About us Somewhere along the line as children, we were always told a story by our elders. For those of us who's elders came to America on a boat from Italy, anywhere between 1901 and 1935, it goes somthing like this: "One time I was on a boat. And before I got offa the boat I saw a big statue. The statue was 151 feet 1 inch high and weighs 225 tons! Her arm is 42 feet long. Her hand is 16 feet 5 inches long. She gotta big nose and a big feet. Under her biga feet are broken shackles." Then the voice would change. "Those shackles are the symbolic of liberty's victory over tyranny. Her real name is 'Liberty Enlightening The World.' We call her 'The Statue Of Liberty.' She was a dedicated to America on a the 4th of a July. They finish building her in 1886. She welcomes everybody." In retrospect you come to realize that although these immigrants spoke in broken English, they took the time to learn things that left an impression on them about their new-found home. Between 1900 and 1935 millions of immigrants from around the world came to this country. Like my grandparents, a whole bunch of these people came here from Italy. They came here for many different reasons. But mostly they came here because this is where the food was. The fine art of Italian cooking flourished with all the varied food products they had to choose from. We believe, and it's been proven, food has always been a tool for uniting people. Food, especially Italian food, is a wonderful excuse for families to gather. If you can read you can cook! But who wants to cook when they're on vacation? "Midwestern style" Italian cooking refers to the sweet red tomatoes used to make a delicious sauce that takes hours of simmering to give it a rich and robust flavor. Pizza prepared Midwestern style, commonly known as "Chicago style" pizza, refers to the thickness of the crust itself. "New York style" pizza is thin. At Michelena's we just say "Regular" or "Thin." While you and your family are waiting as we prepare your meal, you might turn your attention to the many photographs at your table and on the walls. They are photographs of our family and all our friends we've come to know over the years. Heck, if you have a spare photo you would like to display in public, bring it! You'll know what to do with it as soon as you get here. We have a wood-carved bear that's seven feet tall. It's in our dining room. Kids, old and young, seem to enjoy having their picture taken with "Old Smokee". Whether it's hiking, biking, skiing, camping, golfing or a day at the races, we hope your experience in Ruidoso, small town America Southwest-style, makes you want to come back for more. Parades, rallies, symposiums, concerts, pony rides, go-carts, dancing or just plain kick'n back, it's all here in beautiful Ruidoso. And by the way. The reason we're telling you all this is because Phil the web page guy said that if we could get you to read this story, we might get you to try our food. He knows about these things. That's why we hired him. Thank You for your time.