He Said, She Said with Matt and Gina

The Singles:

Matt

Age: 29

Job: International Sales

Interests: Travel, sailing, baseball and music

Gina

Age: 28

Job: Teacher

Interests: Exercising, teaching figure skating, reading, traveling, dining out, movies, sporting events, spending time with family, the beach and the color pink

The Restaurant:

Bistro on The Brandywine

First Impressions:

Matt: Gina was very attractive and very well put together; she came off as the classic cute girl next door. At first, I think she was a little nervous, but that melted away very quickly. I was excited to find out more about her.

Gina: My first impression of Matt was that he was nicely dressed in a suit jacket and pants and a collared shirt and that he looked very familiar to me. A little bit into our date, I learned why – we went to the same high school and I remember seeing him in the hallways! I liked that he was a little dressed up but still casual in that he did not wear a tie. Matt had a beautiful sunflower for me, which reminded me of spring in these dull winter months. And he came over and have me a hug. It was very nice!

The Date:

Matt: We started the night at the Chaddsford Winery for a private wine tasting before dinner at Bistro on the Brandywine. Rachel, an events coordinator with the Winery, set us up in the “Big Bottle Room,” which houses all their different vintages; it was an incredible room and it had a great warmth and history to it. Chaddsford Winery was the perfect place to kick things off.

Gina: The wine tasting was great! I love the Chaddsford Winery and to get the opportunity to have a private tasting with someone who knows everything about the wines was a unique experience. I don’t know a lot about wine, so it was nice that there was an educational element to the date! Then we were going to have dinner at Bistro on the Brandywine. The whole evening was right up my alley.

The Conversation:

Matt: We had a lot in common, there was never an awkward moment and the conversation flowed very nicely. Gina told me about her job, all the sports she’s involved with (ice skating, field hockey, lacrosse – wow! That’s a lot, right?!) and her travels.

Gina: I thought that at first it was a little hard to have much of a conversation because mostly we were listening to the wine tasting hostess and not really talking to each other. We talked about how we got involved in the He Said, She Said date and we, of course, talked about the wines we were drinking and which ones we liked, disliked, etc.

Matt: It was great because we both have a love for travel; she told me all about her adventures in England and Finland. To top it all off, it’s not everyday that you meet a fun, attractive young lady that likes spending her summer days at the the Phillies game, too.

Gina: We didn’t really get into much conversation until we got to dinner. Once we were by ourselves we talked about all sorts of things! Where we grew up, what we each do for a living, our hobbies, the Olympics…I thought the conversation was very comfortable and easy.

The Wine Tasting:

Matt: We tasted 8 different wines, starting with the dry whites, then dry reds and finishing things off with a sweeter Rose and Niagara white. I was a fan of the ’07 Cabernet Sauvignon; it seemed a perfect fit for a cold winter night. After it was all said and done, Gina and I both agreed that the ’08 Proprietors Reserve White was our favorite. Dry, refreshing, classic.

Gina: The wine tasting went very well. The atmosphere of the Chaddsford Winery is warm and romantic; to open a few bottles of wine and try them in a private wine tasting room makes wine seem even more romantic! The feel of the elegant, remodeled country dairybarn was welcoming and charming. It was an excellent choice for a first date. I was excited to get to learn the differences between the different kinds of white and red wine. I didn’t like all of them, but it was great getting to try them! Matt and I got to take a bottle of our favorite wine from the tasting with us, which ended up being a Proprietors Reserve white wine. I know Matt liked it, but I think since it was my favorite he said we should take that one with us – very sweet!

The Restaurant:

Matt: For dinner we went to Bistro on the Brandywine; it was my first time there. I was impressed with the clean, modern decor and the restaurant had a great buzz inside. The menu was a fantastic mix of local favorites (Kennett Square Mushroom Soup) fused with a French twist (Duck confit with pears with a sherry mustard vinaigrette).

Gina: The Bistro on the Brandywine had an atmosphere that was elegant without being pretentious. The hardwood floors and perfectly dimmed lighting made the restaurant feel upscale but, at the same time, casual. The menu was extensive enough that I felt like I had a lot to choose from, but not so much that I wondered how they could possibly make so many dishes well! There was a nice variety of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees. I had been there once before with my family, but that was several years ago and I think they have improved their menu quite a bit since then.

The Service:

Matt: Our service at the Bistro was fantastic; our server, Amanda, took care of us and was eager to make sure we enjoyed our meals. She put us at a great corner table with a full view of the restaurant. At the end of the evening, Gina and I felt a little sorry for the wait staff because, without even noticing, we were the last ones at the restaurant and they had so graciously left us alone to enjoy our conversation.

Gina: Rachel, our hostess at Chaddsford Winery, was very helpful and clearly knew everything about all of the wines that we tried. She worked for a couple of years making the wine before becoming the event coordinator for the Winery. She let us drink our wine at our own pace and only brought out the next wine on the list when she thought we were ready for it. She kept us mindful of the time so that we wouldn’t miss our dinner reservation! She answered all of our questions very thoroughly.

Drinks with Dinner:

Matt: Gina and I both ordered a glass of wine, but after the wine tasting were taking it easy.

Gina: We each had a glass of wine with dinner. We decided to keep with the local winery theme of the evening and we tried a Paradocx white wine, which was very good. We didn’t bring in our bottle of wine from the tasting because we didn’t think the Bistro was a BYOB, but we found out they do allow outside wines. But, I think we were both happy with our Paradocx wine with dinner!

The Food:

Matt: For an appetizer I had the tuna tartare with a crushed avocado, cilantro micro-green salad, with a red jalapeno aioli. It had a great presentation and I couldn’t wait to dive in. The tuna tartare and crushed avocados went perfectly together; my spicy taste buds were hoping the jalapeno aioli would heat things up, but all in all it was a mild dish. I was a little jealous of Gina’s pan-seared Boucheron goat cheese; she let me try some – it was amazing!

Gina: For an appetizer, I got the pan-seared Boucheron goat cheese with vine-roasted cherry tomatoes. I love goat cheese, so this was an easy choice for me. I had never had pan-seared goat cheese before, and I thought it was a unique twist. I think there was a little bit of honey drizzled on the plate too, which added just the right amount of sweetness. I thought it was excellent. I liked my dish better than Matt’s and I liked that we shared our appetizers!

Matt: For my main course I had Chilean salmon with caramelized onions; it was absolutely delicious. All the flavors came together really nicely and just melted in my mouth. My mother would be proud; I completely cleaned my plate and loved every bite.

Gina: For my entree, I decided to order the braized beef short rib with gnocchi, exotic mushrooms and English peas. Our waitress recommended it and it was absolutely delicious! The meat was served off the bone, so no mess when you eat it, and the flavors of the meat and the gnocchi went together very well. It was a rich dish with a little sweetness to it, so I wasn’t able to eat all of it, but I enjoyed every bite.

Matt: For dessert I had the classic vanilla creme brulee; it was a great way to end the meal. Funny enough, we ended up talking about Martha Stewart and how she uses her own mini-blow torch to make creme brulee; it got me thinking that a trip to Home Depot for the full-blown version might be a fun weekend project.

Gina: We decided that we had to get dessert, so I ordered the special dessert that evening, which was an apple galette with Granny Smith apples and a pastry shell. I enjoyed it except for the macademia nuts they sprinkled on top. Somehow the flavor was wrong for the dish. I wouldn’t have minded a crunchy texture, but the pieces of nut made for too much crunch. So, I happily put the nuts to the side and enjoyed my dessert.

Conversation and Chemistry:

Matt: We had a great conversation that could have gone on much longer. We seem to have a lot in common; all in all it was a just a great evening out.

Gina: The conversation throughout dinner was great. It was never forced and I think we learned that we have quite a bit in common. Matt had a good sense of humor, which is very important to me. I think there was some chemistry and it would be nice to get to know each other better!

Did you exchange numbers?:

Matt: Yes.

Gina: Yes, I gave Matt my phone number at the end of the night. He couldn’t find anything to write on in his car except the bag for our complimentary wine. So, he wrote my number on the paper bag and said he would take that and I could take the wine. He sent me a text message later saying he hoped I got home safely and I got his number that way.

Was it a Match?:

Matt: Time will tell; I think it was a good start.

Gina: Time will tell, but I think there’s a definite possibility that it could be a match. Matt was a perfect gentleman and someone I want to get to know better!

Was there a kiss?:

Matt: You’ll have to ask Gina. I don’t kiss and tell.

Gina: There was, and that’s all I’m going to say!

Will there be a second date?

Matt: Yes, I think so. It would be nice to get to know her without the any of the pressure of a blind “He Said, She Said” date.

Gina: I think there will be a second date. I know I had a good time and he said he did as well, so I am hoping that sometime soon we will get together again.

How did you leave it?:

Matt: We’ll talk and see where things go from here.

Gina: We left it that we both had a good time and that we would like to see each other again!

Update:

Matt and Gina have been out for a second date and had a great time.  Since then, they have both been traveling abroad but continue to email and talk regularly and have a third date scheduled soon.