2 Blue Moons, 2 Guinesses, 2 shots of Jameson

(The Blue Moons are in the hands of the girls)

There's something very refreshing knowing that your family is as silly as you are, and that you can all pull together for a meal occasionally and have a great time. Such was the case last night at Habana Libre (1440 West Chicago), Nathan and Lisa's frequent choice for Cuban cuisine and some of the best rice and beans around. Plantains a plenty, and don't forget the garlic! They had dipping sauces that were straight garlic swimming in oil; I can't say I've ever had as much garlic. Thank god we all ate it! And, I was able to try a Jibarito (pronounced hee burrito), though it is definitely not a burrito, but rather a Cuban sandwich with plantain bread, skirt steak, tomatoes, lettuce, and a great sauce, oh wait it is just mayo. Fantastic!



I also have to say that another alluring aspect of Habana Libre's charm is that it is BYOB. Nothing cuts the check faster than the elimination of alcohol. And, as frugal Chicagoans, we highly recommend the BYOB spots. We also came to the realization last night that we do not necessarily have to bring bottles of wine and beer, we could pre-mix a pitcher of Sangria or Mojito, or anything for matter. Now let's just see if we have the foresight and determination to put this together next time we head out to a BYOB.

Then we headed up to a place called Trinity, one of our favorite Chicago bars for $2 drinks. We found our space in the very back, and right next to the bar, and ran into some of Megh's friends.

Jack's girlfriend, Lizzy, was in town for the week from New Orleans so we had to show her as good of a time as possible while trying not to humiliate ourselves - I think we succeeded in the former. The title of this blog came about because my brother and I like to torture ourselves with occasional shots of Jameson (especially when it is $3). He, the girls, and I were in need of drink, so I made my way to the bar and barked my order over a guy standing there... "2 Blue Moons, 2 Guinesses, and 2 shots of Jameson". The guy gave me a funny look so I said "there are ladies involved", alluding to the strange idea that Blue Moons are a girly drink. After we were finished with said drinks, I made my way to the bar again and ordered "2 Blue Moons, 2 Guinnesses" and the guy, still in the same spot, added "and 2 shots of Jameson". I wasn't planning on ordering the shots, but being a guy I felt no option but to go along with it.



(My bearded brother right after hearing more Jameson was on it's way)

That was about all she wrote at the bar. As my granny says, "Nothing good happens after midnight". It was certainly after midnight, and needless to say the Jameson's were not treating me nicely, so Kelli took me home a happy but slightly tipsy man.

So as to not leave the impression that drinking is the only thing we do. We do enjoy nights out on the town, but our wholesome activities are abundant as well. Let's see... what else have we done over break??... hmmmm... well, we slept, and watched movies... no not wholesome enough... we went shopping... no not quite it... we did work out, a couple runs... that's good... read some books... yes, yes... hung out with family... that's the ticket... went to dinner with family at a BYOB Cuban restaurant... oh wait we seem to have come full circle... well, that's OK, I accept that the McClain way of life seems to gravitate towards fun, friends, and family. If we just focus on those 3 things, I'd say we could live a pretty happy life. And, focus on those 3 things we have done... though sometimes maybe to excess :-)