Who usually picks up the check: You or your guy?

Before I lost my job, I tried to treat my boyfriend to things—even if it was just an $8 cab ride or movie tickets—as much as I could. Obviously, things have been a bit different lately. When he asked me to pick up milk at the store the other day, I almost made up an excuse as to why I couldn't do it because I didn't want to spend the money. But then I realized how ridiculous that was—I mean, it wasn't even three bucks.

So I was really excited on Friday when I had a chance to take him out to dinner. Joyann gave me a gift certificate to a restaurant in NoLita called Emporio as a thank you for taking care of Vivienne the other week. It wasn't quite as satisfying as actually picking up the check and paying with my own money, but it still felt good to be able to do something nice for him—it's been too long.

We started the meal with an endive salad with beets, peanuts and goat cheese. It was tasty, but not my favorite—there was something about the beets I didn't love. Pretty though!

Then we had Sopressata and Finocchiona on Italian bread—it was so good!

Strangely, I'm usually not one of those people who enjoys a glass of wine or two with dinner. I never think alcohol is worth the calories unless you're on a mission to get drunk (I know how bad that sounds), but after the long week I had, I needed it.

I was tempted by the pizza and pasta dishes, but decided to go with the striped bass to balance out the pieces of bread I had already stuffed in my mouth. It was really good, although I wish there had been some asparagus or another vegetable to go with it to round out the meal.

My boyfriend got the short ribs. I realize this isn't the most appetizing pic, but it was really yummy, which is what counts!

And it came with a side of polenta. This might have been the first time I've tried polenta— I liked it! My boyfriend thought it was a little bland, but I really enjoyed it. I tend to like things that aren't super-flavorful—I have no idea why?

We stopped by Ciao Bella down the street afterwards, and I was so excited to eat my cookies 'n' cream cone, I wolfed it down before I thought to snap a pic. It's a shame because it was just as pretty as it was tasty! Last time I was at Ciao Bella, I got the chocolate sorbet, and it wasn't nearly as good as the real stuff. (Sometimes I do prefer the lower-fat versions.) So, I didn't stress about how many calories it would set me back, and really enjoyed my treat. (So much so, I think I was making the same orgasm noises I wrote about in this post.)

So tell me girls, how often do you pick up the check? And guys, how does it make you feel when a lady offers to pay?