Published April 7, 2005 in issue 0414 of the Hook

By COURTENEY STUART

The background

When David entered the Blind Date Challenge, he bemoaned his "dreadful nervousness." But he didn't let it stop him from diving right in. A recent transplant from DC, the 32-year-old financial manager explained that 2005 is the year he completes his first novel. He traveled to six countries last year, and he said he hopes to do another six this year (when he's not hiking or learning rock climbing).

Though this busy guy confessed that an athletic Scandinavian would be his dream come true (he's very different from most men in this regard), he redeemed himself with his final description: "The person I'm looking for? Well, funny, smart, and nice. Those are the big three."

Kathryn, a 5' 7" 25-year-old who works in event planning and loves hiking, seemed like a good match. She came with friends' recommendations to boot. "She's great, smart, funny, and cute," one promised.

She was hoping to find a laid-back guy who favors long-sleeved shirts under polos or tees. "It might sound superficial," she acknowledged, "but it's definitely a type."

Would David wear the right shirts? Does Kathryn have Nordic roots? Read on...

The date

Kathryn and David went to Cassis, the new restaurant on Water Street in the former Metro location.

How did you get ready for the date?

Kathryn: I intended to stop by the ATM, but was running behind, so no.

David: I really wanted to look my best, so I did a bunch of squat thrusts and pushups to get ready. I started at about 5pm and worked out right up until 6:30. Doing push-ups for 90 minutes is tough, but it was the squat thrusts that really killed me

Were you first to arrive?

Kathryn: Miraculously, I was first by a minute or two.

David: I was second-- which was good because I was still sweating from all the squat thrusts.

Were you nervous?

Kathryn: No.

David: My heart was beating pretty fast, but I attributed it to my vigorous exercise.

First impression:

Kathryn: He was very nice looking. He looked a little rushed (I assume because he was late; he later explained that he did not know where Cassis was and had to call for directions.) Squat thrusts, my eye you were sweating because you were lost, David!--MM

David: She has an awesome smile and the fact that she didn't notice my perspiration was really cool. She won major points, because I think I sweat through my shirt.

It was Second Street that did you in, wasn't it, David, wasn't it?--MM

Would you say this person was your type?

Kathryn: Hmm...I guess I don't have a type.

David: That's tough to answer, but I'd have to say no.

Describe what your date was wearing

Kathryn: Light blue striped shirt, jeans (I think), and black shoes with prominent silver buckles. Camel colored coat.

David: Pants and a top. Shoes most likely. I honestly am terrible about these things and don't quite remember.

Did you order drinks?

David: Boy, did we! She wanted to do shots right away, but I was like "Hold on a sec, let me catch my breath." So I told her about the push-ups. And then it was on like Donkey Kong. Shots! Actually, cooler heads prevailed...

Kathryn: Tito, our very gracious waiter, whom I had chatted with while waiting, brought sparkling wine gratis... which was nice. I was unsure if David drank, so I opted to wait to order wine with dinner.

What did you eat, and how was it?

David: I started with the steak tartare, which was cool because I thought I'd given up beef in '05. I'd actually had it four or five times since then, because I didn't realize that pastrami is actually beef, not pork. Kathryn listened to my dilemma and told me that maybe I could eat it in the first quarter of '05 and then try not to eat it for the rest of '05 or maybe just in fiscal year '05.

I agreed with her suggestion and ate the tartare. Pretty good, but a little garlicky. For dinner, I had the tuna, which was fantastic. For dessert, we were sent some creme brulee and another dish with chocolate mousse. The other dish, whose name I forget, was named after the French word for cork. That would be bouchon. --MM

The cork was awesome. One of the best desserts I've had in a long, long time.

Kathryn: My ravioli was really delicious, albeit rich. He seemed into the steak, and I tried it and found it quite good. The presentation was nice. Dessert was good, and the coffee that accompanied it was quite welcome.

How was the service in the restaurant?

Kathryn: Tito was really amazing. He gave good food recommendations. We even had a Blind Date alum, who was a server, come over to chat. She went to the Ice Park and Mudhouse and dated the guy for three months!

David: Tito was terrific, even after we took like an hour before ordering. The other staff were cool, too.

How was the conversation?

Kathryn: Pretty generic stuff. Where we are from/siblings/etc. We discussed work briefly, and traveling. We chatted and joked around. Both of us seemed at ease.

David: We talked about a lot: travel, our jobs, family, how much it pained us to see Duke lose to those Michigan State cheaters, the proper squat thrust technique, and a lot about Charlottesville.

Did you have a lot in common?

Kathryn: We weren't really swapping personal info, so I couldn't say.

David: A couple of things-- our families had just moved from our childhood homes, we love travel, and love Charlottesville. She was very easy to talk to.

What did you find out that was interesting about this person?

Kathryn: He does that Bikram Yoga, which is the one done in really high temperatures.

David: Her job. I find any job that's not in a big corporation interesting, because it's usually quite different from what I've done the past few years.

Was there anything you really disliked?

Kathryn: Nope.

David: No. She was totally cool.

Was there "chemistry" or interesting body language between you?

Kathryn: I can't say there was.

David: I didn't feel really strong chemistry and didn't notice anything too much about her body language. I, personally, kept on raising my hand whenever I had a question, so I'm not sure if that won me points or not.

How were your date's table manners?

Kathryn: Good... Well, I hate to rat him out, but he used his dinner fork for the first course. We joked about the faux pas...

David: There was a fork incident early on from which I did not recover. Kathryn's were fine.

How did dinner end?

Kathryn: He took care of the drinks, and I paid the tip.

David: I think we were both tired, so we just went home.

What was the very end like?

Kathryn: Polite hug, a smile. We were parked in opposite directions, so that was it.

David: A hug.

Did you have fun?

Kathryn: Yes.

David: Totally. She was a cool girl, and dinner was really, really nice.

Would you see this person again?

Kathryn: Sure.

David: As a friend, definitely.

Overall date experience?

Kathryn: Very positive.

David: It was a lot of fun.

So, it's friendship... Obviously if David had worn the long sleeved shirt under a polo, this whole thing might have turned out differently. Or for that matter, if Kathryn's ancestors could have just plundered Finland...

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date?

Kathryn: 7

David: 8

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