LAST week, Ilisa, 26, an editorial assistant, asked us to set her up with Francisco, 26, a TV program coordinator.
We sent them for souffles and fine dining at Capsouto Freres, a beloved TriBeCa mainstay that is celebrating its 24th anniversary this month with a new souffle-at-the-bar menu.
Read on to find out how it went.
He said:
I came straight from work, so I arrived about half an hour early. I usually dress pretty casually for dates – in a T-shirt and jeans – but since this is the first blind date I’ve ever been on, I decided to dress up a bit more.
When Ilisa arrived, I was at the bar chatting with the owner of the restaurant. Ilisa made a really good first impression – she looked great and is really easy to talk to. I don’t think we had any lags at all in our conversation during the evening.
Since we work in similar fields, we talked a lot about our jobs. I was really surprised when she told me that she had previously worked at the Boston-based rival to my television station.
I’ve never dated someone in the same line of work, so it was nice to have this common ground.
There seemed to be good friendship chemistry between us, but I don’t know if there was any romantic chemistry. Ilisa’s not the type of girl I usually date.
I tend to date more hipster, indie-type girls. I hang out a lot in the East Village, so I’m definitely more into that scene. I love to dance, mostly to house, and my favorite party is the P.S. 1 Warm-Up – you can find me there every Saturday during the summer.To be honest, I haven’t been dating around a lot. My relationships usually start out as friendships – I’ll meet a girl, we’ll hang out and get to know each other, and things evolve from there.
Anyway, we left the restaurant around 10 and I saw her into a cab, where we said goodbye.
We exchanged numbers, and we could probably hang out again as friends.
I think she probably feels the same way about me as I feel about her. I really enjoyed the date and had a good time, but she’s not really my type and I don’t think I’m her type either.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF HEARTS
She said:
I got to the restaurant on time, but Francisco had gotten there really early. By the time I arrived, he had already made friends with the owner and he knew the whole history of Capsouto Freres. That really impressed me, because I like a guy who can schmooze it up.
Francisco is a good-looking guy, and his height really impressed me. I was dressed up and wearing really high heels, so when he stood up and I realized he is really tall, it was excellent.
We had a lot in common because we both work in media – he works in television and I’ve worked at television networks before.
The overall vibe of our date was really low-key. The restaurant was really quiet and calm and we were both pretty subdued.
We did talk a lot about work and I told him about Internet dating – I’ve done it and he hasn’t, and I think he was a little bit curious.
We ordered the restaurant’s trademark souffles for dessert, and they were really good.
When we left the restaurant, we had to walk a few blocks to find a cab, but he made sure I got into a taxi before leaving.
Overall, I thought he was a real gentleman and really nice. Though I believe that, in general, chemistry is something that can develop between two people, I think that Francisco and I had a good friendship chemistry, not romantic sparks.
We exchanged cards at the end of the evening, and maybe we’ll exchange e-mails. I can see myself hanging out with him again, but just as friends.
Rating: TWO AND A HALF HEARTS
YOUR PICK: THE GUYS
Rafael 49%
Francisco 42%
Nick 9%
Results from nypost.com