re on the specials menu again the next time I’m there!
For dinner, we shared 2 dishes. First was the “Fiesta Mexicana,” a combo of grilled skirt steak, a chile relleno, and floutas. Every bit of it was delicious. The steak, in particular, tasted like it had been grilled over an open fire. Second was a platter of enchiladas. We got them with the rojas sauce and tried one beef, one chicken and one cheese. They were all quite good, but the cheese is still my favorite as it usually is at any Mexican restaurant.
On their website, they advertise that they want you to feel like family. The friendliness of the staff and the authentic Mexican food that tastes home cooked manages to live up to this goal. This will definitely be our go-to local Mexican place from now on!
The new observation deck at One Liberty Place has been open for a while now, but too often, you don’t think of going to tourist attractions near home. I finally spent a day heading to the top of the formerly tallest building in Philadelphia to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised. After lunch a little Belgian place in Center City, we went up once during the day and once after dark. The views were impressive and they do a nice job of interpreting all that you can see from the 57th floor. I even learned a few new facts despite living here all my life. We also checked out the ice rink at City Hall’s Dilworth Park which was a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.
We’re always looking for things to do in the Fall since it’s one of the best times of the year to be outside. This year we took a Fall foliage ride through the Red Clay Valley on the Wilmington and Western Railroad. Thanks to the terribly warm weather we’ve been having, there wasn’t too much color but it was a fun trip nonetheless. We upgraded to the open air car which gave me a better opportunity to test out my brand new camera, a Nikon D5700. Yes, I finally replaced my trusty D90. I’m very happy with the new camera and there will be MANY more photos to come!
While looking for someplace to go for a day trip, we stumbled upon a balloon festival in North Jersey. Since hot air balloons always make for great photos, I couldn’t pass it up. We bought tickets and headed to Readington Airport. Unfortunately, the day was pretty overcast and there were scattered showers throughout the day. Some of the traditional balloons were able to launch but all of the larger shaped balloons either inflated and stayed tethered or just didn’t inflate at all. As it turned out, the unexpected part that made the price of admission worth it was all of the companies that were there handing out samples of their products. It was a bizarrely eclectic mix of stuff. From Advil to Minute Rice to flavored milk and on and on, we had to make the long muddy walk to the car twice just to offload all of the stuff we’d been given! It was a fun day and we managed to stay mostly dry while watching the balloons that were brave enough to take off despite the questionable weather.