It was a beautiful Sunday in Wellington today. The air was crisp and cool but the sun was bright and the first signs of spring were visible. For example, as I wheeled along the waterfront promenade this afternoon, a few brave young men and women were in sleeveless tops or short shorts, anticipating temperatures that […]
The Wellingtonista is not just about bringing the snark to the deserving. Sometimes we drop the cynical worn-out hipster thing to bring food to the deserving. We need to tell you that the Downtown Community Ministry food bank is just about out of food. Unfortunately, more people need their help than ever before. Yesterday their […]
The Offbeat Originals story has a happy ending it seems — they are open for business, since Tuesday even. We can report that the fishburgers are just as they always were. Previously: What happened? Most missed Signs of life And the original Wellingtonista Offbeat review
It’s nice to see some solid local news reporting over at new Wellington website The Examiner. The Examiner says it aims to be “… a site where we look deeper and think harder about the city we live in and the issues that matter to us. It is also a forum for telling Wellingtonians’ stories, […]
Oi Galera! The 2010 Live Brazil festival kicks off tonight and runs until Sunday night. There will be Brazilian music, dance, and food — what more could you want? Most events will be at Estadio on Blair St (the former Temperance) but tonight’s performances are at Te Papa. Check out the programme.
I was out with my Dad and my daughter today and needed to find lunch for three generations of Judds in the Cuba St area. I thought we’d wander down the Left Bank to get some empanadas from Buenos Aires. Despite the window saying that they are open 12-2 on Fridays, Buenos Aires was decidedly shut. So we went next door to Viva Mexico instead.
It was a surprise when we walked in to see that the place was completely redecorated. It’s now a revolucion-themed taqueria. I talked to the new owner and he’s a solid Zapatista — that stuff’s not just hip branding.
We were quickly seated and given menus. The choices are pretty basic: enchiladas, tacos, or eggs with a variety of fillings and sauces. I watched other tables’ food go out and it looked good. Like other cuisines that prize homogenous textures and complex mixtures, Mexican food can be danger of looking like cafeteria slop, so it was good to have nice plating.
I had not even begun to wonder where our order was when the proprietor apologised for the wait and gave us a little dish of fried cheese-stuffed jalapeños to keep us going. They were good enough that I would have been happy to be kept waiting longer as long as the apology food kept coming. Our orders came out shortly afterwards and they were damned tasty. Of note was my huevos machaca, eggs scrambled with shredded beef and a good dose of hot peppers.
The food, the politics and the price are all more than good enough for a humble taqueria and we left well satisfied. I know many people liked the old regime at Viva Mexico — I am happy to report that the new regime is more than up to the job ¡Viva Viva Mexico!
Follow-up question: where do readers rate for Mexican food in this town?
WCC Watch is a local website that does what it says on the tin.
They drew our attention with some kind words a few days ago.
If you haven’t voted yet, they seem like an ideal source for additional reading to inform your decision. Their recent archives have a lot of good material on the candidates.
If you have voted, we expect they’ll be doing a good job post-election in monitoring what those naughty councillors get up to.
We at Wellingtonista Towers are pleased to see something happening at the old Temperance premises on Blair St. (Previously on the Wellingtonista). Some enterprising local Latin Americans are setting up "Estadio" in time for the World Cup. They promise "great Latino breakfasts" from 6 am. Football and beer — it’s what’s for breakfast. We await your reports.
Word on the street is that this is the start of a longer-term plan to transform the Temperance into a permanent Latin-themed bar.
Click "read more" for the details:
Cycle Aware Wellington has a cute campaign going to encourage cyclists to ride nicely on the waterfront.
If there’s anything we at the Wellingtonista endorse, it’s freebies and nice cyclists.
More details here.
If you want to do anything about the proposal to extend the liquor ban to cover the whole city 24/7, get your submission in now.
To recap: the proposal is to ban carrying or drinking alcohol in any public place in the city. This is meant to deal with the problem of antisocial drinkers in places like the middle of Newtown, but it’s a very broad draconian measure. Advocates say not to worry, because you can trust the police to use their discretion wisely. Some of us think that the right approach would be a bit more nuanced and involve actually engaging directly with the problem of street alcoholics rather than making all citizens who want a beer on the beach or a glass of wine at a picnic potential criminals.