Ice to Meet You, Two

Photos by Brevin Blach | Matchmaking by Jessica Pelligra

Later this evening, blind daters Lindsay and Tellas will be slip-sliding away on an ice-skating rink. For now, they’re breaking the ice in the Epic Limo that’s minutes from dropping them off at downtown’s newly remodeled The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole. Before they arrive, let’s review their pre-date interviews.

Where are you from and where do you live now?
LINDSAY: I am from Alabama. I currently live in Little Italy.
TELLAS: I was born in St. Louis; grew up in northern California, Sacramento area. I live in downtown San Diego.

What do you do for a living?
LINDSAY: Speech-language pathologist, personal trainer, business owner.
TELLAS: I work in a gym and [the hospitality] industry.

What do you do for fun?
LINDSAY: Weightlift, dance, drink wine, hang out with friends, travel.
TELLAS: I like to be active and work out. I enjoy being with my son. I enjoy movies, the beach and doing anything outside.

What are you best at?
LINDSAY: Juggling a very busy life.
TELLAS: Communication.

What do you suck at?
LINDSAY: Cardio. If I am running, then there is probably something or someone chasing me.
TELLAS: Math.

What are you looking for in a date, physically and/or otherwise?
LINDSAY: Tall, with darker features... and please bring some swag.
TELLAS: Tall, curvy, a good smile.

Describe your special brand of sex appeal in five words or less.
LINDSAY: Baby got back.
TELLAS: Strength, with a sensual touch.

What do you like least about yourself?
LINDSAY: I can be extremely indecisive.
TELLAS: I can be over-analytical.

Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 for looks.
LINDSAY: My son thinks I’m a perfect 10, and that’s all that matters.
TELLAS: Eight.

How about for personality?
LINDSAY: At work, I’m about a five, but as soon as the workday is over, your 10-point scale can’t handle this.
TELLAS: Nine.

What’s your biggest fear?
LINDSAY: Something happening to my family.
TELLAS: Heights.

What traits could your date exhibit that would be deal-breakers?
LINDSAY: Poor communication skills, bad manners, smoking.
TELLAS: Stuck up, closed-minded, materialistic, talks a lot about themselves.

How many people have you slept with?
LINDSAY: LOL. No.
TELLAS: Enough.

How do you stay in shape?
LINDSAY: Weightlifting four to five times a week and running after a small child everyday.
TELLAS: Gym.

Fill in the blanks: I want my blind date to be “blank” and “blank.”
LINDSAY: Naughty and nice.
TELLAS: Sweet and sexy.

Will the night end with a kiss, something more or something less?
LINDSAY: I hope I want to kiss him.
TELLAS: Hope that it ends with a kiss. Not because I’m a hornball - it means I had an awesome connection.

What’s the most important thing in the world?
LINDSAY: Family.
TELLAS: My son and being successful to provide for my son and future wife.

THANK YOU!

Epic Limo
858.270.LIMO (5466)
epiclimo.com

The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole
1065 Fourth Ave., Downtown
619.231.4447, thelocalsandiego.com

FREEZE FRAME

CHILLING OUT IN POINT LOMA

When their car pulls up on Fourth Avenue, Lindsay and Tellas step out and head inside The Local.

If you don’t know Lindsay, but think she looks familiar, perhaps you saw her a few months ago on her first PacificSD blind date - the one where she and a guy named Mark spent a stylish evening trying on clothes at Fashion Valley mall (see “Fashionably Date,” Sept. 2015). In the end, their clothes matched, but their personalities... not so much.

A live band is rockin’ The Local as Lindsay and Tellas take a seat. They talk over drinks and small plates for a while, and then take a behind- the-scenes tour of Resident Brewing Company, the full-fledged brewery now located inside The Local.

Once fueled up with frosty craft brews and fresh selections from the remodeled venue’s reimagined menu, the couple jumps back into the limo for the ride to Fantasy on Ice, the temporary ice-skating rink at Liberty Station (open through January 3). When they begin putting on skates, they’re laughing and appear to be getting along well.

Laced up and ready to skate, they head out onto the ice. Soon, they’re holding hands as they circle the rink and look as though they’re having a blast. Despite a minor tumble by Tellas, both manage to stay upright and avoid injury.

After a final lap, the daters head around the corner for dinner at Soda & Swine, a new sister location of North Park’s wildly popular destination for sublime meatballs and “dirty” fries. Once they have had a chance to look over the menu and order cocktails, they’re split for mid-date debriefings.

PacificSD: How’s it going so far?
LINDSAY: It’s going really well. I’m having a really good time. It’s just a much better match [than my September-issue blind date]. I don’t really know how else to put it.
TELLAS: It’s going really well, surprisingly well.

What were your first impressions?
LINDSAY: Tall, dark and handsome. Thank you, matchmaker.
TELLAS: Very pretty. Always has a smile on her face, so she’s totally approachable. Didn’t seem stuck up or anything.

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?
LINDSAY: Looks-wise, definitely. Beyond that, I’m not sure yet. We’ll find out.
TELLAS: Yes.

What do you think of the way your date is dressed?
LINDSAY: Perfect.
TELLAS: She looks great; she looks beautiful.

How was The Local?
LINDSAY: The Local was a lot of fun. They had a really good band. I think they had a Christmas party going on, so the music was fun. The beer was great. The tour he gave us - [I’ve] never actually been on a tour somewhere they make beer, so that was awesome.
TELLAS: It was good. It made it easy to talk because it was a fun atmosphere.

What did you have to eat and drink there?
LINDSAY: Gosh, we had a little bit of everything. We had some ahi, we had some croquettes and we had some beer.
TELLAS: We had lumpia, ahi and some cornbread thing. And then we had IPA - we both like IPA - and a shot of tequila.

How was ice skating?
LINDSAY: It was a lot of fun. I haven’t been ice-skating in, like, 10 years. I don’t know how often he goes; apparently not that often. But we definitely made it a good time.
TELLAS: It was fun, better than I thought. I tried to let the lady lead, and she was grabbing my hand. It was cool, it worked out. I fell once.

What’s the most attractive thing your date has do

ne so far?

LINDSAY: He is a very good communicator and he asks good questions, and you can tell he’s really is interested in getting to know me, which is very attractive.
TELLAS: She gives great eye contact and she touches me and stuff like that. Because I’m so much about letting the lady lead, it’s awesome that she’s extended herself out and made it more comfortable for me to extend myself out.

Rate your date on a scale from one to 10 for looks.
LINDSAY: Strong nine.
TELLAS: Ten.

How about for personality?
LINDSAY: Ten.
TELLAS: We’ll go nine-point- five, ‘cause I don’t really know her all the way yet to say ten. First impression’s a ten.

Do you want to kiss your date now?
LINDSAY: I think that already happened.
TELLAS: Yeah. Her lips are pretty epic.

Does your date want to kiss you?
LINDSAY: I think that already happened.
TELLAS: She’s southern, so the southern in her would say no; but the way we’ve interacted, I’d say yeah.

Anything else you want to say?
LINDSAY: This is definitely my last blind date, but I’m pretty sure that my matchmaker got it right this time. I’m having a really good time and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the night.
TELLAS: The venues have all been brand-new and fresh, and I love the ambience of everything so far. I wouldn’t have done skating as a first date, only because I’m reluctant to, but the fact that I stepped outside my comfort zone on the first date - we both did - that was awesome, because we kinda did that together for the first time.

THANK YOU!

Fantasy on Ice
(open through January 3)
2640 Historic Decatur Rd., Liberty Station
619.222.1970, fantasyonicesd.com

WHEN PIGS FLY

DINNER CONTINUES AT SODA & SWINE

After the mid-date break, Lindsay and Tellas return to their table. As their spaghetti and enormous meatballs arrive, the magazine crew finally leaves them alone to enjoy the rest of the evening away from the cameras. The next morning, we call to see what we missed.

How was dinner at Soda & Swine?
LINDSAY: Soda & Swine had really unique drinks, a friendly staff and great food. Overall, a really cool spot. I would highly recommend.
TELLAS: It was nice, very different. Set a good mood.

What did you eat and drink?
LINDSAY: I had pasta and a couple of their specialty cocktails.
TELLAS: Tried some specialty drinks; had a couple of shots; ate a pasta, Brussel sprouts and some mashed potatoes.

What did you do after dinner?
LINDSAY: We actually met up with some mutual friends and had a drink.
TELLAS: Met up with some friends and had some drinks.

What time did you get home?
LINDSAY: I have no idea. It was pretty late, though.
TELLAS: Twelve or 1 a.m., maybe later.

Was there a kiss or romantic exchange?
LINDSAY: There was a kiss at dinner and goodnight.
TELLAS: Yes, a good kiss.

How and when did the date end?
LINDSAY: We said our goodbyes and exchanged numbers and a smooch.
TELLAS: Ended after drinks with friends.

Fill in the blanks. I wish my date had a bigger “blank” and a smaller “blank.”
LINDSAY: I wouldn’t change him.
TELLAS: Bigger tolerance for alcohol, smaller group of friends.

What’s the funniest thing that happened during the date?
LINDSAY: Tellas wiping out at the skating rink.
TELLAS: Me falling on the ice, for sure.

What was the best part?
LINDSAY: The conversations were, because we both were truly interested in getting to know each other.
TELLAS: The initial moment she got in the limo, and I saw her face.

What was theworst part of the date?
LINDSAY: There was not a bad part of the date.
TELLAS: When it ended.

Will there be a second date? Why or why not?
LINDSAY: Yes, there will be.
TELLAS: Hell, yes.

AFTERMATCH: Despite (or thanks to) the cold drinks, frozen skating rink and PacificSD’s matchmaker’s failed first attempt at finding a love connection for Lindsay, last night’s blind daters warmed up to each other quickly. From frosty beers at The Local to the cold, hard fact of being affectionate on the ice to the sultry, fireside dinner at Soda & Swine, each facet of the evening was hotter than the one before.

Before they met, Lindsay said, “I hope I want to kiss him,” and Tellas said, “[I] hope that it ends with a kiss.” During the date, when asked about a kiss, she said, “I think that already happened,” and he said, “Her lips are pretty epic.”

When the second time’s the charm, it turns out, hearts can melt... even on ice in the middle of winter.

THANK YOU!

Soda & Swine
2750 Dewey Rd., Ste. 104, Liberty Station
619.501.9989, sodaandswine.com