1. If you don’t cook for yourself regularly, from scratch, don’t bother to cook for her The stress from cooking and not knowing what you are doing will ruin the evening. You can get some great takeout and serve that without any embarrassment.

2. Rather than a dinner at home cook up a picnic for a public concert out on the grass. Simple fried chicken, potato or macaroni salad, good bread and a nice cheese with wine or beer eaten over an evening of Shakespeare in the park can be unforgettable.

3. If you’re going to serve a wine, be sure to decant it. A good wine should be treated as a good wine and not just something you pop open to wash down the food. If she doesn’t care for wine, but she drinks beer, get a few micro-brews to go with both cooking the meal and having it with the meal. A light beer drinker might really find it an experience to have their first Porter or ales.

4. If you’re going to cook for her at home, let her help in the kitchen as you prep the meal. The time in the kitchen is better than the time at the table, especially if she likes to cook too.

5. Don’t clean the house in one taxing chore, but take about fifteen minutes a day for a week or so. Really, there is no excuse for a cluttered or dirty house.

6. The first meal in your home is better if you have other guests along with the date, so she can relax. It is as easy to cook for five as two, easier in fact, and the lady will have an out to leave without any embarrassment when the other guest go, or stay without seeming to be pressured.

7. If she likes meat make a good steak dinner, Rib Eye, potatoes, greens, light salad. One well prepared steak will beat anything that you are going through a dozen cook books to find. Grill it if you have a grill, but don’t make a big production out of it.

8. Have her bring something to add to the meal, a dessert, appetizers that you can share while making the main dishes, or let her cook with you, as you handle the main course.

9. A good bowl of chili or a hearty soup with bread and salad is fine, as long as you have made the soup or chili several times. If you haven’t made it until you can taste it and know what it needs to be just right, don’t even bother with it.

10. Like the picnic, you can make her lunch too, don’t just think you have to have dinner; a Sunday brunch works well too. A meal in the dark of night can be intimidating as well as claustrophobic, so lighten the moment with a little sunlight.

Not a rule but an idea, if you have a dog or cat don’t make them part of the party unless they can be trusted not to act like animals. Same goes with kids too. And for God’s sake turn off the damned phones.

It most definitely would creep me out to have a guy try to get me over to his place on the 1st, 2nd, or even the 3rd date. Maybe the fith would be OK.

I think most girls understand that when you enter his place, he is thinking you’re going to be his bunkmate for the night. Whether he is going to get lucky is another matter. On a first visit, I’d insist that I drive over myself. At least this allows me an escape option.

As to his menu, I like simple, but great. A world-class salad dinner (Cobb or Chef’s) beats Chicken Cordone Bleu everytime.