Review:
I would like to take a break from all of the traditional NY hotspots and introduce you to Grand Sichuan International. Owner Xiaotu Zhang (and Sichuan expert) explains that he is looking to “fix” what is wrong with Chinese food today. He goes on to say that since 2002, Restaurant Magazine has not listed many Chinese restaurants in their “top 50 list”. He is taking a break from traditional cooking (MSG/etc) and focusing more on healthy ingredients and innovative ways of preparing the same general dishes you can get any any given Chinese restaurant. PR aside, I had a chance to check out Grand Sichuan last week and thought it might be a great place for those daters who are on a budget.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and gives the impression that you are eating at a high end establishment. The prices are very reasonable and the food is some of the better Chinese that I have had in a long time. Grand Sichuan would make a nice second or third date. I wouldn’t advise going on a first date here for the simple fact that underneath it all, it is your basic run of the mill Chinese restaurant. If you are looking to make a grand first impression, you might want to set your sights (and your credit card) a little bit higher. For those of you who really aren’t into 5 star celebrity chefs and waiting 3 hours for a table, then Grand Sichuan just might be up your alley.

Date-ability Breakdown:
Original? No
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? No
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes and No.

Trenita – Dating on Demand If I ever saw this chick in a bar, I would buy her a drink and sit back and enjoy teh lulz. Dive bars are so much fun to hang out at…

1990’s Dating Video Let he who laughs first, bust out his high school yearbook from 1992 so we all can partake in the lulz.

True.com online dating site agrees to settle class action lawsuit

According to the good folks over at USC, office dating is a recipe for disaster (I beg to differ. I have gotten some of my best promotions….)

Review
In our ongoing quest to introduce DateSpacers to the best date locations at the best prices, the major steak chains have been making our lives very easy of late. First. Ruth’s Chris Steak House offered a $40 prix-fixe that, given the menu options, carnivores could certainly bring their vegetarian dates to feast upon. Then, last week, The Palm announced a $45 surf-and-turf special. And this week, McCormick & Schmick’s one-ups the famed steakhouse with the same deal but at 1/3 the price. In honor of Valentine’s Day (so the restaurant claims), M&S offers a three-course steak-and-lobster-tail dinner for only $30 a pop, so if you’re searching around for an inexpensive but awesome V-day meal, look no further.

To take advantage of yet another stunning DateDeal, print this coupon. The special ends on Sunday, February 15.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? No
Low-Key? No
Collaborative? No
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes

Feel like no one ever notices you–like you’re not catching any eyes the way you want to? Well, we could all use a little help standing out. Here’s an idea: suspenders. You know, like the red ones firefighters wear to keep their pants up? Totally underrated.

I should know. I wore them to work today for the first time ever, and what a response! I got so many looks you’d think I was in a commercial for those razors with like 17 blades. And people talked to me like they never have before–like, calling me, “Sir,” and saying stuff like, “Damn it all, Frank, you mean to tell me that you’ve gone and bungled the whole account?” which is really cool because I work at an education policy research non-profit and my name is Eric.

I had all these weird urges, too. Like, I kept asking people to take a letter for me and describing things as “top-drawer” and wanting to light cigarettes for people. Frankly, (if you will) I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so alive.

Sure, I may have drawn some comparisons to Steve Urkel, but then I also have a penchant for yodeling and playing the accordion–plus the fact that my catch phrase is, “Did I do that?”–so you have to control for that. And, yes, comments about my “braces” did send me into a temporary, Pavlovian, self-conscious shame spiral–invoking my days of prepubescent orthodontia.

But in the end, I say any attention is good attention. So if you’re looking for a way to garner some glances, I highly recommend the suspenders look. And it totally works for ladies, too–if there’s one thing we learned from Annie Hall, it’s that classic men’s apparel looks great on gals (or at least on a young Diane Keaton.) Try it for a night and see how they hold up.

Can’t find them in stores? No problem. Just do what I did–steal a pair from your grandpa.

1. DateSpace of the Week
Our DateSpace of the Week this week is The Palm, a long-time favorite of banker types and a perfect place to try out your new suspenders. Hey, it worked for Michael Douglas in Wall Street.

And since some execs are now enduring salaries as low as a measly $500k, The Palm is offering a great deal to attract new customers and retain regulars: “A surf and turf dinner (lobster tail and steak for the layman) for two people for only $89!” (Coupon here.) Maybe greed is good–without it, the financial market wouldn’t be in the tank and we’d probably never have access to these absurd savings!

Been on a really great date lately? Suggest next week’s DateSpace of the week by emailing eric@datespaces.com.

2. This Week at The Daily Dater

Mr. Online Dating Matches on the importance of body language. I don’t want to beat a dead horse (I mean, what a terribly gruesome pastime) nor do I wish to repeat myself over and over and over, but a nice pair of suspenders can really do wonders for your posture…

Happy Dating!

The DateSpaces.com Team

xoxox

I went to Starbucks a few nights ago to get my usual nightly cup of coffee (night owl here). It was 8pm on a Friday night and the coffee shop was pretty packed so there was an unusual 10 minute wait to get my drink. As I was waiting for my café latte to be made ready, I happened to notice a guy and a girl sitting right next to me. They both appeared to be in their mid 20’s. The guy was slouched down in his seat and his every body movement made him look like he was a robot. The girl on the other hand looked like she was mentally checked out of the conversation he was trying to have with her.

Now I realize that snooping in on other people’s conversations is something that really isn’t smiled upon in society, but I was bored and there was really nothing to do while I was waiting for the new Barista trainee to finish screwing up a simple iced coffee drink. After a few seconds of selective hearing, I determined that both of them were out on a first date. It also turns out that they had met each other online. Both guy and girl were reasonably good looking and I thought they both looked like (from a shallow physical level) they were “well within each other’s leagues”. So why then did the girl look like she wanted to escape that conversation by any means necessary?

I honestly don’t know. Maybe he told her he is a card carrying member of NAMBLA. Maybe he told her he likes to burn small furry animals for fun. I would however venture a guess that her lack of interest in the conversation was based (in part) upon the guy’s body language. Here is what I witnessed the guy doing wrong:

1. Slouched in his seat
2. His body movements (hands etc) were jerky and fast…not natural at all.
3. He had a hard time looking her in the eyes
4. He stuttered and stammered and spoke really fast.
5. He was staring at her breasts every 20 seconds (and so was I…so this is pretty much all I witnessed. I’m sure there was more).

In case you are too lazy to do some online research on body language, here are 5 things you need to keep in mind while out on the first few dates with a girl:

1. Tone of voice
2. Body posture when sitting in a seat as well as walking
3. Keep your chin up and never look at the ground like you are unsure
4. Keep your arm and leg movements slow.
5. Do not in any way shape or form cross your arms over your chest. This signifies that you are not opening up yourself to her.

Pay careful attention to your body language when you are out on the first few dates with a girl. Women pick up on body language very quickly and can easily tell a great deal about you by your actions and non-verbal communications. It can mean the difference between a second date or a swift kick in the balls. There are many self help websites out there that are dedicated to helping you improve your body language, or at the very least, keeping it in check.

250 W 50th St
New York, NY
(212) 333-7256

Review
An economic meltdown brings with it dating opportunities that may have never before been possible. Because of a lack of hedge fund and bank execs dining at what many consider to be New York’s premier steakhouse, The Palm restaurant chain is offering an unprecedented deal for unprecedented times. A surf and turf dinner (lobster tail and steak for the layman) for two people for only $89. That is unbelievable!

To take advantage of this Great Depression II possibility, check out our Date Deal from earlier today. The special expires March 31.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? No
Low-Key? No
Collaborative? No
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes