Our First & Last Time at Jose McIntyre's

What was originally supposed to be a night filled with $2.50 pitchers of Miller Lite and $1 apps at the Mexican-Irish restaurant Jose Mcintyre's turned into a life lesson that you should never eat Mexican when 1) One of you works at a Tex-Mex that never disappoints or 2) You're both too hungover to actually enjoy Miller Lite. 

When we both found ourselves too exhausted/hungover after a long Pride weekend in Boston we decided to veto the beer we're too snobby to enjoy anyway and drink something that would go down a little smoother. We probably should have known as soon as we saw the confused-puppy-dog-eyes of the waiter who greeted us that we should have skipped Jose's all together.

As a server, I (Brittany) give the benefit of the doubt and all of the sympathy that I have to waiters no matter how long it takes for us to get our drinks (about 25 minutes in this case - not an exaggeration) or the amount of times they fail at witty banter. Luckily, there were only about seven drink options so it didn't take long for Alicia to decide on the Caribbean Chill Margarita, and as someone who typically loves all things Brazilian, I went for the Caipirinha. 

Alicia's margarita had 1800 coconut tequila, coconut rum, Triple Sec, lime juice, sour mix, and OJ. The exotic Caipirinha ended up being 2/3 Leblon Cachac topped with a barely existent amount of lime and sugar. If I had know I ordered a Brazilian blackout in a glass, I would have gone with the sangria that was all I really wanted. But while still waiting for our dinners, after watching the table that had sat down after us finish up their fajitas, and after a lot of internal conflict, I had about two sips of my drink before I had no choice but to send it back. Our waiter was quick to let us know that it was the first time the bartender had made the drink and that I of course could trade it in for a sangria. I can really only blame myself for this mistake, but there are very few Monday nights where I'm ready for that kind of alcohol at 7:30 PM. 

The sangria and margaritas were over-priced but delicious and lucky for us the bartender sent over a free margarita that had clearly been a mistake by our flustered (but sweet) lil server. Our trip to Jose's wasn't a total waste: it brought us back to our Irish roots with a little bit of Mexican flavor. Alicia ate a monstrous dish of chili topped with mashed potatoes (Mexican Shepherd's Pie) til the bowl was empty and I had a Chicken Avocado Salad that mostly acted as a chaser for my Caipirinha. 

Let this be a lesson to everyone: if you're craving Mexican or tequila, Border Cafe in Harvard Square can offer you $5 margaritas within minutes and all the chips and salsa you can fit into your stomach. And I don't just say that because I work there.