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| The Anaheim White House |
Date night. Everyone looks forward to a date except the person who has to plan it, and it's even worse when it's a first date or blind date. It has to be normal--not everyone loves
loncheras, for reasons I don't fully grok--and it has to be expensive enough that you don't look miserly.
So let's talk about the other qualities you'll want in a restaurant for your first date. It can't be too harshly lit--you're still making your first impression--but it can't be too dark either. It can't be too noisy, because you want to be able to talk, but at the same time, mausoleum-like silence isn't right either. It needs to be busy, because otherwise the staff will hover and make you both feel uncomfortable, but it needs to not be jammed full of people, either, or you'll both stress out.
Of course, it goes without saying that the food must be excellent, the service must not suck, and it has to have either a great wine list, a great beer list, or great cocktails.
There are plenty of great restaurants who didn't make it to this list. The Hobbit, for example, is a great date restaurant, but not a great first date restaurant. Playground is an awesome place to go for dinner, but it gets loud and the tables are almost all communal tables, not exactly the place for a dîner romantique à deux. Marché Moderne is the best French food in Orange County and the service is impeccable, but it's in the mall. Arc is beloved of foodies and has a great story to sell your date on going, but you're going to come out smelling like a fire pit and that may stifle any plans you have for afterwards.
Here, then, are ten great choices, in alphabetic order (no ranking here--you'll have to wait for our Best Of issue in October) for that all-important first impression.
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