Salvadoran Plato Typico

This place, called Rincon de Something, a Pupuseria right next to Pazzo Gelato, on Sunset in Silver Lake, is just so yummy. The tamales are fine-grained like polenta, and the pupusas crispy and doughy in the center. Great with cheese and zucchini filling. Mango smoothie was delish!

Silver Lake, Darn it! You are a dieters minefield!

Could be Yummy!

It's Over!

How about all that tension when Alberto and Lance stood on the podium together--yeesh! And Cav flying across the line one more time--gorgeous!

But now it's over, and it's time for my Tour de France post partum depression. When this hits, it helps to have a plan.

TOP TEN THINGS MARGARET CAN DO NOW THAT THE TOUR IS OVER

10. Sort through clothes and purge old stuff--not so exciting.
9. Pet the cats--always helps in a pinch.
8. Get hooked on BBC America sci-fi shows--Bad news is, Dr. Who and Torchwood are not in full series mode anymore.
7. Bike to work and try to win that Disney Commuter Assistance Grand Prize--a Disney cruise--a long shot, but something to think about, and biking to work almost always clears my head.
6. Start swimming again at least once per week, or more--tough to do with the summer hours schedule.
5. Lose those pesky extra 3 to 5 lbs--really doesn't sound fun, but will definitely help the mood.
4. Finish the Twilight series--This should kill at least 3 or 4 days of solid, obsessed reading.
3. Watch Italian TV--those wacky variety shows and the glimpses of Rome--always amusing.
2. Train for the Disney Half Marathon and the Nautica Malibu Triathlon--need to do it, and it's endorphins to the rescue!
1. Plan for the fall trip to Italy.

Well, these ideas are a start. Send your suggestions.

Hey, at least the Tour of Ireland starts up on Versus in August!

Isle of ManHood!

Go, Cav! I still want to see you in Green in Paris!

So here's what's happened this week. 3 grueling alpine stages saw Lance going across the gap twice to hold onto third while Contador showed everyone who's boss. And today, Cavendish, winner of Milan San Remo this year, and his team, showed everyone he can climb, too. George Hincapie, who has been riding for 2 days with a possibly broken collarbone, pulls him forward, then another Columbia teammmate pulls, and Cav shoots to victory again! Lance cunningly grabs 4 more seconds in front of Bradley Wiggins, and it's fun, fun, fun!

Tomorrow, Mont Ventoux! Big last commercial-free hour on Versus. Big mountain where Lance came in second twice but never won. Does he still dream of a stage win? Sure. Can he do it, or is it even an Astana priority now that Contador is so comfortably ensconced in yellow? We'll see! Either way, I'm up really early tomorrow!

Today's stage pairing? For Cav, some crab baps from the pier on the Isle of Man, and some Okell's beer, which has a high purity rating, I'm told. Cav's purity rating? Wouldn't you like to know!

Oh, it's Alpy Here!

From Bourg St. Maurice to Le Grand Bornand, it's lots of gorgeous forbidding mountain vistas. Beautiful to look at but hellacious to climb. Today is the Queen Stage of the Tour de France, and randomly, Thor Hushovd, the sprinter, is out in front of the breakaway.

Weird.

Can Lance hang on today and then kick some butt in the time trial tomorrow? Maybe. My money's on Contador, but a podium for Lance would really be something.

So today, we are close to the south of Burgundy, and the Northern Rhone. Let's try some Cote Rotie Clusel Roch, mostly Syrah, perhaps a bit of white Viognier. It's from the northern Rhone, where the Mistral winds can make it really cold. Such hearty flavors pair well with the gamy rich ones of lamb. I love lamb.

It's heating up in the peloton, and Saturday is Mont Ventoux, the moment of truth, the Giant of Provence. Should be exciting!

Switzerland to Val d'Aosta, Italy, and Back to France

Big Alpine stage today, which calls for a hearty vintage from the Val d'Aosta, a northwest mountain valley in Italy where the course winds before returning to France, with a final climb at the Col du Petit St. Bernard, and then a descent to the finish.

This is the area of Italy where you can ski or 'board across the border and end up in France. We're right at the edge of Montblanc, the highest peak in the Alps.

Today, let's try a dry hearty red blend, a Nus Rouge DOC, with some local cured meats like Motzetta, a dry-cured beef. We'll tell ourselves we need the rich food because of the high altitude. Sure.

Curious, George

Why did Garmin help AG2R chase? Is Astana telling the truth, because it sure looked like they wanted to reel Hincapie in. George thinks they did, and said so at the finish, and the look of betrayal on his face will haunt my dreams tonight. So what the heck happened? Is Contador in control now, or is Lance? What is Bruyneel thinking? And Cav DQed at the sprint finish? After like a week of "let it ride" in the GC, this is not the kind of shake-up I want in my fine old sport of cycling. Where's the old-fashioned pre-war gentlemanliness? No, George is not in yellow. He's 5 seconds off. Robbed. I can't help but thinking his old team captain, Mr. Lance Armstrong, had something to do with that. And it rankles.

I'm bummed.

And I have a feeling it's all about to shake apart again tomorrow. I don't feel like blogging about it Sunday morning while I'm on the edge of my seat. I expect to see the real tactics of Astana start to show. And I can't wait. I want it to wash the bad taste out of my mouth.

So, speaking of my mouth, here's my wine and food pairing for tomorrow's stage. It all starts in Pontarlier, France, and zips almost immediately into Switzerland, up and down some impressive hills, finishing in a town where I'd very much like to snowboard someday, Verbier, Switzerland.

The history of wine in Switzerland is obscure and interesting. People think the Celts started cultivating vines here more than 2500 years ago, way before Rome took over. Swiss wine doesn't often make it outside the country's borders because it's so well loved by the locals. Along the shores of Lake Leman, the most characteristic wine is a white called Chasselas, a single varietal. The Swiss wine council says its bright and crisp flavors pair well with fondue. Yummy.

Snowboarding, white wine, fondue. Now I'm starting to feel a bit better.... Bring on the chocolate.