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.

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

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

Review
This week’s DateSpace of the Week comes at the recommendation of UrbanDaddy.com, the invite-only e-newsletter that some snarkier people prefer to call “DailyCandy for guys.”

Casa La Femme is one of the few legitimate establishments in the city that features the ancient Arabian art form known as belly-dancing and also has immaculate bathrooms.  Some snarkier people might say that the art form inspired the late-90s suburban dance craze referred to as “grinding,” but that’s neither here nor there.  Belly-dancing is damn sexy, as long as its performed by attractive people, which is fortunately the case at CLF.

It definitely takes a certain type of couple to “get” belly-dancing as a datespace, so if you are one-half of that type of couple, then head downtown, order up some Egyptian cuisine and snuggle with your honey by the fireside as you embark on what will seem like a magic carpet ride to the Middle East.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? Yes
Low-Key?  Yes
Collaborative? Yes
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes

Review

If you find yourself down at the Seaport sometime this winter, be sure to check out Stella Maris, a moderately-priced, contemporary-themed dining establishment with an unassuming air all its own. Unlike so many other “new fill-in-the-blank-cuisine” restaurants overflowing with pretense from their super-simplified food presentations, sans-serif decors, and maiterdes with attitude problems, Stella Maris doesn’t try too hard. The dishes are prepared frugally but the final products do not look minimalistic.  And you’ve probably heard of all the ingredients!  The dark earth-toned atmosphere is hip but not cold, and the friendly, knowledgeable, and quite attractive waitstaff provides the perfect backdrop to complement your meal.

Romance is tough to convey at modern restaurants, but Stella will give you your groove back, guaranteed.*

Do we hook you up or what?

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

*DateSpaces.com is not responsible for any grooves that do not return after eating at Stella.  That said, the place rocks, so check it out.

Review
Hill Country boasts the “Best Brisket in the Big Apple,” and we’d have to agree with their presumption. The moist brisket, sliced thin and smothered in Teutonic-Texan seasoning, needs no additional sauce. It’s that delicious, and it literally disintegrates in your mouth. Forks, knives, and teeth are of no use against brisket that is this slow-cooked.

But, of course, here at DateSpaces, good food alone does not a great date make. Hill Country certainly passes any culinary tastes, and its Chelsea/Flat-Iron locale is a helluva lot safer and more convenient than some other NYC BBQ staples. But it is HC’s uniqueness that makes this place our DateSpace of the Week.

Like Fette Sau in Williamsburg, Hill Country fare is served cafeteria-style, and you can have as much or as little as you want…just make sure you check out and leave room for all four stations: 1) The Meats. 2) The Sides. 3) The Desserts. 4) The Bar.

The variety of food and drink is abundant, and you’ll be encouraged to share, always a plus in our book. With its long community tables and gentlemanly clientele, the restaurant perfects a laid-back yet rockin’ vibe, especially on nights when live Southern tuneage graces the restaurant’s downstairs stage.

Do we hook you up or what?

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

Review
This might be the most original date idea yet: Next Monday night, January 12, Cafe des Artistes, the beloved Upper West Side restaurant, will recreate the menu featured in the 1987 Danish Film Babette’s Feast. If you haven’t seen the film, here’s the description from IMDB:

In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the honored pastor of a small Protestant church that is almost a sect unto itself. Although they each are presented with a real opportunity to leave the village, the sisters choose to stay with their father, to serve to him and their church. After some years, a French woman refugee, Babette, arrives at their door, begs them to take her in, and commits herself to work for them as maid/housekeeper/cook. Sometime after their father dies, the sisters decide to hold a dinner to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth. Babette experiences unexpected good fortune and implores the sisters to allow her to take charge of the preparation of the meal. Although they are secretly concerned about what Babette, a Catholic and a foreigner, might do, the sisters allow her to go ahead. Babette then prepares the feast of a lifetime for the members of the tiny church and an important gentleman related to one of them…

The menu at Cafe des Artistes will feature such olde fare as tortoise soup, caviar with blinis, quails in pastry cases, cheeses, and a rum baba with raisins and figs, accompanied by Amontillado sherry, Veuve Cliquot champagne, Clos de Vougeot burgundy, port with the cheese and coffee with the rum baba. You also get a copy of the DVD to take home. What a perfect date!

The pre-fixe menu ain’t cheap at $160 per person, but if you’re looking for a special night out next week, don’t pass over this unique one-time event.

Jenifer Lang, managing director at Cafe des Artistes, informs us that there are a few tables remaining, and the restaurant has teamed up with DateSpaces to offer you an added incentive. When you book your reservation, mention DateSpaces.com and you and your date will receive a complimentary glass of brandy at meal’s end.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? Yes
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? Yes
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes

Review
Looking for a collaborative first-date? Then look no further than Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese BBQ restaurant where the diners do all the cooking. Think hibachi without the chef.
Each table at Gyu-Kaku has a sunken barbecue pit in the middle. You order a few 4-ounce portions of meat, seafood, and veggies, and just grill away. It’s gimmicky, for sure, but it’s also a lot of fun, and Zagats gives the food a 23, so you know it’s tasty fare. Prices are reasonable — for example, a 4-ounce portion of steak is only $8. A meal for two with alcohol and dessert will run you less than $75 including the tip.

Insider tip: If you truly want to make GK a romantic destination, you must request to sit at the tables for two in the front of the restaurant, which will force you to sit close together as you cook for one another. If you don’t request to sit up front, you’ll likely be sent to the back of the restaurant with all the families and huge tables which place your date far, far away from you. We highly recommend GK for double-dates, though, and in these instances, the back tables for 4 people are a wise choice.

We visited the East Village spot, but there’s also another location in midtown with an identical menu.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? Yes
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? Yes
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes

Review
Spare the jokes: Bowling is making a serious comeback, and it’s not just because the 10-year anniversary of The Big Lebowski passed by a few weeks ago. Several former bowling alleys in NYC have recently been retrofitted, the best of the lot being Leisure Time Bowling, a flashy spot neatly tucked away deep inside the decrepit-looking Port Authority Bus Terminal. Years ago, you wouldn’t be caught dead bringing a date to that dumpy set of lanes, but now, Leisure Time has a striking sushi bar (no joke), colorful cocktails, a client list of major celebs and Fortune 500 companies, and the same reasonable rates by New York City bowling standards that it has always had. And now, it makes for a totally great surprise date. Trust us, your sweetie’s reaction when you take him or her to the alley, only after he or she thinks you are going on a bus ride down to Wilmington to visit the screen door factory, will be priceless. The same reaction you would get if you nailed a 7-10 split!

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? 20 years ago, no. But now, yes.
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? Yes
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? No

Review
Brick ovens, painted frescoes, and Tuscan charm have made this intimate Italian restaurant a hit with the dating crowd since 1994, when the restaurant spun-off from the East Hamptons to the Upper West Side. Make sure to visit N&T’s on a Sunday or a Monday night, when they have a special that you would think was designed by a DateSpacer…For $28 per person, you get a 3-course meal and a movie ticket (the multiplex is only a block away). When you think that the cost of a movie ticket in New York is $12, this is the bargain of all bargains. And sure it’s gimmicky, but who cares? It’s the classic dinner-and-a-movie-date!

Do we hook you up or what?

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