In this He Said, She Said, our singles had a case of deja vu as they explored this year’s Taste of Phoenixville. I had these two in mind to go out on a blind date, but as they were told more about each other, they realized they had already met on an online dating site just days before. We still sent them out, and here’s what happened….
MATT
AGE: 32
HOBBIES: Soccer, reading, enjoying local food and libations and anything interesting!
OCCUPATION: Sales and event planning
JENNIFER
AGE: 28
HOBBIES: Traveling the world, eating and drinking good food and wine, scuba diving, photography, skiing/snowboarding and volunteering
OCCUPATION: Sales/business development and fundraising for non-profits
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
MATT: We first met in person in Philadelphia. We chatted online the evening prior and were both really excited to meet in person. When we met and were talking, I had a little spark that this may be the person Mary was telling me about. When she asked me if I knew who you were, we started talking about the ‘He Said, She Said’ articles and that I was supposed to go on one sometime soon. It was a vote of confidence to me that it would be a good match, since we managed to meet on our own and click.
JEN: Thanks to online dating, I knew a bit more about Matt before setting up our date in Philly a few days prior to being set up on the ‘He Said, She Said’ date for A Taste of Phoenixville. Matt owns an event planning company, Rolling Barrel, that involves wine and food pairings. On his online profile, he is a self-proclaimed “foodie” and “modern day Renaissance man,” which is what intrigued me most about him! For our first date, we met at a restaurant in Philly.
After Mary had asked me to go on a ‘He Said, She Said’ date with a Matt, I realized it was the same Matt as my online date. I was relieved and happy to know that Ms. Matchmaker Mary thought we were a good match for each other. I was happy to go out with Matt again for a second date. Appearance-wise, he looked good … both times.
MATT: Jen looked beautiful when I walked into the bar and saw her for the first time. I find myself seeing her smile still, and she had nice eyes, too! I was very impressed. She wore a very cute black dress to the Phoenixville date and she looked stunning!
THE CONVERSATION:
MATT: The conversation was general first-date fare. A little about who we were, where we’ve been, where we’re heading … A lot of fun talk about food and wine (she isn’t a beer drinker) and a little bit of shop talk when Rolling Barrel Events came up.
JEN: The conversations were good. We talked about a lot of subjects: our interests and travel experience, food and wine, sports, and our answers to some online dating questions.
THE DATE:
MATT: We weren’t able to meet at The Taste of Phoenixville Event until 8 p.m., two hours into the event, but that was fine since we both had busy schedules that day and it was a pleasure just to see her! I would have liked to have been there for the whole event and been able to be a gentleman and pick her up, but it was just fine!
JEN: Going to A Taste of Phoenixville was a great idea! I’m always excited to try new foods, and I couldn’t think of a better date for the two of us. There was a lot going on … good people-watching, a silent and live auction, a live band, dancing, and of course, great tastings of food, beer and wine. All proceeds supported the Good Samaritan Shelter, which is right up my alley since I work with a lot of non-profits and love giving back to the community.
TASTING NOTES:
MATT: The food was amazing. It would be hard to choose a favorite dish, but I had a few that topped the list. There was a mushroom with prosciutto mixture that was amazing, served on a slice of crusty Italian bread. It was the first thing I tried, and I was blown away! The mushrooms were just tender and sauteed to perfection, with the salty toughness of some of the prosciutto and other ingredients making it a great topping for pasta or just alone on bread, as I enjoyed it! The meatballs were also excellent. I loved the light tomato sauce, and the meat was juicy and you could taste the different seasonings in the blend.
JEN: There is so much to choose from, I don’t know where to start. Meatballs, pasta dishes, different meats, spicy chili, lobster bisque soup, an array of cheese and crackers, plus much more. Can’t pick a favorite food. Everything was delicious! I highly suggest going to next year’s A Taste of Phoenixville!
DRINKS:
MATT: When we arrived, Black Walnut was out of red wine, so we made our way to the bar. Started out with a simple vodka tonic and progressed to some of the featured cocktails. I had a Lemon Drop Martini that was surprisingly sweet but strong. Jen had the Pomtini, and it looked good.
JEN: We both love vodka tonics, which is funny, because I started drinking them thanks to Mary’s recommendation a year or two back. He also had a martini and I had a cranberry vodka.
DESSERT:
MATT: We tried almost all of the desserts available! I enjoyed the bread pudding from Molly Maguires — it was amazing! My favorite dessert was the Limoncello Cake. A nice crusted icing with the cake being very moist and dense. All of the cakes were delicious and the highlight of the desserts, but I preferred the light lemon flavor the best.
JEN: There were a ton of amazing desserts, from pound cakes, to chocolate tortes, chocolate covered pretzels, etc. We shared everything we ate, including an amazing bread pudding with whipped cream, my favorite! Yum!
CHEMISTRY:
MATT: I felt like there was definitely a connection. I felt no awkwardness at all, personally. I enjoy meeting new people when conversation does that well. With Jen, I just felt very comfortable.
JEN: Yes, there was a good connection. There were no awkward moments — at least I don’t think so. I think we are both good conversationalists and have varied interests, which kept the conversation going. We were the last ones to leave the event cause we continued to talk so much.
WAS IT A MATCH?
MATT: It was a match! I think that there would be a match regardless of meeting before, but it certainly helped break the ice and make it easier to talk in the loud room! I think the match was there because of the great interest shared in food and wine, as well as similar interests and outlooks on things.
JEN: Yes, I think it’s a match. It probably helped that I knew a bit more about him from his online profile, and we made a connection from IM’ing each other online prior to our first date. Food and wine are the way to my heart … and since he loves to cook, too, I think this guy may be a winner. I think there may be a home-cooked dinner in order, just to be sure. We are both also into sales/marketing/business development, which is cool too.
WAS THERE A KISS?
MATT: There may have been a nice kiss goodnight.
JEN: Yes, there was.
DID YOU EXCHANGE NUMBERS?
MATT: We already had each other’s information, but have continued talking over the weekend.
JEN: Yes, we did already have each other’s numbers from date No. 1, but did not confirm a second date until Mary matched us up for ‘He Said She Said.’
WILL YOU GO OUT AGAIN?
MATT: I sure hope so! I guess that is up to Jen 😉
JEN: I told Matt that he needed to wait until this article was published to find out if I would go out with him again … and yes, I would!
HOW DID YOU LEAVE IT?
MATT: We left with her following me back out of Phoenixville, and we chatted on the phone as we were driving home. She was being a bit coy, but I am pretty sure that we’ll be getting together again in the future!
JEN: Well, I actually called him after leaving the event, for directions to get home … I ended up following him and we talked on the phone during the ride home. We have texted and talked over the phone a bit since.
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