Mama's Mexican Kitchen

Woo, woo!! It's the third Tuesday of the month and so it is lunch with Mike the Liberal.

Mike got to pick the restaurant this month and he chose one in Belltown soooo, it's off to the Link and pay their extortion for the short ride downtown. Again, love the Link....just don't like the cost.

Waiting for the Southbound Link, I got me a self-portrait. Looking pensive.

Heading downtown, lookit the skies!! It's a somewhat sunny day here in the Emerald City. 

And it gets better. Here's a shot up 5th Avenue where the Monorails starts. Allie took me on my first and last Monorail ride a couple of years ago.

It was a short walk, just six blocks and I got to Mama's. Mike's been coming here for a long time from way back when he was in broadcasting. 

The place has a colorful front but it doesn't hold a candle to what it's like on the inside.

Look!! There's Mike. For the first time, he got to the restaurant before me. He's looking tan and fit as he and his wife just got back from a vacation down in Puerto Vallarta. Ah, the idle rich.

Here it is....Mama's Mexican Kitchen, authentic since 1974. Authentic what, I don't know.

Pretty colorful, eh? Take a look at the door. That's an original!!

Here's a detail of the door. Honestly, I had to look around to locate where the door handle was. It took a couple of seconds. Can you find it?

Inside to Mama's...

The restaurant is divided into small....rooms? It's kinda put together with no rhyme or reason. This shot is from the table we were sitting at towards the street side of the restaurant.

And, here, right next to us, is the oddest little booth I've ever seen!! No one used it while we were there, but I do think it's a functional table....with privacy. You get to eat with Elvis and Jimi Hendrix among other artists.

Now, having introduced Elvis into the conversation, let's go see the Elvis Room. Yeah, that's what they've named it. It is a room dedicated to....Elvis.

Mike used to bring his daughter here for lunch. She's a HUGE Elvis fan. They had some great times here at Mama's.

Everything in the room is Elvis.

Here's the fun part...people who come in draw portraits of Elvis on their napkins and then pin them to the wall. Some of them are surprisingly good. Others....not so.

Look up at the previous picture and you can see how many have been pinned on the wall.

I don't know if this is an original but it's cool. 

A serving tray from the '62 World's Fair.

Some of the original artwork on the way to the restroom.

And some original art of the restaurant. Nice, isn't it? It was hanging right above us.

I couldn't believe it, but I forgot to get pictures of my meal. I had a really great beef tamale and cheese enchilada along with some frijoles and arroz. It was very good. Very good. Here's the remains.

After lunch, Mike toured me through the rest of the restaurant. Here's the bar. 

More eating....spaces. This one with a mobile Mike.

Ah, Old Mexico....loving the maize.

Here's a picture of the restaurant from back in the '30s.

The buildings on the corner are still there...

Here's the entry way on our way out. City Produce is on a truck parked along the road.

Outside, I saw this great stature of Elvis in the window.

Walkin' back to the Link at Westgate I saw this ol' Flatiron building, again. I have a soft spot in my heart for these architectural gems. And blue skies...see'em!?!

Down to the Link and the business and speed of the people arriving and departing.

And in the middle of all this motion you find some tranquility. Kid was taking a nap.

Adios, Big City!!

Another self-portrait.

And, finally, home.

I always enjoy these lunches. I get to got to places I would never have gone to on my own. My only regret is that the time is so short that I feel I never get to get into deep conversations with Mike. He deftly avoids all my jabs at his politics. It seems we talk about a lot but nothing too deep.

Good times; Good food; Good Friends

Hooah!!