Tuesday, 2/14

I wonder...where IS the best place in Marquette to go on a first date?

Happy Valentine's Day, first of all, a day when thoughts turn to things such as first dates. This whole train of thought came up when Loraine and I went to the Delft Bistro for the first time over the weekend. They did an amazing job turning an old movie theater into a restaurant; both the risotto and the citrus salad, by the way, are to die for. But leaving the restaurant we came away with the idea that it wouldn't be a very good place to go on a first date. Why, you ask? Well, I answer, there's one simple reason--

You're too busy watching the movie and (probably) not paying enough attention to the person with whom you're dining.

At least that's what happened to us Sunday, when the original “Shrek” was up on the big screen. Loraine and I would start to talk about something, then have our attention diverted when Fiona changed into an ogre or Donkey found out he could fly. I mean, I guess that's not a bad thing when you're on your 1,000^th first date, like Loraine and me. But if you were on your actual “first” date, when you're trying to get to know someone?

Maybe not so much.

And that got us to thinking—where would you go in Marquette for a “first” date? Now, it's been a while since either of us went on one of those, but if memory holds, you want someplace nice, but also someplace where you can get to know the person you're with. You probably don't want someplace too loud, lest your date devolves into a night where you both use the phrase “what?” more than you ever have in your entire life. So on our walk home, we tried to come up with places in Marquette that meet all of those requirements. And you know what?

Between us, we couldn't think of one.

Maybe we're just being too picky. Maybe we're thinking that the location for our “first” date needs to be perfect, and there is no place on the planet that would meet our criteria. We went through all of our usual haunts downtown and on Third Street and even places where (gasp) we'd have to drive, and we couldn't come up with one place that was “perfect”. A lot of places have great food and/or ambiance, but might be a little too loud. Those places that might be quiet might not have great food and/or ambiance. And some places might not have either.

So with no “perfect” place that immediately comes to mind, where WOULD you go if you were taking someone on a first date?

Since its been a while since our last first date, maybe we're just overthinking it. Maybe things have changed. Maybe you don't need a place where you can get to know the person with whom you're dining. Maybe a good first date now consists of an “experience”, of something fairly unique the two of you can do together. In that case, I could think of a lot of interesting places in Marquette for a first date, the Bistro included. But, thankfully, that's nothing I have to worry about any time soon. Maybe this whole thing was nothing more than an interesting thought experiment (you know, our version of a date “experience”) for me and the person with whom I went out.

You know...on our 1,000^th first date.

(jim@wmqt.com), who does highly recommend the Delft Bistro for a 1^st date or a 1,000^th!