venangago-go: "Mexican" food and Art Exhibits

About fifteen years ago, my friend Mark McClusky and I sat in what had been the Idlewood restraint, but had been turned into a Mexican restaurant of dubious notoriety that we had termed "Nos Vomitos". The original name escapes me. That night, I ordered a bean burrito and when the waiter had taken the order back, the cook suddenly appeared at the window between the counter and the kitchen.
"Who ordered the bean burrito," he asked?
"I did," I answered.
"Order something else," he said forcefully, "Seriously, you don't want to eat what that's made of."
Flash forward fourteen years. It's Christmas break and my wife and I sit in the freezing dimly lit dining room of El Canelo in the Oil City Arlington Inn, in what used to be Kate's, when the hotel was still a Holiday Inn, before the franchise had been pulled for, well, why ever...
We order, unfortunately, following the advice on the menu, one of the combination platters and are treated to doughy, lukewarm Tex Mex cuisine that would have made an e coli platter at ChiChis pretty attractive.
Finally, flash forward one year to last Saturday when I, defying all logic, went to the El Canelo that has opened on Route 8 just south of Franklin. There's no bar yet, and no hint that they may get one, but the food was piping hot, Telemundo boomed from the satelite, and most surprising, the place had a good mix of young couples, families like me, and old guys already jockying up to the counter. Bienvenido a la barrio, caballeros.

They're thinking of Christmas already in Titusville.

With leather seats, booze and big screen football, it sounds like the new theatre is in direct competition with Synn City.

The Virginia theatre in NYC (on W52nd) is being renamed in honor of dying Pittsburgh playwright, August Wilson.

Pittsburgh was also named as one of 10 international "Islands of Green" in the Sept-Oct 05 issue of the Utne Reader. Cited was its large Dutch (?) population. Huh? I mean, it's a nice honor and all, but, did I miss something... (registration required to read the whole article)

Caldecott Award winner Paul O Zelinky's work is on display at the Schuster Gallery at Gannon University (3rd floor of the Nash Library, 619 Sassafras St)

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Allegheny College has two great exhibitions going on right now, "Eight Hour Drawings" and "Graphics & Graphix" both through Oct 4. One of the artists in "G&G" owes me money. So if you see Michael Budai - tell him I want my art or my money.

The Great Lakes Independent Film Festival swears that Andy Dick is going to be at the fest...But which Andy will it be? Crazy drunken coked up Andy Dick or the safe for TV Andy?

The Franklin Public Library is accepting donations of used books through September 28th for their Used Book Sale from Oct 1 to Oct 10th