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Flatbread Pizza on Commercial Street is donating a portion of its proceeds from tonight’s sales to Konbit Sante, a Maine-based medical partnership with Cap Haitien, Haiti. Amber recently did a mission trip to Haiti with our church and travelled with Konbit Sante. She’s seen the good work they’re doing to bring medical care and training to the people of Haiti’s second largest city. We’ll be going out for pizza tonight and hope to see you there. If you’ve already got dinner plans, but would like to help out this effort, take a look at Konbit Sante’s “How You Can Help” page. Financial assistance is not the only means of contributing:

Konbit Sante is different from many other organizations in that we do not send teams of doctors and nurses to provide hands-on care. Instead, our staff and volunteers work with Haitian colleagues to develop health care programs, to teach doctors and nurses, to make infrastructure improvements, and to collect and deliver much-needed equipment and supplies.

The most valuable asset you can give is your time. Not a doctor or nurse? They have many needs that can be filled by those without medical training, including infrastructure improvements, working with things like the computer and electrical systems, and collection and distribution of medical supplies and equipment. 

Konbit Sante is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation organized in the State of Maine. They can be contacted as P.O. Box 11281, Portland, ME  04104. You can call 207-347-6733 or email info@konbitsante.org for more information.

I’m on call this week for work, so taking Amber out to dinner for Valentine’s Day is not really possible. However, a friend of mine came up with an alternative that is going to work out well. Vintner’s Wine Cellar on Forest Ave., within walking distance of our apartment, is hosting a series wine and chocolate tasting events beginning tomorrow (February 13) and running through Sunday evening. There will be three 90 minute tastings each night, beginning at 4:30 PM and running back-to-back-to-back. Amber and I will be checking this out Saturday night with a group of friends (don’t worry, I have some other Valentine’s Day things up my sleeve too). The cost is $30 per person, and you should call ahead to make a reservation – 207-878-1119.

Amber and I met a friend at Fajita Grill, on Main St. in Westbrook, for dinner and margaritas last night. Having never eaten there before, we did not know what we were in for, but Amber had heard good things from some of her teacher friends who live over that way. We arrived first and each ordered a frozen margarita. We had seen the large glasses on a few other tables and figured that they were probably pretty stingy with the tequila to make them that big for $5. We were quite mistaken. These suckers seriously must have had a triple, or at least a double, of tequila in them. They were incredibly strong (not to the point of not tasting good, of course, but strong). 

Amber and I each ordered one of the various combo meals that they have. All 25 or so of the combos run about $7 and include various combinations of such staples as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and chimichangas. Our friend ordered a California burrito that was so named because it was nearly the size of said state (well, at least that’s my reasoning behind the name). It was a $10 dish, but it was enormous. We received the obligatory basket of warm corn chips and salsa while we waited for our meals to arrive. If you go, ask for the house green salsa. It’s got a nice kick to it (the red salsa was a little mild in my opinion). 

The meals were fine, but did not really stand out for either of us. The tequila overload probably didn’t help that any. I finished my meal and was comfortably full; Amber had to take home about half of hers. Surprisingly, she still had room for dessert, so an order of sopapillas (friend dough drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar) was requested. We all ate some of this $5 dessert and concluded that it, like the rest of the food, was adequate but unremarkable. All in all, the margaritas were the highlight of the meal. If you like tequila and can find a sober driver, I highly recommend heading down to 857 Main St. in Westbrook. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.