Treats to beat the heat
Everybody had the same idea at the same time: refreshment. This afternoon just at five, business sudenly picked up for La Paletera, at Congress and Riverside. Having indulged in oh so many melons of all types for weeks now, we didn’t place the fruit cups high on the list. As we sat consuming our frozen-fruit treats on a stick, people began appearing all at once: four young European tourists, a Spanish-speaking family with a young child, some students from the School for the Deaf, and several young people in tennis duds.
The lime-juice paleta is no replacement for the Manhattan-brand lime paleta that H-E-B used to stock. It was delicious, but not so tart as my old favorite. La Paleta doesn’t trust to the natural pale color found in old-fashioned paletas. Both the lime and the pineapple varieties, though made with fresh juice and pulp, were tricked out in pretty lurid colors. All varieties sampled were tasty and very intense in flavor, since they were made more of fruit and less of plain water.
Although the prickly-pear growing atop the stone wall on the grounds is prominent for those passing in buses and private vehicles, there’s more to the landscaping than that. Islands amidst the parking lot are bermed and have water-sparing vegetation growing from tall metal pillars. Today’s standout visual treats on the ground were clumps of very fancy and large rain-lilies. A sign credits The Earth Company as the landscape designer.
I’ve been meaning to check that place out. It’s nice to see that they’ve renovated that corner. I don’t remember there being much of anything there over the last 15 years. There’s a Freebirds (beware of annoying flash site) there as well now if I’m not mistaken.
G&L/VBJ, the giant local office-supply, stationery, and office-furniture business, built all that and then shut down in 1988 or 1989, having been acquired by a larger operation, doing business at another location. Before that, G&L/VBJ shared a ramshackle building with Grace Hall Apartment Locators; the Embassy Suites is atop where they used to be. G&L/VBJ had the most wonderful selection of writing instruments in all of Austin and perhaps in all of Texas. It also carried the entire line of Eaton and Crane papers. This means nothing to anybody who’s not a stationery freak and who doesn’t love fountain pens and markers, but the closing of this business was very sad for a great many people. I’m using my last Stabilo sensor markers and will have to find a new source. They carried inks and refills of all sorts. The mechanical-pencil nuts hated the closing, too.
I apologize I had to discontinue production on the lime Manhattan paletas. I didn’t have the volume to continue my business.
Sincerely,
Manhattan Paletas
If ever there was a summer in which to long for a Manhattan paleta, this was certainly it, and I did. They are still missed; at least those responsible know that they produced an extremely high-quality product, unmatched for true flavor and providing true refreshment that will always be remembered by those who were privileged to enjoy it while it was available.