Racers use the force for amazing Mexican food

Three things I'm loving after this weekend...

1) The Amazing Race 12

The Amazing Race is finally back and it's still, by far, the best thing on TV today. While we may soon see a drought of comedies and dramas on TV, rest assured, we have plenty of globe-trotting fun ahead of us still!

Two episodes in, I'm generally liking this batch of bickering travelers. The first few eliminations got rid of deserving teams (the first for being out-jackassed by a real jackass, the second for just not keeping up).

I have no clue who will make it to the million dollar mat. There are plenty of strong teams running around right now trying to catch up to Phil Keoghan.

I'm just glad to be along for the ride. So far they've been to two of my favorite places in Europe, Ireland and the Netherlands. I can't wait to see where the camels come from next week!

Now if only they would hire someone to wipe off the cameras this season when it rains...

2) Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace

We took a drive up to Boulder, CO today to wander around the Pearl Street Mall and enjoy a beautiful sunny day. A while back we'd read a review of Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace in Westword, so we'd kept it in our back pocket for the next time we trekked in that direction.

The review was right. We only sampled their brunch and lunch offerings, but it's superb Mexican food, with their own twists. We started with and avocado salsa with fresh chips that was a perfect mix of soft avocados with a bit of mild tanginess. I had some garlic shrimp tacos which were absolutely perfect. They came with a Mexican coleslaw which I thought I would hate, and ended up devouring. Others had a chorizo torta, which looked a little heavy, but delicious, and an enormous seafood burrito with fried oysters, shrimp and other things I don't remember. It was like no burrito you have ever seen and it looked mouthwatering.

If you're up on the mall up in Boulder, make a point of checking Centro out.

It's fantastic fresh food, with clear Mexican flavors done in great unique ways.

3) Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for the Wii

Lego Star Wars has been an ongoing relationship this year. It was love at first sight as we played through it. But the dark side crept in slowly, leading to some serious hate dealing with glitchy Game Cube memory cards and controllers.

In the words of Yoda, "Hate leads to suffering," so, not being gluttons for punishment we put the controllers down for a while, knowing a proper Wii version was on its way.

The wait is over, and the verdict is in: The dark side of the Game Cube is gone. Long live the Wii.

While this new version of the game is just a slightly tweaked combination of the two games that came before it, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are a significant improvement. It is much more satisfying swashbuckling your way towards the Lego Death Star, than just thumbing it in.

It's not the most complicated game around. It's just plain, make-you-smile fun. The story elements have a wicked sense of humor and there's something sublime about using your light saber to smash Lego's to pieces. Watching C-3PO hop around when a leg pops off? That's just classic.

I hope Super Mario and his galaxy of friends are patient next week, because I think they may have to wait in line a bit while we knock out a Death Star or two.