First Date

I have a friend going on a first date this Friday. It's been fun walking through this process with her, evaluating her date's comments, witnessing the anxiety. And of course, the best part, picking an outfit to wear. It's so much more relaxing when you're not the datee. I can sit back, relax and express my inner fashion guru. "Wedge heels are a must!" "And you should tie something in your hair." However, the big question was, where he was going to take her. Tonight our question was answered, a gastro pub. We both agreed it was a good choice. Casual, but fun. Comfort food and a good beer selection. What more could a girl ask for? As a side note, my friend mentioned she was glad he didn't ask her to Red Lobster. Well, that got me thinking about the worst restaurants for first dates. Here's the list we started, with a few additional gems:

-Red Lobster
-McDonalds (and pretty much any other fast food place, except In-N-Out. I'd let them cater my wedding).
-Hometown Buffet
-Norms (I went to eat there once, but saw a rat run out of the kitchen as I was parking my car)
-Sizzlers
-Long John Silver
-Medieval Times
-Taco Bell
-The Waffle House (for my friends in the South)
-Hooters
-Chuck E. Cheese

And possibly the winner:
-Costco food court...or too cheap and goes just for the samples inside. (I don't know if this has ever happened, but man, wouldn't that be a great story?)