Thursday, February 24, 2011

Botanica San Antonio

photo by John Sandel

It was closed when we went for Slaw Dogs the other night. But Botanica San Antonio looks inviting, even if the world it's inviting you to is a little sideways to your own.


Check out the 5-star Yelp reviews. If you go, you don't have to tell me the details of your reading but you have to tell me everything else.

23 comments:

lewi14@gmail.com said...

It's greening so green...

Bellis said...

This is a portal to an alternate universe. I don't understand a thing those reviewers are saying. High John the Conqueror root? 7 knobs? Santero priests? The missionaries thought they'd quenched the ancient beliefs, didn't they?

Petrea Burchard said...

Steffen, I believe you're under its spell.

The ancient beliefs will never be conquered, Bellis.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

don't be knocking down the ancients. my visit to a botanica resulted in senorita susan getting a man

Petrea Burchard said...

Exactly.

John Sandel said...

If you pull a mandrake root, it screams. If you squeeze a lemon, you get a Top 40 hit. Now, that's magic!

Steven said...

I want a Slawdog right now. Is there anything better than a well-engineered gourmet hotdog?

Margaret said...

I love these kind of places, but I never go. In the end, I mostly like the idea of them. Plus, I'm really lazy.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bellis, the missionaries had some ancient beliefs of their own. Equally exotic, if viewed side-by-side.

Susan Campisi said...

PA, you just reminded me I should visit a botanica. Maybe Priest Richard has some wise advice for me.

So how were the Slaw Dogs?

Petrea Burchard said...

J, in the 20th century that was FM material.

There is, Steven. It's a well-engineered Chicago pizza.

Margaret, you're not lazy. You don't need potions when you've got goddesses.

Touché, Hiker.

Susan, the dogs were not Chicago pizza, but as dogs go they were gourmet.

Katie said...

Great photos -- really makes this place look mysterious and soothing at the same time. Maybe one of those High John roots could have cured the food poisoning I got from the tepid chicken noodle salad I had on the plane coming home from Guatemala.

Steven said...

OMG! If only I could stretch my tongue to "The Windy City" to partake in that gastric delight of a Chicago Pizza. Maybe a Cubs game too? "Let's play two" as Mr. Cub used to say.

Ms M said...

Sounds (and looks) like an intriguing place. Are there many who practice Santeria in Pasadena?

Bellis said...

Santeria should be banned. I've found a headless white chicken in the Arroyo and people have found more in Millard Canyon, plus other sacrifices. Gruesome!

Petrea Burchard said...

Steven, at any rate it sounds better than Katie's salad.

Ms. M, I don't know the answer. But if PA is correct (and she always is) then there are "a bunch."

Petrea Burchard said...

Bellis, eeuw. That's just plain wrong.

TheChieftess said...

I stopped in there on my way either in or out of Slaw Dogs thinking it was a health food store...Now I've been in a fair amount of Woo Woo stores...but this one was High WooWoo!!!

Petrea Burchard said...

I wonder where we draw the line between high woo woo and low woo woo, and what your average woo woo might be. In my youth I spent a middling amount of time at the Psychic Eye Book Shop in Sherman Oaks. But look at them, they're a chain! (http://www.pebooks.com/) I'd call that low woo woo, would you?

TheChieftess said...

That's what I'm sayin'...

TheChieftess said...

That's what I'm sayin'...

Santeria is some heavy duty Woo Woo...

Virginia said...

First stop when I hit LA. I love me a dog, a slaw dog is the bomb. Count me in. I'll be writing a review and photographing this place after hours as well. Your shot is PERFECT.
V

Petrea Burchard said...

Ms. V, we'll take you anywhere you want to go.