help with a date menu?!

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Is this a dinner for him or for her? If this is for him, then the menu looked good enough as-is. If this is for her, you got a lot more work to do. Many women love bread. So, bread is recommended. Many women prefer to see more vegetables. So, vegetables are recommended.

Starter: Caprese bruschetta? Mushroom bruschetta? Tomato mozzarella pesto bruschetta? Stuffed mushrooms?

Salad: Caprese salad? Italian salad?

Main: Personally, I would go for either chicken, fish, or lamb instead of steak. Chicken marsala served on a skewer? Stuffed chicken breast? Seared cod with gremolata? Sea bass in creamy lemon butter sauce? Lamb with red wine sauce?

Side dish: I don't think potatoes would be your top choice. I'd go for vegetables such as asparagus or sauteed string beans. I'll also add items like stuffed bell peppers, stuffed grill tomatoes, or grilled squash/zucchini for a better presentation. Remember to serve asparagus or string beans in moderation for they could cause gas problems later. :)

Dessert: Chocolate mousse sounds nice especially when it came in multiple layers. A chocolate cake covered with shaved chocolate might look more indulging though... Panna cotta with either strawberry or raspberry is eye pleasing too. (Don't be too concerned. I don't think she would mind if you bought desserts.)

Now, don't forget about the table cloth and the wine. :)

Good luck. :)

PS: You could somewhat get away on the taste part (within reasonable limits). The amount of efforts you put also goes on the report card. By the way, don't do this kind of thing too often. Gotta keep it special. Also, if you are a very good cook, holding back a little might be a good idea. If you are a better cook than she is, there might be a chance she would be nervous to cook in front of you. Mine used this as a valid reason to stay out of the kitchen even though she's a very good cook herself. ;(

The steak w/ porcini rub sounds good. You'll want to toss the potatoes in a bit of olive oil and chop in some fresh herbs (oregano, basil, flat-leaf parsley), and whole cloves of peeled garlic are great roasted in with the potatoes. An hour at 375-400 should do it, and you can spread the cloves on bruschetta or sliced Italian bread for a starter. Roasted garlic is incredibly mild and buttery and delicious. A good Italian side dish would be chunked zucchini and wedged onions roasted at the same time, with peeled fresh quartered tomatoes added during the last half-hour, and a green salad with simple olive oil vinaigrette would be great after the entree. If you're going for soup, chicken stock with egg pastina, spinach, and beaten egg is very traditional. Why choco mousse? If you're heading to Italy and putting in that kind of work, tiramisu would be a really appropriate ending, or zabaione with sherry and strawberries and biscotti or taralli.

Caprese Salad (For your starter)
Buffalo Mozzarella, sliced in 1/2 inch medallions
Tomatoes on the vine, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Fresh basil, chiffonade sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Alternate mozzarella and tomatoes in circle on plate. Top with basil, salt and pepper to taste; drizzle with olive oil.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (For your steak)

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or chives
4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola
2 ounces grated parmesan
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir in heavy cream, parsley or chives, gorgonzola and parmesan cheese. Season with nutmeg. Whisk and let simmer for 30 seconds or until the much of the cheese has melted. Serve the cream sauce over steaks.

Agree! Add asparagus to your menu. It's healthy!

And yes! Include potatoes. Potatoes are a good source of vitamin C. It contains 45% of the daily recommended value of an average person.

You might want to have a Scalloped Potato Soup with Cheddar Cheese or Stuffed Baked Potatoes or maybe Ham and Potato Casserole, They are not just tasty, but also they are really good for your health. You can check the link on the source, it includes recipes for the potato dishes mentioned.

http://www.articlesbase.com/recipes-articles/top-three-healthy-potato-dishes-3104212.html

Roasted asparagus (or broccoli) you can add Hollandaise sauce if you want.

Add the asparagus to your menu and it will be perfect.