I'll confess.
I'm a sucker for live entertainment. Being a person who has no musical ability I love to watch a good performance and will even sit through a bad one. Last night was not a bad one.
The darling husband and I are practicing being empty-nester's. We have been scheduling date nights and have had a few spontaneous evenings out during the week. This has been great, it has helped take my mind off of my impromptu retirement from traveling the forensics' circuit and we get to be each others captive audience for a few hours. Last night, the darling husband and I went to Jackson Coffee Company for the their free Friday night entertainment. Performing last night was Bill Bynum and Co. (www.billbynum.com). While I'm not a country music fan, and own very few folk albums... this group charmed me. Bill, the lead singer and song-writer is funny and charming in a Garrison Keillor kind-of-way. He had me cracking up during their version of "She left me for Jesus." At one point during the performance he asked me why I was sitting over there with a big grin on my face... Hey, I was having a good time! I even bought their album last night.
Andy posted a clip on Facebook which I will share to my wall.
I'm glad the evening ended on a high note because it started out bad.... very bad. We were looking for a cheap date... and you get what you pay for!
For dinner we went to the Michigan Avenue Los Tres Amigos. We eat at both locations on a pretty regular basis and usually really enjoy the food and find the ambiance amusing. More about amusing later.... Last night we started out by ordering the special - two dinner combinations for $10.99. We have ordered dinner combinations before. As a matter of fact, the guys usually order dinner combination when we go there because they like to sample a few things. We were NOT served the standard combination: the rice was flavorless and had chunks of potatoes in it; the beans were canned... had to be - flavorless and smooth like baby food; the taco and enchilada were okay, but there was nothing to put on them... no pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, or salsa. I ate what I could, but Andy asked for a menu and ordered something else!
I can understand a restaurant trying to bring in more customers and offering a special at a very reduced rate... the combination plates are usually $8.99 each. But, we were not given what we are used to getting at Los Tres Amigos... A lesson in "buyer beware" - we got what we paid for when you order a $5.50 meal... something that wouldn't even pass at Taco Bell!
And about the ambiance... Why do restaurant put television in their dining areas? We don't eat in front of the television at home. Even to this day, when all the kids are home we turn the TV off and sit together at the dinning room table. So, who thinks its a great idea for televisions... big screen tv... to be the focal point in a restaurant. Do you have any idea how many people I see staring at the television and not talking with the people that they are paying good money to go out for a meal with. Maybe this is just a Jackson thing... I will have to investigate... Mangia, Mangia... keep the television out!
Today's brew.... Jackson Coffee Company - House Blend.
