La Bistecca

Dad and I cannot help thinking about the great and grand buffet meal we had at La Bistecca on Monday. We liked the food so much, we want to gather a crowd and go back for more.

Juana and Liliana, full-time secretaries for the Area presidency, are the movers and shakers in the office. All business goes through them. The Area secretaries, Jack Beals and Bruce Ghent, who are serving missions with their wives, handle all the ecclesiastical affairs under the direction of the Area presidency. Even they could not do all they do without the skills of Juana and Liliana.

These missionaries were a raucous bunch. The Ghents, on the left, are shirttail cousins. Hna. Ghent is cousin Tim Hess's sister-in-law. The Strattons, from Provo, serve in the temple presidency. President Stratton was trying to blame his run-in with the chocolate fountain onto someone else. He's a great tease--he gives dad a bad time about the weight he's lost and he calls him "Doc." Fun, hard working people!

These are the Brashers. She is the Area psychologist and he does all the computer work to keep her free to counsel. We are really enjoying them and appreciate the long, long hours they keep.

The Whitakers from Henderson NV have just completed their third mission. They have been working on the Perpetual Education Fund, PEF, which helps young men and women get an education. In Peru and Chile there are no scholarships. Education is very expensive and many cannot afford to go beyond a high school educational experience.

This is the pasta bar I tried to get a shot of last December. One of the cooks told me I couldn't take a picture. This time I shot it from afar. I cannot begin to describe the choices of pasta. I ordered four different ravioli creations which was just exactly enough food for me. Last year I filled up on the salad and meat. The menu boards are hanging overhead, but I just pointed to the examples on the counter, and one of the cooks whipped up four appetizer-size creations.
Dad took advantage of the buffet and tried a little of many different creations.

Somehow I deleted the picture of the Chinese food section. You could eat here every day of the week and never repeat choices. I sometimes wish we lived in San Isidro, not just for the gastronomy, but for the proximity to the ocean.

This section was all pasta salad creations, different beans, and avacado preparations--an interesting assortment. The line for the sushi bar and the grill was so long, I gave up. Instead, I went for the very rich milk chocolate fountain and the dozen assorted cookies, cakes, marshmallows, fruits, and candies for dipping in the fountain.