Washington Post, January 23, 2002

I hear it all the time.

"It" is the singles' lament: "How on earth, in one of the country's most (insert transient or other believable adjective) cities, with a male-to-female ratio of (insert miserable, mythical statistic), stuck in a workplace entirely populated with people obsessed with (insert age or other noun), is it possible to find someone decent to date?"

It seems the answer may just be to go out to eat.

Or so the D.C. Society of Young Professionals would like singles to think. Last year, founders Greg Bland and Michael Karlan added something new to their schedule of upcoming events sent by e-mail to thousands of members. Among the museum outings, embassy wine tastings and small business start-up seminars was a Profile Singles Dinner.

In other words, a meal in which diners are seated alongside a potential soul mate, for the bargain price of $50.

It was an instant sellout.

Singles interested in attending answered a few optional questions about themselves and what they were "looking for in a person of the opposite sex." Then Bland and Karlan assigned the diners to tables.

The first dinner, at the Moroccan restaurant Marrakesh (617 New York Ave. NW), was a microcosm of the dating world, including everyone from Hill staffers fresh from college to 401(k)-conscious fifty-somethings. But everyone had two things in common: the expectation of being fed and the hope they they might meet someone. (Disclaimer: except for me. I was sent as a reporter, not as someone seeking a possible love interest. My existing love interest was not pleased and asked me to pass on this assignment.)

At the happy hour, a few attendees lingered nervously near the entrance. Some took refuge at their assigned table. Most made a beeline for the bar. Amiable conversations sprang up quickly, particularly when bolstered by two Scotches. And, at times, they faltered. Following minutes of mutual silence and intense scrutiny of the bottle label, one twenty-something mused to the fellow standing nearby, "I guess it's a Moroccan beer."

Although it was a singles event, many attendees -- young women in particular -- said they hoped to meet people with similar interests simply to hang out with. Some even had significant others but came as moral support for a friend. A few were a tad defensive. "I'm not here to hook up," said Mary Carlson, a public relations expert and newcomer to Washington.

Many said they signed up out of gustatory curiosity, never having tried Moroccan food.

Some of the diners, familiar with every singles organization in town, were able to recite the alternative events for the evening.

One was looking forward to the belly dancer at the restaurant. "I'm taking lessons," she explained. And one person found out exactly what people mean when they say Washington is a small city. She ran into one of her bosses. The encounter was polite, though brief.

Then there was Jonathan Westin, 26, who relies on the DCSYP not for social outings but as an opportunity to do business networking. (How very Washington.) He thinks most regulars prefer it to the bar scene, likening it to "The Love Boat," with Bland and Karlan taking over for Julie, the cruise director.

Seating assignments were determined largely by age though common interests also emerged. One table boasted three kickboxing enthusiasts.

"We do the best that we can," says Karlan, who continues to hone the matchmaking process. Since the first dinner, the questionnaire has grown from eight to 25 questions and attendees must rank them according to priority.

At Marrakesh, food is served on large communal platters shared by those at the the table. There are no utensils; food is scooped with fingers. Some found this to be intimate and inviting, while others considered it unthinkable and unhygienic.

Since that first dinner last spring, Profile Single Dinners have been held at Tony Cheng's Mongolian Restaurant in Chinatown, Maggiano's Little Italy on upper Wisconsin Avenue NW and Tony and Joe's on the Georgetown waterfront. But forget about the food. Does it work?

"There will be one or two tables where the chemistry isn't really there," concedes Karlan. (Dinners now include a second, post-meal happy hour so attendees have a greater chance to mingle.)

While there can't be wedding bells for all of the hundreds of Washingtonians who have attended these mixers, one couple just went on a cruise together over the holidays. And those bells are imminent for Cathy Rojko, a lawyer, and Sunoy Banerjee, a physicist who works in information technology. They met last May at the Marrakesh and chatted at great length about their common interest in bridge. She handed him her card and invited him to join her bridge club. They're planning to marry Memorial Day weekend. As Rojko explains, all because "We just happened to be sitting at the same table."

The next Profile Singles Dinner is Feb. 7 at the Sea Catch in Georgetown. For more information, contact the D.C. Society of Young Professionals at 202-686-6085 or see www.dcyoungpro.com.