A Date with a bit of Hollywood Romance

By: Rahul Kishore - Rahul's Musings

Finding the perfect spot to be romantic is often difficult. It has to have the right ambiance, it has to feel romantic, and most important, the food has to be good. But finding inspiration and places to go can be easy as going to your local Blockbuster and renting a few romantic comedies. Here are a selection of great restaurants from the Hollywood romantic playbook.

In You’ve Got Mail, Café Lalo is where Meg Ryan and Tom Hank’s characters first meet. Ryan, sitting at one of Lalo’s tiny coffee tables, waits with roses in hand for her blind date, Mr. NY152, played by Hanks. A hugely popular café even before You’ve Got Mail, Lalo is a great place to spend an afternoon. Unlike the multitude of Starbucks locations that spot New York City, Lalo is quaint and local. Maybe waiting here, sipping on a warm mocha, with roses in hand, will help you find that perfect someone.

Hollywood portrayed Tom Cruise in Top Gun as “Maverick”, the rebel with an attitude. Of course, if you’re a rebel you’re not going to take your girl to a normal restaurant, but instead the casual and fun Kansas City BBQ. In the movie, Cruise starts singing “She’s Lost that Loving Feeling” with his wingman Goose to love interest “Charlie” played by Kelly McGillis in this iconic bar.

In Serendipity John Cusak and Kate Beckinsdale’s characters eat dinner at the restaurant of the same name. Serendipity is the aptitude for making desireable discoveries by accident. Though Serendipity 3's location on the Upper East Side may not make it an unlikely discovery, it is a great place to eat. The menu is made up of all things tasty, from fantastic fish to classic sandwiches. It’s a great place to enjoy a tasty meal with your date, and if you run out of conversation starters you can always talk about the brightly colored fixtures and oversized clock that line the walls of the restaurant.

Love, according to Hollywood, is often embodied in big gestures. In Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan’s character looks out the window from the beautiful Rainbow Room at a huge heart on the Empire State building. It is then that she leaves her dinner date and runs off to meet Tom Hanks and his kid on the sky deck. Had Ryan stayed and finished her meal at the Rainbow Room, she probably would have been treated to a fantastic meal and a fantastic view from the top of Rockefeller plaza.

Sometimes, Hollywood takes away all the glam and the glitter, and strings together a romance that is simple. When Harry Met Sally is a prime example of romance for the rest of us. In one of the most famous scenes from the movie, Harry and Sally played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, are sitting in Katz’s Delicatessen. This deli has been serving Manhattan since 1888, and is a great place to get something good to eat without having to dress up. Katz’s serves old time favorites all day long and is a nice casual place to have a meal and good conversation.


Photo credit: flickr cc Ahmed Rabea