Date night! (BONUS = Local chocolate!)

As we stay-at-home moms know all too well, it's not common enough that we can get out of the house for dinner with nice clothes, makeup, and good hair.  I treasure every single date night that my husband and I can manage.  Thankfully, I have awesome (childless) siblings who are always up for niece-sitting.  On this eve in particular, my sister was home without her business-tripping husband and graciously provided her services.

Our night out was fantastic.  We started off with dinner at a local Mexican joint, Compadres Mexican Grill and Cantina, where we scarfed down chips and queso before enjoying fajitas and carnitas tacos.  We polished it off with the best flan this side of the Pecos and a couple of sopapillas that were to die for.  Sure, the food was good, but our waiter was out of this world.  His name was Samuel, and if you ever make it to the south Tulsa location of Compadres, make sure you sit in his section!

After dinner, we took a drive, meandering north toward downtown.  A leisurely drive through the Brady Arts District took us past a glowing window that looked to me like a chocolatier.  Cody drove around the block for a second look, and sure enough, that's what I saw.  (Does this tummy have GPS or something?)

We walked into a charming small chocolate shop, Glacier Confection, with the most gorgeous hand-crafted candies I've ever seen- glossy jewel tones, domes of silky chocolate, intricately painted truffles, and artisan chocolate bars from exotic locales.

We wound up buying a selection of truffles and a dark chocolate bar.  The truffles were fantastic- my favorite was the amaretto.  And the lemon.  And the dark chocolate.  We scarfed down all nine of the truffles while standing in the dining room.

Owner and Chief Chocolate Officer Bill Copeland was wonderfully friendly and helpful, explaining all about the bean-to-bar chocolate he offers from Askinosie Chocolate.

Askinosie's mission is small batch chocolate making that allows the purchaser to know where the beans themselves came from- there's a photo of the farmer on the bar's package!  If you're looking to know more about the origins of your food, this chocolate is a good place to start.

All in all, this was a freaking awesome date night.