Dinner and a Movie

We made it out from under the snow! Yes, after dreams by many of a White Christmas, Oklahoma city was blanketed Christmas Eve by more than 14 inches of the white stuff. It was beautiful, but it hit this town with a vengeance. After almost seven years away from the East Coast, we weren't ready for it either. Plans were changed, celebrations were moved, and families were forced to actually spend time together. It was actually quite wonderful.

However, earlier this week, it was time to dig out, hire a babysitter, and have some adult time. We met our dearly-missed Norman next-door-neighbors for a night on the town. This time it would be in our neck of the woods, so we decided to venture out to the Iguana Mexican Grill.

We had been there once before, in the summer, and we were looking forward to a return trip. We were not disappointed. We were immediately seated in a room with lots of festive folks and huge colorful paintings on the wall. Yes, this was the perfect scene for a fun evening. We started with their chips and salsa. Although the tortillas were quite tasty -- light and crispy, with just enough warmth that the salt lingered on the chip -- they themselves were nothing spectacular. But the salsa definitely was. So fresh and pleasingly pungent -- brightened with cilantro and lime juice (?) and just a hint of smokiness. We all loved it. (Admittedly, I am a wimp when it comes to heat, so others may prefer their salsa a bit hotter.)

We girls both tried Tio Pepe's Mini Tacos, from the appetizer portion of the menu.  They came four to an order, and you can pick and choose from three fillings:  ground beef, adobo chicken and wood-smoked tilapia, which was by far my favorite.  The smaller shells were light and crispy, and the fillings did not disappoint -- especially the chunky bites of fish.  Erin ordered  a good, but not great, order of guacamole on the side, and I had citrus and cilantro white beans which were a bit off the beaten path and quite yummy.  (They tasted just like they sound, lemony and bright, yet comforting, if that makes sense.) 

Eric ordered Fish Tacos (for the first time!) and said they were quite good.  Scott ordered Crispy Pork Carnitas which looked amazing ,and he devoured every bite before I could get a taste!  (I need to get better about trying my dinner partners' food if I am going to make a habit of reviewing restaurants on this blog!)  Both boys had the black beans which they reported were very tasty.

Did I mention the margaritas?  We had a picture of the "Perfects" and although I've had much better (Pearls'), we had no trouble enjoying them!  Next time I will probably go with another type, though.

It was wonderful seeing our friends, and we even made it to a movie that night.  We saw Nine, which was wonderful, but I don't think I'll start reviewing movies quite yet.