Blind Date: Sparks fly over dinner al fresco between 36-year-old lawyer and 39-year-old financial analyst

I promised our couple total anonymity in exchange for candid post-date interviews so I could give you an article free of  “The date was a 5/5! We won’t see each other again though because we had no chemistry.” You get it. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

Meet Scott and Lisa.

Lisa is a 36-year-old nonprofit attorney. She loves hiking, wine tasting and visiting coffee shops and bookstores. She loves that Charlotte is small and intimate, but says this can lead to people sticking within their comfort zones, making it both her favorite and least favorite parts about our city. She’s looking for someone intelligent, with a good sense of humor, who likes to read and doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

Scott is a 39-year-old financial analyst who loves going to breweries, Knights games and concerts. His best friend would describe him as laid-back, sarcastic, hard-working, a fan of travel and a doting uncle. He’s looking for someone active with a good sense of humor, who’s spontaneous and likes brunch.

We sent them to dinner at The Dunavant in South End. Here’s how their date went.

How would you describe the Charlotte dating scene?

Lisa: I can’t say I’ve ventured out a whole lot into the Charlotte dating scene, I’ve done the online dating thing off and on, and then been set up by friends some. But, I don’t know, I haven’t been super active on it to be able to weigh in one way or the other.

Scott: I think it’s OK. I think it gets a bad rap. I don’t think it’s much different from anywhere else I’ve lived, whether it be Raleigh or Greensboro. I’ve used a couple of the dating apps on and off again, like Hinge and Bumble. I mean, they’re OK. When I was in my twenties, I definitely got introduced to people through friends of friends. And it just seems like now a lot of my friends, they’ve got two- or three-year-old kids. So it seems like their lives are a little bit different. But for me, that’s how I would have gotten dates in the past.

[Agenda related story: More and more single Charlotteans turning to Hinge and flirting on Instagram]

How did you feel leading up to the date?

Lisa: I was excited and a little bit nervous because this was new, but also looking forward to it and excited to see where it would go.

Scott: Honestly, I didn’t feel nervous at all. But I was thinking, “What would my friends think when they read the article?” but that didn’t bother me. But then I was also thinking, “What if I really like this girl? It’s gonna be out there!” That was going through my head during the Uber ride over there.

What was your first impression?

Lisa: He was there when I showed up, which I really appreciated. So he was sitting at the bar, and I thought he was cute and very put together. He came right up when I walked in the door, so that was much appreciated.

Scott: She looked attractive and like someone I would get along with. Going in I tried not to have any sort of expectations, good or bad, so I was pleasantly surprised.

What was the date like?

Lisa: It was really good, I had a great time. The conversation flowed really well. It was a pretty night and we had a table outside. So we ordered some wine and then ordered food and talked for a while and covered everything from travel to family. I felt like we had a fair amount in common. We both had family in North Carolina, both had older siblings, things like that. We both like to travel.

Scott: It was really good. It was a great night in terms of weather. I think we were there almost three hours actually. I was thinking that it would be a quick dinner, and then maybe we might walk somewhere else. But it just seemed like we were having a good time talking. It seemed like we connected in terms of we’re both in the same place in our lives.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your date’s personality?

Lisa: I would say a nine. I thought he seemed to have a really great personality and was easy to talk to.

Scott: I’d give it an eight.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your conversation?

Lisa: I’d probably say a nine. I thought the conversation flowed and we had things to talk about, so I didn’t feel like there were awkward lows or anyone was dominating the conversation or talking over the other person.

Scott: It’s probably more like an eight. I don’t know, it seems like when I get a little nervous I seem to ramble on. And I try my best not to do that. But I know at points I did. So the eight is more because of me.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your chemistry?

Lisa: I mean, it’s hard for me to right off the bat think like that. I feel like I’m the type of person that takes time to get to know another person. But I’d say an eight or nine. I thought he was cute. I thought he just seemed very put together.

Scott: I’d give it a seven or an eight.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date overall?

Lisa: I’d give it consistently high scores. The food was good. The conversation was good. It was just a really nice night. The weather was perfect, so sitting outside was really pleasant. And it was easy. It was pretty quiet, which made it easy to carry on a conversation and hear the other person we weren’t, you know, having to yell over the background noise or anything like that. And it was just kind of an easy opportunity to catch up and find out about another person. I’d give it an eight or a nine.

Scott: I’d give it an eight. She was very laid-back and we had stuff in common.

So, will there be a second date?

Lisa: We texted a bit over the weekend, and last night actually we talked about doing something later in the week. So nothing definite planned yet, but yes, we plan on doing something shortly.

Scott: Yes. We’ve been talking via text the last couple days. Right now I’m just trying to figure out what we should do, so I’m trying to check out and see if there’s anything cool and interesting to do in here in the next couple days. But we both want to go on a second date.

Editor’s note: Since this date, Scott and Lisa both tell me that they have kept in touch and have seen each other several other times.