The Singles:
Ernie
Age: 27
Job: Attorney
Hobbies: Motorcycles, golf, volunteering
Lauren
Age: 25
Job: Kindergarten Aide
Hobbies: Rollerblading, dining out, shopping
The Double Daters:
Rachel (Lauren’s older sister)
Clint (Ernie’s high school friend)
Who set it up?
Ernie: I guess it was my idea to go on this date. I met Lauren at Clint’s house some time ago and she came to my house for my barbecue about a month ago. So, I guess I have known of her about a little less then a year. I thought it would be a no- pressure date if I went to dinner with Clint and Rachel and then asked if Lauren would like to go with us.
Lauren: It was my sister’s idea. Actually, I shouldn’t say that. It was Ernie’s decision to go out on a date. My sister kind of played matchmaker, I think.
Rachel: Ernie wanted to do it. He expressed to me that he thought she had a good head on her shoulders and he thought maybe he’d like to get to know her better.
Clint: Well, it was Ernie’s idea to meet her. I mentioned that Rachel’s sister is cute and they should meet and that they might be good together.
First Impressions:
Ernie: I felt that she was sweet, conservative yet fun, personable and, of course, cute. I was impressed when I met her before at my BBQ.
Lauren: We didn’t meet at the BBQ, we actually met at my sister’s house at Thanksgiving. But, we never really fell together to talk, so when I first saw him I thought he was really, really cute but I didn’t get a good vibe from him because he didn’t seem proactive about doing anything and he was shy and introverted. On the date I was definitely impressed with him; he was asking me questions. He looked very good on the date, wore nice clothes and smelled really good. I think his scent ended up on me and I ended up smelling him very randomly by the end of the night.
Rachel: Ernie had a nice shirt on and he smelled really good. That’s important. Maybe a bit much but that’s OK. Lauren wore a white sun dress and she looked beautiful. I didn’t want to get too dressed up because I didn’t want to outshine my sister.
Clint: They saw each other before at a party, but they didn’t really talk. Ernie looked sharp; he was wearing a nice shirt and no sneakers. Chicks don’t dig sneakers on a date. Lauren looked very nice.
The Date:
Ernie: We all met at Clint and Rachel’s house and then I drove us all to the restaurant. So, I guess technically I picked her up there.
Lauren: I sat in the backseat with my sister so I went into the date without any expectations. My sister always wants to set me up with people. My sister is my best friend and her best friend is Clint, so it was very comfortable.
Rachel: In the car it was wonderful and conversation was flowing.
Clint: In the car it seemed to go well. They were talking and smiling and they were very friendly.
The Restaurant:
Ernie: I had never been to the Blue Pear before, but Lauren mentioned it was one of her favorite places to go. I assumed she had been a few times and I was looking forward to a good meal.
Lauren: My sister picked the restaurant but I had been there once before and had a great experience.
Rachel: I picked it. I have never been unsatisfied with the food there, it’s always been fantastic and the service and atmosphere is perfect for a first date.
Clint: Rachael picked the restaurant. I let her pick stuff like that.
Drinks and Apps:
Ernie: We both ordered the Pinot Gregio. She ordered first and I enjoy it as well, so I got the same. For appetizers she had snails — I forget the fancy name for them. I tried them. They were in a garlic cheese dish and actually they were pretty good, minus the weird consistency. I had these fantastic chicken nuggets in a really spicy honey mustard sauce. They were to die for. I could have eaten them as a meal.
Lauren: I got Pinot Gregio and Ernie got it too. I ordered escargot. When they came I asked him if he knew what it was and if he wanted to try some. He tried it and we all told him at the same time that it was snails. I thought it was very brave of him, but he just said they weren’t bad.
Rachel: Tangary martini up with 3 olives. My sis and Ernie ordered the same drink; I think he wanted to show that they enjoy the same drink. I ordered the calamari with corn meal encrusted with jalapenos; it was delicious. The jalapenos are the best idea ever.
Clint: I got vodka and club soda and French onion soup. The soup had the perfect gooey bread-to-cheese ratio.
The conversation
Ernie: It’s hard on a double date, so for the most part all four of us talked. At one point I wanted to focus on Lauren so she and I talked about work. I found out she is the director of a small play which was put on by the students of Villa Maria last Saturday and she is also a kindergarten aid there.
Lauren: It was always flowing and there were no awkward silences. It was hard to get to know him with my sister and Clint there, but he made a very good effort to ask questions to me, like how was your day? Etc.
Rachael: It was good. Ernie was asking her about her likes and dislikes and it was non- stop conversation throughout the whole meal.
Clint: The conversation went well at dinner but they talked a lot about work. Lauren is doing a play and she started a drama club and it bored the shit out of me, but they seemed to enjoy it.
The Service:
Ernie: The service was right on point. Non-intrusive and very fast.
Lauren: Overall the service was great. The owner, Jim Barnes, was very friendly and gracious.
Main courses:
Ernie: I had sea scallops which where huge and melted in my mouth. It was accompanied by crisply cooked asparagus. Lauren had some type of rack of ribs, but you will have to ask her about that.
Lauren: I had the short ribs that fell perfectly apart and it was served over creamy grits – so good. Everything was really tasty.
Rachael: I had the tuna tartar, which is a small plate. It was served in a chilled dish that made it very refreshing and at the bottom there was avocado and an Asian sauce. It was served with crustinis and was a perfect match.
Clint: I decided on steak and fries. The steak was tender and juicy a nd perfectly cooked and the fries are fu$#ing amazing. I don’t even know how to explain them, they were skinny and good.
Dessert:
Ernie: We shared the dessert. She ordered a Napoleon french toast and I got the peanut butter moose cake with seared bananas. That was heavenly; I should have ordered two!!! She enjoyed the m both but I think was partial to the french toast.
Lauren: I had the french toast and Ernie offered me some of his peanut butter dessert and it was nice. It was a great end to the meal.
Rachel: They both were amazing. We were all sharing the Napoleon french toast, but we had to make Ernie share his peanut butter pie with us.
Clint: The entire table got a french toast thing with blueberries and Ernie wanted a peanut butter pie and we all split it.
Best part of the date:
Ernie: Me. Ha ha, just kidding don’t write that. The company was fantastic. She and I got a long swimmingly and I thought just enjoyed the entire evening, the food, the atmosphere; it was just a good overall time.
Lauren: It was all fun. I liked all going together, so there were no awkward silences. I really liked getting to know him better.
Worst part:
Ernie: I’d say it was taking all of the pictures when we were there. I felt like we were tourists. Other than that I didn’t think there was bad part in the date.
Lauren: Going to another bar for a drink with a band playing wasn’t great because it was really hard to hear and have a conversation.
Was it a match?
Ernie: Who knows; only time will tell,
Lauren: Um, as of right now I have to wait for a second date to see if it’s a good match. It was hard to have a real date with my sister and Clint there.
Rachael: Yes, they need to hang out again alone without us and get to know more about each other. They haven’t talked to each other that I know of.
Clint: I think they went home separately, so I don’t know. I haven’t talked to either of them.
Was there a kiss?
Ernie: No, there was no kiss.
Lauren: No. It was a hug. That was it.
Rachel: There was a hug is what I heard. But there was some affection showed after dinner when my sister put on music that Clint and I hated but they were both rocking out to it. I think it was some country stuff ha ha. Ernie was mouthing the words and she was laughing at him. It was cute.
Clint: We all went back to my house to hang out. I drank a little too much and ended up passing out, so I don’t know if there was a kiss or not.
A second date?
Ernie: I think so. I have not had the chance to talk to her yet on the phone, I was away the rest of the weekend and have been very busy.
Lauren: We e-mailed each other and he gave me his number. I guess I have to make that first step and see. He didn’t have my number nor did he ask for it. So, we’ll see.
