La Zenita – Albuquerque, New Mexico
In his immortal play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare used two lines to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” My friends Bruce and Loren Plata like to remind me that in Hebrew, the name “Gil” represents a “small goat,” an animal that definitely doesn’t smell quite as fragrant as a rose. My retort, of course, is that “goat” is an acronym for “greatest of all time.” So, relevant or not, names do have meanings and can provide a lifetime of notoriety. Most of us just hope our names aren’t something that can be made fun of. In Hebrew, the name “Zenita” means “gift of God.” Now, that’s one lofty name to aspire to. Someone christened with that name would probably be expected to have pretty divine qualities. A restaurant bearing that name might be expected to serve food that’s heavenly. No, not manna and quail, but food that’s delicious and filling. When I asked about the genesis of the name, the restaurant’s personable owner explained that the name is a play on two words. First, it’s a…