She says she’s got a great sense of a humor, likes outdoorsy activities and wants someone “willing to go on crazy adventures.” He’s spontaneous, social and “always [tries] to do the right thing.” We sent them to Brasserie Beck to see if two outgoing types would mean a memorable match.

interviews by
Amanda McGrath

Melissa: I got there first. I didn’t wait long — 5 minutes, maybe? Mike showed up, and he was very polite.

Mike: She had the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen on anyone; they were stunning whenever I looked.

Melissa: He had a very nice smile. He looked tan, like he’d been outside recently — which is good. It means he likes being outdoors.

Mike: I sat down with her, and right away we started talking. It was really easy and free-flowing and fun.

Melissa: We split a thing of mussels. The conversation kept going. I don’t remember any awkward pauses.

Mike: Somehow I ended up talking to her about the one time I was in Hungary when I was 21, telling her about how I was in some bath wearing a loincloth — anyway, it’s a long story about a big hairy Hungarian man who ended up spanking me to signal the end of the spa treatment. It was a really weird, funny thing.

Melissa: I was laughing a lot. His storytelling was definitely hitting my sense of humor: sarcastic and self-deprecating. We were definitely connecting.

Mike:She told me about her family and her history and her career here in Washington, all these cool trips she takes for swimming.

Melissa:He seems very adventurous and independent. He doesn’t just sit around waiting for things to happen to him, he goes out and does stuff — which is a very attractive quality.

Mike: I’d say overall we lead really different lives, but that’s no problem at all. The sense of humor we shared, the whole time it was just a fun and lighthearted conversation.

Melissa: He works for an oil company, which made me nervous that he was a Republican. That would be a dealbreaker for me.

Mike: She told me at one point that she’s a pretty, like, bleeding-heart liberal from the Northeast. I’m pretty middle-of-the-road. I hate talking politics, and I didn’t really want to get into that.

Melissa:He’s had an interesting life, telling me all these different things he’s done. I feel like I’ve learned something from him — not anything super deep, but listening to him, you see things through a different perspective.

Mike: We took a long time to order, and we were drinking wine. [Finally] the waiter was pretty much kicking us out.

Melissa: We went to the bar at the Hamilton Hotel at 14th and K. We had our drink, and it was very comfortable. It was after 1 [a.m. when we left].

Mike: She told me where she lived, and it wasn’t too far, so I was like, “Okay, well, I’ll just walk you home.”

Melissa: Which is very chivalrous, and I find that attractive.

Mike: There was a hug and a kiss. It was a good ending; we’ll put it that way. When we got to her place I was like, “I obviously want to call you; let’s do this again.” And then we exchanged numbers before we parted ways, and I went home.

Melissa: It seemed less stressful [compared to other dates]. The whole thing was just very easy. For someone I knew absolutely zero about, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I would go on another [date] with him.

Rate the Date

Melissa: I would give it a 4 [out of 5]. Everything about it was fun. I was a little hesitant going in, but it was a thousand percent better than anything I expected.

Mike: A 5, no question. It literally could not have been better than it was.

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