When I asked about the "Gin + House-made Tonic," our server said that it was a bit lighter and fruitier than the regular stuff (probably on account of the grapefruit pulp), which made the drink "girlier."
I didn't know I'd been drinking like an old man.
So I ordered the special and found it a bit too flowery for my taste. When the server came by to ask how it was, I had to admit, "I think I like 'em dirty." So she brought me a regular. And all was well again.
We scoured the menu -- all three items -- for something to snack on, but all they had was "fries" (a cross between a potato wedge and potato skin; no thanks) and "puff chips with Thai salsa verde." To her credit, the server tried enthusiastically to make them sound really exotic.
"You mean the spongey, crispy, shrimpy ones?" I asked.
"Yes! That's exactly it!" she said.
"Uhm... the kind we grew up eating...?"
"Yeah, I guess so... Sorry."
"No worries. We were just looking for something a bit... different, is all."
We ended up ordering the "chips," for lack of a better option. "See? We don't hate our culture," I assured our server. And I must admit that the "Thai salsa verde," whatever was in it, was quite good.
All in all, though, a spontaneous happy hour with an old friend was a marvelous start to the summer. And said friend having experienced the merits of public transportation now that the Expo Line is open, such spontaneity may be the summer trend.
t seems that Monday nights are good ones for the gals to get together. We knew we were meeting up for dinner, but emailed back and forth about it up until it was almost time to meet! Is this what happens when four of five gals have iPhones?! What will happen if/when I get mine?! In any case, we ended up at 
[taco, taco, taco]