An Innocent Enough Date

It started out innocent enough. I asked my dear friend out for chocolate. We have our usual favorite chocolate haunt we like to get our late night craving satisfied from. So last night, as I was driving to go pick her up, I thought, "wait a minute here, there's got to be other places to sit down, lean back and enjoy each other's company at!" But it's gotta have good coffee and chocolate right? So The Dad suggested another place. Off my dear friend and I went. Imagine us, walking into a nice restaurant that is quiet and has cushy booths to sit and visit in. That's what the place The Dad suggested usually is like on a weeknight. So in we walk and to our surprise the place is packed and the waitress asks, "so, are ya here for the burger and brew?" My dear friend and I just looked at each other blankly. But, we valiantly held it together... and asked what is burger and brew? So the cute little waitress launches into all the different variations of burgers we could get for $7.00 that evening. We stopped her before she got to the brew alternatives by saying we would just like some dessert; chocolate preferably. After looking dubiously into the crowded, lively restaurant and wondering if we would even be able to hear ourselves talk over the noise level, we allowed ourselves to be led to a very small two-person booth. There's a light hanging down over our heads. I presume it is supposed to give us a feeling of our own personal space, lit up so we can see our food. Instead, it glares into our eyes from above. We giggle a little at each other. Then by mutual consent, we both jump up out of the booth and make a quick run for it! Yes, we abandoned the place! Yes, we are giggling hysterically by now! So, after a quick phone call to Son Th, who was a chef and knows all the good chocolate haunts in town, we head on over to the next place. Park in a very scary back alley in a spot that quite possibly might be flagged as ticket worthy or even tow away worthy and we charge in for our chocolate. To get to the place we have to weave our way through a narrow pathway between two houses and there, finally, is the door to the palace of chocolate that holds the promise of satisfaction. But what's this in front of us? A stairway with a belching plume of billowing steam coming from it? Very 1940 noir feeling. Cue the smoothly suspenseful music. We open the door... we walk in and there is a waiter. Or so we surmise. We are still giggling a little at this point. Mostly from that 1940 plume of steam coming from the stairway... we're nervous! The nice man in the suit, who looks just like a waiter asks us, "so are you here for the Lingerie Party? Because if you are you just missed it!" My dear friend and I look at each other again and of course start giggling hysterically as we tell the nice man that we just want some dessert, preferably chocolate and some coffee. At that point, thank heavens, a very discreet waitress comes and rescues us from the "definitely not a waiter, Lingerie salesman". She leads us through the dimly lit, very quiet restaurant to the most divine looking dessert case you could possibly imagine. Cue the heavenly choir music. At that point, my friend and I both needed someone to tell us to close our flabbergasted mouths so we would stop drooling! Oh the beautiful desserts in that case! Oh the chocolate! Oh the cheesecakes so lovingly decorated! Bless the pastry chef who could create such masterpieces for our delight! What were we doing just standing there? Let's get down to business! Needless to say, we both were served the most wonderful chocolate cake on gorgeous dessert plates all (as my dear friend would say) fancy schmancy! The coffee was rich and satisfying and the place was quiet with little candles on each table. Cue the sound of clinking fine silverware on even finer china! We got to hear each others trials of life without the sounds of "burger and brew" being served to 100 people all around us. Oh! and one more thing to top the evening off just right. The "definitely not a waiter, Lingerie salesman" came by our table as he was leaving and gave us the rest of a bottle of fine wine that was leftover from his Lingerie Party, a Petite Syrah, for us to share! It was one of the best wines I have ever tasted. My dear friend and I definitely will be going back there someday... hopefully soon. Hopefully not on Lingerie Party Night. But I will never forget our date last night, that started out innocently enough!