October 15. Lunch At Dora Maria In Vegas.

The Hawthornes have a hankering for Mexican food and we're taking advantage of every place we can find. We've been finding some excellent ones. Case in point - Dora Maria.

Dora Maria is family owned and operated and was established in 1984. This bodes well.

Wall decor.

Ceiling decor.

Warm chips and two types of salsa - chunky and smooth- were brought to the table immediately.

Mr. Hawthorne had a taco ...

... and an enchilada with rice and refried beans.

I continued my love affair with chile rellenos.

Something I've noticed about authentic Mexican cuisine is the sauce. It ain't from a can. I'm going to work on this when I get home and come up with my version of the sauce. It's not red like tomato sauce out of a can, which I've always wondered about. Exactly what kinds of chemicals are in it? Whenever I have any leftover tomato sauce and store it in a tupperware container, the container is irreparably stained. What types of carcinogenic dyes would cause this? I'm thinking maybe if I coated the plastic container with a thin coat of oil I might avoid the staining in the tupperware but I still wonder what's happening to my stomach lining.

It's so nice to experience real Mexican food. It's indescribably good. This is going to be my next project. Take notes Ange!*

* Ange from Wisconsin is working on a culinary spreadsheet for me. She's keeping track of all the things I want to try when I get home. Again, thanks, Ange!