Ditching the Remote and Sweatpants for Date Night Again

We love each other the most, but we've also lived together for five years and worked together for 13. After spending nearly 15 months surviving a global pandemic together along with my child, a roommate, and two dogs in a small four-plex home, the fact that my boyfriend and I still genuinely like each other is definitely worth celebrating outside in the reopening world.

Date night for us has never been an event planned too far in advance, nor has it been regularly scheduled. And despite insisting that I "really like surprises," my predisposition for panic attacks doesn't really inspire either of us to go too far out on the social activity limb without a heads-up. Last week, however, I found myself ready to jump into the deep end and let my boyfriend plan a little last-minute Friday night something for the first time in a long while. Although we've been out a couple of times, this felt special while remaining true to our roots. Dinner and a movie is classic for a reason.

Finding something to wear isn't as easy as it was before, what with my newly shaped pandemic bod, so, as it goes, I frantically changed while he patiently waited for me to settle back on the first dress. We arrived at the first restaurant, one we'd frequented for reverse happy hour in the Before Times; there was a 40-minute wait and the clientele was different (bougier?). Same story at the next two neighborhood standbys, and we had movie tickets in an hour. None of that would have seemed unusual in the 2019 version of our bustling lives, but it really highlighted how out of practice we were: Apparently, you need reservations for everything now. Laugh so your heart rate doesn't spike, and roll with it all so you don't anxiety-sweat through your cute dress, right?

We popped into Shanghai, a small mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant in the same parking lot as the Galaxy movie theatre, and found almost no one there and a very sweet and eager server/host. Scan the QR code, order General Tso's chicken and shrimp leek dumplings to share, relax. Start enjoying the evening ... we're back, baby!

As for the movie, he selected it primarily because it was one of the only things screening. Spiral – the new spinoff of the infamous Saw series, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson – was exactly as you'd imagine it. With full bellies and a nearly empty but still very familiar theatre, we held hands and shock-laughed at the ridiculously violent film. It was a perfect outing, hiccups and all. So much so that we did it again the next night, armed with reservations.

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Find more date night ideas at Austin bars and restaurants at austinchronicle.com/events/food.