Where two singles meet to review the food and each other.
The Singles
Chris:
Age: 27
Job: Instructional coordinator
Hobbies: Spending time outdoors, mountain biking, hiking, Phillies baseball, college football games, movies, cooking at home and eating out
Jenna:
Age: 24
Job: West Chester grad student and server
Hobbies: Sports, going to the beach, hanging with family and friends, reading and cooking
The restaurant:
Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant 3 W Gay St West Chester (610) 738-9600The Food: Burgers and appetizer
Note: Chris failed to return a phone call in time for publication.
How did the night start out?
Jenna: Chris called before the date and left a message. He seemed very nice and talkative and that made me feel very comfortable. I got there first and got a table. The Iron Hill staff was very helpful and reserved a table by the window; it was very cute. When he got there he seemed very, very, very nervous. I was nervous, too, but I had to help him relax a little and carry the conversation a bit. We talked about our jobs and about Philly and how he likes to go out in Philly.
What did you guys pick to eat?
Jenna: I ordered the calamari to start because it’s soooo good. It comes with a cilantro aioli that is amazing. We also got to try their burgers. They have so many different types and they brought out four samples of the burgers to try, including the Brasserie Burger with sweet onions, the Bistro Burger that comes with Boursin cheese and mushrooms, the Smokehouse Burger with barbecued onions and other smokey flavors and a Blue Cheese Burger. They were all amazing and cooked perfectly; they were so good! The manager,
Matt, was really nice and he took really good care of us. Chris ordered the Tex-Mex egg rolls. I offered him some calamari and he refused, which was weird ’cause he said he really liked calamari when I was ordering. I like to share food, so I would have accepted an offer to have the egg rolls but he never offered.
Was it a match?
Jenna: No. I knew it was a bad match when he asked if I was single. Confused, I asked him the same thing. His response was, “Well I have this girl that I’m on and off with, but I consider myself to be single.” That was in the very beginning, so it kind of went downhill from there. I was also confused because he didn’t know about CC Cuisine and Nightlife and had never seen the He Said/She Said articles, so I don’t know how he found out about it to apply. The manager had to get a copy of the last couple’s date so he knew what we were doing.
How do you think it went from his perspective?
Jenna: I have no idea what he thought of me. I’m normally good at reading people, but I couldn’t read him at all. He seemed bored. He liked the burgers, but I had to ask what he thought ’cause he was very quiet when he was eating.
Best part of the date?
Jenna: When he donated to the Service Dog Foundation that was having a charity night. Iron Hill does a lot of charity nights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And, of course the food was amazing.
Worst part?
Jenna: The on and off girl reference.
Was there a kiss?
Jenna: Um, no there was not. There was a very awkward hug. I think I went to shake his hand and I was just like alright I’ll give him a hug.
A second date?
Jenna: No there won’t be. He was very nice but it just wasn’t a match.
Friends?
Jenna: I don’t think I’ll ever hear from him again.
Note: It was reported that Chris called the restaurant prior to the date to see what would happen if he did not show up
He Said Update:
Chris called back….
Chris: First dates are always tough but she was open to talking about a lot of different things so I liked that.
Chris: I liked the food. I don’t eat a lot of meat, I usually do vegetarian or fish. I wouldn’t go there normally but I did like the burgers.
Chris: The Tex Mex egg rolls were okay, I wasn’t very crazy about them. I liked the hamburgers better. I wanted to try something different then what she got but it was really spicy.
(When asked about why he asked if she was single and if he really did say he was on and off with someone)
Chris: Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that. I meant I meet girls through Myspace or whatever. I meant I’m single but I go on dates.
(When asked if he had called the restaurant to see what would happen if he didn’t show up.)
Chris: I thought it was tentative. I wanted to go I just wanted to make sure the reservation was still there.
(When asked why he hadn’t seen the article before in CC)
Chris: My mom told me about it. I hadn’t seen it before but my mom said I should give it a shot.
Best Part of the Date:
We both read a lot and we could just talk about a lot of different things like sports and things to do on the weekends.
Worst Part:
That I mentioned that I was on and off with different girls. I shouldn’t have said that.
Was there a kiss?
Chris: No there was a hug.
Second date?
Chris: I said we should get together sometime. I asked about this weekend and she said if I had something going on to give her a call. I’ll give her a call tonight or Saturday night.
