Another thing LW could do would be to locate a nice inexpensive restaurant, and suggest they go there one evening. If they like it, maybe they can make it their "go-to" place. That way, he still gets to take her out to dinner, with the understanding that she's more interested in his company than the menu.

The waiter says, "I recommend the Gold-Plated Chocolate Mousse"
He says, "Yes! Sounds great!"
You say, "Sounds delicious, let's split one?"

Outside of the distinct possibility, raised by our gracious hostess, that this guy is a foodie who just rolls that way, there is also a distinct possibility that this guy is a boob. He may be trying to distract you from what he sees as shortcomings in his personality or his shortcomings in his worth in other ways.

If I like a woman and enjoy spending time with her, I'll present a pretty good mix of splurging or not. However, I'm not a young man and I am pretty well established. I can afford to go a little bananas every now and then. I think it's pretty clear to anyone that I'm dating that it's because I want to enjoy and share that particular experience for my own pleasure and that I enjoy her company while I'm doing it.

If you get the idea that he's trying too hard to impress you, he's doing it wrong.

If you eventually begin to feel like there is a real future with this guy, be wary of any sort of "keeping up with the Joneses" tendencies. That can make for a really miserable and misplaced life.

The guy you should be after is a guy that lives well below his means, but is willing and able to splurge when that splurge will genuinely make for a great shared experience to remember.

But the average guy is just afraid of coming off cheap, making him easy prey for every waiter upsell in the book.

So true. A merdeload of money has flowed to business owners over the years from guys in that position.

We have a music venue in downtown Seattle which serves meals where the waitstaff relentlessly pesters you to spring for goodies and extras when you're on a date.

the Gold-Plated Chocolate Mousse

HaHa...nice one!

Along with oldRPMdaddy - I actually love finding cheap and cheerful out of the way restaurants that serve dynamite food. You could suggest one ... .

I ditto whistledick... except, you guys like to tear me new orifices when I mention it elsewhere.

My husband and I often discuss a meal on the way there. One of us will say something like, "Would you like to order an appetizer," or, "I'd like dessert, so could we skip the appetizer."

We try to clue each other in to where we're at. Sometimes we each order dessert, sometimes we split one, sometimes we just get an entree. There are days we've gotten every frill and days we've gotten none. But, by broaching the subject before hand, we both walk away happy.

Even once we're there, we sometimes touch base between waiter visits. Sometimes, something as simple as, "Would you like to stay for dessert or coffee?" is all it takes. Then nobody is put on the spot when the waiter asks.