Chile colorado

Foot of the Grapevine, California, Sept. 13—

AFTER SITTING IN TRAFFIC an hour and a half, we checked in at the Ramada here at the bottom of the Central Valley, in a never-never land that was scheduled to blossom into a huge shopping resort but was stymied by, I suppose, the downturn. Oh well.
The only local restaurant was a Don Pericos branch, theme-y with stucco and bamboo, but with prompt courteous service and a good bar and kitchen. The menu's a pretty standard Cali-Tex-Mex affair, but who am I to ask for more. I had the Chile Colorado, chunks of pork in a spicy, piquant sauce, with the obligatory rice and beans. It took me right back to my childhood, when Dad now and then cooked. Dad was brought up in a border town, Bisbee, and he cooked mean chile colorado.

Margarita, blended, salt-rimmed