Saturday, December 08, 2007

Casa Bo-need-a-Tums...

If you're not from around here (Colorado), you have NO IDEA what my title means. In fact, sometimes I think I'm so clever (and find I'm the only one) that maybe you're a Colorado native and still met my title with a blank stare. I forgive you, although I hope I at least get a courtesy laugh after you hear my explanation.

Well, here's one for the baby book of milestones: our girls experienced Casa Bonita for the first time on Thursday night. (Disclaimer: we tagged along with Gary's college group. This was not our idea.)

For those unfamiliar with the tourist trap that is Casa Bonita, let's just say you don't go there for the food. Got it?

{insert courtesy laugh here}

My sister Abby heard we were going and said, "Enjoy the flavored cardboard, Ang!" And well, it's not far from the truth. I don't have much to say about the whole experience, except that the food was just as bueno as I remembered. The sopaipillas are the only thing that redeemed our meal for us, and yet, Emma wouldn't even try it. Is that any reflection of the trust she lost while consuming her entree? Come on, Casa Bonita. Even a four year old with (in)discriminating taste knew better than to move on and try dessert. And you lost her at "chicken fingers!" Unheard of! (She really missed out... those sopaipillas were good. Oh, and when I first typed sopapaillas I misspelled it and my auto-dictionary recommended "capillaries." Wow. Now that would have made for an interesting dessert.)

I'll let pictures tell the story of our evening. And next time you're going to Casa Bonita and you think to invite me, just remember that I probably have to sort my paperclips that night or catch up on my dictionary reading. Or something. Anything.

Addie LOVED the capillaries.


BAD picture, but both girls were into the bad guy (Black Bart) vs. good guy show. Sorry, all you Casa Bonita fans, I missed getting a picture of the giant fake gorilla.


Ooooo... the fire juggler. After this he dove into the water with the fire, which Emma informed me was dangerous.


And now... the backside of water! (That's a little Jungle Cruise humor... anyone?)


Here's Emma waiting for the puppet show... that we missed.




There's Gary and Addie down there!


Awww. You can see how happy the girls are.


Do you see Gary back there trying to distract the diver? I didn't even know he was in the picture until later. Silly boy.


There was mariachi music too. I think I really captured it.


Picture I didn't get: Emma and Addie being scared in Black Bart's cave... a little too scary for them. Plus, the girl behind Gary was a tad bit inebriated, and we later saw her being kicked out of the restaurant and running through the parking lot.

The best part of the whole night is that Gary came away with 8 or 9 tickets from the arcade, and the girls thought those were their prize. They were thrilled! So the next day, they were happy to give me a ticket for juice in the morning, a ticket for a bagel, and a piggy back ride cost 2 tickets. We had so much fun! They could earn their tickets back to reuse if they were good. So Casa Bonita wasn't a bust after all! Thank you, Casa Bonita, for supplying me with golden tickets!

8 comments:

  1. Angie this is so hilarious. It took me a few minutes to figure out your title. And I even worked there!!! We too have, eh-hm, enjoyed the wonder that is Casa Bonita. As in I wonder why people actually eat here! Blech. Our kids loved the divers and caves and we too missed the puppet show! Twice! It looks like you had a good time and I hope if you go there again that you eat first!

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  2. What, no old-timey sepia-toned family photo from the mineshaft? Now that would have REALLY captured the moment.

    You have me in tears! There is a HILARIOUS South Park episode that only Coloradoans would understand that features Casa Bonita (next to a million and ten bail bond stores). Glad Black Bart didn't get you guys.

    Oh and those capillaries are sooooooo good, but the jerks, I mean genuises, that run the joint won't let you go in just for the capillaries, you have to buy the world's finest entree just to see the wonder that is the Bonita.

    PS--Next time I bring a boyfriend home to Colorado, I am sooooooo taking him to CB. It will be my little test for him. If he can withstand that, then he can withstand anything!

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  3. I can't believe that place is still in business. Wow. I love the family picture, the girls look like they are wondering what kind of creepy place their cool parents brought them to. At least they can chalk it up to the experience, at least they can say they've been there. :-) Yeah the sopapillas are the only redeeming part of the place. And I'm sure they aren't very good for the capillaries.

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  4. It's been years since I visited Casa Bonita. This post brought back all the technicolor horror. Errr, I mean, hilarity. Thanks for the memories.

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  5. I chuckled right away at your title. Casa Bonita was always the restaurant of choice for my brother and me when we went out for our birthday dinners. Considering we only went out to eat on a family members birthday that added up to four times a year (two of which would be Casa Bonita). I never really considered the extreme sacrafices of my parents.

    Casa Bonita has so much nostalgia for me that I think I will leave it as a happy memory instead of ruining it all with a visit. Though a visit might be worth seeing the look of horror on my foodie-husband's face:)

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  6. I knew exactly what you were talking about--right from the start. But how I LOVED it as a kid.

    Did you get glow in the dark bracelets?

    We have yet to take the girls. Every time I mention it, Toben decides he has to, um, sort his paper clips!

    See you in the morning!

    Joanne

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  7. Hi Angie. I am a friend of Michelle's...this post cracked me up! Casa Bonita's is a place of fond memories for me as we would go there whenever we ventured to Colorado (we're from KS). Many years had passed since my last Bonitas experience, but a couple of years ago I forced my husband and some friends to go there when we were in Denver. Yikes...it was awful! (sopapillas excluded of course.) We did enjoy the atmosphere and made a memory...just not how I had remembered it from my elementary days : )
    Kylene

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  8. The experience sounds cool.. but I'd have to eat first, I think. Blech.

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