You know that guy in your life who never seems lucky in love. Certainly you have such a friend; it seems that all of us do.
I probably should warn you in advance that you better like this friend quite a bit, because the gift idea that I’m going to offer is a bit on the costly side, although worth every penny. Perhaps that nameless guy is your roommate, your cousin or even your own son who you can seem to get to move out of your house.
Give the present of a romantic dinner with the person of his own choice–right there in his own home. When you get right down to it, nothing impresses an unsuspecting date more than an intimate dinner that the host has prepared himself (with your encouragement, of course. Now, the friend I’m thinking of needs all the help he can get in this regard. You may need to be very specific when you give him your gift and the instructions to go with it. Remind him to light candles, choose the music for him and suggest he pick up his dirty socks.
Start with a gift of a selection of gourmet cheeses as the first course. Suggest that he consider serving the cheese with ripe apple slices or pear slices, but only if you trust him to handle a knife. He can serve this course as a finger food or at the dining table as the formal beginning of the meal.
For the entree, present him with a gift certificate for a gourmet dinner of lobster or perhaps a surf and turf meal, if he is a beef addict. Since this man needs so much help, you will want to be certain that the lobster is as fresh as possible.
End the evening (at least the part of the evening you’re helping with) with a delicious, gourmet turtle cheesecake. Or, if he does not like chocolate, then select the more traditional New York cheesecake, decorated with a sprig of fresh mint.
If he drinks alcoholic beverages, do not trust him to choose the wine for the dinner. Lobster is sufficiently robust that it is perfectly safe to offer a bold wine. He might consider a Burgundy or Merlot, although if he is not very adventurous, then perhaps a Chardonnay would be better for him.
Now, sit back and wait for the inevitably coming wedding invitation. If you learn that the perfect evening didn’t work, just give up on him, and next time you can enjoy the delicious meal with your own favorite partner. Oh, you also might want to look for a different friend.
