Each month, we set two daters up, give them free food and drinks, then wait for the magic to happen. This month’s Blind Date we set Eliza and August up at Wonderyard Garden + Table.

Meet The Daters!

Name: Eliza

Occupation: Dietitian  

Star Sign: Scorpio

Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date? My friend submitted me. 

What’s a good way to win you over? Being passionate and witty. 

Most irrational fear: Car washes and losing my voice. 

What’s your greatest strength? My confidence and emotional intelligence.

Do you want kids? I’m not 100% either way. 

What do you geek out on? Anything nutrition-related, women’s basketball, and human behavior. 

Immediate red flags: If we are not aligning politically. I’m not interested in sharing my body with someone who’s not willing to vote to protect it.

Immediate green flags: Being passionate, driven, confident, and  independent, while also having a good understanding of mental health.

What is your toxic trait as a partner?  I am not good at texting.

One thing you can’t live without? My family, my best friends, and my cat, Potato.

Why did your last relationship end?  We weren’t on the same page in terms of pace.

Celebrity crush: Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. 

Guilty pleasure: That would require me to have shame, and I fear that’s not really something that I have. No guilt, all pleasure. 

Name: August

Occupation: Stormwater Consultant  

Star Sign: Cancer

Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date? My friend, Michael, is a Rooster fan and applied for me.  

What’s a good way to win you over? Being genuine, easy to talk to, and having a good sense of humor. 

Most irrational fear: Wandering a palace corridor that never ends.

What’s your greatest strength? I’m a quick learner, and I make friends easily. 

Do you want kids? Open to it, but with the right person.

What do you geek out on?  Maps and geography. I’m a big geography nerd. 

Immediate red flags: Someone who’s too eager to move quickly, or who seems fixated on looks or status. 

Immediate green flags:  She’s funny, intelligent, and a good conversationalist. 

What is your toxic trait as a partner? I’ll send too many Instagram reels, unwarranted and unrequested. 

One thing you can’t live without?  A spicy chicken sandwich. 

Why did your last relationship end?  Infidelity. I got cheated on. 

Celebrity crush: Laurie from Shark Tank.   

Guilty pleasure: Watching shitty cooking shows and shitty reality TV.

ROUND 1

Stepping into Wonderyard Garden + Table feels like falling down the rabbit hole. Shimmering cocktails are topped with clouds of cotton candy, tables are shaped like teacups, and the garden is perfect for a Wonderland-worthy tea party. Just like the Mad Tea Party, the date starts exactly at six o’clock. After a round of colorful cocktails, we pull our daters, Eliza and August, aside to see how their story is shaping up so far. 

How are things going so far?
A: I think it’s going fairly well. She’s super nice. She’s funny and easy to talk to. I’d say overall, we’re fairly compatible.
E: I think they are going well. It seems like a kind of normal first date conversation flowing. I think we both think it’s funny that there’s an outside presence that we are able to joke about.

What were your first impressions of the dater?
A: She’s very pretty and very put together. She seems like she’s smart, and she knows what she wants.
E: I think I was overwhelmed walking in and thought, cool, he’s excited to be here and that goes a long way with me.

What was the first thing you noticed about your date?
A: Her style. The fit she came in. She has a good sense of style. Her jacket is dope.
E: He seemed confident, happy to be here, and self-assured.

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?
A: I wouldn’t say there’s a person I normally date, but she’s the type of person that I would normally be attracted to. A little bit of physical and mental attraction.
E: Sure. I don’t really have a type. No immediate deal breakers.

Where do you normally meet partners?
A: I’ve been off the apps for quite a while. I haven’t had any real relationships recently, but the people I’ve met have been through friends or out on the town.
E: Usually through friends. I’ve had some things off the apps, but everything long-term has been through mutual friends or becoming friends.

What are you most nervous about for tonight?
A: Having my picture in a magazine. Being perceived by a wide audience. The interview and the publication part of it are more nerve-wracking than the blind date part. I feel 100% better now. The worst was the 10 minutes before I showed up.
E: Going into a situation knowing absolutely nothing. It would push me out of my comfort zone to not have the reassurance of a friend or have some texts back and forth. I didn’t know a single thing. I didn’t know if it was a girl or a boy or anything.

Did you get any advice for the date?
A: Yeah. My friend, Mike, kept telling me I had rizz, so I should trust myself. He gave me advice on the shirt I wore. He told me not to wear a flannel.
E: My best friend helped me pick out my outfit, of course. I’m not sure if it was anything abnormal from normally checking in with them. They told me to have fun, be myself and push myself out of my comfort zone, but that’s something they would say for any date.

How did you prepare for the date?
A: I shaved a little bit and meditated today.
E: I got to work early so I could leave early and make this time happen. Nothing abnormal. I was talking to my best friends, but that is not out of the norm. We live this life together.

How did your date dress tonight?
A: She dressed well. I like her jacket and her hair. She dressed up a good amount for a first date, but not too strongly.
E: I didn’t know what to expect, being new to Denver and hearing about the Denver casual style. He dressed nicely.

What are you looking forward to in the next round?
A: Getting past the small talk questions and getting more insight into who she is.
E: I think the conversation was flowing really well. Every time someone came up, it was like oh okay! The conversation was going so well, I was so interested in it that I forgot the other stuff was happening. So, continuing to get to know him.

ROUND 2

After dinner, the energy shifts from White Rabbit to Mad Hatter. The nerves are gone, and the conversation is flowing, and Eliza and August continue on their journey. Channeling our inner Cheshire Cat, we reappear to pop back in and see what we missed. 

How was dinner from Wonderyard Garden & Table? 
A: It was good. The appetizer was the best part. I love those potatoes. The drinks were good. I don’t try cocktails that often, so it was fun to get something.
E: It was great. It was good. This place has been on my to-try list for a while, so I was excited to come here. The flatbreads were really nice. 

How’s the date going?
A: Overall, going well. I feel like she’s super nice and has good jokes and good areas of common interest. She lived in Boston, and I went to school in Boston, so we were joking about the northeast.
E: I think it’s going well. I feel like were being really honest with each other, and I think that’s not as common on a first date. But the setting and being able to joke about the silliness of it all have been really refreshing.

Do you two have anything in common?
A: We both like snowboarding, and we both spent time in the northeast. That’s about it, for now.
E: Yeah! We have some similar interests in outdoor hobbies, prioritizing friendships, and the people around us who are very similar.

What do you like about your date?
A: I like how it seems like she’s putting effort into the conversation, and she seems very honest and straightforward. And lighthearted still.
E: I think he is very kind, open, honest, and very good at keeping the conversation going and joking along with whatever random question comes out of my mouth. He’s got the quiet confidence and good eye contact. All really good attributes in a first date.

What do you not like about your date?
A: She seems to have a little more straight-edge, serious kind of personality. She’s more logical and matter-of-fact. It’s not a dealbreaker. It’s something to look for if we go on future dates and something to keep in mind. But it could easily be overcome.
E: I can’t really think of anything. I don’t want to judge someone like that.

What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?
A: Asking a lot of questions and being genuinely interested in the date. She’s very present and authentic.
E: I think the way he describes his friendships, and his self-awareness and emotional intelligence, is very attractive. The way he talks about himself, what he wants, and the people around him. 

How would your parents feel about the dater?  
A: They would love her. They’d be happy. They would like how intelligent she is and how she seems very well adjusted and has aspirations. She’s ambitious.
E: My parents are the coolest people ever. They are so wonderful. They would be shocked that I’m doing anything like this, and they would immediately defer any and all dating concerns to my older sisters. They know me backwards and forwards, the closest people in my life. They would be all over anything like this, and my parents would take their word for it for sure.

What’s been the best part of the date so far?
A: Little laughs that came between the conversation.
E: Just chatting, laughing, and being able to enjoy how delightfully goofy the situation is. And enjoy the fun and awkward parts of a first date with someone else.

What could make the date better?
A: I don’t know. Bowling? Or a longer date. But this is good for a first date. You don’t want a super long one.
E: I think first dates can be hard when it’s just food, drinks, and staring at each other. Sometimes, an activity or doing something that can distract from where you’re looking, what you’re doing with your hands, whatever, can help facilitate being comfortable and relaxed. The only thing that could make it better was if there was something we could do. We played trivia while also talking, which was great.

How’s the chemistry on a scale of 1 to 10?
A: On a scale of 1-10, it’s a 7. In the past, I’ve felt more of a vibe on a first connection than I have tonight, but nothing crazy.
E: I think the conversation chemistry is a 7/8ish. Any other types of chemistry would need further information.

Where would you like the night to go from here?
A: I’d like to keep talking after the blind date format is over. Keep talking for a little bit, exchange numbers, and hopefully keep texting.

ROUND 3

Eliza and August seem to be genuinely enjoying their date.  Between swapping stories, landing second place in trivia, and diving deeper into the rabbit hole of new topics, the night feels headed toward a second date rather than an “off with their heads” ending. The next day, back in the real world, we check in to see how the night wrapped up. 

What happened after Rooster left?
A: We hung out for a little bit, maybe 15 or 30 minutes more. We kept talking and exchanged numbers. And then, I walked her to her car, and we ended the night.
E: Not much. We talked a little bit more, and then he walked me to my car. I had an early morning, so I knew I couldn’t stay long.

What was the best part of the date and why?
A: The best part was trying a different type of date from what I’m used to and meeting someone new.
E: I think the conversation was great. It was really fun to get to know him and talk about our friendships and our people in Denver.

Would you have changed anything about the date?
A: I don’t think I would have changed anything. Maybe go in with less anticipation or be less nervous.
E: I thought the date was good. I thought the trivia that happened simultaneously was funny because we were able to play. It was really fun.

Was there a goodnight kiss, hug or exchange of numbers?
A: We exchanged numbers, and we hugged at the end of the night, but no kiss. We’ve been texting a bit.
E: He walked to my car and hugged me. He texted me following up last night.

Will there be a second date?
A: I’d say high likelihood there’s going to be a second date soon.
E: There’s nothing planned, but he asked as we were leaving, and I said yes. 

Any advice for future blind daters?
A: Don’t take it too seriously. 

CONCLUSION

Eliza and August left with a smile on their faces and plans for a second date. We’ll call that a win! Whether it was the magic of Wonderyard or Rooster’s matchmaking skills, one thing is certain: their Wonderland journey is just getting started.