Puppy Love

WILL THESE TWO DOG PARENTS MAKE A CONNECTION?

7 P.M. PARLA XXI, SOMERVILLE

ON A LEAD

Liz I figured, Why not? I liked the idea of a blind date.

Jon A co-worker thought it would be a fun experience for me to try. I had never been on a blind date so the unknown was exciting — and I am always happy to meet new people.

Liz I was running late due to traffic and heavy rain so I was extra nervous. Thankfully he was understanding. He seemed super calm and it helped me.

Jon We got a late start as our date was during one of the many torrential rainstorms we have had this summer.

Liz He was cuter and taller than I had expected. I was also intrigued by his tattoos.

Jon Liz has a really pretty smile and was in a very nice, light-blue dress. It was dark in the restaurant but I could definitely spot her smile in the crowd.

FEELING PLAYFUL

Liz We chatted about the menu a bit as it was a little quirky. There were blank pages for people to doodle on, so thankfully my date had something to look at while I was running late.

Jon The funky menu had a whole section where folks could write anything. A lot of hangman and tic-tac-toe, but there were some other interesting drawings and stuff written inside that we joked about before drinks.

Liz We talked about work, family, his tattoos, and our dogs.

Jon We talked about our dogs; she just got an adorable puppy.

Liz is originally from the Napa area and her family is in the wine business, so, as someone who loves a glass of red, it was interesting to hear about that. My mum’s family is also from San Francisco so we talked about California and different places we have lived.

Liz We each ordered three drinks and shared two appetizers. I really enjoyed both the food and the drinks.

Jon About the fifth time the waiter came over, we decided to get a few small plates to share. The hummus with focaccia bread was very good, as was the burrata.

Liz He was easy to talk to and there wasn’t much of a lull, so it didn’t feel like either one of us was carrying the conversation. Jon Both of us have the gift of gab, so the conversation flowed naturally.

TIME FOR A WALK

Liz I think it came to a natural end after three hours. When I realized how late it had gotten, I knew I should get back to my puppy to let her out of her crate.

Jon The night came to a close when we realized that we both had young dogs waiting for us at home who most certainly had to go outside.

Liz We walked back to our cars. We hugged and I gave him my number. Jon We shared a hug and traded phone numbers before saying goodnight.

SECOND DATE?

Liz I would — I think we got along well.

Jon Hopefully, we exchanged numbers and puppy pics.

GRADING THE DATE

Liz / B Jon / A