Getting Borracho

In the mood for Mexican? Luckily for Motor residents, there is a new place just a stone's throw from home. Located at 20th and Locust in the space formerly occupied by Nectar, El Borracho serves up traditional Mexican fare with traditional Mexican flair.

You'll be overwhelmed when entering this restaurante by the attention to detail in the decor. They really went the extra mile in this regard, and the effect makes the restaurant unique among many restaurants in the area. With pictures of luchadores and mujeres in thick frames covering every inch of the wall, you can sit for hours looking at all the different things they found to fill their space. Accented by unique lighting and real wood, you'll feel transported to a warm and festive place far from St. Louis.

Another nice surprise about the restaurant is the drink menu. All the drinks are made with real juice - not a mix. Margaritas and sangria are available at happy for a mere $3. They are tasty and a very good size. You only need a few of these deep glasses before dinner to become a little borracho.

While enjoying a margarita; your complimentary hot, crunchy chips; and two types of salsa, you can peruse the menu. The menu fits on a long card, and breaks your choices for a meal into four categories: Starters, Taqueria Borracho, Favorites and Sides. Starters include standards like guacamole and nachos, but also include traditional dishes like queso blanco and posole. We opted for the guacamole, and it came in a heaping bowl that was more than enough for four people. Again, only fresh ingredients are used for this dish, unlike other places which add mayonnaise to their guacamole.

For the entree, you can pick from either the Taqueria or Favorites section of the menu. The tacos are traditional tacos, served on corn tortillas (or wheat if you like them gringo style) and offer you a choice of fillings such as shredded or barbecued pork. The choices on the Favorites menu include classics like burritos and tamales. To accompany your meal, you can pick from a list of sides. Of course beans and rice are available, but there are a few nice surprises like the camote which is a whipped sweet potato dish with a flavor reminiscent of sweet potato pie. Maiz Mexicana is another interesting side. Similar to elote, it is barbecued to a chewy consistency and covered with queso fresco and spices.

Vegetarian options (in case anybody besides me cares : ) are limited in a way since some dishes use traditional ingredients such as lard and chicken stock. I talked with Gary and his head chef the first time we went there, and they took a lot of time to listen to my concerns. They informed me about the dishes I could eat, and I think they talked with their staff because our server had a list of vegetarian dishes in her pocket the next time we went.

El Boracho is a great addition to the downtown restaurant scene. In an area that really needed a Mexican restaurant, this place fills the void in a big way. With festive decor, fresh ingredients, traditional food, and good prices, El Borracho is a great destination for Motor residents, and is only a few blocks away.

El Borracho
2001 Locust St.

The Good Pie

Simple Elegance

Inside a rehabbed brick building on Olive, the owners of The Good Pie make a pizza that is very unique to the St. Louis area, and we are lucky enough to have it close to us. The pizza is Neapolitan style, which adheres to traditional rules and ingredients, but the main thing that gives this pizza its unique flavor is the oven. The owners imported a special oven from Italy, which took them a long time to get into the country. It was extremely heavy and they were barely able to fit it through the door. (It's the big stone thing behind the guy in the picture) The oven is fueled by wood and has a temperature inside of 900 degrees, so the pizza is popped in for a few minutes and brought to your table. This technique gives the pizza a crispy crust, while leaving the simple toppings steaming hot.

Everything in this restaurant seems to follow an idea of making things simple but good. The salad mista is arugula, olive oil, lemon, and Gorgonzola. It's not smothered in ingredients, but lightly mixed for a nice balance of flavor and greens. The olive mista is an olive plate brightened up with a hint of lemon on the olives. The funghi e taleggio is a cooked mushroom dish topped with a tasty cheese. The pizzas also follow this idea of simple elegance. A few good ingredients are all that is needed.

The restaurant has a very relaxing, warm feel to it. While music plays in the background you can order a drink from the small bar. There are a few beers on tap, or you can get a carafe of wine for $10. The staff is very friendly and the service is great. It's open most days from lunch through dinner *Sauce link* but I think word is getting out about this place because it was really starting to fill up yesterday, so try to get there if you can.

The Good Pie

3137 Olive Street

St. Louis, MO 63103

289-9391

Loft Tour Redux

People interested: Leslie and Chris, Claire, Wendy, Debbie, Kate and Tony, Abby and Lars, Krista, Neil, Sitha, maybe Katie and Matt.

Knock around a few ideas for what to eat, etc. in the comments section.

***Update***

We're considering March 7th from 7 P.M. - 12 A.M. as the time for the Loft Tour.

That would leave 5 hours for the tour, and we could divide that time by the number of people who want to show their places.

After we figure out the time schedule, we could either move from floor to floor, or have a "sign up sheet" on the blog for specific times. That way, if someone wanted to go early or late, they could.

Feel free to join the tour even if you're not showing your place

Maintaining Your Abode

A few issues were asked during the association meeting about general maintenance of the lofts, so I thought I'd do a quick overview of some home maintenance tips.

Track Lights - According to my friend, who is an electrician, track lighting can be a little sensitive at times. What I've noticed is that bulbs that I think have gone out, really haven't. Just flick the switch at the top of the bulb, or even touch it, and it will go back on. I heard someone say they've replaced all of their track light bulbs already, but I have yet to change even one.

Dryer

I never received an owner's manual for the washer / dryer, so if anyone wants to share any pertinent information or links to the Bosch website, that would be great.

Here's what I do know.

#1 - Clean out your lint trap frequently (picture above) This helps keep air flowing, and helps your dryer to not overheat.

#2 - Clean out lint trap #2. This involves opening up the door on the bottom left side of your dryer, turning the two light-blue hinges, and removing a tray.

This stuff will build up fast, so help extend the life of your dryer by taking care of it.

Hot Water Heater - Not enough hot water to fill that big tub all of the way? One way to help out is to turn up the temperature of your hot water heater.

WARNING - Make sure you read the warnings on your heater. Basically, if you turn up the temperature too much someone could unwittingly turn the faucet all the way to "Hot" when washing their hands and burn themselves.

Another aspect to consider is your dishwasher. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be affected, but it is something to consider.

Okay, if that didn't scare you away, then get a Phillips screwdriver, and remove the two screws holding in the bottom plate (see picture). Inside, you'll see a Styrofoam cover with a little handle on it. Remove the Styrofoam and you'll see something similar to the picture above. There should be a dial in that can be turned from"C" to "A", and after that, it just says "Hot" Turn it to a level of your choosing, and wait a few hours for the tank to heat up. Test the water for both safety and practicality (ex. does it fill up my bathtub, and does it not burn me when the faucet is turned to "Hot")

Obviously this will increase your electric bill, so you might reverse the process in the summertime to save some money.

Kitchen Lights - Kevin assured us that there was a surprisingly easy way to change our kitchen lights. I've thought long and hard about this, and unless there is some special tool that can reach up inside, then you'll have to take the light apart.

Get a ladder, unscrew two of the pins, remove the clear cylinder, place it on a table, remove the last pin and the white glass. Inside there is a 40 W candelabra bulb. You'll notice that your bulb will say "Type G", but that just refers to the shape of the bulb (ex. some are straight and some have curly tips, etc.) so any candelabra bulb will do.

Replace the bulb, the white glass, and one pin. Now here's where it gets tricky. While holding the clear glass cylinder with one hand, insert a pin through the holes and try to line it up with the screw hole. Everything will want to spin and twist, so take your time. You might need to twist the top a little bit before you try putting the glass on to make sure the holes are lined up. Good luck!

HVAC Filter - This filters the air that gets blown when using your heating and cooling system. Jerry recommended changing it every month; I'd say, depending on how dirty it gets, change it every season. One thing that might help extend the life of your filter is to vacuum behind and around the water heater and washer. A lot of dust accumulates in that area, especially with the dryer being there.

Changing the filter is easy. Remove the two screws at the bottom, remove the filter, and replace with a new one. Make sure you know size of your filter before going to the store (16 x 20 x 1) and pay attention to the filter you remove, so you know how the new one should go back in.

Remember, a filter needs to be able to create an air flow. If it looks like your filter is being sucked up, and you can't feel a draft with your hand when the unit is working, then you need to replace your filter. If you make your unit struggle too much, it could break prematurely.

Water Filter - Inside your refrigerator is a water filter. It's on the top right side. by the lightbulb. Press the button to the left of the GE symbol and the flap will fall open. If the filter wasn't already installed, you'll need to remove the cover that shipped with the unit. I found I was unable to do it with my fingers, so I had to use a pliers. The space is pretty tight, so you might want to remove your top shelf before trying this feat. After the shipping plug is removed, insert your new filter. The manufacturer recommends replacing the filter every six months. The cost is around $40 per filter, but some places give you a discount if you buy in bulk. Here's a link for a GE GSWF Water filter.

P-Traps - Kevin mentioned that if you are gone for an extended time, the water in your P-trap (below your sink) may evaporate, thus allowing sewer gas to rise through your plumbing. Simply run the water for a few minutes, and the water will block any gasses from coming up.

That's all I can think of for now. If you have ideas to share about home maintenance, post a comment below.

Association Meeting

Tonight the owners met with Kevin McGowan for the first meeting of the Motor Lofts Condo Association. Topics covered in the agenda:

Renters will soon join our ranks - Kevin wanted to assure us that the renters will be thoroughly screened, and will help with the payment of condo fees, etc. There will be rules for the renters, and the building should fill up eventually. If you would like to rent another parking space, contact Blue Urban.

The annual budget was ratified - You received a copy of this in the mail. There were a few questions asked about the budget. Window washing occurs twice a year, and they will look into this soon. The phone budget is for the elevators and the front door. You're supposed to be able to access the front door long distance or through a cell phone, but some said they were having problems with this. Another question brought up concerning the front door is the video. You are supposed to be able to see who is at the front door on a channel on your TV. This function does not work and they are going to also look into this.

A new director to the condo asssociation was elected - Chris Mattler (the author of this article) is your new representative on the association.

I want to make myself available to listen to everyone's concerns regarding the building, and help develop resolutions that make everyone happy - or at least content.

Another aspect I'd like to develop is the sense of community in the building. Judging by the good nature of everyone at the meeting, and those of you I've met before, it shouldn't be a problem getting everyone talking to one another and developing relations. Maybe we could eventually plan community events within the building. Even Packard Lofts expressed a desire to communicate with our building, so we could eventually foster relations with our sister building...

I want to say I'm honored to be elected, and will do my best to represent the owners of the building. Feel free to contact me with any concerns. (You can access my email address though this blog)

MW Club - The topic of the fitness club was addressed. The original plans to make a club in the building at Washington and 22nd will not be completed. There is a tentative plan to move the club to the building behind Motor Lofts. This would involve tearing down part of the building in order to install a pool and putting a gym in the rest of the area. A question was raised about whether there would be a bar in the gym, and we're all hoping there will be one!

Property taxes and condo fees - A question was asked about how low property taxes were this year. The short answer is, yes they are correct because of some adjustment, but probably will be re-assessed next year, so expect them to go up next year. Condo fees, which are at $.07 per square foot right now will eventually go up to $.14 when the building fills up later on. Christina said that she would work on setting up ACH payments so you can make automatic payments.

After Party Thoughts

Thanks again to Matt for being nice enough to invite everyone from the building to his party. In case you didn't see the magazine, here's a link to the article.

It was good to see everyone and to share ideas. One idea that Claire and Wendy came up with was a mini tour of all of our places. I guess we could find out who is interested and make up a schedule for the tour.

If you're interested, reply to this blog or email Leslie or me.

On a side note, some people were saying they were having a hard time logging in to the blog. If you have a Blogger account, you should be able to log in and post by typing in the email address you signed up with for your Gmail (example: Joe_blow@yahoo.com) and your password. So to state it another way, your email address acts as your user ID, and your password is the password you created specifically for your Gmail account.

Congratulations to Matt on making the cover of the magazine

Party Friday

Just wanted to remind all the residents at Motor that I am having a party on 9/5/08 at 8pm. Hope you can make it.

Matt