A Magical Night At The Mate Factor Cafe

 

Song:  Land Of Oz

Artist:  Hilary Stagg

Last night at around 11 PM...

I felt like taking a midnight country drive...

and then stopping in at a 24 hour cafe in Manitou Springs...

of which is just under a very pleasant country hour away.

OMG!

I love the vibe of Manitou Springs.

The whole place is so pleasant, clean, friendly...

and just has that New Age vibe of one of my favorite places of my youth...

Santa Cruz, California.

I had put on my playlist the moment I had gotten into my car...

and just mellowed out for the whole of my midnight country drive.

My windows were partially open to allow the fresh crisp air

to freely circulate around the car...

but without too much flowing through at any one time...

as the temperature was just below freezing on my way there.

I was just a few minutes away from Manitou Springs here.

Manitou Springs is a small mountain community just 15 minutes or so from Woodland Park.

It is my favorite town of all.

Every time I go there...

I have such a great time...

as, again, the whole vibe of the town is just so mellow.

I had arrived in town at around midnight.

The temperature in Manitou Springs is generally 15 degrees warmer than my home area...

and so...

it is a wonderful place to visit in Winter as well.

The whole town is lit up at night in most areas.

I had parked across the street from the cafe...

and I walked around town a little before going in.

What I especially love about my midnight country drives

is the almost complete absence of cars on the highway and mountain roads...

and wherever I go...

the streets are wonderfully deserted.

I love strolling through towns at midnight when there is not a soul in sight.

There are so many restaurants I must try in this town.

They not only have a very large selection of places to eat...

but they have so many unique ones...

as well as other types of stores...

of which are not chain stores...

but very unique and mom and pop owned...

and so many of which have that wonderful fantasy type feel.

They all take great pride in their stores...

and, again...

as everyone there has that New Age vibe...

they are so nice and welcoming.

I love New Age type people.

I love their free spirits and quirky...

but beautifully joyous attitudes...

for they just love life.

I see so much of myself in those of whom are New Age people.

We are so similar in taste in music and in having a free and joyous spirit.

I feel so at home in Manitou Springs...

for they are my kindred spirits.

After walking around a bit...

I circled around to the cafe...

which can be seen on the far left of this photo.

I love a small town which doesn't shut down...

doesn't cut all the lights in the middle of the night.

Manitou Springs is my midnight fantasy land to enjoy.

I had only just heard of this cafe a couple of nights ago

as I was looking up sandwich shops near me...

of which were open late at night.

Especially when I had seen this cafe was open 24 hours (except Saturday)...

and that it was in Manitou Springs...

I knew I had to try it.

I am so glad I did.

I had arrived just after midnight...

and, even though Manitou Springs is a magical town already...

this cafe has an even more of a magical fantasy type vibe to it.

Just before entering the cafe...

I took a photo showing the stores still being lit...

even though most were closed...

as well as the lit lamp posts along the walkways through the town.

It all had such a serene tone to it.

I had ordered a 24 oz. Iced Chai Mate Latte...

which was superbly flavored.

I will be ordering this every time I go back...

which I definitely shall be...

for this cafe is now a definite favorite of mine.

I loved the decor...

and just the whole atmosphere...

the gentle and mellow ambiance of this cafe.

The little touches of art...

the hardwood floors...

the feeling of being outside on the inside...

as with part of their decor...

they had roofs over certain portions of the cafe...

on the inside...

making one feel as if one were eating in a woodland fantasy cafe.

And...

they had ceiling speakers which played beautiful New Age style music...

at a respectfully low level...

but enough to lend more to the fantasy setting.

They make their own breads and cookies there as well.

I just loved the coziness of this cafe...

and just the whole welcoming vibe.

The staff there was so friendly and welcoming.

Again...

New Age type people are my favorite type to be around.

They are so mellow...

light hearted...

polite...

artistic...

and most of all...

they have such a serene and joyous inner vibe about them.

These are my type of people.

They sold a variety of products there.

And then my sandwich arrived.

It is called the ...

Deli Rose.

It is an uber delicious combination of:

Roast Beef

Corned Beef

Pepper Jack

Mozzarella

Onions

Tomatoes

Mustard

this almost magical tasting red sauce...

of which was filled with flavors I could not specify...

for I had never had any sauce of which had such a delicate blend 

of slight sweetness, tartness, and a delightful hint of heat to it...

and all on a buttered onion roll.

It came piping hot...

with all the cheese melted...

and the super tender, moist, and delicious meats 

in such a flavorful and textural contrast with the crisp and chilled veggies

and that, so savory, red sauce wonderfully blending everything together.

It is now my favorite sandwich...

and every so often...

I keep remembering of how the flavors just burst throughout my mouth as I devoured it.

What a sandwich!

And all of this available all night long.

After finishing my meal...

and having just soaked in the pleasant ambiance of the cafe 

as I just sipped at my Iced Mate Chai Latte...

so thoroughly enjoying the smooth and creamy latte 

as I listened to the beautifully serene cafe music...

I exited after thanking the gentle man who had served me...

for such a delicious meal.

I took a few more photos of my walk back to my car...

still soaking in the midnight vibe of this wonderful town.

This was just before entering my car...

and then departing my favorite town.

As I drove back home...

I was just so satisfied...

so spiritually fulfilled...

not just because of my fantastic meal...

but because of the whole magical feel of the town...

especially at midnight.

It was as if I were in a dream...

as one of the feelings I had gotten when I had first arrived was one of deep familiarity...

as if it were deja vu.

Everything was peaceful...

so serenely quiet...

not a soul in sight...

no movement...

no distractions...

other than the rare vehicle exiting town.

In the future...

whenever I get the urge for a midnight country drive...

I will already know my destination.

It will be to the magical realm of Manitou Springs...

and to my fantasy midnight cafe...

Mate Factor Cafe.

I feel so comforted in knowing that I will now have a favorite place to visit

in the wee hours of the night...

a destination sure to please my palate...

when I just have to have that perfect sandwich...

and all in a place where I may experience the magic of an Elvan village...

while in the company of my New Age brethren...

for the rest of my life.

This was one of those nights...

where everything seemed so dreamlike...

so perfect...

that...

for me...

I can only describe it as Magical.

Bar Stools And Okonomiyaki

 

Song:  White Bird

Group:  It's A Beautiful Day

A couple of days ago...

before I got started putting together the bar stools for our eating area...

my wife made some delicious food to start the day with.

While my wife had made this pork slice and mushroom stew...

it would be for the following day

(she often cooks two dishes at a time...

just in case I want to eat two different things at once...

and to eat on the following day...

or even if I feel like a late night meal).

My wife had made Mediterranean Salmon with crisped veggies for my main meal on that day.

This "air fryer"...

is really a mini hyper convection oven...

it doesn't really "fry"...

but cooks very quickly due to its use of high speed fans to constantly stir the air...

which ends up cooking the food extremely quickly...

and very healthfully.

I love the way the air fryer cooks food...

especially the veggies...

as they look and taste as if they had been open flame grilled.

My wife had previously marinated the chunks of salmon overnight 

in a variety of seasonings...

and the salmon had come out super moist and tender...

and so flavorful.

After resting a bit...

I then got to putting together the bar stools.

While I could use the power drill on some of the hex screws...

on most...

I could not :(

Most of the hardware is still in the plastic packaging.

This resulted in my becoming frustrated...

as I had to rely on the small included hex wrench.

When I realized it would be a much longer job than I had previously hoped...

I got a cup of coffee to sip as I played some music to accompany me as I worked.

Although I had completed one chair on that day...

I decided I would do the rest in the morning...

as with one part...

I had used the wrong screws...

and then had to unscrew them...

and then reinstall the correct ones...

and I had even placed one part upside down

(I was working with the chair upside down)...

and that involved removing many screws by hand...

and then reinstalling them...

and yes...

before I had acted like a toddler out of frustration...

I simply put the rest of the project on hold...

went to my computer...

and...

played the same video over and over from the other day

(I have now accumulated over 24 hours of watching that same video...

and I still love it).

I then fell asleep watching it on my Ipad. :)

Bandi looked so cute with her paws crossed.

-------------

The next morning...

as I was grabbing a cup of coffee to start out my day...

I saw Bandi looking intently out one of the windows...

and wagging her tail wildly.

There were some deer just in front and to the left side of our home.

Bandi just kept staring at them as if she had wanted to go play with them in the forest.

She was a little sad as they just kept walking away into the surrounding forest.

I had eaten some of the pork and mushroom stew my wife had made the day prior

before starting the delayed project from the previous night.

The rest of the chairs became easier to put together...

as I had tuned my operation to become more efficient

(yes...I followed the instructions this time :)

These chairs are very sturdy...

and just what we needed.

After charging up the battery on the drill...

I then put my tools away.

We are going to move the Christmas tree to the corner in this photo...

move some other items in the great room...

including moving the recliner up to the loft so my wife can enjoy the views 

from up there in more comfort...

and to make room for the sofa set we plan to order once we get back from Japan.

It is rather large...

and comes with stools I plan to put in front of the fireplace in the recliner's place...

as the sofa set has three recliners...

as well as a bench type seating arrangement...

and all in a semi circle which will allow complete viewing

 out the great room's windows...

as well as allowing conversation with others while seated

(I am going to order them with white glove service.

They will deliver them exactly where we wish...

unbox them...

arrange them...

and haul away all of the packing material and boxes).

We will most likely eventually put a nice coffee table to the middle front of the sofa set as well.

------------

This early afternoon...

my wife made Pork Okonomiyaki and Pork Yakisoba for me to enjoy.

I used to eat Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba in Osaka, Japan when I lived there.

I love it.

Okonomiyaki is sometimes called the Japanese Pizza...

although the ingredients are completely different.

It has a layer of a pancake like base with mixed in cabbage...

and upon which my wife placed cooked and thinly sliced pork...

Yakisoba noodles cooked with a fruit and vegetable sauce (bulldog sauce)...

and with pork, dried and powdered seaweed and shaved bonito (a dried fish)...

 and then with some mayo on top.

My wife had also made the rest of the Yakisoba into a Pork Yakisoba.

Yes...

it was a lot...

but...

as I was hungry...

I ate it all with a smile on my face.

Although Okonomiyaki in Osaka doesn't normally have noodles included...

(my wife said it is more of a Hiroshima style)...

I liked it this way.

-----------

On another note...

the other night...

 I was looking up sandwich places...

as I had a mad craving for a good BLT...

 I had come across a small cafe in Manitou Springs 

which is a 24 hour cafe (open everyday except on Saturdays)...

which I had found to be strange...

because Saturdays is a major business day.

It was when I realized after they had no BLTs...

wasn't open on Saturdays...

and then on one of their signs it was in Hebrew...

that they were a Jewish establishment

(they don't work on their Sabbath day).

I am going to have to try them one of these nights 

when I just feel like taking a midnight country drive to satisfy

a mad craving for a sandwich...

other than for a BLT  :(