Espino's in Chesterfield 12-3-2021

 We haven't been to Espino's in a few years, but when it first opened we went there quite often. 

This time we had a weird ulterior motive.  The guy who was the live entertainment at Espino's was going to be the live entertainment at our country club at an upcoming event.  We wanted to listen to him and see if we liked his music before we signed up for the event at the country club.  So, we went out to eat at Espino's.  

The wait on a Friday night was quite long.  We probably waited 45 minutes.  We had a margarita.  I do have to say that I like their margaritas.  They are more citrusy than others and have a slight orange juice taste.  I also like that they make their own and they don't come from a bottle.  So many other places come from a bottle and they are room temperature (warm) and poured over ice.  I really hate that first warm drink through the straw.  

I got a chile relleno.  It was fine but I have had much better.  The one I typically get at our local El Tio Pepe is better and cheaper.  

Mike had a burrito.  He said it was OK but not great.

Anna had a spinach and mushroom quesadilla.  She said it was a little weird and she didn't know if she really liked it.  

Maybe now I remember why we stopped coming to Espino's.  The food isn't what we like in Mexican food.  

Here is our drinks and chips:

  

Here is my Chile Relleno:

Here is Mike's burrito (with sour cream on it):

Here are Anna's quesadillas:

By the way...the music guy was fine but not great. 

Irish Gypsy Bar in O'Fallon 12-18-2021

 I had heard from some friends who live in the area that this place was known for its good food.  I drive past it often and the parking lot is packed!!  So, on Saturday night Mike, Anna and I decided to give it a try.  

The interior is nothing exciting.  It looks like a typical bar: hightop tables, people sitting at the bar, a very few regular height tables and booths.  It was 6 p.m. and most of the tables were full.  There were two dirty tables near the door.  A waitress yelled at us as we walked in to sit wherever we wanted.  We walked around and discovered the two dirty tables were the only open ones.  So, we sat down.  In a few minutes she came over and apologized.  She cleaned the table and brought us menus.  She took our drink orders.  Mike ordered a "milk stout" beer and I ordered a Moscow Mule.  Anna got a sprite.  I didn't like the Moscow Mule.  The ginger beer was weird and threw off the entire drink.  Mike liked his 4Hands Milk Stout and eventually got one more.  

The menu really didn't have much to choose from.  Since this was an Irish bar, there was Irish stew and bangers and mash, but otherwise it was typical bar food: wings, fried pickles, fried onion rings.  We were surprised to see that it didn't have potato skins or fish and chips.  They had some things that aren't especially Irish: steak sandwich, french dip sandwich, and turkey sandwich.  They had a few wraps and chicken items, but none of the chicken was fried...it was all grilled with things like onions and peppers.  So, Anna and I both ended up getting burgers and fries.  I'll have to say, the fries were good.  They were very like McDonald's fries.  The burger was fine.  It was a nice size but they didn't ask how I liked it cooked.  It was a little overdone and dry for my tastes.  They also don't offer American cheese on their burger...just swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or jalepeno/cayenne. Mike got a reuben sandwich and he said it was really quite good.  

I read online all about the good vibe of this bar. I just didn't see it.  It was a bunch of middle aged people sitting around eating supper and drinking buckets of beer.  There was nothing special or different.  The food was fine but not remarkable.  

Mike said he'd go back, but Anna and I said we'd give it a pass.  This was a one and done.

Here's my hamburger:

Here is Mike's Reuben with cheese fries: