Jalapeño Sabroso

There are a ton of really good Mexican restaurants in Chicago, which is a very beneficial thing for someone who really loves good Mexican food. Add to the fact that Jalapeño Sabroso serves really, and I mean really good margaritas- on the rocks with just a hint of salt is my preference, and I could taste the difference in tequila from the previous week's margaritas. While the price was actually cheaper, the tequila was much, much better.

I was early, and had some time before my friends arrived, so I was halfway through my first margarita when my friends showed up. I had perused the menu a couple times and had settled on having chicken fajitas. The chips and salsa I had been sampling were excellent- the chips were unsalted and the salsa had just the right amount of cilantro.

I ordered a second margarita just after my food arrived, which sizzled so loud I could almost hear it over the guitar player. Once my entire meal arrived (the waitress, who looked oddly familiar, forgot my fixin's), I put together one of the best fajitas I've ever had. My portion was so big that I had to bring some home- an event, that I assure you, almost never happens.

The bill was rather reasonable, too. Although the fajitas were $14, there was more than enough, and the margaritas, while $7 a piece, were so good, I would have paid twice that for them. Couple all this with the fact that Sabroso is less that two blocks from my house, and well, I've got myself a new favorite place right in the neighborhood.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Saturday wasn't nearly as tasty, what with an MS meeting, then the relatively boring Bike Show, and then it was off to the Wolves Game, which they won in style, a 4-0 shutout against San Antonio. As always, I had my usual chant of "there's no hockey in Texas" ala Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own. I had a very hard time, at least, I had a hard time until the beer loosened up my tongue enough, resisting some good goalie taunting on Karl Goehring. I won't go into too much detail about the heckles, but I would like to point out that he probably went to the same high school as my dear friend Jen. We should look into that, actually. Did I have fun? Oh yeah.

Giggety.

Sunday, I did something I hadn't done in almost 6 months- I went to the pub quiz at Ginger's Ale House. My team did well, won second place, and afterwards I had a couple drinks with my friend and mentor in all things pub quiz. He headed for home, and I was sitting at the bar watching Sportscenter when a woman at the end of the bar started waving at me. Annoyed, I walked down to see what she wanted. "Hi."

"Hello" I was probably visibly annoyed, and I realized it. I just wanted to finish my drink and go home, after all.

"So, how long have you been coming here?" I knew something was wrong by the way she said hi, and now I was just getting creeped out by some part of her that I hadn't quite placed.

"I don't know, maybe 6 or 7 years, maybe longer. This is one of my favorite bars, but I don't get here that often any more."

"So do you live in the neighborhood?"

Now things were starting to feel desperate, and I didn't like the smell of things. "Yes." She then regaled me with a story of love lost and moving back to Chicago and needing a roommate and how her dog left her and all kinds of stuff.

"Tell me about your ring" she mentioned it almost in passing. Sometimes I think that people think it is a wedding ring, which it isn't, but a gift my high school sweetheart gave to me for graduation. I told her about it, and instantly regretted not lieing and telling her it was in fact a wedding band. "Let me try it on." Oy. This was feeling worse and worse and the marginal interest I had for her (she was, after all, kinda cute) was waning. Scratch that. It was long gone.

She made me try on her ring- her engagement ring and told me about her plans to have it altered and improved. I was having a hard time not running though the window and not stopping until I got home when she popped up with "So how do we talk again?"

I made the quick decision that I was going to try to be tactful. Of course, I failed miserably. "Well, I should be here next week, provided my flight isn't late." She said goodnight and left. I had been ignoring all her prompts to buy her a drink. I wasn't getting fished by her. No way, no how.

Yesterday, as I was sitting in the airport with my flight delayed rather grumpy about the situation I was in at that time, once I realized I would actually be able to avoid another chance meeting with her, suddenly, I was much happier.