The ideal date night…tater tots for two?
Photo from The New York Times
Maybe its our traditional mindset, but we’re a bit horrified by a recent article from the New York Times, detailing a recent change in social habits of young adults. The question at hand: what kind of restaurant is appropriate for a date?
No, we’re not talking about favorite venues for married couples or long-term cohabitants – we’re talking about the first date in a potential relationship – when that initial impression is very influential in moving a relationship forward and getting to know someone a bit better.
According to the Times, more and more young adults are scaling down their dates to more approachable and less costly venues such as tapas bars, burger joints and even pubs. Disappearing are the white tablecloths and napkins and shared bottles of wine over romantic candlelight, and in its place are bare tables and shared plates of comfort food favorites. They may be high-quality dishes, but also low-cost.
Those in favor of the shift argue that with today’s broad accessibility to celebrity chefs at home and through shows like Top Chef, diners are less impressed with formality and are instead seeking straight-forward food, but approachable and made with local and organic ingredients.
Regardless, we’re a bit dismayed by the apparent change.
While it may be limited mostly to New York and is almost certainly linked to the recession – the first date is a critical event and one that deserves careful consideration. Certainly, it would be a bit over-the-top to book a corner table at a Michel Richard restaurant or the likes of CityZen, but isn’t much of the point of a first date to make it a special event? One that sets the evening apart from an ordinary outing with friends and helps to make a lasting impression?
For the time being, at least, it seems that DC is not in danger of going the way of bar food and ramen noodle bars – a fact for which we’re thankful.
The New York Times, “Tater Tots for Two: It’s a Date!”
