Disclaimer: I am not at the professional chef level by a wide margin, just a run-of-the-mill good cook. (I'm also a chemist by training, which I swear helps.)

One thing we've enjoyed is taking cooking classes together. The good news is that if it works, you can plan subsequent (and less expensive) evenings at home as a couple or with friends.

Look around at local high-end restaurants, especially if you're near a bigger city which attracts 'name' chefs. If you can't find something like that, you might be able to find a cooking academy that offers courses for non-professionals at night. The one we use frequently does "date night" classes. Avoid the mechanics-oriented ones (knifework is fun, but not date-ish!), and look for something that comes with wine.

We've since had a lot of fun using our class skills to host sushi night for our friends. (And her parents. Valg is brave!) Sushi's quite expensive if you go out, but if you know how to make your own, it's very reasonable even when you're buying top-end fish, since a little goes a long way. (We've done sushi dinners for 4 for $30-$40 plus sake, and had more food than we could eat. If you go this route, make sure you buy your fish from a top place-- ask a reputable sushi restaurant where they buy their fish.)

On a lower budget, we've also made our own pasta and done some quality Italian stuff. This is time-consuming, but fun in a hands-on kind of way. Note: Italian chefs will try to pick up every lady at the class. That's not just my opinion, that's science.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com