Dine About Town 2007 Picks

Date Night is officially doing two Dine About Town dinners: 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar and Scott Howard. Usually I go through and try to see what will be the best deal and also be interesting. 1550's sample menu looks pretty enticing - not the run-of-the-mill skimpy chicken and side dishes. And even if Scott Howard didn't post a sample menu, we've wanted to go there for quite some time, so we're willing to take that leap of faith. Expect posts later in January.

Dine About Town vs. Restaurant Week

One thing that I really miss about New York is Restaurant Week. For two weeks in the winter and summer, restaurants would produce a prix fixe lunch menu for a price matching the year: $20.02 for example. Nearly every fine dining establishment participated, and I remember the excitement of planning how we were going to squeeze in all these restaurants that we wanted to try. We would go through the list, look up each restaurant in Zagat, and figure out where the best deals were. Then we'd eagerly make our reservations, upset to be shut out at some because other more organized people had beaten us to the phones, and triumphant when we got the reservation we wanted. Our best discovery was finding that Danny Meyer (Mr. Hospitality) had his restaurants give you a gift certificate at the end of your meal for the same amount as the prix fixe deal to entice you to return - and we definitely did. Although I hear that the prices have gone up, the program still gets a ton of participants and is a great deal.

Now that I'm in San Francisco, the closest thing to restaurant week is Dine About Town. For the month of January, participating restaurants offer a prix fixe meal which is $21.95 for lunch and $31.95 for dinner. However, fewer of the city's top restaurants participate in this program, so finding the right place to eat is even more of a challenge than in New York. Additionally, because the restaurants must cut costs to offer this less expensive meal, their menus look like standard catered fare (New York restaurants seem to manage this constraint better by offering more interesting options). Last year, my friend and I went to Farallon for lunch which was a real treat but another friend and I had a worse experience at Restaurant Lulu. This year's restaurants have just been posted. We'll see if any of them are worthy of Date Night.

Advice: How to make a good impression on a first date with Date Night's single girl

I fully admit that I am Seinfeld-levels picky. Here are some tips on how to avoid getting an unflattering nickname.

Tip #1: Look like your best you. I don't mean put on a suit and tie or anything fancy. Really, just look like you put some effort into looking nice for me, like you care about the impression you make. Let me emphasize that cleanliness goes a long way. Please no t-shirts with holes, no pants with odd stains, no fleece unless it's outerwear, and no greasy hair. If you're in a bad way (like if you wear socks in your sandals), consult your female or gay male friends on your fashion sins and let them help you - they probably have been aching to for a while. On the other hand, don't be too caught up in your looks because then I will judge you to be a preening asshole who cares more about his hair products and shiny watch than about having fun. Balance is key.

Tip #2: Make me laugh and be okay with laughing at yourself. I am easily amused, and I am turned on more by wordplay and banter than I am by compliments (although those are nice too). I will forgive a date many things if he is quick-witted and a good sport.

Tip #3: Show up on time. Feel free to be early. Being late tells me that you don't value my time.

Tip #4: Make eye contact. I don't trust guys who can't sustain eye contact. I don't want to have a staring contest, but making eye contact with me lets me feel that what you say is genuine.

Tip #5: Be extraordinarily polite to the bartender, waiter, or whoever is serving us. I personally think everyone in the United States should have to work three months in a customer service job so they know how hard a job it is and appreciate what these people have to put up with. If there's cause to complain, do so politely.

Finally, all-important Tip #6: Assuming you're setting up the date, know that where you choose to take me can help or hurt you, and you want it to help you. The way it will help you is if the place both reflects your personality and tastes and will put me at ease. The first part is key because you want to feel comfortable there not flustered. The place should flatter the type of person you are: outdoorsy guys have done well with a low-key burger place with a great beer selection while urbanites have more success with a cool sushi joint or hipster bar - and I've had great times at both. The second part matters because considerate guys go far with me and I will have a better time if I feel like I fit in too. In other words, avoid North Beach and the Marina unless you know exactly what you're doing. If you really want the cheat sheet, you can consult our upcoming restaurant-date pairing.

(I'm sure I'll come up with more tips, or gripes, later.)

Season Two thus far

24) Dona Tomas, August 25, 2006
25) Plearn Thai, September 5, 2006
26) Bartolotta, Las Vegas, October 13, 2006
27) Carlos' Mexican, Boulder City, October 14, 2006
28) Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas, October 15, 2006
29) Dopo, October 26, 2006
30) Cyrus, November 10, 2006
31) Cafe Colucci, November 16, 2006
32) Pho 85, November 30, 2006
33) Redd, Yountville, December 17, 2006 for brunch

Season One and a half

The Summer Season
21) Date Night goes to Fallon, June 1 - June 4, 2006
22) Zuppa and Jamie Lidell, June 29, 2006
23) Aziza, July 21, 2006

Season One

1) Delfina, December 1, 2005
2) O Chame, December 7, 2005
3) Range, January 19, 2006
4) Coco500, January 26, 2006
5) Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, January 31, 2006
6) Sing-along Mary Poppins and Chow, February 9, 2006
7) Dosa, February 16, 2006
8) Cesar, February 23, 2006
9) Ame, March 2, 2006
10) Myth, March 9, 2006
11) Slanted Door, March 16, 2006
12) Cav Wine Bar, March 23, 2006
13) Iluna Basque, March 28, 2006
14) No Name Sushi, April 4, 2006
15) Gregoire, April 13, 2006
16) Quince, April 25, 2006
17) Canteen, May 4, 2006
18) Movie Night in Dolores Park, May 11, 2006
19) Manresa, May 18, 2006
20) Foreign Cinema, May 30, 2006

Our Creation Story

Date Night began when my wonderful friend Ethan and I were sitting around discussing how many great restaurants there are in the Bay Area. We were both single at the time and we lamented not having dates to eat at these restaurants with us. Then we realized we should be each other's dates and eat at all these places together. We soon brought in Sarah and Heather, and the four of us have been like peas in a Date-Night pod ever since.