Each month, we set two daters up at a restaurant, give them free food and drinks, then wait for the magic to happen. This month’s Blind Date, we set up Sonni & Gio at Magna Kainan
Meet The Daters!
Name: Sonni
Sign: Virgo
Occupation: Photographer
Why are you going on a Rooster Blind Date? For the memoir. It sounded fun. Online dating sucks and I figured this was a fantastic way to meet someone new.
What’s a good way to win you over: You have my heart if you send me a song that makes you think about me.
Most irrational fear: If someone rolls a tube of ChapStick all the way and bites it off.
What’s your greatest strength: I’ve had a lot of crazy things happen in my life, and I find a way to keep a smile on my face and keep going.
Never have I ever: Never have I ever been pulled over.
Do you want kids? Yes, I do! Two. Twins run in my family, so I told myself I’d cap it at three.
What do you geek out on? Greek mythology. I was a Percy Jackson kid.
Immediate red flags: If they only ever talk about their exes in a negative light.
Immediate green flags: If they have a good relationship with their mom.
What is your toxic trait as a partner? I’m a little bit of a control freak so I try to manage other people’s feelings.
One thing you can’t live without? Music.
Why did your last relationship end? We were not compatible for each other.
Celebrity crush: Cale Makar.
Name: Giovanni (Gio)
Sign: Leo
Occupation: Chef at Delylah’s Food Truck
Why are you going on a Rooster Blind Date? Why not? I enjoy Rooster. I enjoy the Blind Dates, so when I saw an opportunity I signed up.
What’s a good way to win you over: Food. And good music. Good food, good music and I’m yours.
Most irrational fear: I don’t want to get eaten by anything.
What’s your greatest strength: I am a pretty amazing cook.
Never have I ever: Never have I ever been to Europe. I want to go to Spain to run with the bulls and participate in the tomato festival.
Do you want kids? No. Soft no.
What do you geek out on? A lot of things. I’m going to have to stick with music. I know a lot of artists. More than anyone would know. I know about their backgrounds and where they come from.
Immediate red flags: You have to appreciate music. If you don’t, I don’t like you. You can do anything as long as there is music.
Immediate green flags: You have to be open to trying, literally, anything. I’m big on trying new food.
What is your toxic trait as a partner? I’m stubborn and hardheaded. Oh, and I’m missing a tooth.
One thing you can’t live without? Food and being around food.
Why did your last relationship end? I don’t like her.
Celebrity crush: Ariana Grande, Zendaya and Scarlett Johansson.
Round 1
Attention food lovers: New restaurant alert in RiNo! We are thrilled to be at Magna Kainan to try some Filipino cuisine. After arriving, we run up to the rooftop bar, Sorry Gorgeous, to catch a glimpse of the sunset before settling in to meet our daters, Giovanni and Sonni. We’ve got a good feeling about this one.
How’s it going so far?
G: Things are going well. I think we’re getting along well. I like that she sings. She’s a theater kid. I played the tuba for five years so I know a bit about music. We’re both wearing shirts with stripes like we’re matching.
S: Great! I’m having such a wonderful time. Gio is so personable and friendly.
What are your first impressions of the dater?
G: She’s nice and relaxed. I was afraid that someone would be stuck up, or not be into having this full conversation with me.
S: I really liked his style and his jacket. I thought that was really great.
What was the first thing you noticed about your date?
G: Her shirt. I really like her eyes. She’s easy to talk to. We were both surprised that we were chosen.
S: He has his nose pierced. I’m a fan of nose piercings. And I also noticed he has a great smile.
Is this the type of person you’d normally date?
G: I don’t really have a type, but I would say yes.
S: Not normally, no. Up until this point, my type has been guys that hurt my feelings. He doesn’t feel like the kind of guy that would hurt my feelings. I feel like he’s the guy who would bring me home 10 minutes early with flowers for my mom.
Where do you normally meet partners?
G: On the street. Through mutual friends. But, I’ve been out of the dating scene for a while.
S: Bars if I’m feeling brave. Friends if I’m feeling desperate.
What are you most nervous about for tonight?
G: Honestly, the tooth. I lost it when I was 12. It adds character to my smile. But the biggest thing is my smile. I don’t like smiling when I’m meeting someone for the first time because there’s a gap in my mouth.
S: Just the fact that I had no information at all. No name, no age, and obviously not what he looks like. My imagination can run wild.
Did you get any advice for the date?
G: No. Nothing at all. I didn’t get any advice.
S: None. Just encouragement. My friend Annabell (shout out Annabell! She’s the reason I signed up) said it seemed fun. She said to be myself and have fun.
How did you prepare for the date?
G: I didn’t really prepare. I had a BeatBox to loosen up a little bit. It’s been a long ass week, even though it’s just Wednesday.
S: I listened to an audiobook to keep my brain calm. Then I listened to pump-up music on the way out here.
How did your date dress tonight?
G: Very well, very nice. I like her shirt. We almost wore the same thing. A striped button-down.
S: I would call it very dapper with a little bit of a street style. I like the flannel and I like the pattern. I liked the bucket hat accessory. I thought he was very smartly dressed in well coordained outfit.
What are you looking forward to in the next round?
G: I’m excited for food! I like that she’s open to trying new food. Right before I walked over here, I ordered us the Pilipino rum to try, so I’m waiting to see what she thinks about it. I like exotic liquors so I definitely needed to try some.
S: Trying more new food and more great conversation.
Round 2
While we’re munching, we hear through the grapevine that some of the customers think that Gio is Bruno Mars, and everyone’s wondering who the lucky lady is. Gio did look pretty fly drinking rum through a hollowed-out bone like a luge, so we can see the resemblance. If Gio’s charm keeps flowing like that rum, Sonni might give him the skeleton key to her heart.
How was dinner at Magna Kainan?
G: Delicious. Taking the shot down bone was the best part. The steak was delicious with the chimichurri and cilantro puree. I’ve never taken a shot down bone marrow before. The Filipino rum is really good.
S: Fantastic. Everything was so delicious. It was obvious how much thought and care was put into these dishes. My favorite was the steak that he ordered. I had some of the bone marrow topped on it.
How’s the date going?
G: I think it’s going pretty well. We actually get along. It’s easy to talk to her.
S: Fantastic. I feel like it’s gotten better. We’re still having a great conversation. He’s really, really nice. I’m having a great time. It’s hard to pick something specific. It’s just all wonderful.
Do you two have anything in common?
G: Quite a bit, actually. We like a lot of the same shows and genres of music, movies, and books. We’re pretty much all on the same page about everything. She had a few podcast recommendations – Up and Vanished. I’ll give it a listen so I can talk to her about it. I meditate a lot and she was surprised by that. I just started school for psychology. I’m going to school to be a therapist for addicts. I’ve started being involved in AA and recovery meetings. I like recovery dharma which is like Buddhist AA. Hopefully, that impressed her. I’ve lost so many friends to addiction. I help where I can.
S: Yes, we both love going outdoors and hiking. We both really like music, we’re super into movies and reading books.
What do you like about your date?
G: I think the biggest thing is that I find myself getting lost in her eyes. I really like her eyes. The fact that she can hold a conversation and build on it.
S: So many things. I like that he is asking me as many questions as I’m asking him. I like that he is happy to share his food with me and even prepped me some little bites which was very gentlemanly. He has a very calming presence.
What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?
G: She looks at me. And she offered to pour down the shot! That was awesome. I didn’t even have to ask. She was like I’ll do it!
S: He offered to cook for me, multiple times. He runs a food truck, so I guess it’s part of his love language.
How would your parents feel about the dater?
G: I think my mom would like her. She’s put together. Straight up, she would like her.
S: My mom was excited that I was going on a blind date. I told her and she said, “Oh fun! Have a good time! Let me know how it goes! Call me afterward!”
What’s been the best part of the date so far?
G: The fact that we’re realizing that we enjoy similar things. The more we talk, the more we are like ‘oh shit you like this too?’
S: This sounds kind of granola, but the vibes in general. The restaurant is amazing. The ambiance is great. The staff is super friendly. And Gio is the cherry on top! It’s been lovely.
What could make the date better?
G: Probably if we could end the night with dessert or music somewhere. Maybe not tonight, but I think I’m going to stay in contact with her. Unless she’s says nah fuck this.
S: Really nothing. This was a fantastic very first blind date. It literally could not have gone better! Unless it was Cale Makar, but he’s married now.
How’s the chemistry on a scale of 1 to 10?
G: 8.65. I don’t want to go too high. But it’s up there.
S: A good 8. I’m feeling the beginning sparks of a romantic relationship.
Where would you like the night to go from here?
G: She mentioned that she has to get up early. Once we’re done here, we’ll probably be done.
S: I want to conclude dinner in a beautiful way, bid my farewell, and go home to my dog because I have to get to work at 6 am tomorrow morning.
Do you think there’s going to be a second date?
G: *Crosses his fingers * Does that say enough?
S: I think there’s a good likelihood, yeah.
Round 3
Spoiler alert! Gio updates us later that night to tell us they kissed. Looks like Cupid’s arrow might have gone bone-deep. This is the part where we start planning ways to crash their wedding and stockpiling kegs of Fireball for the party. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we check in the next day to see what we missed.
What happened after Rooster left?
G: We went to the rooftop, Sorry Gorgeous. We sat by the fire pit and kept talking. I really liked the vibe up there. It has a nice view. We were there for about an hour, and then I walked her to her car, kissed her goodnight, and was on my way home.
S: We hung out on the patio at Sorry Gorgeous and chit-chatted for another hour before I had to call it and head home. He walked me to my car and asked if he could give me a kiss, and I said yes! As I was driving away out of the corner of my eye, I caught him doing a happy little ‘yippe!’ heel clip jump and it was so cute. It made my night.
What was the best part of the date and why?
G: The food was so delicious. I loved all the food. I think honestly the last hour talking with her on the rooftop was the best part.
S: The best part of the date had to be when he did the luge shot out of the bone marrow. That was so fun and bold and I loved that he was like, “Yeah let’s do it! I’m ready to try it!”
Would you have changed anything about the date?
G: I don’t think I would, no. As far as blind dates go, I think it went pretty awesome.
S: Nothing at all, actually.
Was there a goodnight kiss, hug or exchange of numbers?
G: Yep. All three.
S: Yes, all of the above. The first kiss was very respectable. It wasn’t a peck. It was a little more than that. And then there were a couple of others after that, but no makeout sesh, yet.
Will there be a second date?
G: We had talked about it, but we haven’t set a date. We had mentioned karaoke one night since she likes to sing.
S: Absolutely. Well, that’s my plan. I would assume that I can speak for him and also say yes.
Any advice for future blind daters?
G: Go in with an open mind and a good attitude.
S: Don’t be so nervous. Everything turns out just fine.
Conclusion:
A yippee heel click happy jump was not on our Blind Date Bingo card, but we are here for it! We’ll be sneaking in the shadows of karaoke bars and escape rooms hoping to catch a glimpse of Sonni and Gio’s budding relationship in the wild. For those keeping track, of the last four Blind Dates, three have ended in goodnight kisses. So, if you are sick of the Colorado dating scene, Rooster match making services are here to help.
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