Date night dinner

A wise man once said the way to a women's heart requires money, or food. He was right. When doing dinner with your dame or dan you've got two options. You cook or you find a nice place to sit down at for dinner. I personally like to cook but being in college I don't have the most elegant of settings to dine in so Friday I'll be taking my gal out on the town for dinner. Just because I'm not making the meal doesn't mean the evening wont be as personal or romantic. There are just a few details to make sure of if you want your night to be a special one. First off do not take her to the damn olive garden. Find a nice place thats not to pricey but has quality cuisine. Next make sure you can get a table and make sure that table isn't in an area of high traffic from the kitchen or volume from the other guests. Often times restaurants have these kind of booths tucked away or in a corner where it'll seem like its just you two in the whole place. And lastly, wear something nice. I don't mean your sunday best but look like the man or woman your significant other is or would be proud to call theirs. Choosing the restaurant can be tricky but an easy way to find a place in any city is within the comments and reviews on Yelp. Gainesville has a large selection of restaurants with a variety of entrees and prices that wont break the bank. One of my favorite date night eateries is The Top restaurant downtown.

The Top is a Gainesville classic with an extensive menu incorporating new entrees and specials weekly while hanging on to old favorites. The food is fantastic. I've tried something new every time I've been and I have yet to be disappointed.

They also have a killer bar with great drinks.

So wether its The Top or outback or where ever you take your main squeeze make it special. Enjoying good food with someone you love should be memorable.

Never forsake breakfast

Out of all the meals of the day breakfast is by far the most overlooked instance for prime food stuffs. Breakfast isn't just a meal its an indication of how your day is going to be. If you wake up and have a piece of toast and coffee then thats your day. A piece of toast and some coffee. Exciting? No, no its not it's mediocre at best. Now if you wake up to fresh pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream and orange juice and a cup of joe next to the woman or man or pet you love, then you're about to have a kick ass day to go along with that kick ass breakfast. Run on sentences aside not everyone can just throw together an epic meal in the early hours of the day. The nice thing about living in gainesville is that you don't have to, there are plenty of places that do breakfast right. Bagels and Noodles, The Copper Monkey, Peach Valley. All of these are great places to break the fast at but my all time favorite will always be The Flying Biscuit. Out of all the Breakfast joints in town The Flying Biscuit takes the cake.

It may not look like much but this place has quite the selection. just check out the menu.

In closing, you don't have to be an amazing cook our wake up particularly early to start the day right. Find a place that does breakfast and try something new. No one should settle when it comes to the first meal of the day.

Worth their weight in gold

As I mentioned before, many college students find themselves quite broke more often than they'd like to admit. We're all looking for a little help where ever we can get it and the time honored tradition that is Gator Greenbacks to many of us in gainesville is that helping hand. Every year these little books are strewn around campus like the leaves blowing around Turlington. But unlike those leaves these are snatched up quite quickly. Inside each book is a myriad of coupons for a multitude of services around gainesville but the ones most cherished are for food. Over half the restaurants and fast food joints around campus all have coupons in these books that range from 1 dollar off to buy one get one or even 10% off your bill. So wether you're taking your lady friend out to dinner downtown or just getting two meals for the price of one at Zaxbys these little greenbacks can be very helpful. If you see a book of them, take it, take them all, they're free.

So you're hungry, penniless, and drunk...

Sometimes you just let things snowball. You forget to go grocery shopping but you saved some money by not buying food. So you spend a little extra that night out with your buddies/ladies. That extra cash turns into extra beers/booze and before you know it you're swaying out into the night air, but you forgot one thing. To eat. Skipped meals aren't uncommon to the average collegiate but the cure to your inebriated pangs of hunger aren't far away in Gainesville, even if you did blow all your cash. Stumble over to the infamous Pizza by The Slice where you can get a slice of heaven for less than any of those drinks you had.