Date night, woo hoo! For me, date night's appeal is threefold. Time with my Johnny, of course. A chance to sample the tops in Minneapolis restaurant offerings. Aaaaaand a reason to spiff up a bit, straighten the ol' hair (or not), put on lots of mascara, don the bling, dig a little further in my closet for dresses and blouses, spritz on one of my beloved fragrances (right now it's Azuree Soleil, a limited-edition Tom Ford for Estee Lauder fragrance, aka Summer in a Bottle, yummy, yummy), and slip into mile-high heels. Sheesh, with that description, John and the restaurants are losing out a bit, sorry guys. What can I say? I'm a grrrl, I love the girly-girl accoutrements, love 'em all. Like these walk-only-from-valet-to-table sparkly purple beauties. Not one bit comfy (in fact, ouch), but fabulously par-tay, they're tonight's stilts of choice. Stay tuned for details on the Mexican tasties at Masa...

Masa, Masa, mui bueno indeed, man I am as stuffed as the fat little chicken enchilada topped with crema and pickled jalapenos I just downed, ole, baby. Whew. We opted for al fresco tasties and sangria (sparkling sangria, no less, aka Hot-Humid-Day-Elixir), which meant bye-bye straightened hair, sigh, but it was worth it for the people-watching on Nicollet Mall. I soothed myself with carnitas (good Lord, whoever invented pork slow-fried in its own fat was a lovely, twisted soul) and sopas (more tender chicken, this time napped in a creamy, spicy sauce, topped with avocado, and piled into a two-bite-sized, sizzling hot fried masa boat). After a few bites of tres leches cake (one of my all-time fav desserts) and feathery-crisp churros dipped in gooey melted chocolate, I was DONE. I am done. Soooo done. Yeah. It is bedtime for this chica, hope y'all sleep as well as I'm about to...