Trying to come up with a romantic twist on your usual Friday night dinner for two?

The Reminisce Dinner
Try and recreate a memorable dinner from a previous time in your relationship. You can go to the place you went to on your first date, or recreate the dinner when you realized you were completely in love with this person, or have a picnic where you proposed. Talk about all the things you loved about each other when you first met.

Foreign Dinner
If you’re going to insist on Chinese take out, at least do it right. Set up the dining room to reflect the culture of the dinner you’re having. Play popular music from that country in the background. For your menu, create popular dishes from their history or look up a popular restaurant and recreate some of their menu items. Dress up in a way that reflects their culture if you want to. Then, create a cheat sheet of romantic sayings in that country’s language and be sure to recite them during dinner!

Dinner and Dancing
Dinner and dancing may be losing its edge. It’s harder to find places that have dinner and dancing, and most people don’t try it because they can’t dance! But both of these are terrible excuses for not trying your hand at this wonderfully romantic dinner. If you can’t find a place that has dinner and dancing, clear a spot in your house or in your backyard. Split your meal into courses, and insist that the payment for each course is a dance. If your problem is two left feet, there is a solution. Many dance studios and nightclubs have social nights that teach simple dance steps for a lot cheaper than private lessons.

Character Dinner Date
This dinner is for the really bold, creative people. Pick characters from novels, movies, or even video games if you want and have dinner together in character. Turn the dinner into a theme, using menu items that are inspired by your characters. This is a great idea for a dinner party or double dinner date. You can do this in public if you’re brave enough!

Dessert Sampler
Not all dinners have to be based around chicken or beef. Create a half dozen mini desserts, not skipping out elegant presentations of the dishes. (You can either split the task of making assorted desserts, or you can go to a local bakery and pick up a few different items.) Some countries consider cheese a dessert, so if you’re not in the mood for sweets, make a cheese platter instead.