Anyone for Euchre?
One of my favorite nights ever happened decades ago. I was either in law school or had just finished, so I was probably around 26.
Three sisters (not my sisters) and I went to a bar near where I was living. It was called Laschett’s, a German bar. It’s still somewhere near me, although I have no idea if it still exists.
It was small. In fact, the best way I can describe it is that it felt like drinking in the living room of a former German Navy man. Seriously. There were German military photographs on the walls. I’m not sure what the backstory was, and frankly, I didn’t care.
We sat at a table, drank German beer, and played Euchre.
That’s it. That’s the whole story. And it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had.
I think I’ve finally figured out my ideal bar experience. I don’t want to stand around. I don’t want to yell over music to have a conversation. I don’t need a DJ, a dance floor, or a specialty cocktail with twelve ingredients and a sprig of something I’ve never heard of.
I want a table, a beer, a deck of cards, and someone willing to play.
Some of my other favorite nights happened at Guthrie’s, another great Chicago bar. I think it closed at one point but eventually came back. Guthrie’s was more of an Irish pub, but it had a feature that made it just about perfect: an entire wall of board games. And this was before DoorDash, so they also had a coffee tin full of takeout menus from nearby restaurants.
You’d order a Guinness (or, in my case, a Black and Tan), pick out a board game, find a menu, order dinner, and settle in for the evening.
Heaven.
Fast forward to tonight. I’m sitting in another Irish bar. I’ve had two Guinnesses, and while I wasn’t paying attention, the bartender put down a third. Apparently, I look like a man who needs another Guinness.
I hate wasting good beer. There are thirsty kids in Africa, after all. (I’m not entirely sure how that particular childhood argument applies to an unfinished Guinness in Chicago, but old habits die hard.)
I’m not really the kind of guy who strikes up conversations with strangers. I’m perfectly happy sitting by myself, enjoying a beer and watching the world go by.
But I swear, if I had brought a deck of cards tonight, I might have stood up and yelled across the bar:
“Anyone for Euchre?!”
And who knows? Maybe I’d have another one of my favorite nights.
