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Date ideas: Play with your food

By Gina Tomaine and Jon Palmer

2 minutes to read

  • Adventuresome dining

    Whether it’s the first date or the hundredth, mixing it up and trying something new with your significant other is always fun, and the Boston area has plenty of innovative options to try out. Have chocolate for dinner, cook your entree at the table, or just immerse everything you eat in melted cheese.

    Browse through our suggestions for fun foodie dates, where you and your main squeeze may have as much fun playing with your food as you do eating it.

  • Get cracking at the Barking Crab

    The relaxed atmosphere at this waterfront spot will surely help to break the ice, but you’ll also have to break open a few crab legs. Order from a variety of crab legs and bond with your sweetheart as you both don bibs, disassemble crustaceans, and dip them in butter. Barking Crab doesn’t take reservations, so be prepared to spend some time at the bar beforehand.

    88 Sleeper St., Boston. 617-426-2722. barkingcrab.com

  • Chocoholics anonymous at Max Brenner

    Got a sweet tooth? This restaurant features an indulgent chocolate menu, from build-your-own s’mores to chocolate pizza. The Boylston spot also serves typical dinner fare, but shouldn’t you sweeten up to your date by eating dessert first (and second)?

    745 Boylston St., Boston. 617-274-1741 www.maxbrenner.com

  • Under the sea at East Ocean City

    Go fishing for your dinner at this Chinatown restaurant, which allows you and your date to pick your seafood of choice out of large tanks. (Just don’t name it “Nemo’’ beforehand.) East Ocean City also features shared plates so you and your significant other can get cozy.

    27 Beach St., Boston. 617-542-2504. eastoceancity.com

  • Fun with sushi at Wasabi

    This 100-seat sushi restaurant is a great spot for a casual date. Very casual: conveyor belts do the serving. Watch maki rolls and shrimp tempura rolls mosey down the conveyor belt while you and your date assemble your very own sushi meal by choosing what to grab and what to let pass.

    Natick Mall, 1245 Worcester St., Natick, 508-720-0326, wasabisushi.com

  • A taste of tapas at Toro

    At Ken Oringer’s South End spot, create a customized Spanish meal by indulging in your favorite tapas — that’s small plate dining for all the non-foodies out there. Collaborate with your date on which mini meals to sample. There are churros and tuna tartare, plus dates stuffed with blue cheese and almonds, which are then wrapped in ham. And don’t forget the sangria, of course. ¡Que Delicioso!

    1704 Washington St., Boston, 617-536-4300,. www.toro-restaurant.com

  • Heat things up at Fire + Ice

    Maybe you don’t feel like cooking for your significant other, but you’d still like to whip up something creative together. Try out Fire + Ice, where you get to choose the meat, vegetables, and sauces you want to combine while the chefs whip them up into a masterpiece before your eyes. Creating your own dinner and having someone else cook it for you? Not bad.

    205 Berkeley St., Boston. 617-482-3473; 50 Church St., Cambridge 617-547-9007 www.fire-ice.com

  • Get cheesey at The Melting Pot

    Nothing says “romantic’’ more than melted cheese, right? Dip skewered meats, vegetables, and more in a warm, gooey pot of melted cheese fondue. For dessert, swap out the savory for the sweet — choice from things like fruit, marshmallows, poundcake, and more to coat in melted chocolate.

    The Park Plaza Hotel, 76 Arlington St., Boston. 617-357-7007. meltingpot.com

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