Sunday, March 08, 2009

A Sunday In March

Berthas's is located in the Marina Shopping center alongside Highway 12 in Suisun City. In a small storefront of some 10 tables the owner/chef creates some wonderful Salvadoran specialties. We had his pupusas (cornmeal, known as masa, fried with a filling of chicken, pork or carne asada) with or without cheese. Soft and savory on the inside and crispy on the outside against the soft texture and slight sweetness of the masa they were delicious! I had the chicken enchiladas which were lovely and not smothered with cheese as in so many Mexican restaurants, excellent with a saffron rice and homemade refried pinto beans. A soft carne asada taco with a wonderful, dark sauce, piquant and flavorful. All food is cooked to order and came with a Delicious bowl of Salvadoran spiced cabbage "Curtido" and a slight sweet sauce for dipping the pupusas into. Portions were large and the prices quite small, we were soon stuffed and very satisfied. I highly recommend Berthas's Restaurant for Sunday Brunch and any other time you want a different take on the food South of The Border, spicy and delicious and very, very filling!

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We travelled north to Dixon to the fairgrounds there to see an antique fair. Not that we are into antique BUYING these days, more like antique SELLING. We have so much junk that some of it MUST have some value to someone, somewhere. What we found gave me pause for this kind of selling, many sellers...where are the buyers? The damned stimulus hasn't stimulated these antique buyers much! At least NOT in this venue. Perhaps the local Goodwill or Thrift store but not here. eBay has virtually done in many types of antique sales, smalls...you know what I mean, knick-knacks paddy-wacks and dog bones that you used to give away are now all photoed and sold by the millions to eBay buyers worldwide. We have been in that market place selling (largely...ahem) women's clothing as you know. Everything else is for sale too. Big furniture items are, of course, more difficult to sell on eBay as shipping becomes an ISSUE. Hard to use Priority Mail to mail that Grandfather's Clock you know. Cars seem to move as people mad about cars with do just about anything to get one they bought in Des Moines. Car carriers are everywhere and there's ots of profit to be made moving them about. This day there were lots of antique jewelry,
linens, old mouldy books, knick knacks, iron skillets, and furniture. All over-priced as is usual at these things. There is an air of desperation that was quite apparent as each stall's keeper rushed to your side with a "may I help you."
You know what the answer was, don't you dear reader. "No...I'm just looking". They then wandered off to contemplate their navel or suicide which ever came first.
We spent an hour or so perusing the items trying, largly in vain, to find some light weight, hot item with a big price tag we could get from France and haul back with our dirty laundry and make a fortune with. Sure. I'll buy the bridge!
Then homeward, that's when we decided on Bethas's Restaurant, just to try it, and discovered the little gem we reveiwed for the restaurant reveiw website YELP above.